odd hunting knife choice?

S

sambo.

Joined
Dec 30, 2009
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can anyone think of a good reason not to use a Fairbairn-Sykes pattern knife as a pig-sticker?

i rekon it would be nigh on useless as a field-dressing, skinning/gutting blade, but it should be a decent sticker/dispatcher, yuh?

the FS is one blade pattern i've wanted to get for a long time.
 
From what I gather, the blade of a Fairbairn-Sykes would be considered a bit short and probably too fragile for knife hunting pigs.

From what I've seen and read, 12-plus inches of blade is preferred, as well as a blade that can take hard bone impacts without breaking off.

Seen a lot of "Bowie" like blades, as well as classic "Ritter" type blades being used and discussed.
 
aha, i should have pointed out: i'll have already shot the pig with an arrow before thinking about the knife.

i'm not into dogging them.
 
There is still the issue of the handle being a bit small for the hands of many people.

And, unfortunately, there are more cheaply constructed versions of a "crappy" steel than there are well made versions out there.
 
Well it is, as I understand, an instrument designed specifically for stabbing and swift killing. So there shouldn't be any actual reason why it wouldn't work on something other than the originally intended.. ahem.. prey. I wouldn't mind having a decent version of a F-S dagger myself but I'll admit it's the first time I've heard of anyone planning to use one in game hunting. :D
 
Having stuck my share of farm hogs and sheep, I would not consider the F-S for that job. It ain't the sticking that kills hogs, it's cutting the arteries inside the neck. For that, you want a fairly broad, very sharp blade. The Applegate-Fairbairn would be a much better choice, and I've gotten along fine with a Dexter-Russell for which I paid about $2 forty years ago. It's got a 6" spear point blade an inch wide with a false edge on the back of the point.
 
You don't need a sword to kill a hog. If you'll have already shot the pig it should already be bled out and shouldn't need to be stuck and bled. I just use my normal hunting knife and have no trouble cutting the carotid. Any 6-8" sharp pointy knife is what people prefer when running dogs.
 
You would be better off with a 3.5-4.5 inch blade, ergo handle and hard steel. Some good hunter brands I have are Dozier, Fallkniven and Buck.

The Fairbairn-Sykes is really only designed for one purpose, killing something.
 
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