Big game knife

C

Chadentwistle

Joined
Apr 18, 2013
Messages
246
What do you all feel is a great overall big game knife?
I'm looking to give one away. For cleaning Deer/Elk/Antelope. Western big game.
I cleaned 10 big game animals this last season with several different knives, including several Elk with a Gerber chepo frame lock, not suggested!!! Forgot my stuff.
I have several knives 2 of which are older case xx knives, one 6" blade and one skinner.
The other a handmade I found at a yard sale, great blade btw!
Anyway I'm looking to spend somewhere $50-75. Buck? Stick w/ Case? Old/ used/ new/? I'm open.
My good hunting knife is an old case xx, great steel, etc...
Any suggestions?
I like the old case xx, seems to sharpen easily, and stays sharp for a good long time. Can easily do a touch up in the field with a little diamond steel. That particular knife is becoming hard to come by.
What do you all think?
Chad
 
Svord Deluxe Curved Skinner 5 3/4 Model 677BB & Curved Skinner 6" Model 655B. Maybe overbudget.
Svord%20Curved%20Skinner%20-%205.75%20Inches%20-%20Mahogany%20Handle%20Model%20%20677BB%20copy.jpg
SV655B.jpg


Economy CURVED SKINNER 5 3/4 & Farmers Knife 5 Model FK2. On budget.
Svord%20Curved%20Skinner%205%203-4%20-%20Hardwood%20Handle%20ModelCS%20copy.jpg
SVFK.1.jpg


Kiwi Curved Skinner 6 polypropylene Model KCS. Under budget.
Svord%20Kiwi%20Curved%20Skinner%20-%206%20Inch%20-%20Orange%20Polypropylenen%20Handle%20Model%20KCS.jpg


Steel Specifications 15N20
Blade Thickness (mm) 2.2mm
http://www.svord.com/index.php
 
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I've been cleaning deer for a long time with a Buck Vanguard. I have the one without the gut hook. After 30 years of deer hunting and using different knives the plain Vanguard has been my favorite.
 
One of my favorites is also a Case xx. The model slips my mind now but it's a slender 5" fixed blade with stacked leather handle. I just bought one for my brother n law for his 40 th bday.
 
Buck Vanguard 192 is what I would suggest. i have the Cabelas Alaskan Guide version in S30V which runs more than the regular 192. Good light flexible hunting knife.

I used folders for years and carry one as a backup. The Queen Mountain Man is a good one for this purpose. Case stuff is okay.

I change up, but I generally prefer the Dozier fixed blades which run way more than your stated budget.
 
This season, I used the Vanguard and four other knives on a doe, just trying them for various tasks. The Vanguard did everything well. I use the one with the rubber grip. Right on the low side of your price range.

Joe
 
One that I just picked up is the Condor Two Rivers Skinner. It's a 4" in 420HC stainless. Comes with a pretty nice leather sheath. Runs around $40. It feels very nice in the hand, but I haven't cut anything with it yet.
 
dpowers311 said:
Buck 110 is hard to go wrong. Guide for my elk used a 2 blade Case Hunter.
Dave
Click to expand...

Yep. Similar to my old favorite, Schrade 250T (USA version) which is a two blade kind of Buck 110ish knife. Used that one for about 5 years as my all around field and woods knife.
 
Thanks for all the input.
Gives me some food for thought!

What is really important to me while hunting is a knife that will take a decent edge in the field with a little diamond steel or something of that nature.
Or something that holds an edge really well.
We were fortunate this year and multiple times had multiple big game animals to clean, a sharp knife was hard to come by!!
I pulled through with my little diamond steel and 2 case xx knives.

Chad
 
IME differentially heat treated 15N20 will take a decent edge in the field & holds an edge really well. Any miix of steel than whetstone then diamond stick then old belt as strop. Any sharper & its a custom build.
2beagles121 said:
All of the butchers I've sharpened for over the years prefer a coarse edge .The old butchers around here said a polished edge slides too much and wanted an edge that would grab the hair and not roll off it.
Click to expand...
http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/s...Butchers-How-do-you-sharpen?highlight=butcher
 
I will always have some sort of traditional belt knife on me like my Case fixed blade or one of my Bark Rivers but the next time I hunt elk I will also have in my pack my Havalon knife with the replaceable blades
 
Hard to tell if you're wanting a folder or fixed blade, but....

I've used a Schrade-Walden Deerslayer from the '60's. Great knife with great 1095 steel from back then. I carried S-W Sharpfingers along with it as a smaller supplement for caping and detail work when necessary. The Deerslayer has always been my larger goto though. Love it. Still easy to find the older ones at reasonable prices.
 
I've been using a Schrade gut hook skinner for about 25 years and she still works great.
Dad bought it for me for my 1 st deer season and I've carried it ever since.
 
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