cold steel master hunter

[Bladed]

I am thinking of getting this knife to use as a hard use
hunting knife. I can not decide between the master hunter
or a sog seal pup. Any info would be helpful. Thanks
Greg

 

[Ankerson]

I have always leaned towards CS knives because they are very tough and well made...(Fixed Blade). I have never had one CS knive let me down yet.

 

[averageguy]

It is difficult to purchase a finer knife than the Master Hunter without spending significantly more money.

 

[Jeff Clark]

I wouldn't even consider the Seal Pup for use as a hunting knife. It is a thick saber grind that is clumsy for fine cutting. It has a double edged point that wastes blade width and increases chances of accidently cutting animal innards and contaminating your meat. Actually I wouldn't use a Seal Pup for anything. It is one of those macho designs that isn't very efficient in real use.

On the other hand the Master Hunter is one of the best hunting knife designs made. It is a little long and a little thick compared to the average, but the flat ground blade compensate for a lot of these functional inconveniences. I would get one with the Carbon-V alloy blade. It is stronger and stays sharp longer than the AUS-8 alloy stainless model. If you like blades that are over 4" long you could look at the SOG X-42 Field Knife. It is a practical design and gives you a BG-42 alloy blade for a low price.

http://www.sogknives.com/x42fk.htm

 

[Bladeswinger]

I have many Cold Steel knives and love everyone! Well worth the $!

 

[knifedaddy84]

Originally posted by Jeff Clark
I would get one with the Carbon-V alloy blade. It is stronger and stays sharp longer than the AUS-8 alloy stainless model.

The way I look at it, my fixed blade hunting knife is in the sheath most of the time. I sometimes hunt in rainy, snowy conditions and this subjects the knife to a lot of moisture. So wouldn't the risk of rust outweigh any benefits from a carbon v blade? Shouldn't an AUS-8 alloy stainless model handle all hunting chores effectively with little maintenance? Opinions appreciated.

 

[Mississippi_Dave]

Never used the Master Hunter, but for the same money you should look at the Fallkniven F1. I have one I use for hunting / skinning and it works great. Full tang VG10 blade.

 

[swede79]

Originally posted by knifedaddy84
The way I look at it, my fixed blade hunting knife is in the sheath most of the time. I sometimes hunt in rainy, snowy conditions and this subjects the knife to a lot of moisture. So wouldn't the risk of rust outweigh any benefits from a carbon v blade? Shouldn't an AUS-8 alloy stainless model handle all hunting chores effectively with little maintenance? Opinions appreciated.

It really depends on where you live, how you treat the knife, what is important to you, etc.

I value edge holding, and my Master Hunter in carbon v holds an edge MUCH longer than any of my blades in AUS 8. Much longer. Yes, it rusts, you have to take care of it. I also live in Colorado, and store all of my knives in their sheaths, leather, cordura, whatever. No rust.

I value edge holding over rust. If I lived in Florida, I might sing a different tune, but I doubt it.

 

[averageguy]

The stainless version requires somewhat less maintenance. Japanese 8A knives like the CSMH are hard to beat. In fact much of the high quality production coming out of Japan "makes do" with 6A and 440A. Obviously no one is going to refer to the Japanese as "steel whores".

 

[Bladed]

Thanks for your help. It seems that the csmh in carbon v
is the way to go. Thanks again.
Greg

 

[knifedaddy84]

Originally posted by swede79
I value edge holding, and my Master Hunter in carbon v holds an edge MUCH longer than any of my blades in AUS 8. Much longer. Yes, it rusts, you have to take care of it.

I don't know what other hunters are doing, but 90% of my hunting time involves sitting quietly, with the knife sheathed. If I'm lucky, I'll bag a deer, then my knife will be needed to field dress it. That's about it. I'm not a guide dressing out a dozen deer a week. I'm not using my knife regularly to build survival shelters or fight off cougars, bears or injuns.

 

[Ebbtide]

If you hunt in rain & snow, you already know how to care for your firearms...extend that amount of care to your knife & you will have no problems.
And...
On a working knife the stains are to be considered character marks.

 

[Eric_Draven]

The Cs AMster Hunter has some great qualities. The blade profile is very nice, and the steel and heat treat are excellent. The edge, while finely polished, can be somewhat thick.

The real problem is the Kraton handle sucks, and the sheath is terrible.

The Answer:

The Ultimate Master Hunter
I sent my Master hunter to Blademan13, who made an excellent micarta handle, epoxied and pinned, and convexed the edge, and had an excellent leather sheath made.

While the blade stock is 3/16" at the base, the blade has a full distal taper and runs to a very fine tip.

It is shown with a Busse BA3 (also 3/16 at the base, but no distal taper) to illustarte how dramatic this is:

The Master Hunter is now a very high performance cutting machine, outcutting some of the others that I own in the same size class by a noticable margin.

THe quality of Blademan13's work is top notch. The knife fits my hand perfect, and the sheath is a great match.

 

[SALTY]

The CS Master Hunter in Carbon V is an excellant hunting knife. The steel takes a great edge and the blade shape is well suited for the tasks of a hunting knife. While the Kraton handle affords a good purchase, it is not durable and would not be my first choice. One of the ones I have developed specks of rust immediately upon use. I am diligent in care of my field gear. The knife was kept oiled before use and went afield with a coating of mineral oil. After use is was immediately rinsed with clean water and wiped dry. As soon as I returned to base ( a few hours later) it was sprayed with WD-40 and wiped again, leaving a light coat of WD-40. Later that evening, specks of rust developed on the blade. For the price, they are good knives.

 

[Guyon]

Great knife. Just dressed a deer with one on Saturday. $47 at www.wholesalehunter.com I pass this along because I price shopped at a number of internet sites. This one was the lowest.

 

[Eric_Draven]

Hey Nimrod,
That is the Master Hunter you sold me in the picture of, looks much better now doesn't it
Blademan just does an awesome job, I could not be happier with it!