Recommendation? Hunting Blade question and Introduction

B

bobshoy

Joined
Jul 22, 2017
Messages
103
Hey guys, this forum has answered many a question for me over the last couple years. Impressed with the knowledgable patrons of this here forum. Now I'm needing a more personal question answered so decided to make myself an account.

I'm from, and live in, New Zealand. I've been doing a lot of hunting recently.

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This has been what I have been taking bush with me. Wanting to leave the white knife, and the Opinel at home and take just take one really good all rounder with me and my leatherman.

The knife would be used mostly for dressing out and quartering deer/pigs in the field. Ducks too during the season. Small camp duties too, and the possibility of being a survival knife if things were to go wrong in the bush. I always carry an EPIRB and am never no more than a day from my vehicle. So wouldn't have to get me through for long.

So far I'm focusing in on Bark River knives, in CPM-3V. Looking at either the Classic Drop Point Hunter or a Bravo 1. I prefer the Drop Point Hunter but not too sure about the sheath it comes with, the Bravo 1 I think has a better sheath, especially with the retention clip. Some of the bush I'll be scrambling through is pretty dense, at times on all fours dense. So need a secure sheath.

Will probably end up buying from the U.S, the only distributor in NZ is pretty hard to deal with, just not looking forward to the $80 shipping fee. :o

Alternatively, does anyone have any other recommendations?

Cheers for any replies.
 
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Hey man cheers for the reply. I read that thread, did he disappear in the jungle? No reply on how it went haha.

Searched the forums for Sendero and found a good thread of someone pretty much posting the same thread as me. Doh.

I searched before I posted honest. :D
 
You can get a fantastic custom for the same price as a Bark River Knife. Or a high end production. Take a look at Gollik knives, I just put in two orders with him. His knives are well made and at a great price! Another would be Bradford knives, he just put out some of his Guardian 4's with a very good Heat treat. Another is Huntsman Knife Co., under utility knives, The Fjord Hiker, is a little spendy, but great steel and quality. If you are looking for cheaper, a Cold Steel SRK in VG1 steel would be a decent all arounder.

Also check the Knifemakers for sale area here under fixed blades, you will find TONS of great knives!!!
 
Be patriotic. Svord
Drop Point 3 3/4
Model 350B
Svord%203.75%20Inch%20Drop-Point%20Knife%20-%20Mahogany%20Handle%20Model%20350%20B%20copy.jpg

Length of Blade (inches) 3 3/4"
Over All Length (inches) 8 1/2"
Blade Shape Drop Point
Handle Material Mahogony and Brass
Steel Specifications 15N20
Blade Thickness (mm) 2.2mm
Sheath Leather

NZ Stag 4
Model 1990NZ2S
140-thickbox_default_large.jpeg

Length of Blade (inches) 4"
Over All Length (inches) 8 3/4"

(370BB) Drop Point 4 3/4
Svord%20Deluxe%20Drop-Point%20Knife%20-%204.75%20Inch%20-%20Mahogany%20Handle%20Model%20370BB%20copy.jpg

Length of Blade (inches) 4 3/4"
Over All Length (inches) 9 3/4

Utility General Purpose 4 3/4
Model UGP2
Svord%20General%20Purpose%20Hunting%20Knife%20-%204.75%20Inch%20-%20Mahogany%20Hnadle%20Model%20UGP2%20copy.jpg

Length of Blade (inches) 4 3/4"
Over All Length (inches) 9 1/4"
Blade Shape General Purpose
http://www.svord.com/index.php?id_category=20&controller=category
 
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B bobshoy That white knife you use is widely used in butcher shops here in the states. And the 7" version. There are some good knives out there to do the task you describe. For quartering deer, a 4 inch field knife styled like the Bark River Fox River is excellent. The handle is about 1/4" short for hands like mine. For skinning and quartering hogs, it is a little different situation. The Bark River Bravo1 is not designed for processing game. The blade angles and the handle are not optimized for the kind of work you describe. It can be done, just not focused towards that style use.

They are sometimes muddy, gritty, and are a thicker boned animal. 3v steel, or cruwear, D2, are some steels I like for work like that. Elmax in stainless. But these are no fun to sharpen in the field. Are you looking for something you can maintain easily on a longer hunt? Then 52100, 1095, and A2 come to mind.

For waterfowl you will value a bird and trout style knife, and working with a larger knife that will do hogs, will not be as fun to try to breast out a goose or duck. But you could use the Jerry Fisk designed knife mentioned for all those things.
 
In answer to your question the Classic Drop point hunter is going to be thinner at 5/32" than the 7/32" of the Bravo (assuming you don't get the LT version, which you should) and be easier to cut with and sharpen because of that, and no loss of durability or toughness with 3V.

