Anyone using a CS SRK for dressing, skinning, boning out deer or pigs?

[Phil_H]

Recently I decided to change my primary knife for hunting deer and pigs for something that had more or an ability when it came to bushcraft. The three knives that I have been looking at are the Fallkniven F1, Cold Steel SRK-C, and Master Hunter.

To start the ball rolling I purchased a SRK-C as they are only NZD $89 and well within my budget. Currently it is going through some mundane tasks in the forest before I actually strap it to my belt and take it hunting. In the interim I thought I would review others' experiences of the SRK knives for dressing out, skinning, boning either deer or pigs. I was surprised to find little reference to a SRK being used for these tasks. The only reference I managed was from Leon Patenburg on his site Survival Common Sense. He apparently used a SRK on many deer and elk over a 20 years and highly recommends it. That said, he now uses Bark River knives when hunting. Good, no doubt, these knives may be, but a little out of my price range.

Is there anyone on the forum who has used, or is using a SRK for dressing out large animals and would like to share their experiences with us…..either good or bad.

Cheers
Phil

 

[Ruari]

Not personally considered it, based off my assessment of the blade thickness and the grind. I feel that it could be used successfully, particularly for larger deer. It is quite thick, the grind is lower than I would like for a hunting knife, but would give you the strength required for your other bushcraft tasks.
I use a SOG SEAL Pup for UK smaller deer such as Roe and Muntjac, which for my requirements works very well.
When I was looking for a replacement for an EKA swingblade (got fed up with the blood and fat collecting in the hinge and liners) this is what I was thinking;
1.Fixed blade ~5"
2. Hard synthetic handle
3. acceptable blade thickness and grind height (convex grind in this case as well)
4. Capable of splitting the ribs from sternum without using another saw or knife (serrations on the Pup work well with the smaller deer)
5. Easy to sharpen
6. Good, durable point that won't snap off but is fine enough for little detail cutting tasks

 

[Wild Willie]

I think svord has some knives in your lineup that would work, and you could support your local economy.

 

[Alberta Ed]

I've used my SRK for field dressing and butchering moose and it worked fine for a general purpose blade. The Compact SRK would do just as well IMHO. The Master Hunter, however, outperforms both when it comes to processing game, and it's pretty handy around the camp, too. All my CS knives are Carbon V, but the MH is now available in 3V.

 

[chevyrulez1]

Recently I decided to change my primary knife for hunting deer and pigs for something that had more or an ability when it came to bushcraft. The three knives that I have been looking at are the Fallkniven F1, Cold Steel SRK-C, and Master Hunter.

To start the ball rolling I purchased a SRK-C as they are only NZD $89 and well within my budget. Currently it is going through some mundane tasks in the forest before I actually strap it to my belt and take it hunting. In the interim I thought I would review others' experiences of the SRK knives for dressing out, skinning, boning either deer or pigs. I was surprised to find little reference to a SRK being used for these tasks. The only reference I managed was from Leon Patenburg on his site Survival Common Sense. He apparently used a SRK on many deer and elk over a 20 years and highly recommends it. That said, he now uses Bark River knives when hunting. Good, no doubt, these knives may be, but a little out of my price range.

Is there anyone on the forum who has used, or is using a SRK for dressing out large animals and would like to share their experiences with us…..either good or bad.

Cheers
Phil

I do not own a SRK-C, have considered getting one several times because they seem like a really good value for what you are getting. I do have a Buck 119 that is similar in size and have used to to field dress whitetail deer and it worked great. I would think the SRK would probably be better due to the grippy handle. A lot of hunters promote using a smaller drop point blade, but if you like it the knife there should not be any issues in using it for that purpose.

 

[DMG]

The master hunter in carbon 5 or 3V is hard to beat. The SRK is too thick.

 

[DocJD]

SRK is more a survival field knife . Would work if that's all you had , but is too thick to be a good choice .

Master Hunter in 3V would be ideal , if you could find one and afford it .

Any Master Hunter would be better than the SRK .

Pendleton Hunter would be fine , if not too small .

