Recommendation? Looking for no frills hunting knives

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PoorInCollege

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Nov 17, 2019
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Hey all, new guy here, but I recently picked up a Tram machete, I really love it not only for it's usability but in terms of aesthetics, I'm really looking for hunting and other fixed blade knives in a similar vein to it; no finish on the steel, wood handle, good steel, not extremely expensive .Something that can be customized and/or beaten on if need be. Are there any suggestions for this category? I'm really not into the "make everything black" trend that I see in most common knives today.
Any feedback much appreciated.
 
What would be your budget?

Would you want a custom with a splash of color or a good production knife?

n2s
 
Chui gave you one good knife to look at. Go to Copper & Clad or SK Blades (both on-line Blade Forums dealers) - they stock special run Buck Knives and offer many of the 100 series hunting knives in different steels with wood handles - pick the blade style and handle size you prefer. OH
 
If you want stainless steel, then Rough Rider has a pile of options for well under $40. Very good quality imports.
 
Hickory n steel said:
Check out the Ontario old hickory hunter
It's definitely the kind of no frills knife you're after.
There's also the Green River fish knife.
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This is good advice if the Tramotina machetes are the look your going for, Old Hickory knives that I've had always took a screaming sharp edge. Also you can find them in thrift stores and such for VERY cheap.
 
Misplaced Hillbilly said:
This is good advice if the Tramotina machetes are the look your going for, Old Hickory knives that I've had always took a screaming sharp edge. Also you can find them in thrift stores and such for VERY cheap.
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They now offer a " hunting knife " which is a 5" bladed butcher with a leather sheath.
Currently it's on sale at knife center for $20.

You're lucky if you can find them at thrift stores, it seems that in my area they likely discard all carbon steel because have absolutely never seen a carbon steel kitchen knife at a thrift store even once in the past decade.
That's probably one of the reasons I so highly regard the stuff, I can only get if I order it.
 
I would second the Buck Vanguard if you want a solid hunting knife without spending a fortune ...

I have lots of hunting knives .... some have better steels that hold an edge longer or are tougher ... some customs just because I enjoy them ... but the Vanguard is a great design ... simple and it just works and will serve you well for many years.
 
PoorInCollege said:
no finish on the steel, wood handle, good steel, not extremely expensive .Something that can be customized and/or beaten on if need be.
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Mora Number 1 is a great classic general purpose hunting/in the boonies knife.
It's been in production virtually unchanged for over 100 years, so you know the design works.
It is availabe with your choice of Carbon Steel, Stainless Steel, or Laminated blade for $12 to $25 or so depending on blade steel.

If you want a slightly longer blade, the Mora Number 2 would be my suggestion.
It has the same three blade steel options as the number 1. Usually costs about the same as the Number 1.

If you want a guard, consider the Mora 611.
It can be had with a carbon steel or stainless steel blade.

A little bit fancier, but considerably more expensive (still under $60 to $80 or so) is the Buck 103 Skinner.
Standard blade steel is 420HC.
C&C (a sponsoring dealer here so I can mention them by name) offers the 103 as a SFO (Special Factory Order) with a 5160 carbon steel blade.
Both the 420HC and 5160 get the unbeatable BOS heat treat.

BTW Finess beats brute strength 100% of the time.
Any knife will break if you beat on it hard enough and long enough. Most production knives are not designed or intended by the manufacturer to be batoned or other such nonsense and abuse.
 
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I would say thumbs up to every one of the recommendations that I see here... except one. The BUCK 103 is a loser. Forget it. It is a gross fat clumsy fad skinner knife that is too heavy and hard to sharpen. Weird. Well... I guess that is just my opinion.
 
tongueriver said:
I would say thumbs up to every one of the recommendations that I see here... except one. The BUCK 103 is a loser. Forget it. It is a gross fat clumsy fad skinner knife that is too heavy and hard to sharpen. Weird. Well... I guess that is just my opinion.
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Never had a 103 but they've been around over 50 years by now, and the 420hc Buck uses today is very easy to sharpen.
I'm not sure I would ever personally buy a 103, but have nothing against it.
 
I never had a Buck 103 either. I could imagine needing both hands on the knife with a bench-stone to sharpen that long, deep curve. It's an old traditional shape totally dedicated to skinning, of which I know nothing.

The sheath with that OH sure is nicer than anything I've ever done.

I wonder if OP ever found his knife.
 
The Tramontina is a fine machete. Mora or Old Hickory would be of a similar vein. For a little more, L.T. Wright makes a great knife.
 
I'll chime in and put another vote in for Green River knives.... I've also got a case slabside that I've had for a long time that im very fond of.15816208105741561631298.jpg
I think they're discontinued but the last time I looked around it wasn't too hard to find them used.
 
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