Good material for hunters and skinners??

D

Dezmond

Joined
Jun 5, 2009
Messages
80
Hey everyone. I am planning on making some hunter and skinner knives. I am a trapper part time and would like to do a lot of skinning in the field. I trap coon and muskrats.

Could I get some advice from you guys / gals on what would be the best steel to use for the blades?

Thanks for your help,
 
I've trapped a fair bit myself, and I make knives. I can think of two different approaches.

One, go with a simple carbon steel knife. They can get scary sharp, and are easy to touch up with a stone in the field. A well made knife is durable enough for skinning multiple furbearers, if you're careful about not cutting against bone (head, feet, etc).

Two, go with a steel built for edge holding, like D2, or a high quality stainless like CPM 154 CM. They're more trouble to sharpen in the field, but the edge will hold up longer in my experience.

Either way, I had the best luck with a two knife system, so I always had one that was very sharp. I also learned to "steel" the edge on the spine of the other knife.
 
D2 is corrosion resistant and toothy with exceptional edge retention making it my go to steel for this application.
 
I asked this question recently for a friend's skinner, and the steels mentioned were 52100, CPM3V, and D2, for edge retention. My friend does moose and buffalo, and wanted to skin a whole animal without having to resharpen. The grit in the coat poses a challenge to edge retention. I settled on 52100, as I had a source for it locally. In that discussion, 1095, W2, and O1 were all touted as good choices, but might not have the wear resistance of the top three. For smaller animals, any of the hypereuctoid steels will work well. What I was informed was the D2 was the best choice, but only if the HT was done by someone who knows how to get the most out of it. That is the main reason I didn't go with D2, along with the availability of the 52100.
 
I like the ideas of 52100 and D2 by the looks of it.. I just need to see how readily available it is to me here in Ontario Canada :(

Thanks for the help guys!
 
D2 is pretty common, you should be able to get it from an industrial supply firm like Fastenal, Grainger, that sort of place, if you can't order it from an actual knifemaking supply company. Or call a local machine shop and ask where they get it.
 
I have been thinking about CruForge V for such an application. Fine grained and good wear resistance. I have used it, so what say you?
 
I'm using W2 in my personal carry knives now. Not much else I'd want.

Even had Tony Bose make me a couple with my W2. :)
 
I would suggest steel of the hardenable variety, though I hear good things about obsidian as long as no prying is involved.

Sorry, could not help myself....
 
In this day and age, it's probably harder to find a knife steel that IS NOT good at skinning critters. My personal hunting knife is made from 1084 (because that's what I had on hand at the time). Last year it went through field dressing and skinning two dear without having to be touched up and it will still shave hair. I'm sure it would have done one or two more if they had cooperated!

As others have said, when you get into the complex steels like D2 and 52100, you're going to find out they are harder to sharpen in the field. If you're good at putting an edge on a knife in the field, then this may not be a problem for you. On the other hand, if you seem to always struggle putting a sharp edge on a knife, then you should go with something in the 1084, 1095, 01 range.

The "best" steel for a skinning/hunting knife is subjective. It doesn't matter if you have the "best" steel with the "best" heat treatment. If you can't put an edge on it, it might as well be a piece of mild steel!!
 
D2 and 52100 are both available from Canadian knife maker. Aldo likely has both as well and ships across the border.
 
I have about 30 pieces of 440c in 2 foot lengths.. Was thinking of using that all up first.. Maybe I should use it for something else??? Forgot about Canadian Knife Maker.. I will have to check them out
 
I am having a caper made in s90v as I can't sharpen worth a darn in the field. I can sharpen at the house and I expect it to last me through all the animals I need it to , normally a few deer and a hog, until I get home. I plan on also carrying a rodent trail in sr101, which I believe is 52100, as my "big knife" in the event I need something larger.
 
Dezmond said:
I have about 30 pieces of 440c in 2 foot lengths.. Was thinking of using that all up first.. Maybe I should use it for something else??? Forgot about Canadian Knife Maker.. I will have to check them out
Click to expand...

I see no problem with 440C if that is all you have. It can be easily sharpened and holds a decent edge. Personally I prefer carbon steel, but wouldn't turn down a 440C blade if someone gave me one ;)
 
440-C with the proper geometry will make a good "hunter,skinner" blade. Have a good H/T done with cryo. Rc at 59-60. Since you have it on hand the price is right.
Are there better steels,yes,but 440-C is no slouch.

Stan
 
^
440-C with cryo is good on skinners. Really one of the best applications for it IMO.
 
I've never used a stainless steel, so I can't comment. I thought I would just clarify, the 52100, and D2 options were to add edge retention for a friend who has a really gritty coat to cut through. If this wasn't the case, all of the above options would work really well.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top