A friend of mine is looking for a good knife, $100+/-. Fixed blade, non slip handle of some sort with a gut hook. Any fans of gut hook knives that are particularly happy with theirs? He prefers stainless. I've been out of the loop for a bit, so, not sure what steels are being used now. I know the one he had, can't remember who made it, took a great edge when I sharpened it for him, but, the steel was marginal, it dulled pretty quickly on an Elk. Of course, the fur on an Elk is the equivelent of cutting a sofa in half.
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Best production hunter w/gut hook?
- Thread starter Sgt 127
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A pretty decent one I have used is the Kodi Skinner by Outdoor Edge.
The gut hook itself is wide which helps tremendously in not clogging with the thicker hides as most of the skinnier ones will. This also makes it easier to resharpen with a round ceramic stick or diamond stick. This knife runs around $35 to $40 and is available from many places on the web (A G Russell, Cabelas, etc). The blade steel is AUS-8 and it holds a pretty good edge.
The BEST gut hook I have ever used, and continue to use is made by Kuusamo. It is made in Finland and is hard to find in the U.S. but you should make the effort. Should be less than $50 if you can find it. It has a very wide and flat guthook which will zip thru the thickest hides without clogging at all. The knife blade holds a decent edge and is easy to keep sharp because of the flat Scandinavian grind. I think the blade is 12C27 which is similar to AUS-8.
Having used the Kuusamo on probably over a hundred or more deer over the last 15 years and even though I have many more expensive knives it is probably the one I have used the most of all. If you cannot find a Kuusamo then the Kodi Skinner is a good alternative.
Edited: All of the deer I have used it on are whitetails. Although many were older bucks with relatively thick hides I don't really know how a deerhide would compare to an elk hide. Most of the big bucks I used the guthook to split the backhide along the spine to remove the cape and it was fairly thick hide. Never skinned an elk or gone on an elk hunt (yet). Someday.
The gut hook itself is wide which helps tremendously in not clogging with the thicker hides as most of the skinnier ones will. This also makes it easier to resharpen with a round ceramic stick or diamond stick. This knife runs around $35 to $40 and is available from many places on the web (A G Russell, Cabelas, etc). The blade steel is AUS-8 and it holds a pretty good edge.
The BEST gut hook I have ever used, and continue to use is made by Kuusamo. It is made in Finland and is hard to find in the U.S. but you should make the effort. Should be less than $50 if you can find it. It has a very wide and flat guthook which will zip thru the thickest hides without clogging at all. The knife blade holds a decent edge and is easy to keep sharp because of the flat Scandinavian grind. I think the blade is 12C27 which is similar to AUS-8.
Having used the Kuusamo on probably over a hundred or more deer over the last 15 years and even though I have many more expensive knives it is probably the one I have used the most of all. If you cannot find a Kuusamo then the Kodi Skinner is a good alternative.
Edited: All of the deer I have used it on are whitetails. Although many were older bucks with relatively thick hides I don't really know how a deerhide would compare to an elk hide. Most of the big bucks I used the guthook to split the backhide along the spine to remove the cape and it was fairly thick hide. Never skinned an elk or gone on an elk hunt (yet). Someday.
Gossman Knives
Edged Toolmaker
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I recommend the Sog Hunter Revolver. I field tested it this past deer season and was extremely happy with it's performance. It also incorporates a saw which IMO is the best I've ever used. Blades are AUS-8 stainless with a flat grind.
Scott
Scott
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I have handled the Outdoor Edge skinner and it is nice. I have only seen the Buck and if you can find one with ATS I think that is also a good choice for a good price.
However, at the BLADE Show this past year I got to handle a very nice knife by a relatively new outfit called Virginia Blade, almost all their models have a Gut Hook that is among the best that I have seen. The sheaths are thick Leather and the steel is 14-4 Chrome moly which is very similiar to ATS-34. These are knives that are designed for a specific purpose and that is Skinning/Gutting. Check em out.
Good Luck.
However, at the BLADE Show this past year I got to handle a very nice knife by a relatively new outfit called Virginia Blade, almost all their models have a Gut Hook that is among the best that I have seen. The sheaths are thick Leather and the steel is 14-4 Chrome moly which is very similiar to ATS-34. These are knives that are designed for a specific purpose and that is Skinning/Gutting. Check em out.
Good Luck.
glockman99
RIP Dann, you were a good guy.
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I'd suggest the Cold Steel Master Hunter Plus, but the steel is Carbon V...
- Joined
- Apr 27, 1999
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- 6,117
The Buck Zipper version of the Vanguard model drop point hunter has a very good reputation. When working on an elk I would want better than the standard 420HC alloy. Cabelas has a limited edition model in their Buck Alaskan Guide series that has an S30V alloy blade and all the other features that you asked for. Unfortunately (from my perspective) it is also partially serrated. That is not something that I want in my hunting knife. If your friend wouldn't mind the serrations when he was working and has something like a Spyderco Sharpmaker to keep the serrations sharp then the Cabela's Buck Alaskan Guide Zipper model might be a great solution for him.
http://www.cabelas.com/cabelas/en/t...n/common/catalog/pod-link.jhtml_A&_DAV=search
In the same series Cabela's has a version of the Buck Alpha Hunter with S30V blade and a gut hook. The only thing that this one lacks is a handle with a nonslip surface. It does have some extra handle contouring to improve its grip.
What I have is a Cabela's Buck Alaskan Guide Vanguard model with a plain handle and blade. I have a seperate "belly ripper" from Frosts of Sweden as a backup.
Another great auxiliary tool is an ulu for skinning. Knives of Alaska makes these with D2 blades.
http://www.cabelas.com/cabelas/en/t...n/common/catalog/pod-link.jhtml_A&_DAV=search
In the same series Cabela's has a version of the Buck Alpha Hunter with S30V blade and a gut hook. The only thing that this one lacks is a handle with a nonslip surface. It does have some extra handle contouring to improve its grip.
What I have is a Cabela's Buck Alaskan Guide Vanguard model with a plain handle and blade. I have a seperate "belly ripper" from Frosts of Sweden as a backup.
Another great auxiliary tool is an ulu for skinning. Knives of Alaska makes these with D2 blades.
I'll second this suggestion. True, not stainless, but that's how knives have been for 100's of years. Just minimal care required. The Master Hunter design is great. See http://store.yahoo.com/csstoreonline/fixed-blades-master-hunter.htmlglockman99 said:
Here's a place you can get them for under $50.00 http://www.ultout.com/coldsteel-knives.htm
Thank you very much all. I'll likely direct him towards the Cold Steel Master Hunter. Easy to get, reasonable and good steel. I'll buy him a little travel bottle of 3 in 1 oil to go with it. Some of the others look good, but, availability may be bothersome. Serrations, though they work, are a bit of a pain, I've never used them on dressing.
