Looking for a good hunting knife

M

Miles Veritatis

Joined
Nov 17, 2010
Messages
7
Hey guys, I joined up here to ask this question... I'm in the market for a good hunting knife, predominantly for field dressing game, but also potentially for other camping tasks. I'm a big fan of KaBar, I've got a couple of their knives, but all of them are big. The smallest knife I have is my USMC knife, which is my all time favorite knife.

I'm looking for something more in the 5" category for field dressing to make the knife a bit easier to handle. I looked at the Cold Steel Outdoorsman, but honestly I just don't want to pay that much for a knife. I appreciate a good knife, but I'm not into them enough to spend more than a hundred dollars on a blade... around $50-60 is my ideal price, and KaBars usually tend to fall around that range.

The primary knife catching my attention at the moment is the Becker Campanion, but I'm a little uncertain about dexterity given its thickness. I'm also unsure whether a clip or drop point would be better for my intended task. I've also been looking at the 5" short KaBar USMC style knife, I figure if I like its big brother so much, I'd like the smaller version as well.

Input, suggestions, anything is appreciated. I'm not terribly experienced in knife selection, as I've not had very many.
 
There are quite a few that would fit your needs well, my go-to is a Buck 119. There are several others in that style, with different blade shapes and lengths, designed for various outdoor & game-skinning tasks.

119 (Special):
http://www.buckknives.com/index.cfm?event=product.detail&productID=3051

105 (Pathfinder):
http://www.buckknives.com/index.cfm?event=product.detail&productID=3041

103 (Skinner):
http://www.buckknives.com/index.cfm?event=product.detail&productID=3039

102 (Woodsman)
http://www.buckknives.com/index.cfm?event=product.detail&productID=3036

If you check auction sites and maybe the Buck For Sale forum here, you'll probably find a good deal on one or more of these sooner or later. Be warned: "Buck: you can't own just one." :D ;)

~Chris

ps - welcome to the Blade Forums!
 
Last edited:
orca8589 said:
There are quite a few that would fit your needs well, my go-to is a Buck 119. There are several others in that style, with different blade shapes and lengths, designed for various outdoor & game-skinning tasks.

119:
http://www.buckknives.com/index.cfm?event=product.detail&productID=3051

~Chris
Click to expand...

Agreed, this is a classic design that every hunter/outdoorsman/knife collector should own. It was my very first fixed blade, my older brother gave it to me when I was 13. That is the blade I learned responsible use and carry with. :thumbup:
 
If you favor the Ka-bars that much I would definately go for the short one. I think it's a no brainer given your familiarity with the large one. Great field knife!
 
There are several existing threads exactly on point. Try a search, and you'll find lots to read.

BTW, welcome to BF.
 
amflud said:
If you favor the Ka-bars that much I would definately go for the short one. I think it's a no brainer given your familiarity with the large one. Great field knife!
Click to expand...

The main reason I'm leaning toward the Campanion is that I've already got my full size KaBar for most of my camping tasks, but the Campanion is shorter and doesn't have a hand guard, so I can get a better grip on the blade and more control for precise cuts. I'm mostly concerned about the thickness of that one in that I don't know if it would make it too ungainly to make good cuts when field dressing... I don't want to end up exchanging awkwardly long for awkwardly thick. If that's the case, I'll get the 5" USMC knife and be happy, unless there's something else out there that would suit the task better, something more in between.

Sorry guys, do not like Buck knives. I used to have one, against all logic, it just didn't appeal to me, and I'm not such a fan of stainless steel for a knife blade. It irks me that my pocket knife is stainless, but I haven't found a design that I like better for that purpose (yet).
 
Hey mate,

I use svord knives for hunting you can check these out at svord.co.nz

They hold an excellent edge and come in a variety of shapes and sizes. for roughly 10 bucks extra nz you can specify the type of handle material you want eg canvas micarta or various hard woods. the knives are hand made using high carbon steel so they do need to be looked after but due to this they hold the best edge Ive ever had in a game dressing knife.

