El Bandit0
Gold Member
- Joined
- Feb 4, 2013
- Messages
- 1,278
Initial use on a central TX Axis Deer harvest
-Graphic hunting content ahead, if you dont like it it dont read it! --
*Full Disclosure: This is my first knife from Big Chris and I felt I should write an honest review of this wonderful little blade. I reached out to Chris and he gave me his blessing to share my experience and opinion with his knife here and elsewhere on the interwebs. The knife was bought secondhand from a previous owner who purchased it in used condition from Chris himself.
I recently purchased one of Big Chriss CPM-10V Pocket Fighters secondhand on the exchange as I had been eyeing this model for several months. Chriss eye for clean, symmetrical grinds, handle ergos, and willingness to integrate newer high performance CPM steels all attracted my attention over a year ago, but I bided my time and did some research on his work and what folks had to say about the blades that come out of his shop.
Color me impressed.
Now I am the first to admit that I have an addiction for custom bowie/clip point knives and have had a number of high end production and semicustom bowies pass through my hands, including one I had reground and rebuilt to my specifications only a few years back. For whatever reason, each of these knives failed to stay in my inventory for too long and I sold them off while continuing to look for the knife that would fit my uses and tastes best. I am very specific when I buy a new knife and typically it has a specialized place in my toolkit for a specific task/tasks. I was in need of a new hunting/skinning knife when I stumbled across the Pocket Fighter. 4-5 inch clip point blade? Check. Premium 10V steel? Check. Full tang? Check. Micarta Scales? Check. Quality built kydex sheath? Check. Acceptable edge geometry and grind for intended use? ABSOLUTELY!
A few days after purchasing the knife off the exchange it showed up in the mail. Immediately upon unsheathing the blade I was impressed by the thin blade profile, close to 1/16, thinner than any blade I had previously owned or used. I couldnt believe how effortlessly I cut through the box it was shipped in, the edge slid right through the cardboard like butter even though the knife was not hair shaving sharp and seemed to have a lower grit, toothy edge applied. I quickly consulted Chris on Facebook as to his recommended sharpening methodology. 1200 grit ceramic followed by a light two stage stropping had the blade transformed into a hair popping, toothy, bowie shaped, lightweight 4-inch long razor blade. I knew this knife would be an effective cutter, but I wanted to put it to its intended use before drawing any further conclusions.
I was able to call a local friend and arrange a Saturday morning attempt to take one of the many overpopulated Axis Deer that roam my friends locale. Here in TX, Axis- an imported species native to India- are considered Exotic Game by the state and means and methods for taking them are very loosely regulated. The animals tend to outcompete native whitetail deer and drive the whitetails out of the area. I chose to set up 30 yards from a known feeding spot with a scoped .22 pump gun loaded with high velocity hollowpoints. Axis are typically much heavier than central TX whitetails, but as I hunt for meat I prefer to harvest Axis with carefully placed shots to the base of the ear to ensure a clean kill and avoid spoiling any meat. Additionally, it would be extremely unethical to attempt any other shot as the .22LR just doesnt have the power to drop 100+ lb. game any other way.
After a couple hours on stand, a very plump and healthy doe walked out into the open and began to graze directly in front of my hide. I slid the little rifle into place and drew a bead. The shot broke as a surprise and felt good. The deer immediately dropped to the ground as I cycled the rifle for an insurance shot. My aim was true and the doe was dead before she hit the ground, the insurance shot proved to be unnecessary. I cleared and safed the rifle before approaching the doe, who proved to be a bit bigger than she had looked through the 2X scope. I knelt, unsheathed the Pocket Fighter, and severed the blood vessels in the neck to begin bleeding the deer. The blade bit straight to the backbone effortlessly, the cut made with almost no force.
Once the deer was bleeding, my friend showed up with a 4-wheeler to help me move the doe a short way to an old oak we use as a cleaning station. I hung and gutted the deer and proceeded to remove the hide for later tanning before quartering out the carcass and removing tenderloins, ribs, and as much neck meat as I could. Heavy cutting such as removing the racks of ribs and splitting the pelvis was done with an old hatchet I keep handy for such tasks, it is foolish to damage a fine blade cutting through bone.
The Pocket Fighter performed exceptionally well in quartering, gutting, and skinning roles. The blade was long enough to make big cuts while having plenty of belly for quickly separating the hide. The tip was extremely fine and keen and allowed me to make precision cuts with ease. The overall length was compact enough I had no issues maneuvering inside the chest cavity, while the simple yet elegant and durable Micarta scales provided plenty of traction even when my hands and the handle were completely awash in blood. I have always been a big believer in having at least a lower guard on a fixed blade, but the Pocket Fighters handle locks into my hands so effectively I was completely comfortable. Edge retention was OUTSTANDING, 10V with Chriss heat treat is some impressive stuff. The blade was still aggressively hair shaving sharp after completely skinning, gutting, and quartering the Axis doe, and I felt I could have cleaned skinned and quartered at least another deer or two before needing a touchup on the strops.
