Looking for some guidance: Hunting/Survival Knife

[22-rimfire]

That's the only difference with those two. The BK-2 is too much knife for hunting. I have one. If you are clearing small trees or bushes in a shooting lane or chopping or cutting off branches that might be in the way of your stand, then a saw probably works better. One thing you can do is carry a larger blade for scouting purposes and perhaps choosing a stand location. They make chopping with a knife easier and more efficient. The BK-2 would work for that. For me, it is too heavy to carry often in general and I choose something like the BK-16 over it almost every time short of a end of the world scenario.

 

[pinnah]

I don't recommend the Queen drop point hunter. I have one and it looks like a good knife in D2 steel. But in all likelihood it would be dull when you open the box, so I am not going to urge you to look seriously at this one.

I know this is an issue that people can have different and strong opinions on, but IMO, being dull out of the box should not be a problem with a hunting/bushcraft/survival knife. I can understand the need for out of the box sharp on consumer level knives sold to people who are unlikely to sharpen a knife or learn how to. But, IMO, if you're hunting or doing woodscraft sort of things, learning to sharpen at least to a basic level is a must-do.

My suggestion in this regard is to get the cheapest basic Lansky system with an additional course diamond stone. This will easily handle knives with blades up to the 5"+ range and IMO provides even rank beginners (I count myself in this class, or would have last year) a decent shot of learning. Even if a person falls in love with freehand sharpening, the Lansky will give a great feel for working an edge and will reliably and repeatedly produce almost fool proof results.

I should note that I almost didn't list the Queen. Not on account of being dull out of the box but because of the carbides in D2. I find that large carbide steels require a step up in the sharpening game. Easier to learn to sharpen on plain carbon, Buck's 420HC or most good forms of Sandvik 12C27 (reasonably well hardened).

 

[Cardiackid]

I have a Condor Bushlore that I really like. Some people complain it is dull out of the box, but its Scandi grind is so easy to sharpen, you can get it hair popping sharp in a few minutes using the bottom of a coffee cup. I would recommend you invest in a little more high tech sharpening system, though.

 

[cards94]

esee or mora

 

[camoninja]

Another vote for the Becker BK-16 then the 17.

 

[gadunz]

Chopping thru deer sternum

(G) Svord Golok (British Army Pattern) 11" Svord Interpretation

Batonning thru deer sternum, stabbing dog-caught wild pigs & general bushwork.

(655B) Curved Skinner/Sticker/Boning 6 "

Finer skinning. 3 3/4", 4", 4 3/4"

Cutting rope etc & slaughtering livestock; axe or hammer to head, then bleed, gut & butcher with

(FK2) Farmers Knife 5 "

L6 axe steel, differentially heat treated.
http://www.svord.com/