 

[Blue Sky]

I think the SRK-C compact will work for you. I’ve used the Kabar 1251 shorty, which has similar specs, for whitetail and it did fine. Had to be careful of the semi-sharp clip but the SRK-C doesn't have that. Given a choice I would opt for the Master Hunter however.

 

[Phil_H]

Thanks for all the great replies and helpful advice. If nothing else it is starting to make me think about what I am looking for.

Ruari , a SOG Seal Pup is not one that I considered before. We don’t seem to see a lot of SOG’s in general over here; they seem to be unrepresented. Yes the Seal Pup looks reasonable but I would probably opt for the Elite as I am not that keen on serrations along the cutting edge plus I would have to handle one to see what I think of the handle, but more on that later.

And Wild Willie , you are right. Svord has knives that I have used before and are good for butchering animals. The night that I decided I needed to upgrade my knife I was using a Victory knife, also New Zealand owned and made. Their selection is very similar to Svord. I was on the side of a hill at 10:30 pm at night with impending rain and sleet. I didn’t have a lot of time available to me and I had just shot two deer. Dressing them out was not an issue but because of the wet boggy conditions I needed to fashion some poles to get them off the hill. The Victory skinner that I had didn’t make the grade. Sharon came through with her Bacho (Mora Companion made under licence). It did the job surprisingly well but I knew other blades would have done it faster and with more command. Hence my search for a knife with a dual purpose to dress out animals and also can do some basic bushcraft.

A Alberta Ed , good to know that you have used the SRK for dressing out animals and that it works. Yes, the Master Hunter is in contention but I have the SRK at this time and will put it through its paces before buying any more knives - definitely helps preserve harmony within the marriage.
chevyrulez1 , yes a grippy handle is one of the reasons that I am looking at the SRK. Drop points I agree, and I prefer them though I can see some possible advantages in a clip point. I can only give it a whirl and see what I think.

D DMG , and DocJD a Master Hunter does look to have most of what I am looking for though at this time it seems that one in 3V steel is hard to come by and I am not sure how the San Mai III compares. Plus if the SRK-C does what I want it is a great saving. Not sure why people think the SRK-C is too thick. The Master Hunter is 4.76 mm and the SRK-C is only 4.0 mm. Perhaps it is the grind? The Pendleton is also one that I have considered but I think the blade may be too short to my liking.

Anyway, a bit of background may be of help. I have got by mostly with purpose made skinners made for abattoirs and farmers, produced here in New Zealand. They are excellent for dressing out animals but not so much in the field though they are still used a lot by hunters. I have used the Bacho extensively and can’t fault it except that is not the fit for me. Sharon, my wife, just loves them….different sized hands and tastes I guess.

Some knives that I have.

The top knife is a Pergasi. Comes out of China and no doubt is a copy of something though I don’t know knives well enough to place it. I saw this knife on Aliexpress and made a passing comment to Sharon that I liked it and before I knew it, she purchased it for me. USD $13, can’t go too far with that. It is 9CR18Mov steel, if you can believe them. Lovely blade, holds a very good edge and a good size. Two things are wrong with it for me. Too heavy, 8.6 oz, and too bulky for me, plus I find the handle too slippery when it gets blood on it. Middle knife is of course the SRK-C. Love the handle, weight and bulk is nice, clip point I am not to fust on but it may come in handy. Bottom knife is a Duoclang, also out of China and a blatant copy of the F1 right down to the same dimensions and weight. Trying it to see if we like it. If so we will purchase the real thing though not so sure on the convex grind. This copy is a flat grind. Sharon loves it as it fits her hand nicely. I like the blade but prefer the handle of SRK-C. At this time we are putting them through their paces. If Sharon likes the Duoclang we will get her an F1. If I like the SRK-C I will look no further. If not I will start to look at the Master Hunter.

Anyway, that’s just where I am at and the reasons for my original post. Thanks one and all for taking the time to reply and share your thoughts. I will post further as we go down this decision path. Still open to suggestions of possible alternatives though.

