AG Russell DeerHunter D2 for bushcraft/fieldcraft?

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ocnLogan

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Jul 31, 2011
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I have been looking quite a bit recently at the AG Russel DeerHunter in D2, but have been noticing that it doesn't seem to get much talk other than for (unsurprisingly) hunters looking for a good skinning knife.

Now, I'm not a hunter and am not planning on it anytime in the near future. However, I have been wondering about the knife for bushcraft/fieldcraft uses lately. I know that the knife is a bit thin so it shouldn't hold up all that well to abuse. The upside though is that the knife is very thin and with a FFG and a sharp edge it "should" excel at many camp tasks.

I looked for info around the web already, and the only thing I really found was a test done a few years ago that was basically a destruction test of all three different versions of the knife (D2, VG10, and AUS8). (LINK). I was just wondering if anyone out there uses these things in the field for anything other than Hunting.

Thanks for the help :).
 
I have a VG10 version from AG Russell and I like it for just a good quick sharp cutting tool that I know I do not want to abuse. I have yet to use it extensively, but the area I see it excelling at is in the camp kitchen. Good sheath, just have to fiddle with it a bit to see how you like to carry it. I have put a key ring on it and then attach to a carabiner.
 
I looked for info around the web already, and the only thing I really found was a test done a few years ago that was basically a destruction test of all three different versions of the knife (D2, VG10, and AUS8). (LINK).


I clicked on the test link and read until I got to the section titled "Concrete Block Stabbing". I took a few more glances and saw the part about "whacking the spine with a steel rod" and couldn't go further. That was interesting...
 
Thanks for the responses. I actually didn't know if I'd ever get a hit on this one.

I agree it would be awesome as a kitchen knife.

I was actually mostly just wondering if anyone had tried to use it for feathersticks, trap making, firemaking or other "normal" tasks like that. Obviously it wouldn't stand up to abuse, I am curious to see if its "thin-ness" is a liability in the field, or it performs just fine.

EDIT:
And yes, I know that thread was kind of crazy, and no I would not be looking at doing ANYTHING like that. However, the edge holding tests were fairly interesting, as was most of the review up until they started smashing things with hammers and whatnot.

But really, that was the only real "review" of the knife that I could find. For what seems to be a pretty good bushcraft knife, I'm kind of surprised.
 
Yes, it is a solid knife. No, you can't use it to take a car apart. I wouldn't baton with it. It isn't a bushcraft style knife but it will do the lighter bushcraft tasks. To illustrate, it is only a bit more than a third the thickness of a Fallkniven S1 and the VG10 or D2 versions run a point or two harder than an S1 as well. All of the versions are run pretty hard since they are intended as slicers, but as long as you don't go crazy they'll do fine. A Deer Hunter and a handaxe will cover most everything. If you don't want to carry a handaxe you'll probably want a thicker knife in a "survival" situation.
 
I will say this- D2 has been one of my favorite steels. Tough, holds a good edge, never let me down. My experience with AG Russell is just as positive. He and Goldie will ensure you are happy with the knife. Tough combo to beat.
 
I usually have a large knife/saw/hatchet around with me (looking into machetes as well), so I'm not necessarily too worried about it doing "huge" tasks.

Just people seemed to talk about it like it was so fragile that it couldn't be used for anything.

And from what I hear, D2 is worth trying (i've never used it personally), and AG Russell seems to be a standup company, so I'm not worried about that part of things at least.
 
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