If you flick bryan baker an email im sure he would be happy to help.

Ps I hate ka-bars they are crap for hard field use.
 
I just used a Buck Vanguard this past Monday to field dress my deer and then used it to cut though all the hide for skinning after. I'm only going to have to touch up the edge a little to have it back to it's razor edge. One small portion of the tip is all thats really dull.
 
your not a fan of the 119 :grumpy: it's the perfect knife :p I wouldn't go with the becker bk2 for field dressing game unless you can get a really sharp edge on a knife, if you can get a razor sharp edge then you don't notice the thickness for skining game, that said if you plan on useing the knife for other chores thorughout the year then it's hard to beat the bk2 except maybe the buck 119, BTW the campion is one of my favorit an most used knives.
 
i love my buck knife like the ones orca posted.
sometimes i find myself wanting a gut hook though
so keep that in mind
 
Miles Veritatis said:
The main reason I'm leaning toward the Campanion is that I've already got my full size KaBar for most of my camping tasks, but the Campanion is shorter and doesn't have a hand guard, so I can get a better grip on the blade and more control for precise cuts. I'm mostly concerned about the thickness of that one in that I don't know if it would make it too ungainly to make good cuts when field dressing... I don't want to end up exchanging awkwardly long for awkwardly thick. If that's the case, I'll get the 5" USMC knife and be happy, unless there's something else out there that would suit the task better, something more in between.

Sorry guys, do not like Buck knives. I used to have one, against all logic, it just didn't appeal to me, and I'm not such a fan of stainless steel for a knife blade. It irks me that my pocket knife is stainless, but I haven't found a design that I like better for that purpose (yet).
Click to expand...
The Campanion is a STOUT knife. It could be used as a field dressing knife if you needed it to, but the weight might end up being a little too much after a while. There are some great suggestions here, but since you've already voiced your preference towards the full size ka-bar then I would opt for the short one. When I'm in doubt I always go with what I know.

In regards to the guard, you could always trim it to fit your needs, I did for a friend of mine several years ago. He just wanted the top portion trimmed off, he still loves it.
 
You could go with the short version of the USMC. It's got a 5" blade.

I'd recommend the Becker Necker or the Becker Eskabar, both with 3.25" blades. Handle scales are available for them if you want, or you could wrap them in paracord, leather lace, etc.

They'll dress out any animal you put on the ground.

There's also their leather handled hunter line. It's Aus6A stainless instead of 1095 CroVan. I prefer the carbon myself, but the stainless will perform fine for field dressing game.
 
That Benchmade looks interesting... I don't know anything about D2 steel, how does that compare to KaBar's 1095 CroVan? Is the different steel and less weight worth the extra price from the Campanion? (I know I can get the Campanion for roughly $55)
 
Personally, I'd consider one of these three. Shorter blade, but right around your price range
Queen Premium Skinner, Spyderco Bill Moran, Boker Dozier Anchorage
 
Miles Veritatis said:
That Benchmade looks interesting... I don't know anything about D2 steel, how does that compare to KaBar's 1095 CroVan? Is the different steel and less weight worth the extra price from the Campanion? (I know I can get the Campanion for roughly $55)
Click to expand...

Miles,

The D2 Benchmade is a knife, where as the Kabar CAMPanion is a club!

As for D2, it makes for a very good slicer and skinner, IMO. Edge holding will depend on how your using the edge, and how the knife was made. However, this steel is easily stropped back into condition.

This knife is more than adequate for the average hunter and will perform with the bushcrafters/woodsmans.

Value, Size and Ability puts this knife up there with many of greater Cost.
 
I did some reading up on D2 steel, and it sounds like it'd be a good steel for my intended use (gutting, field dressing, and whatnot) as it is more rust resistant than 1095. I've heard of Benchmade before, but have no personal experience with their knives. How should the 515 Rant's overall durability be compared to the KaBar?

Edit: The post above wasn't there when I started typing this. LOL at the club remark! The Benchmade is looking more and more tempting, so long as they produce an overall quality blade and are good at working with D2.
 
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