I was unable to find any flaws in this knife. It fit my tastes and was perfectly suited to the uses to which I put it. As far as the edge goes, I managed to put two TINY chips into the edge and ever so slightly roll the tip. Cutting ability was not affected at all by this miniscule damage. Both the tip and the two chips would be unnoticed by many users and proved to sharpen out very easily and quickly during cleanup. Chris stated upfront that this knife is a dedicated slicer and as such is ground VERY thin on both the edge and blade profile. It is not meant for batoning through wood, penetrating body armor, or chopping through bones on game animals. This is not a hard use, survival knife but rather an elegant, specialized knife built to cut and cut well, exceptionally well. I do not blame Chris for the damage, these were caused by unintended contact with bones, both when I bled the deer and when I cut the tenderloins loose from along the spine. ANY knife used to process game WILL run into bone at some point, its just part of life. For such a thin blade and edge, I expected much greater damage. Every other hunting knife I have used has suffered similar, albeit much more noticeable chipping when put to the same task, and as such I credit Chriss choice of steel and heat treat methodology for making this a tough, thin little cutter.
Sacrificing a degree of cutting efficiency to have a thicker blade of 1/8, even 3/16 spine thickness with the same blade grind (flat) and a convex edge would be interesting but I do not see a need for a dedicated meatcutting/skinning blade to be that thick. I am playing with the idea of convexing the edge myself in the future but for now it will remain a V-edge.
Sitting here typing this article the night after the hunt, I must say that the 10V Pocket Fighter has proven its utility, durability, and quality in its first field use. If you are looking for an elegantly simple hunting blade with premium steel and classic styling, the Pocket fighter may be your Huckleberry. At this time I would not hesitate to recommend Big Chris Knives to anyone and am fully satisfied with mine. I have plans to do a follow-on writeup in 6 months to a year.
***ADDON
1/30 woodworking observations:
I took the Pocket Fighter out again this afternoon to do some woodcutting and build a small campfire on the back of my familys acreage. I found a good sized juniper stump left over from a past burn which contained wood very similar to pine fatwood. This allowed me to build a splitwood fire in about 20 minutes and do some whittling and feathersticking. No edge damage, dulling, or deformation occurred while carving on the dry, seasoned juniper splits. I am not a feather stick expert by any stretch but the knife was capable of extremely fine cuts. Thanks for reading!
-Graphic hunting content ahead, if you dont like it it dont read it! --
*Full Disclosure: This is my first knife from Big Chris and I felt I should write an honest review of this wonderful little blade. I reached out to Chris and he gave me his blessing to share my experience and opinion with his knife here and elsewhere on the interwebs. The knife was bought secondhand from a previous owner who purchased it in used condition from Chris himself.
I recently purchased one of Big Chriss CPM-10V Pocket Fighters secondhand on the exchange as I had been eyeing this model for several months. Chriss eye for clean, symmetrical grinds, handle ergos, and willingness to integrate newer high performance CPM steels all attracted my attention over a year ago, but I bided my time and did some research on his work and what folks had to say about the blades that come out of his shop.
Color me impressed.
Now I am the first to admit that I have an addiction for custom bowie/clip point knives and have had a number of high end production and semicustom bowies pass through my hands, including one I had reground and rebuilt to my specifications only a few years back. For whatever reason, each of these knives failed to stay in my inventory for too long and I sold them off while continuing to look for the knife that would fit my uses and tastes best. I am very specific when I buy a new knife and typically it has a specialized place in my toolkit for a specific task/tasks. I was in need of a new hunting/skinning knife when I stumbled across the Pocket Fighter. 4-5 inch clip point blade? Check. Premium 10V steel? Check. Full tang? Check. Micarta Scales? Check. Quality built kydex sheath? Check. Acceptable edge geometry and grind for intended use? ABSOLUTELY!
A few days after purchasing the knife off the exchange it showed up in the mail. Immediately upon unsheathing the blade I was impressed by the thin blade profile, close to 1/16, thinner than any blade I had previously owned or used. I couldnt believe how effortlessly I cut through the box it was shipped in, the edge slid right through the cardboard like butter even though the knife was not hair shaving sharp and seemed to have a lower grit, toothy edge applied. I quickly consulted Chris on Facebook as to his recommended sharpening methodology. 1200 grit ceramic followed by a light two stage stropping had the blade transformed into a hair popping, toothy, bowie shaped, lightweight 4-inch long razor blade. I knew this knife would be an effective cutter, but I wanted to put it to its intended use before drawing any further conclusions.
