A question for you hunters

Plumberdv

Plumberdv

Joined
Sep 26, 2008
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Do any of you find the Zipper's very useful in the field for dressing your game?

My son has a very close friend who is an avid hunter and has a birthday coming up. My son wants to give him a hunting knife and asked me to help him out. I have a brand new 191 buildout with a BG-42 Designers Choice blade and wonder if he would find it useful or would something else be better.

Any opinions?
 
That's a very generous gift, and if he's not happy with it, he needs to have his head examined.

That said, I've never used a knife with a gut hook. I just don't feel the need for it. I get along just fine with my S30V Vanguard, which has pretty much become the only thing I use for dressing game anymore.
 
I like the Zipper model for medium-big game, but thats about it. For birds etc. its to cumbersome for me. My wife has a guthook alpha folder she uses for deer, but thats about it. That would make for a fantastic gift!

LOL, what Samael said!!! :D
 
Plumber, Yes a nice gift indeed . I have used most of Bucks gut hook designs, they do work . But in the end I settled on the singled, small, rounded tip blade on the V52 Selector . Because then I'm not using the gut hook knife for the rest of the field dressing work which tends to get hung up inside the cavity in tight spots . Just my opinion, others may use them . DM
 
Well, for the smaller stuff, he already has one of the 118's with the D2 blade that I gave him some time ago.

I also have a couple of the rubber handled Vanguards with the ATS-34 Designers Choice blades. I could give him one of those, but I know he likes the wood handled knives which is what the Zipper has.

Maybe we should just give him his choice?
 
Hi Dave,

I have used knives with a gut hook for dressing deer. I find that most of the hooks are not designed correctly for cutting the hollow hair of a deer and the hair gets in the way of the hooks edge and stops the cutting action. When one is splitting a deer's hide you go under the skin and don't cut the hair as that hair will dull the edge in seconds. That said I have not used one of bucks knives with a gut hook as I found I don't like a knife with a gut hook.

A 191 Vanguard in BG-42 would be a wonderful gift to give to any hunter. The end user can decide if they will use the hook or not. The BG-42 will serve them well in the field for the rest of their lives.
jb4570
 
Plumberdv said:
I also have a couple of the rubber handled Vanguards with the ATS-34 Designers Choice blades. I could give him one of those, but I know he likes the wood handled knives which is what the Zipper has.

Maybe we should just give him his choice?
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My vote would be for the ATS-34 Vanguard, but giving him a choice is hard to beat! Your too kind Dave ;) :D
 
postfallsidaho said:
My vote would be for the ATS-34 Vanguard, but giving him a choice is hard to beat! Your too kind Dave ;) :D
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He's a pretty special young man. My wife and I built a house back in the early seventies and his parents had one built right next door to us. They had two sons, one younger and this one who was a couple of years older than my son. The three of them became real good friends, but about 12 years ago, the youngest one died in a scuba diving accident.

Older one had this huge teenage crush on my wife (heck, she still looked like a teenager when we lived there), and kept in touch with us after we moved.

He was one person that regularly came to visit us (to see my wife I'm sure :p) right up to the time she passed away. He still calls me about once a week and is always asking me over for a BBQ or something.

He's very active with the scouts, girls and boys both and I donated about 10 Bucks for him to give as special awards to the kids.

I don't mind doing nice things for a kid like that.:thumbup:
 
Flatlander1963 said:
How old is this kid?
I like the choice idea but would go for the ATS-34 model personally.
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Let's see, he's about two years older than my son which would make him 49. Hmmm, I guess he's not such a kid anymore. :)

It's not all one sided though. He gave me a knife (one of two) that he had made, one for his Dad and one for himself. It's pretty cool, the maker used old blades from the steam turbine taken from the Nuke Plant where he worked.

Flynta.jpg
 
WOW thats a beautiful knife!!!

Dave, why not give him.... well.... BOTH!!!!!!!!!! You could always save one for christmas ;) :D Sounds like he's a great "kid" LOL ;)
 
I vote with DM no gut hook for the same reasons. They are OK as openers in the belly region but do have issues as you go higher into hair.
I open up big stuff with a 303 and two fingers or a knife with a curved secondary blade with blunt tip. (I'm sorry but it's red handled and has a white cross on the scale). Then I use another blade or three for the rest of the stuff. Which related as to how small the portions have to be to get it back to road.

If he is doing scout stuff, give him the one that he can wear at all events and proudly show Buck quality and good looks to the younger generation..........

300Bucks
 
Plumberdv said:
Well, for the smaller stuff, he already has one of the 118's with the D2 blade that I gave him some time ago.

Maybe we should just give him his choice?
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Hi Dave, He already has a D-2 118.Then you ansered you own question.

I would give him a 121 . But you know how Buck nuts from Texas are.:eek:
Give him what makes you feel good.

Where is Pact Rat when we need him?;)

David M, and J.B. have very good points also.
Jeff
 
A Cross Lock with a zipper blade and a Vapor Particle Deposited TiN coat would probably resist the tendency of the hollow hair to dull the edge. The main drop point blade on this model is chisel sharpened to expose the 82 Rockwell C coating on the micro edge. The hook blade has an edge that is coated (dark gold) on both sides.
 
Dave,
If you've given him a 118, he has all the knife he needs, a zipper would be an addition he would certainly be able to use, but doesnt necessaily need. The zipper would also be all that that he needs as the knife, with or without gut hook it can do any job in the field as far as I can see. I have never found the need for a gut hook, but certainly can find a use. Anyone(in thier right mind) would find a zipper as a great gift to receive.:thumbup:----nice looking k nife
 
:D Dave, you never cease to amaze me.That knife is really something! I just use my fingers and a sharp blade.Since my son came home a 100% disabled vet,it's been awhile.Just don't seem right to go without him.Thanks for the photo's
 
Dave, that is a beautiful knife. Love the shape of the blade and the handle is just perfect.
 
I never use knives with a gut hook for field dressing.
On my opinion a gut hook is not so important feature.
Vanguard ATS 34 or BG 42 or S30V will be very good knife for hunter.
That knife is universal and the same time is very comfortable for hunters.
 
edbeau said:
Dave, that is a beautiful knife. Love the shape of the blade and the handle is just perfect.
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Thanks, I'm pretty proud of it. It's marked 002 and his Dad's is 001. I don't know if the maker continued on with the design or not. He passed away a few years ago, so it would be hard to find out.

I should contact some of the engineers that I know at the plant and find out what the blade material is.

There's a new wrinkle in the gift knife question now. I find out that the young man's go to skinner is a Buck 103. I know he has a 110 and the 118, so he may not need or even want a new hunting knife. I want to give him something he will use, so I may have to go a different direction now.:confused:
 
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