Cheers
Phil

 

[DocJD]

how the San Mai III compares

3V is a bit thinner grind and more distal taper . More belly to the blade .

San Mai MH is still a fine hunting knife .

I have the old "Plus" ,model with a gut hook . Discontinued now . Still works great .

I suggest you try using what you have for now .

The main reason to spend a lot of money on something special is to get extra toughness along with edge retention and able to be made thinner .

So , less likely to break , have edge damage , or become dull ; with better slicing performance etc . ( Also ...bragging rights ! )

You can always carry a sharpener and an extra backup knife or two, if you can't afford a wonder knife for higher confidence .

 

[hornetguy]

I second the Master Hunter. Mine is Carbon V, and I've had it for 30-ish years. I don't hunt a lot, but the knife has been used on several deer, a couple of hogs, and did three aoudad in one afternoon. It did need the edge touched up during the third one, though. It's close to the ideal size and blade thickness for me.... I even hammered it through the breastbone of one of my deer to split it... I hesitantly used a rock as a hammer, but it worked well, and hardly marred the spine at all. I was impressed with the toughness of it.

 

[Phil_H]

I think the SRK-C compact will work for you. I’ve used the Kabar 1251 shorty, which has similar specs, for whitetail and it did fine. Had to be careful of the semi-sharp clip but the SRK-C doesn't have that. Given a choice I would opt for the Master Hunter however.

I have to say Blue Sky , if you can dress out a Whitetail with the Kabar Shorty I guess the SRK-C should be a shoo in. All of this said, for my current hunting/pest control, all animals are taken in the hills on farmland and as such in all but extremely wet conditions or snow I am usually able to gut the animal, remove the head and then get it back to the yards where I can hang it properly and finish the processing. Sometimes we have to drag an animal some distance if we wish to keep it in one piece for easier processing.....last 2 deer were 800 meters and down some steep bluffs.....and the furthest we have had to retrieve an animal by foot was approximately 2.5 km. It was a big boar and Sharon and I just put it on a pole between us....a hell of a walk through thick scrubland on a hill but doable.

I am still tempted to just go and buy the Master Hunter anyway......then after that I won't need to buy anymore knives.... ......that's what I will tell Sharon at least.....

Cheers
Phil

 

[cut it out]

Of those 3 I only have the F1. Great bushcraft and hunting knife imo!!!! Time tested also so no worries and if you live by the ocean the stainless is a good idea.

 

[Phil_H]

Of those 3 I only have the F1. Great bushcraft and hunting knife imo!!!! Time tested also so no worries and if you live by the ocean the stainless is a good idea.

How do you find the convex grind for cutting meat? Any issues? I just hear different reports around that.

Cheers
Phil

 

[cut it out]

I find it fine. I usually only dress them out in woods and then butcher with other knives once home

 

[Alberta Ed]

The F1 with convex grind is a great slicer. I've used mine in VG -10 to field dress black bear and moose, no problem. The Thermorun grip is harder and not as grippy as Cold Steel 's Kraton but still OK.

 

[KenHash]

I am familiar with all three knives. I would put the Master Hunter as best for dressing game from personal experience.
The blade is thinner than the others.
The F1 and SRK-C will do the job, perhaps not as nicely as the MH, but also has "bushcraft" properties.

 

[dogstar]

Shhhhhh , "bushcraft" is a dirty word around here

 

[Fred1950]

Buck 119...

 

[NapalmCheese]

I've used my SRK for field dressing and butchering moose and it worked fine for a general purpose blade. The Compact SRK would do just as well IMHO. The Master Hunter, however, outperforms both when it comes to processing game, and it's pretty handy around the camp, too. All my CS knives are Carbon V, but the MH is now available in 3V.

I ended up using my SRK to field dress a couple of deer one year when I had left my other knives at home (I kept the SRK in my truck). It worked fine, although it was a little overly large for the task; but field dressing doesn't require much specialization in knife design IMO. It's not my first choice, but I wouldn't hesitate to use it again.

Buck 119...

Also overly big in my opinion, but then it is a nice looking knife so might as well use it if you've got it!