Busse small fixed survival skining, and camp chores

E

edhall

Joined
Oct 14, 2002
Messages
33
I am looking for the best choice for a small survival fixed blade.

I want to be able to clean fish, skin deer, maybe even a few squirrels, whittle some sticks down, cut up meat in a pan, etc.

What I am NOT looking for is a large chopper or anything even close; I already have on order a Desert BM, NO.

I see that the anorexic Badgers are going to come out soon, so that might be a good option, I was also looking at the Active Duty.

I want a slim sharp edged knife that will come as close to my Henkel Kitchen Knives and still shave some sticks in the out back. Heck, I might even use it to stir my coffee with in the morning.

The zero edge looks like a good grind for this kind of work and I know the steel is great, I just want to stay away form the thick edge for the use I am looking for.

Even though it is INFI I will not use it to cut down trees.

Anyone use his or her knives this way.

I am not a collector; I just want the best field knife.


Ed
 
Hi Ed!

I have an AD and I am very pleased with it. It effortlessly cuts everything that gets into the edge's way. I had to "tend" a leg of a lamb, hog roast (with a good deal of bacon rind) and suckling pig. The edge had some contact with the lamb's and pig's bones but no problem here. Still razor sharp. Plus it's easy to carry, check out gundy's B.A.D.A.S.S. sheath design.


However I would opt for an Anorexic Badger as a better knife for survival scenarios.

Hope that helped.

Regards

Mark23
 
Welcome to the forum Ed. Now, are you looking for a companion blade to the BM and NO or a small blade on it's own. If it's the former then an AD. If it's the latter an Anorexic Badger or dare I say a Satin Jack.
 
You will love the Active duty for your stated tasks. A BAg3 woudl also do, but as between the two, the AD is the runaway winner for your intended tasks.
 
Ed,
Welcome to the Busse Forum. I think you were right on the money when you stated you'd been looking at the AD. It is a great knife and will handle your stated tasks with ease.

:D:D
 
I third the AD, my favorite Busse, I carry it every day. Do check out Gundys sheath for it, made by our very own Dwayne, who goes by the handle "leatherman". I have one of the sheaths on order, can't wait!

Welcome, stick around and join the conversation!
 
Active Duty all the way. All my other knives are feeling lonely as I keep grabbing my AD for everything.
 
Active Duty Baby!!!:D :cool: :D

Otherise, the Anorexic Badgers would make an awesome blade if you want a little more length.

...now, if the shop would only let us have them;) :p

Welcome to the forums Ed, Illinois Infi Hogs Rock!!!:cool:
 
Active Duty all the way!!!

If you're looking for something really small and precise, definitely check out the SK :D
 
Ed,

Well, guess I'm the one to play Devil's Advocate on this one. ;)

I recommend that you check out the Groove Master in 3/16" INFI as an alternative to the many votes given for the AD. For your "cutting meat in a pan" job, the extra inch (GM 4.5" vs AD 3.5") will help save your fingers from getting burnt.

While my Active Duty is a very well constructed small blade that came razor sharp from the shop, I found the choil to be too small to be practical, even with my very small hands. The choil on the GM is large enough to be used and the grooves built into the blade spine provide versatility not usually designed into a blade. Plus, you can get it for under $200 with a kydex-lined cordura sheath that will offer longer-term durability than the leather pouch sheath that comes with the AD. IMHO the GM will be a great knife for skinning, camping, and the other cutting chores you've outlined.

Picture of the Groove Master from the Busse site:
groovemastercn_lg.jpg
 
I second RokJok's Groove Master recommendation. I use mine for everything and have another on the way. I'm thinking of giving my original to my daughter as her first knife... It'll go really well with her new bow.:D
 
I do a lot of hunting and camping, which means I do a lot of skinning. When you add that latter chore to the mix, especially on deer (or larger animals), you want the kind of belly the Groovemaster has. I picked one up especially for that purpose last year (AFTER hunting season), and asked for a convex edge when I ordered it. That's not the same as a Zero edge, mind you, but the knife I got will be just fine for the chores you mention. If you drop skinning from your list, and you want a small knife, then I'd go with the BA3 and a convex grind.

If you want a larger blade, go with the SJ.
 
Thanks for all the choices.

All of them look good; can you ever have too many knives?

The Grove Master looks good; I would get the thin edge.

But what is the difference in the zero, and the convex edge?

I thought that the Zero was a standard grind that had both sides of the edge ground at the same angle, so that would mean a convex edge had just one side sharpened and the other edge flat?

How easy are these to sharpen in the field?


I have heard that the Asymmetrical Busse edge was a lot more durable for things like the Battle Mistress, but that it was hard to get the standard skinning razor sharp thin edge this way.


Thanks for all the help.

Ed
 
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