Most all Bark River Sheaths I've gotten are thin and not very durable. You should probably plan on getting a custom one made in your choice of materials.

Let us know what you get.
 
Bobshoy wants a compromise knife which'll butcher both pigs & poultry. That's like wanting a smith's anvil hammer which can also be used for making fine jewellery. 2 different items.
He should buy a bird & trout knife
Length of Blade (inches) 3 1/2"
Over All Length (inches) 7 1/2"
Blade Shape Drop Point
Handle Material NZ Stag
Steel Specifications 15N20
Blade Thickness (mm) 2.1mm
Sheath Leather
http://www.svord.com/index.php?id_product=38&controller=product

buy a most-of-handle enclosing sheath for the plastic handled slaughterman's skinner (Victorinox?), & if still unsatisfied, buy a deluxe skinner. Connect your knives to your belt with long thin small dog leashes.
Svord%20Curved%20Skinner%20-%205.75%20Inches%20-%20Mahogany%20Handle%20Model%20%20677BB%20copy.jpg

677BB
 
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That Stag handled Sword is nice, might make it onto the birthday wishlist. :D

That white knife I have at the moment has a 7" edge and has done the odd sheep, deer, peahen, turkey and duck. Is a tad cumbersome on the duck, but only for the one or two small cuts required, unless when breasting them out, for which the knife size is no problem.

I think I could handle both tasks with a 3.75 - 4.75" blade? For the most part, I'm mainly after deer. The majority of which are sika and fallow, so chances are all I'll be doing in the field is gutting. Hopefully one day I'll get a big red that will need quartering in the field. Pig really isn't something I chase often, just on the rare occasion I do get one, I'd like a knife that could do the job.

Have ended up buying a knife off a maker on this forum for the same price a BK2 can be had locally to give me more time to think about these lovely options you've all given me.

That CPK knife looks really good. The destruction test on his website is pretty good too. Can take a lot of abuse for a thin blade. Is it pretty hard to get a hold of one of his knives?
 
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"Hopefully one day I'll get a big red that will need quartering in the field. Pig really isn't something I chase often, just on the rare occasion I do get one, I'd like a knife that could do the job."
You have a knife which can do the job- your slaughterer's skinner.
Unless you're dogging pigs, not shooting, then get a Svord Hunter 7
 
I do alot of hunting and found you fon't need a big knife to field dress or even break down a Deer even up to Elk ... I've used 4 to 5 inch blades Winkler is one of my favorite hunting knives ... but I will say I recently bought a Bradford Guardian 4 and I have been very impressed ... its lightweight feels good in hand with the new Micarta Scales ... comes in 3 great steel options S30V - M390 - and 3V ... with Full Flat Grind or Saber ... this would handle anything from small game and ducks or pheasants and I have no doubt it would be plenty of knife to field dress and break down an Elk .

And for the materials you get its a very reasonable price around $250.00 USD ... not sure your budget but Id reccomend giving it a look.

Another option check out some of the Custom makers on the forums you could work out a design to fit your needs and get a great knife in the price tange of the Bark Rivers or what I've suggested.
 
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I'm a deer hunter and knife enthusiast. Here's my opinion. If you want a great all-around hunting knife and don't want to spend a fortune, get a Buck Vanguard with the rubber handle. It's easy to keep sharp and does a fine job field-dressing, skinning and butchering deer. Get the nylon sheath for easy clean-up, and it's secure. If you go with Bark River, get the Gunny Hunter. I often use a Vanguard and a Victorinox Hunter XT. The Hunter XT is used for the gutting blade and the saw comes in handy for clearing shooting lanes and such. This season, I'll be using a Case Slab Side Hunter, Buck 110 and a Marttiini 450. I just enjoy trying other knives!
 
gadunz said:
"Hopefully one day I'll get a big red that will need quartering in the field. Pig really isn't something I chase often, just on the rare occasion I do get one, I'd like a knife that could do the job."
You have a knife which can do the job- your slaughterer's skinner.
Unless you're dogging pigs, not shooting, then get a Svord Hunter 7
Click to expand...

I want a smaller blade though, 7" feels a bit inconvenient. Also something that could be used for camp setup if the need arrises. It'll still get used when I get the animal home to butcher it out.
 
bobshoy said:
, 7" feels a bit inconvenient.
Click to expand...
You have a 5" skinner-boner, when measured properly, straight from base of spine to tip. not curved along edge of blade.
This is a 7" pigsticker-skinner-boner
Svord%20Deluxe%20Hunter%20Knife%20-%20Model%20280H%20copy.1.jpg

Hunter 7
Model 280h
Length of Blade (inches) 7"
Over All Length (inches) 12"
Blade Shape Hunter
Handle Material Mahogony and Brass
Steel Specifications 15N20
Blade Thickness (mm) 3mm
Sheath Leather
 
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