Bark River hunt. Need help narrowing it down.

Status
Not open for further replies.
sogflash

sogflash

Joined
Aug 28, 2011
Messages
1,595
I want to try a Bark River knife, and I have a few criteria.

-Ergonomic handle that fills the hand. The length of the handle should be from 10 cm (aprox 4 inches) up to 13 cm (aprox 5 inches) long.

-Green or natural canvas micarta handle. Preferably no bolsters or ramps, but I can live with those.

-No jimping.

-Blade thickness should be around 3 mm (0.118 inches) to about 4 mm (0.157 inches). It can be a little thicker if it fits well with the other criteria. I'm open to both high and shallow blades.

-I'm open to most blade profiles, but especially like FFG blades for slicing and scandi grinds for wood. This is not the important part. If I like the knife I can live with another grind.

-I'm also open to many different steel types. SS or not, as long as they aren't known for being a pain to sharpen. ZDP 189 comes to mind, but no BRK uses it to my knowledge.


Can you help me? I've looked at page after page with BRK knives lately, and I'm having a hard time deciding.
 
hello! there's a youtube channel called virtuovice, a nice japanese guy who owns a lot bark river knives, most for hunting so convex grinds but he has also vidoes where hes talking about bushcrafter or camp and trail knives from bark river, so flat or scandi grinds. look for those. funny guy and he knows what hes talking about, compares steels and is making a science out of sharpening knives.
brgds b
 
I can't really help you narrow it down, just some points:
- I don't believe they offer any other grinds than their convex grind.
- The handle selection is huge, so your canvas handle requirement doesn't narrow it down a lot. You just have to find one for sale somewhere :).
 
yep, took a short look at their homepage, even their scandi grind is convex so no real scandi grind...
 
Bark River Manitou.....if you can find one.

6EB3ECAF-01E1-4F6E-814D-782DE0FB73DA_zpsccmeuj4i.jpg

44AAE1A9-7B4A-4E2D-A1A8-5B4101843AE3_zpsfaewxuwq.jpg
 
My experience with Bark River Knives is limited to just 2 knives and of the 2, only the Gunny seems to fit your criteria with its ~4.625" handle. Lots of steel and handle choices. Mine did come with a ramp but I sent it in to BRKT to have it removed. I received it back a couple of weeks ago and it looks like it never had a ramp at all. The only cost was for return shipping. Perhaps you can work with your dealer to have it sent in to be modified before it heading your way. However, they do make rampless models and both natural and green canvas micarta are staples of BRKT knives so you may be able to find one without. I did a quick search and found one in Elmax and one in 3V with green canvas micarta and without the ramp.

Here's mine before the ramp was removed with a #73.
 
I have an Ultra Light Bushcrafter (love it) and an Aurora (love that one even more). My fiancee has the Gunny, and it's her favorite knife.

I know that the Gunny, the Bravo 1, the Fox River, and the Aurora are some of the most popular models, but you might end up buying a couple. I like them quite a bit, especially in 3V. :)
 
I've had several Bark River knives and all have been great, but this Kalahari Hunter is my most recent one and my favorite.

BRkalahariMark_zpse19a36fa.jpg~original


Used primarily for hunting, the bullnose semi-skinner blade shape is perfect, as is the size at 9.25". The handle feels great and the convexed A2 cuts like a demon.
 
I'll change it a little bit then. FFG or scandi with a convexed edge.

I just don't know if they have chisel or hollow ground blades.

pmew, That video was useful. I didn't know they offered that knife in a different version with a thiner blade.

2Dead, is that blue jeans micarta? I've never seen a BRK with that before, but I'm not that into them.

This might be a VERY stupid question. Would it be abuse to baton with a BRK or even chop with one of the bigger ones?
 
yep, would be abuse, as it is a knife and its made for cutting...that doesnt mean they wont take it, a convex grind is quite stable-thats why hatchets have one-the guy mentioned in my first post does that and is doing mycroscopic inspection afterwards to see the effect it has to the different steels.
 
sogflash said:

Would it be abuse to baton with a BRK or even chop with one of the bigger ones?
Click to expand...



NO... unlike many knife makers, Bark River does not consider chopping or batonning abuse.


Doing so has no effect on their "no questions asked" warranty.


It's a prime reason I use my Barkies for the toughest tasks, :thumbup: :cool: :thumbup:

...well, :confused: ---that and the fact that they work quite well--and laugh at most task I throw at them. ;)



Big Mike
 
And another question. Are the woods they use stabilized? I like wood handles best, but I'm scares of it shrinking, warping and cracking. That's why I want micarta.
 
I love my gunny and Canadian special. They are both available in green canvas. I am very interested in the drop point hunter, it might be my next purchase. Bark River Knives will handle anything you put them through, they are incredibly sturdy. The canadian special is on the far left and the gunny is next to it.
 
sogflash said:
And another question. Are the woods they use stabilized? I like wood handles best, but I'm scares of it shrinking, warping and cracking. That's why I want micarta.
Click to expand...



The softer woods that will benefit from stabilization are stabilized, the harder/tougher woods are left natural.

Bark River is very careful in it's selection of natural handle materials. Being that their "no questions asked" warranty also applies to all their handles, they have learned what materials hold up and which don't. They stopped using some of the spalted woods even though they where quite popular, even stabilized they would not stand up to very hard use. The bottom line is they learn from there warranty work what works and what doesn't, like the steels and heat treatments they choose, the know what works for their customers and are constantly adjusting their production to meet these needs.

Synthetics? Not only Micarta and G-10, there are quite a few new materials that Bark River has added to their available selection. Krinite and C-Tek come to mind.

Buy any Bark River knife that calls to you, don't miss a knife you really like because you're worried about the handle material.



Big Mike
 
Last edited:
Big Mike is a great resource on Bark Rivers...I think he owns as many as I do.

All of the advice you have received is great. I'll add a bit.

When it comes to fixed blades, I pick up a Bark River every time. Their knives just work really well. The designs are great, handle selection abundant and steel holds a great edge.

You really can't go wrong with a Bark River. Look to the one that speaks to you and grab it.

Oh and ramps. We (and also most good dealers) can send it off to have the ramp removed for you. There is no cost at all except a bit of time.
 
The Gunny is a perfect knife. I have a - Gunny , Bravo 1 , Canadian Special , Lil ' Canadian , Recluse , Northstar comp , Essential cmp. Great product and KSF is a great dealer
 
The problem is that there isn't just one knife that speaks to me, it's a whole bunch of them!
 
sogflash said:
2Dead, is that blue jeans micarta? I've never seen a BRK with that before, but I'm not that into them.

This might be a VERY stupid question. Would it be abuse to baton with a BRK or even chop with one of the bigger ones?
Click to expand...

Yes but they list it as Blue Denim (on the box). They don't use it that often but there are a few knives out there with this cover material. Think of it like a blue canvas. I like blue so it works for me :) There are even fewer with Black Denim which looks like a cross between black and white canvas

I don't consider batoning or chopping to be abuse as these are thicker knives and many have been designed with those possible uses in mind.

sogflash said:
The problem is that there isn't just one knife that speaks to me, it's a whole bunch of them!
Click to expand...

It is a struggle :)
 
sogflash said:
The problem is that there isn't just one knife that speaks to me, it's a whole bunch of them!
Click to expand...


Well, since you posted your query in the Traditional Forum,

...let me tease you with one of my favorite Traditional Bark River knives.


clinrDC.jpg

Sambar Stag BRK&T Manitou

There is a new run of the similar Boone model now available.



Big Mike
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top