Hunters of my Youth

[screened porch]

Ah, Western.

 

[redsparrow]

Yes indeed Jer, Westerns for the win!
The Western L36 pictured below is truly a hunter from my youth and it brings back wonderful memories. Purchased new in 1973 while preparing for a two week, out-of-state camping/fishing excursion, that turned out to be one fantastic trip. Lots of big trout, enjoyable camps with beautiful scenery and great friends. Since then that 10 inch knife has done everything it was called upon to do and did it well. I figure it has cleaned more small game then any other task, mostly because my wife would not allow the use of "her" kitchen knives on wild game. But it has also cut tent stakes, processed fire wood, cleaned fish and been with me on every over night or longer outdoor adventure for 40 years. A couple of times I hate to admit it but... in a pinch it has even dug holes.
IIRC the smaller L48 is a pre 60's model though relatively new to me. Since the aforementioned activities are now mostly behind me it will probably never see the kind of use the L36 has seen with me. Though it appears someone has already gotten a fair share of use out of it and I enjoy just having it.

Westerns L48/L36

Yes my friends, Western sure made some great cutlery!

 

[tongueriver]

delete

 

[tongueriver]

delete

 

[g123]

I love hunting knives, especially the older ones that are thin behind the edge and have the right shape. Most modern hunting knives do not stack up to the older ones when people really used a hunting knife. Also, I will take a vintage hunting knife over a bushcraft knife any day as long as I can carry a hatchet also.

Geoff

 

[tongueriver]

delete

 

[g123]

tongueriver,

That's a nice one. There are modern knives that are good especially the modern ones modeled after older patterns.

Geoff

 

[screened porch]

Calvin Rutstrum was cautioning against too-thick hunting knives back in the 50s (The New Way of the Wilderness). I forget exactly what Kep and Nessmuk and Jaeger had to say, but my impression is that the sidearm, sharpened prybar, and cutting knife have been around for a long time.
These two seem to be leaning a bit toward weapon:
The Pal RH36 predates my infancy by 17 years or so. The Kabar marine hunter probably by not so much. It looks to me like an attempt to make the Mark II Navy/Marine Kabar prettier and slicier. But that's me.

That's Johnson's paste wax scumming up the blades. And silicone/acrylic caulk in the Remington sheath. And aluminum flashing in the Kabar sheath.

Still pretty thin.

 

[screened porch]

Also before my time, but I'm glad we caught up with each other, my little RH4.

 

[black mamba]

So much of using a skinning and field dressing knife is done with a choked up grip that any knife with a full guard seems to be less than optimum for the tasks. Almost regardless of blade shape, anything with a full guard, to me, denotes a fighter rather than a hunter. Jer, your RH4 is unusual to me: a true hunter blade (trailing point, large belly) with a double or full guard. I'm sure there must be others, but I don't remember seeing them. It is a beauty, though!

Calvin, your old Westerns are marvelous, and the West-Cut in stag is museum quality . . . WOW!!

 

[Onebigbill]

My Dad's 1950's vintage Marbles. It had been badly neglected and I restored it. The original sheath had pretty much disintegrated so I made a new one (not pictured). Razor sharp and ready for hunting season once again. Has the Bakelite pommel.

 

[black mamba]

Bill, you did a wonderful job of restoration, it looks terrific!

 

[Onebigbill]

Bill, you did a wonderful job of restoration, it looks terrific!

Thanks Jeff for your kind words. The other side of the blade a a couple of small pits but they don't really affect the utility of the knife. One of the issues with carbon steel is that you must look after it and occasionally give it a wipe down and feeding with mineral oil.

 

[315]

These three are actually from my youth. Dad’s Western, my brothers Imperial and my Schrade Walden. Both the Imperial and Schrade Walden traipsed around Grandpa’s small farm and the woods of Southwestern Wisconsin when we were kids, went on a few Boy Scout trips and probably cut or carved things we were not supposed to Mine and Dad’s were used on deer there and in Montana.

 

[sopwithcamelus]

I'll be 65 this summer, and I've become somewhat nostalgic. With little to do right now and a gorgeous spring day outside, I decided to take some photos of the most popular fixed blade hunters from the 1950s and '60s up through the 1980s that I have accumulated. This first batch of six are what I call collectively the L66 pattern, which is what Western called theirs. They are all about 8¾" long, give or take an eighth, and were probably the most popular factory fixed blade for close to four decades, maybe longer, because they can "do it all."

From the left: WestCut K-5, Camillus 1008, SW 147WE, Western F66 Black Beauty, SW 147S, Western L66.

The next trio are the larger L36 pattern. At roughly 10", these are a little better for camp work and butchering, but less nimble on the hip or in the field.

From the left: two Western L36s, and a Robeson 968TC.

The last pair are a Western W39 and a SW 148, both with laminated hardwood handles. These full on trailing points run in between the first two groups for size at around 9¼". With maximum belly and point, I have found these to be slightly less useful than the first two, but with more "panache."

Please folks, let's have your thoughts on these hunters, plus pics and descriptions of your own nostalgic knives.

Beautiful collection. I love old school stacked leather hunters, particularly the all-rounders.

 

[sopwithcamelus]

I've always wanted an H-15. I've got a mint NOS one on the way to me. After years of thinking about it, it pretty much fell in my lap.

Dylan, great photo of your Buck 119 and Winchester levergun.

Cal, always great to get a peak at your hunting knife collection! Your Korean War vintage Schrade MILSPEC knife jogged my memory, I have a civilian Schrade-Walden, the H-15. Used it on this doe a few years back. OH

 

[Hickory n steel]

The closest I've come to hunting is taking out small pests in the backyard, but I quite like smaller traditional hunters as a utilitarian belt knife.

My love of them probably comes from this old F48a I was given by a family member as a kid, if I remember right the found it in a box of junk or something.

 

[Rockon75]

I'll be 65 this summer, and I've become somewhat nostalgic. With little to do right now and a gorgeous spring day outside, I decided to take some photos of the most popular fixed blade hunters from the 1950s and '60s up through the 1980s that I have accumulated. This first batch of six are what I call collectively the L66 pattern, which is what Western called theirs. They are all about 8¾" long, give or take an eighth, and were probably the most popular factory fixed blade for close to four decades, maybe longer, because they can "do it all."

From the left: WestCut K-5, Camillus 1008, SW 147WE, Western F66 Black Beauty, SW 147S, Western L66.

The next trio are the larger L36 pattern. At roughly 10", these are a little better for camp work and butchering, but less nimble on the hip or in the field.

From the left: two Western L36s, and a Robeson 968TC.

The last pair are a Western W39 and a SW 148, both with laminated hardwood handles. These full on trailing points run in between the first two groups for size at around 9¼". With maximum belly and point, I have found these to be slightly less useful than the first two, but with more "panache."

Please folks, let's have your thoughts on these hunters, plus pics and descriptions of your own nostalgic knives.

Beautiful Knives for sure! And they can handle field work readily.