You thought it was impossible to own a Glock in the UK without a licence, didn’t you? Well it’s not. Because I’ve got two.

The only catch is they’re not guns. They’re field tools. But they share the same simple ergonomics and rugged engineering that distinguishes Glock’s firearms range. Furthermore, they’re not mere brand-licensed knock-offs like a Ferrari baseball cap. They’re the real deal.

Originally designed for the Austrian army, they’re made by Glock to the highest mil-spec standards. I have both the field knife and the entrenching tool (ET). Let’s take a look at each in turn.

Other colours are available.

The knife is described as a general purpose field knife (‘Feldmesser’ if you must). It is available either with a smooth or a serrated edge (mine is the smooth version). Its primary use is to aid in shelter construction, cooking and routine tasks like that. One can imagine it being used as a fighting knife in extremis, though it plainly isn’t designed for that purpose. It’s certainly no Sykes-Fairbairn.

That said, only a total lunatic would take it to a skirmish. A plastic knife or rubber bayonet is one thing. The real deal is quite another. It’s illegal to carry a knife without a legitimate job-related, peaceable reason. It would be hard to convince a judge or magistrate that going to a skirmish counts as that, and you’d thus be risking a few years avoiding picking up the soap in the shower.

The Glock field knife comes in a range of colours, from classic black to desert sand. I’ve got the olive version. It slides into a neat integral plastic sheath which comes with a belt attachment. Though I’ve seen pictures of operators with the sheath taped onto a yoke for easy access. Or, more likely, just to look well ‘ard.

Perfection indeed.

The entrenching tool is just as purposeful, and even cleverer in its design. At the end of a telescopic handle is a blade which can be adjusted for use as a spade or a kind of pick-cum-rake. The blade is pretty sharp already, and I imagine it can be sharpened to an edge for use on branches and undergrowth.

Unscrew the knob on the other end of the handle, and you’ll find a saw-blade neatly concealed in the hollow centre. When you pull it out and reverse it, it secures very rigidly to the handle with a screw-on retaining lug, creating a useful cutting tool for cutting down shelter material, cutting wood for a fire or, one imagines, amputating one’s own leg.

Show that bush who’s boss.

I really can’t imagine myself lugging this tool (amazingly light though it is) onto a regular skirmish field. Furthermore, there’s once again the issue of safety. However, I can imagine it being useful on a weekend game, if only for digging a hole in which to dispose of one’s personal effluents.

Glock makes some pretty amazing weapons. It also makes some pretty cool tools. Which you are free to buy and own here in the UK. They may not be strictly useful in an airsofting context, but if you like well-made military kit, I reckon they’re among the best there is.