General Purpose Hunting Knife

S

stdwdh16

Joined
Sep 17, 2006
Messages
160
Gentlemen, I wanted to get some opinions from everyone here. As the title says, I am looking for a general purpose hunting knife to give as a gift to a good friend of mine who has just taken up hunting. I carry a 105 and think that is a fine knife, but he prefers nylon sheaths. I have looked at Vanguard, Alpha hunter and others. I have even found a 605 on the bay and thought about it too. This will be his only knife (for now), so it will need to be able to do it all from field dressing to skinning to quartering and butchering. Targeted game will only include big game such as hogs and white tail deer. Another friend has tried very strongly to steer me towards a Gerber Gator fixed blade, but I don't know anything about them, so I would prefer to stay with buck as I have had nothing but positive experiences with them. As a final note, I would like to stay away from a gut hook for him because I question his ability to sharpen a gut hook when it dulls.
 
With all the requirements you listed, you may want to check out the Alaskan Guide series vanguard. It has an S30V steel blade and can be purchased with rubber scales and a nylon sheath as an alternative to the wood scales and leather sheath. They even have a version with a gut hook and a partially serrated edge. Check them out on the Cabela's website.
 
Stdwdh, Welcome, I hope you showed him your 105 for thats a good one if he liked it. The 119 is a bit more knife, 6"and has the sheath you speak of. If he wants to carry it everyday, not just hunting look at the 110 folder its well built. Others will advise you too but these are general. Darn, I wish I had me a friend who was thinking about giving me a Buck knife. DM
 
Try the smaller 655 Nighthawk. It's a tad thick but still a General Purpose Fixed Blade with a Nylon Sheath...
DSC01389.jpg
 
Hard to beat a Vanguard as a hunter's knife IMO. A nice combination of size, style and ergonomics.
 
Either the 105 or the Vanguard would be good choices......the 119 borders on being too large and clumsy.
 
Thanks guys. The two that were really high on my list were the Alpha Hunter and the Vanguard as they both are available with nylon sheaths. What are your opinions on these two? BTW, babakanoosh, I really like that short nighthawk without serrations, but I have not been able to find one. Thanks.
 
You will not go wrong with the Alpha or the Vanguard. I have them both and the perform very well. You may also want to take a look at the standard Gen5; it comes with a nylon sheath and will perfom as well as the other two on your list.

The NightHawk is a fine camp knife; but, to thick for skinning IMHO.

As Mike said "the Cablea AG series knives in S30V" are excellent feild knives. You can get them in the Alphas or Vanguards...if you have the extra coin to spend;)

Let us know what you go with.

jb4570
 
I have a Vanguard and Alpha and prefer the Vanguard. I really don't like the feel of the Alpha handle. The exposed edges of the tang just don't feel good to me and I prefer not to have so much contact with it when I'm out in the cold.

The plain edge short Nighthawk is no longer offered, you'll have to find one on the secondary market. It would make a fine field knife, a little less fine as a hunter only because of the extra-thick blade. Still a good choice I think if you really like the style and can find one. I have a large and a small and they both handle very well.

I agree the Gen 5 is also a good candidate if you prefer something a little more compact. I don't have one of those (go figure) so I can't say much more than I think it's a good design.
 
What size blade do you find most appropriate or useful for field dressing/ game processing? I have been having this discussion with other friends who hunt avidly to get their input, and their responses have been all over the place. Some have told me that the 105 is too big with its 5" blade, and to go with something smaller in the 3-4" range. Others have said a larger blade is more useful. That said, I have yet to find something my 105 couldn't do when processing large game, but given his preference for a nylon sheath, this won't do. Others seem to think a more drop point style blade is more useful. With this gift, I hope to give him the most useful knife possible (as I said before it will be his only hunting knife), so I want to make sure I am making the right choice. What do you think?
 
stdwdh16 said:
What size blade do you find most appropriate or useful for field dressing/ game processing? I have been having this discussion with other friends who hunt avidly to get their input, and their responses have been all over the place. Some have told me that the 105 is too big with its 5" blade, and to go with something smaller in the 3-4" range. Others have said a larger blade is more useful. That said, I have yet to find something my 105 couldn't do when processing large game, but given his preference for a nylon sheath, this won't do. Others seem to think a more drop point style blade is more useful. With this gift, I hope to give him the most useful knife possible (as I said before it will be his only hunting knife), so I want to make sure I am making the right choice. What do you think?
Click to expand...

I really like the 105... do check out the Vanguard, in s30v steel and nylon sheath would be a fine choice.
 
Stdwdh, You mentioned hunting/field dressing hogs and deer earlier, as those tend to be under 300lbs. a 4" would do fine. For processing you may use your field knife but that is usually dealt w/ using different tools. I think you have enough information here to make a good decission. Trust yourself and good luck. DM
 
I think that Trax has the right one for your friend.The 119 will do nicely.:thumbup:
I tend to like a pointed knife for field work.But that's just me.
Hawkeye
 
Vanguard is one of my favorites.

I favor the rubberized grip version.

Mine also has ATS34.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top