- Joined
- Sep 10, 2010
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If you are not doing the HT yourself M390 is about as good as it gets for skinning and processing (if stain resistance is important to you). My personal hunting knife is M390 at 62 RC and it smokes just about any stainless out there in it's ability to hold a razor edge. Its also very tough so it can take thin edges well. The best thing about it is how aggressive it cuts when razor sharp. Its very expensive but it grinds pretty easily for its alloy content and takes a nice finish.
Other good steels are 52100 (my favorite non PM steel) and A2. For more expensive PM steels 3V, 10V, M4, ELMAX, and S90V are all incredible with 10V being the best by a mile and a half. If you don't care about corrosion resistance CPM 10V is the best steel you can make a skinner out of. Its also impossible to sharpen i the field if edge damage is suffered, an absolute pain to grind, expensive, and hard to find. But with a toothy edge and thin geometry it will cut forever.
Other good steels are 52100 (my favorite non PM steel) and A2. For more expensive PM steels 3V, 10V, M4, ELMAX, and S90V are all incredible with 10V being the best by a mile and a half. If you don't care about corrosion resistance CPM 10V is the best steel you can make a skinner out of. Its also impossible to sharpen i the field if edge damage is suffered, an absolute pain to grind, expensive, and hard to find. But with a toothy edge and thin geometry it will cut forever.