Great hunter steel

rustyrazor

rustyrazor

Joined
Oct 13, 2011
Messages
1,774
Hey guys... Looking to make a special hunter for my father in law who is a hunting guide. Want the steel to wow him with edge holding. Was thinking of going with M390... Anyone think of a better option and if so why? The deal is it it has to have the following criteria:
- has to be stainless
- has to be relatively easy to resharpen
- has to be fairly tough
- above all... Edge holding!

I want a blade he can get through a full moose without having to resharpen.

Any thoughts welcome, thanks guys
 
rustyrazor said:
Hey guys... Looking to make a special hunter for my father in law who is a hunting guide. Want the steel to wow him with edge holding. Was thinking of going with M390... Anyone think of a better option and if so why? The deal is it it has to have the following criteria:
- has to be stainless
- has to be relatively easy to resharpen
- has to be fairly tough
- above all... Edge holding!

I want a blade he can get through a full moose without having to resharpen.

Any thoughts welcome, thanks guys
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Well, if you want the max go with CPM 10V and run it in the 63-64 range.
 
Although a great choice for a hunter, CPM 10V isn't stainless, which was rustyrazor's first criterion.
 
Thanks guys. I was hoping m390 was at least in the running before pulling the trigger on getting some. I'll post pics as a WIP once it's being built.
 
rustyrazor said:
Thanks guys. I was hoping m390 was at least in the running before pulling the trigger on getting some. I'll post pics as a WIP once it's being built.
Click to expand...

M390 should be a good choice imo, as it is surprisingly easy to sharpen and maintain.
 
John_0917 said:
Elmax is another good choice too, it meets all your criteria.
Click to expand...

Yeah, I've used Elmax and played with it, just from what I read it can't keep up with M390 for edge holding... it's more the one for a tougher hard use knife. That being the case I agree John_0917 completely that it does meet all criteria and would perform awesome. I am Just being a steel snob this once for a special case, lol
 
Don't quote me on this because I haven't worked with it personally yet, but on paper and based on many many reports from people I trust, M390 sounds like an excellent choice. Elmax and CTS-XHP would also be great. Even the lowly ol' CPM-154 is no slouch... but it won't quite keep up with the other three in edge-retention.
 
Oh... Consider yourself quoted! Lol. I'm ordering the m390 today after work and giving it a shot. Pretty sure peters HT will get enough out of it to impress. Ordering some elmax while I'm at it for myself as well. That'll be my trial for the hard use stuff as an upgrade for my 12C27. Time will tell.
 
Peters can make that work ;)

I think you're going to like the Elmax too. It's pretty dang remarkable at 58Rc. Brad has advised me to have it run at 60Rc for even greater edge-holding and still lots of toughness. I would ask him about running it (and M390) even higher if you're making more precise blades that don't have to chop wood and stuff.
 
Elmax, S30V, 154CM, are good choices. I have field dressed a number of hogs with one of my 154CM knives, with no need to resharpen.
 
james terrio said:
Peters can make that work ;)

I think you're going to like the Elmax too. It's pretty dang remarkable at 58Rc. Brad has advised me to have it run at 60Rc for even greater edge-holding and still lots of toughness. I would ask him about running it (and M390) even higher if you're making more precise blades that don't have to chop wood and stuff.
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Thanks James I'll keep that in mind once I get ready for HT. This one is only for processing game so I'm more concerned with the edge holding... I might make an elmax beater at 60 and see how it compares to my current hard use stuff (12c27) for abuse. I've been curious about elmax toughness for a long while now and am hoping to have it as an option for better edge holding if someone wants it.
 
For a Hunter Blade I would want a steel that can sharpen up really easy and fast or something with high wear resistance. Dirty animal fur is really abrasive. A11, or a high Vanadium stainless. A thin edge High Carbon steel would touch up easy in the field and will get the job done for less expense.
 
i wasn't worried about the less expensive part of the deal, and non stainless wasn't an option so I was on the hunt for ...well, what I posted. Decision made, and I ordered a few feet of M390 for the hunter and some Elmax for myself too.
 
Please post picks of them when finished. I am always looking for new ideas for hunting knives.
 
Guess I'm old school but D2 by Dozier which I guess is semi stainless is my favorite. I have yet to try the latest but have skinned and butchered a ton of deer and feral hogs over the years and never wanted for anything better than good ole D2.
 
Many a hunter has sworn by their Dozier D2 blades. They are close enough to stainless with just basic care. I'd likely lean toward CPM 154, BG42/CTS B75 ( powder version), S30V, * Note:, S90V, 20CV/M390, or S110V. Any of these could be just right or completely wrong depending on the style, geometry, quality of maker, grips, heat treat and final hardness .

On the other hand I'm not one to need stainless as I take care of my knives no matter what steel is used so that would open up 3V, 4V, CPM M4, and up to 10V. It's tough enough given the right attributes for the job needed for, but also can be impractical if the limitations this ( and all other steels) have isn't taken into account.

Off the top of my head I'll say CPM Cruwear or PD#1 or 4v done thin enough but not too thin for whatever I expect to use the knife for. I'll say around rc 62-63. I assume I'm not buying a "hunting", or caping or skinning or quartering knife to split and chop wood for the fireplace.

*Note: Not enough experience with S35Vn. It looks and sounds good though.
 
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no... this one's not going to be a chopper, just a good hunter that will keep going. He lives in Newfoundland so I want to keep it on the stainless end since there is so much salt and humidity.
 
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