Have to buy new hunting knife...

M

meliaant

Joined
Sep 10, 2008
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...and my choices are down to the Cold Steel Master Hunter, which I've handled as was VERY impressed with, or the NEW Benchmade Rant Drop Point (blue class) which I haven't handled, but assume will also be might impressive...the the Rant going to be too large for whitetail, turkey, etc?
 
I own the U.S.-made Benchmade Rant Drop Point in 440C. It is a great knife.

I don't hunt, but this knife doesn't feel like it would be too large for processing game the size you're talking about.

In fact, it has such a sharp point, that I imagine you could choke up on the blade and do a lot of fine work pretty easily. The one I bought doesn't have a finger guard, so choking up would be easier than with the newer one.

Here's a pic of the discontinued model I have, courtesy of Bladehq:

benchmade_10502R_pardue_rant_mdp.jpg


I haven't used or handled the Cold Steel Master Hunter.
 
how is it for edge retention? I don't know too much about 440C...I have a griptilian in 154cm that's pretty kick-@$$, so if you could give me some thoughts on the 440C I'd be pretty psyched.
 
Benchmade for sure. Sorry, just not a Cold Steel fan. Poor customer service, lower production quality, usually ugly as sin (subjective of course :D).....just not my favorite company by any means. Benchmade, on the other hand, has always been a great company for me to deal with, who has consistently put out a quality knife that lasts a long time.

Plus, made in the US don't hurt either...
 
Now, with all the good word spreading about the Mora #2000 knife, is it even worth spending big bucks on a fixed blade? I mean, is that Mora #2000 going to be a good hunting knife/survival knife? The blade is a bit thinner than some and it's not full tang, but people here really seem to love them....thoughts? Thanks!
 
I don't know if you're seeking advice on them or asking my opinion on getting myself one, but for me they're a bit thin-bladed...I'm looking for something I can carry turkey/deer/elk hunting in the fall & winter, and in my pack as a survival-esque knife when I do long backpacking treks...
 
440C was once considered the premium steel. Properly heat treated (as I feel Benchmade does) it is still a fine blade steel.
 
meliaant said:
...and my choices are down to the Cold Steel Master Hunter, which I've handled as was VERY impressed with, or the NEW Benchmade Rant Drop Point (blue class) which I haven't handled, but assume will also be might impressive...the the Rant going to be too large for whitetail, turkey, etc?
Click to expand...

Why not contact a knifemaker on here? You can have a nice custom blade for about the same price as either of those knives...:D
 
Check out michaelmorrisknives.com look at his Classic Hunter 8. I have one and it's so sweet it's hard to put down. I've used it for gutting and skinning deer and smaller game, works like a champ!
 
Not into Cold Steel myself. The Rant is a little too long of a blade for deer IMHO. I like 4" max for deer.
 
OK, can some people chime in regarding the Benchmade Activator+? I don't know too much about D2 and how much care it requires...I'm in New England, but inland, and though I'll hunt in all weather, just how much work will it take to keep it clean & rust-free? Also, about the Activator+, is that burly enough to act as a survival-esque knife when on weeklong backpacking trips outside of hunting season?
 
HuntersHikes said:
OK, can some people chime in regarding the Benchmade Activator+? I don't know too much about D2 and how much care it requires...I'm in New England, but inland, and though I'll hunt in all weather, just how much work will it take to keep it clean & rust-free? Also, about the Activator+, is that burly enough to act as a survival-esque knife when on weeklong backpacking trips outside of hunting season?
Click to expand...

Not in my opinion. I had that knife at one point and traded it. If you want a camping knife, look at ESEE the RC4 or RC5.
 
I have a master hunter plus and used it last year on a big buck. It worked great and I just stropped it afterwards and was razor sharp. On a diffrent note I do a lot of hunting and I have not found a better hunting knife than my knives of Alaska wolverine hunter. I have used it extensively for the past 5 seasons and the D2 takes an edge and holds it. For me it is the perfect size. Just my 2 cents.

Mike
 
I have 3 knives I use hunting. A Buck #103, a Benchmade Ambush, and a custom.

I do not think you can go wrong with the Benchmade.
 
So I guess what it boils down to is this...I'm basically at the point where I think the Fallkniven F1 is the perfect all-purpose hunting/survival knife due to it's strength, blade thickness, stainless steel, blade length, etc...am I right, or should I just spend my $100 on a $50 hunting knife and a $50 survival knife??
 
CS Master Hunter and the F1 are very close designs, and either would do for an all-purpose hunting/survival knife. The F1 is a little smaller, easier to pack, but its Thermorun handle doesn't afford quite as good a grip under adverse (rain/snow/cold/blood/fat) conditions as the MH with its larger Kraton grip. I also prefer Carbon V (no longer available, but you can still find them) to VG-10 as it is easier to sharpen. VG-10 is very close to high carbon in edge-holding properties, though.
 
Look at Roton knives. Rich from knifemart makes them by hand. Excellent tools and prices.
 
The Roton fixed blades are $189 and $219...so unless I'm missing something, are well outside the knives discussed in this thread, though I do thank you for the recommendation (I love hearing about different custom knives)...to those with a bit more hunting experience than I (not hard, only hunted for 2 years and taken one buck), if the Cold Steel Master Hunter's >4" blade is ok, why do some feel the Rant's >4" blade is too big, is it the blade design of the Rant?
 
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