Flatlander1963
Gold Member
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- Jan 28, 2008
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Cabelas Alaskan Guide Vanguard in Rosewood/S30V/Ti blade coating. Simply Awsome!!!
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The BladeForums.com 2024 Traditional Knife is available! Price is $250 ea (shipped within CONUS).
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Have to buy new hunting knife...
- Thread starter meliaant
- Start date
If we are talking Field Dressing, I find a 3" to 4" blade is all I need.
For butchering I like a slightly longer blade.
Here are a pair of customs designed to meet my needs.
Big Mike
- Joined
- Dec 8, 2009
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- 77
Yeah, I've been thinking the F1 because it seems like it can be a great hunting knife AND a great backpacking/survival knife at the same time...or would I be better off spending $60 on a hunting-specific knife and $60 on a survival-specific knife?
As can many Bark River models,
...the Fox River comes to mind.
Photo: Bark River - Fox River and Fox River Recurve.
Big Mike
Compared to what?
Small compared my big choppers,
...but a hunting knife is about a different kind of work.
I have large hands and the Fox River handle works great for me.
Big Mike
- Joined
- May 17, 2010
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- 266
Just had a thought on the size thing...
I've got 2 fixed blade knives I use for hunting.
A Hen and Rooster with a blade right around 2 3/4" that my wife got me for birds. Perfect size. I don't turkey hunt, but I love it for pheasants/ducks/geese.
My big game knife was a gift from a customer. Bob Dozier custom with a 3 1/2" blade. He called Bob and told him he wanted 10 knives that were all the same, only specs he gave were suitable for deer and elk, and a leather sheath. I love that knife. Great all around size.
I've got 2 fixed blade knives I use for hunting.
A Hen and Rooster with a blade right around 2 3/4" that my wife got me for birds. Perfect size. I don't turkey hunt, but I love it for pheasants/ducks/geese.
My big game knife was a gift from a customer. Bob Dozier custom with a 3 1/2" blade. He called Bob and told him he wanted 10 knives that were all the same, only specs he gave were suitable for deer and elk, and a leather sheath. I love that knife. Great all around size.
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- Jun 8, 2010
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My BK-11 will be my hunting knife this season. With no cord wrap, it feels very grippy and should be very useful once the animal is down and the goopy part starts. That blade length / shape will work very well for whitetails (I assume you're talking about big game) but for squirrels, rabbits, etc, I'll still go with a SAK small blade of some sort (the classic is perfect for field dressing them).
- Joined
- Jun 17, 2006
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Typical BladeForums thread: a guy asks for help in choosing between two knives and 90% of the responses recommend something other than his original two knives.
I'll halfway try to answer the original question before joining the dogpile. I don't own the Cold Steel, but I do have a Rant dropped point and it would be a good choice for deer processing. I've never done a turkey but I assume a smaller blade with more finesse would be a better choice for them. I think any knife you intend to use on both is going to be a bit of a compromise for either.
My suggestion for deer is a Beretta Loveless dropped point hunter with zytel handle. You can get them on the bay for less than $40 and I would be surprised if you've ever owned a sharper blade. Moki makes them for Beretta and they do a fantastic job!
For smaller game and fish I think you might consider investing in a separate, smaller knife just for them. I made a sheath for an Old Hickory paring knife that I reground to a dropped point and am very happy with it. It's a real thin blade that can be handled with a lot of finesse and they are cheaper than dirt!
I'll halfway try to answer the original question before joining the dogpile. I don't own the Cold Steel, but I do have a Rant dropped point and it would be a good choice for deer processing. I've never done a turkey but I assume a smaller blade with more finesse would be a better choice for them. I think any knife you intend to use on both is going to be a bit of a compromise for either.
My suggestion for deer is a Beretta Loveless dropped point hunter with zytel handle. You can get them on the bay for less than $40 and I would be surprised if you've ever owned a sharper blade. Moki makes them for Beretta and they do a fantastic job!
For smaller game and fish I think you might consider investing in a separate, smaller knife just for them. I made a sheath for an Old Hickory paring knife that I reground to a dropped point and am very happy with it. It's a real thin blade that can be handled with a lot of finesse and they are cheaper than dirt!
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Get a us made Old Timer Sharpfinger.
You can still get them for a reasonable price on ebay.
You can still get them for a reasonable price on ebay.
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- Dec 9, 2009
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- 23
I have two master hunters one in aus-8 and one in san mai 3. each cost around $70. Over all they aren't bad for the money, but the benchmade rant in 440c at $55 would be better. the new rant is in D2 and a quick google search landed one for $69.99. the rant looks to be the better knife of the money.
just my .02 cents.
just my .02 cents.
- Joined
- Jun 22, 2010
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- 98
Don't overlook Buck knives as well. For such a long time all over the US of A, Buck was the answer to a question like yours and they are still serving real hunters and outdoorsmen. A hunting knife that served hunters so well decades ago will do the job today.
Jack
Jack
I've got no experience with either knife from the first post, but if you're looking to expand your thoughts do a search on YouTube for a guy named "virtuovice." He's got lots of knives in many price ranges and isn't afraid to tell it as he sees it. He also has a good number of videos showing him dressing game, some with different knives to illustrate his likes and dislikes. Might be worth a peek.
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- Aug 18, 2009
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- 390
Just picking up this thread now...
I haven't used my Benchmade Rant DPT enough to personally vouch for its edge holding abilities, but I've gotten into several recent discussions on another forum about "super steels," and consensus among many guys who've either used or even made knives out of 440C is that it's fantastic stuff. Not long ago, 440C used to be considered a "super steel," they say.
If you type the following phrase into Google, you'll be taken to a link of a pretty thorough review of the discontinued Benchmade Rant in 440C, similar to the one I have (except w/ the finger guard):
"site:gunblast.com benchmade rant"
The guy who wrote the review seems to have beaten the heck out of the knife, to include digging with it, and it seemed to have held up great, apparently.
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Depending on what you hunt, you may want to also look at a fixed griptilian from benchmade. You can remove the handle scales for cleaning, it's made from 154cm and the sheath is zytel or kydex or something, i forget, but the whole setup is super easy to clean, i was/am looking into one.
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I've got no experience with either knife from the first post, but if you're looking to expand your thoughts do a search on YouTube for a guy named "virtuovice." He's got lots of knives in many price ranges and isn't afraid to tell it as he sees it. He also has a good number of videos showing him dressing game, some with different knives to illustrate his likes and dislikes. Might be worth a peek.
+1 to that :thumbup:
Virtuovice is a japanese avid hunter and outdoorsman. He has vids of him actually USING his knives on game, and not just slicing air
, so you know youll be getting advice from somebody whos been there. He has, amongst his many knives, the Cold Steel Master Hunter and the F1. Heres a vid with him fielddressing ducks with his F1.
[youtube]g3QxiJ-sywg[/youtube]
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