Hunting knife recommendation for nephew

Get him a marttiini fixed blade . The come like razor and are easy to sharpen .
I am deer hunter. I dont care for any of the bucks . Every buck i ever tried was a big disappointment. At only 50 dollars it makes it a hard choice.
At a hundred, that opens a world of usable knives
Hess , esee, kabarand case just to name a few .

Jake
 
evilgreg said:
Definitely something from Buck. Plenty of excellent options, and don't overlook the ~$25 Buck 685, it's surprisingly nice. Steel snobs here would rather take their own lives than use a knife in 420HC, but it performs just fine. There are plenty of styles to choose from, with the 118/119/etc. knives jumping to mind.
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Yep,nothing a bit wrong with 420HC. I have a friend in Idaho who is 75 and a Buck Vanguard in 420HC is all he has ever used for deer and Elk. I ended up buying a Buck Vanguard myself and boy can you get that 420HC sharp.
 
A small drop point fixed blade with a blade about 3-1/2" long will last him a life time.Though I started with a Buck 110 about 55 years ago and used it for a very long time , I no longer condone using a folder as a hunter, and long knives such is the case with a 119 just get in the way.Most of my suggestions would be in about the $100 range or more.
 
I like the look of the Buck 101 fixed blade, but it is more than the OP budget, would it be worth the extra bucks?
 
Keep the size on a fixed blade modest and practical.... Buck 102 would be my suggestion. For a folding hunter, a Buck 110. One of my favorites was the Schrade 250T (USA) back in the day as I liked having two blades available (and about the same size as a 110). Not sure how they are now, but you could get a USA version within budget with some effort. A Sharpfinger would work too and they are classic hunting knives.

I would suggest he keeps a Rough Ryder Trapper model (~$10-$15) in his pocket as a backup. A folder like this is all I used for years and it worked just fine.
 
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Morakniv Craftline Pro S is nice and can be had for as little as $9 at present. The BuckLite Max II Small fixed blade hunter is quite good. My first sheath knife circa 1968 was a Buck 102 Woodsman.
 
i was given a buck 103 when i killed my first - i used it for about 10 years before I was gifted a buck diamondback and decided to retire the 103.
the diamond back was a bit like the buck lite max - rubberized grip, drop point blade.

several years back I picked up a buck paclite skinner on a whim - and I love that for field dressing and skinning. i dont see that changing anytime soon. big fan of bucks 420HC for field use
 
GatorFlash1 said:
The Spyderco Moran drop point is a great hunting, camping knife. It is not a heavy bowie type of knife, can comes with a good sheath. It has been my field knife since first released. Bill Moran is an icon in the knife making business.

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This is an excellent choice for normal hunting chores (field dressing, skinning). But it runs a bit over $100 as I recall.

If your nephew really likes the knife, he will probably guard it against loss. But things happen to all of us.
 
congrats on his first deer!

Buck has some nice options for your price range ... it's my personal opinion a fixed blade makes a much better option for a hunting knife ... or if will be a "hunting knife" first and foremost ...

and from my use and getting young people or new people into hunting I prefer a drop point or spearpoint blade over a clip point ... especially people learning to field dress deer ... just less nicking the guts and spilling it all over the meat ...

and if you are worried about him losing it maybe a Mora would be a good inexpensive option.
 
Yeah, I think this is also where Buck is a great option. I wouldn't spend a ton so one of their mainstay fixed blades as a max. I think the vangard is a good option. I think the bucklite is probably better. The pursuit, selkirk, or 538 open season would be great as well. I think buck has done a great job with budget friendly USA made knives recently.

Kabar's classic hunting knives should also be very good and at or below your price point.
 
If you know he’s going to lose it go the mora route . That leave some leftover for something to compliment it. Maybe small bird n trout knife for the smaller task. 420hc or 440c will be best for hunting. Easier to sharpen up .
This will be a good starting blade. Then next gift step up.
 
Take a look at the Buck 212. Just about the right size for a young or old hunter.
 
emtyhopper said:
I took my 12 year old nephew hunting this weekend and he killed his first deer, a good little buck. After everything was done and we were making the drive back home I asked him if there was anything he would want for Christmas that he could use on his next hunt and he said yes....his own knife!

So now I'm here to ask you guys for recommendations. I'd like to keep it around $50 or so, because he will probably end up losing it.

So let's hear what you would buy your nephew.
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Never really asked because it's a gift, but are you opposed to used?
 
22-rimfire said:
This is an excellent choice for normal hunting chores (field dressing, skinning). But it runs a bit over $100 as I recall.

If your nephew really likes the knife, he will probably guard it against loss. But things happen to all of us.
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The excellent Spyderco Bill Moran is more than $100 although you might be able to find a very lightly used one for around $50. This is a true hunters knife and the one I carry.

Another great Spyderco for a very reasonable price is the recently released Spyderco Bow River for about $45.00.

 
Another vote for a Buck. 5th generation, family owned business who does all they can to make things in America.
 
dsalazar said:
If you know he’s going to lose it go the mora route . That leave some leftover for something to compliment it. Maybe small bird n trout knife for the smaller task. 420hc or 440c will be best for hunting. Easier to sharpen up .
This will be a good starting blade. Then next gift step up.
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Yep. Moras are inexpensive and work. The Buck Paklite caper and boning knives are neat, if you can get a good sale price on one. I still have to get an A.G. Russell Woodswalker. Cute knife. And you could always get him a pocket knife like a Victorinox Tinker or the Evolution 11 (about the same). They are often $20 +/- $1.

Another neat little knife is the Friedrich Dick 4" Poultry & Rabbit Knife. No sheath but a nice knife.

http://www.baryonyxknife.com/frdi4porakn.html
 
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