seeking feedback on Browning 525 stag-handled fixed blade! 440A Steel!???!

[tholiver]

Anybody here own/have experience with the Browning 525 stag handled knife with 440A steel and a 4.25 inch blade? I've pawed one in a shop and love the feel of it but the MSRP and even the street price seem VERY steep for 440A! I mean its not even 440C, what decent makers even use 440A? All the 440a knives i've seen have been low end junky fantasy knives. I'd probably have ordered this long ago if it was at least 440C or AUS-8 or better yet a good carbon steel. I have lots of Moras, a good Spyderco Bushcraft knife, Enzo, Grohmanns etc all in this size range but i really love the look and feel of the stag handle. I'm finding it really hard to get past the 440A steel though!

http://www.browning.com/products/catalog/imagepreview.asp?mid=322525

 

[stevomiller]

Sorry, no first hand experience, but good looking knife. 440a isn't inherently bad, if heat treated properly it is pretty good.

 

[tholiver]

Thanks for the reply. I guess nobody here has any direct experience with this model. The only reason i linked a pic of the knife was so that people could see what model i was actually talking about, i intentionally linked to an image without any reference to price to avoid breaking any rules but........ i got a warning anyway. But it was just a warning so lesson learned. The only reason i even created this thread was because i couldn't find any info/reviews here or elsewhere on this knife. Its hard to find non-commercial links to images of a knife when nobody seems to have ever reviewed it. If i ever buy it i'll take my own pics and post them online, and if anyone in the future ever has feedback on this knife feel free to post it here. As it stands now i think i'll go back to just reading threads, lol!