Best steel for a hunting knife

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Lo/Rez

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I was wondering what people considered to be the best steel to use for a hunting knife. I'm just getting into knife making and have drawn out a few patterns that I would like to make. I presently have some W2 to begin with but I would like to get into stainless steels eventually.
 
While everyone will tell you that "best" is completely subjective (and this is absolutely true) there are several factors that will contribute to a good hunting knife; and the most important of them is edge and grind geometry. When looking at things that really make a good hunting knife I think the following are the most important.

edge retention
aggressive cutting
edge stability

In my experience the best hunting knife is one that can maintain thin geometry without failing, cut aggressively, and cut for a long time. Being able to hit a bone and not chip out is a nice plus as well as stain resistance.

For these reasons I think high alloy PM steels are the best. I think you'd be hard pressed to find a better steel for a hunting knife than CPM10V or M390.
 
Huntsman,

I'm interested in your interpretation of "aggressive cutting".

Do you find that a 5 micron polished cutting edge or a very slight bit courser edge finish meets your hunting knife requirements? Assuming that edge retention, and edge stability are the same for both samples . . . and that resharpening frequency is not an issue.
 
I once gave my friend and hunting guide Steve Schwarz a high grade factory knife ( before I made knives) and the following year I shot a nice buck and Steve grabbed the deer and split the skin open and started to field dress it. I said " What happened to the first class knife I gave you? and he said "it's too pretty, besides I didn't want to do this to it" as he grabbed a rock and hit he spine of a Schrade delrin hunting knife spitting the deer's pelvis. "I use that knife for salami and cheese when things get slow and I get hungry." One of my other friends also a guide used custom knives made by Glenn Marshall of Mason, Texas but he dressed game without breaking the pelvis and he favored stainless steel short bladed full bellied knives. I bought a Marshall knife and still use it to compare to the knives I make. I make hunting knives out of 440 C with hollow grinds and a fairly stout spine that are high polished for corrosion resistance and easy cleanup. I'm pretty sure that there will at least a dozen different opinions on what makes a good hunting knife. Larry
 
I agree that M390 ground out correctly makes an excellent hunting knife that my buyers have proved out. Elmax and ABE-L are not far behind. I very much believe that a good hunting knife deserves to have going along with it a saw or small axe. Frank
 
Just about any blade steel will make a fine hunter. Steel choice is about tradeoffs. I have used 15N20, W2, 52100, AEB-L and S35VN regularly for hunters, depending on the properties the customer is looking for. `
 
Yes, good thing about animals...they are usually very soft cutting materials! Fine grain vs high carbide volume. Both would work extremely well. Many prefer carbide steels that are sharpened to a medium grit (600), many prefer fine grain steels with polished edges. Take your pick! There is always a trade off, for sure. Personally, I like to use low alloy carbon or tool steels like W2/52100/O7/Blue, but am anxious to try out a knife in CPMM4 (once it is done) on some whitetail.
 
Thanks for the replys gentlemen. I appreciate it. Once I've cut my teeth (pun intended) on the W2 I will try some S35VN that I have a small amount of. I had some previous experience (usage) with it in a Sebenza 25 and liked it a lot.
 
For me, it's W2 & 1086M. Others will have their favorites.

It's really more about how it's heat treated & ground, than the steel type...;)
 
True enough. I like a full flat or high flat grind on my knives. I have only heat treated a few W2 pieces so far and I used the magnet and then heat treated then for 1 hour x 2 at 425 degrees. The last one I ground too thin. I will use it for a cutting test once I get the handles done and put a final edge on the blade. I have done a few cutting tests with various steels using the same media/format so I have a base line to compare it to.
 
I make all my skinning knives and back packing knives out of M390. I don't want to carry a stone while back packing and I don't want to stop half way thru skinning an elk to sharpen the knife. I am sure others will have different opinions.

Tim
 
Don Hanson III said:
For me, it's W2 & 1086M. Others will have their favorites.

It's really more about how it's heat treated & ground, than the steel type...;)
Click to expand...

DING! DING! DING! There's the correct answer. If the H/T & geometry are correct, any steel you choose (within reason) will make a good knife. Other than that its all subjective. Everybody has their favorite steel. Don't be afraid to try different steels, test them, & form your own opinion.
 
logem said:
Huntsman,

I'm interested in your interpretation of "aggressive cutting".

Do you find that a 5 micron polished cutting edge or a very slight bit courser edge finish meets your hunting knife requirements? Assuming that edge retention, and edge stability are the same for both samples . . . and that resharpening frequency is not an issue.
Click to expand...

On my personal hunting knives (one in m390, one in 3V) I like to leave a coarse edge- usually I sharpen on my 400 grit stone and then strop with green compound. But I think this kind of edge only works with high alloy steels that have lots of carbides. I mostly like this because it makes slicing cuts go easier for me and the edge lasts longer in most cases than a very fine 2000 grit+ edge.

But fine grained steels like 52100 or AEBL need as fine of an edge as possible to really get the best out of them. I like to sharpen my 52100 knives on ultra fine DMT stones and take advantage of the fine grain structure.
 
I agree with the others that geometry and HT is most important within reason. I knife made of A11 with a thick edge won't perform in field dressing. I could get the job done with simple carbon steels because geometry does the cutting.
 
Don in post number #9 basically spelled it out about the geo and HT.

440C, CPM-154, CPM-S35VN or CPM-S30V are the steels that I have made hunters with that have all had great reports from after multiple times at the hunt.
Even ATS-34, A steel you almost never hear about anymore makes a great hunter. Look at any of the late Bob Loveless knives from the late 80's-90's.

HTed & Cryoed to an RC of 60 by someone that knows! Like Paul Bos at Buck knives and with a geometry to the task and an edge finished to at least 600 girt and you are good to go.
 
Indeed, geometry and heat treatment CANNOT be overlooked when making a knife, or choosing one for hunting. Personally, when it comes to answering questions like this, I give the "geometry" and "heat treat" as a given. In other words, the heat treatment is spot on, and the geometry is correct for a hunting knife, then.....which steel would you choose for a hunting knife. And again....I think any of them would work, as we are talking about a very soft cutting medium. No point in discussing steel vs steel at all if the heat treat is in question, or the geometry of the knife isn't set up for the task at hand for sure. Good points to bring up, Mr Hanson!
 
Good responses. Saying geometry and heat treat are spot on....how does W2 fare against moose hide? I'm making a knife for a buddy of mine and he says moose hide is tough on blades. I've shown him my design and he says it will work well for his use.
 
Laurence, About two years ago I got a deal on ATS-34 and bought a bunch. I made hunting knives out of it for a whole year. My customers loved the knives but had no clue what the steel was and did not care except to ask the name. Last year I made all my hunting style knives from 440 C and everyone is still happy. I now have a ton of CPM 154 and starting after Thanksgiving I will be profiling all my new designs from that steel. My customers prefer stainless 10 to one over anything else. The ones who know something about knife quality ask me what the Rockwell hardness is. I believe the heat treatment is the most important variable to quality along with edge geometry. I also sell Damascus knives but most just want to look at them and order a stainless knife for real work. These are western hunters for the most part. Maybe carbon steel is the most popular in another part of the country. I like them but no one asks for them around here. (Southern California). I want to try CPM S30V and CPM S35VN and will read up on that. Thanks, Larry
 
Part will depend on how you decide to heat treat. The simple steels 10xx, for simple heat treating equipment.
 
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