I was able to call a local friend and arrange a Saturday morning attempt to take one of the many overpopulated Axis Deer that roam my friends locale. Here in TX, Axis- an imported species native to India- are considered Exotic Game by the state and means and methods for taking them are very loosely regulated. The animals tend to outcompete native whitetail deer and drive the whitetails out of the area. I chose to set up 30 yards from a known feeding spot with a scoped .22 pump gun loaded with high velocity hollowpoints. Axis are typically much heavier than central TX whitetails, but as I hunt for meat I prefer to harvest Axis with carefully placed shots to the base of the ear to ensure a clean kill and avoid spoiling any meat. Additionally, it would be extremely unethical to attempt any other shot as the .22LR just doesnt have the power to drop 100+ lb. game any other way.
After a couple hours on stand, a very plump and healthy doe walked out into the open and began to graze directly in front of my hide. I slid the little rifle into place and drew a bead. The shot broke as a surprise and felt good. The deer immediately dropped to the ground as I cycled the rifle for an insurance shot. My aim was true and the doe was dead before she hit the ground, the insurance shot proved to be unnecessary. I cleared and safed the rifle before approaching the doe, who proved to be a bit bigger than she had looked through the 2X scope. I knelt, unsheathed the Pocket Fighter, and severed the blood vessels in the neck to begin bleeding the deer. The blade bit straight to the backbone effortlessly, the cut made with almost no force.
Once the deer was bleeding, my friend showed up with a 4-wheeler to help me move the doe a short way to an old oak we use as a cleaning station. I hung and gutted the deer and proceeded to remove the hide for later tanning before quartering out the carcass and removing tenderloins, ribs, and as much neck meat as I could. Heavy cutting such as removing the racks of ribs and splitting the pelvis was done with an old hatchet I keep handy for such tasks, it is foolish to damage a fine blade cutting through bone.
The Pocket Fighter performed exceptionally well in quartering, gutting, and skinning roles. The blade was long enough to make big cuts while having plenty of belly for quickly separating the hide. The tip was extremely fine and keen and allowed me to make precision cuts with ease. The overall length was compact enough I had no issues maneuvering inside the chest cavity, while the simple yet elegant and durable Micarta scales provided plenty of traction even when my hands and the handle were completely awash in blood. I have always been a big believer in having at least a lower guard on a fixed blade, but the Pocket Fighters handle locks into my hands so effectively I was completely comfortable. Edge retention was OUTSTANDING, 10V with Chriss heat treat is some impressive stuff. The blade was still aggressively hair shaving sharp after completely skinning, gutting, and quartering the Axis doe, and I felt I could have cleaned skinned and quartered at least another deer or two before needing a touchup on the strops.
I was unable to find any flaws in this knife. It fit my tastes and was perfectly suited to the uses to which I put it. As far as the edge goes, I managed to put two TINY chips into the edge and ever so slightly roll the tip. Cutting ability was not affected at all by this miniscule damage. Both the tip and the two chips would be unnoticed by many users and proved to sharpen out very easily and quickly during cleanup. Chris stated upfront that this knife is a dedicated slicer and as such is ground VERY thin on both the edge and blade profile. It is not meant for batoning through wood, penetrating body armor, or chopping through bones on game animals. This is not a hard use, survival knife but rather an elegant, specialized knife built to cut and cut well, exceptionally well. I do not blame Chris for the damage, these were caused by unintended contact with bones, both when I bled the deer and when I cut the tenderloins loose from along the spine. ANY knife used to process game WILL run into bone at some point, its just part of life. For such a thin blade and edge, I expected much greater damage. Every other hunting knife I have used has suffered similar, albeit much more noticeable chipping when put to the same task, and as such I credit Chriss choice of steel and heat treat methodology for making this a tough, thin little cutter.
Sacrificing a degree of cutting efficiency to have a thicker blade of 1/8, even 3/16 spine thickness with the same blade grind (flat) and a convex edge would be interesting but I do not see a need for a dedicated meatcutting/skinning blade to be that thick. I am playing with the idea of convexing the edge myself in the future but for now it will remain a V-edge.
Sitting here typing this article the night after the hunt, I must say that the 10V Pocket Fighter has proven its utility, durability, and quality in its first field use. If you are looking for an elegantly simple hunting blade with premium steel and classic styling, the Pocket fighter may be your Huckleberry. At this time I would not hesitate to recommend Big Chris Knives to anyone and am fully satisfied with mine. I have plans to do a follow-on writeup in 6 months to a year.
***ADDON
1/30 woodworking observations:
I took the Pocket Fighter out again this afternoon to do some woodcutting and build a small campfire on the back of my familys acreage. I found a good sized juniper stump left over from a past burn which contained wood very similar to pine fatwood. This allowed me to build a splitwood fire in about 20 minutes and do some whittling and feathersticking. No edge damage, dulling, or deformation occurred while carving on the dry, seasoned juniper splits. I am not a feather stick expert by any stretch but the knife was capable of extremely fine cuts. Thanks for reading!
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Glad you liked it, I love telling stories almost as much as I love my cutlery!
