Sidekick hunter by Mike Ruth, JS

RogerP

RogerP

Joined
Feb 28, 2002
Messages
13,348
As a confirmed bowie nut it is a rare occasion that I will go out of my way to buy a hunter - that is, unless it is accompanied by a bowie or camp knife as part of a matched set. But this is one of the exceptions which proves that one shouldn't be too rigid about things.

This is Mike Ruth's Sidekick hunter, which he brought with him to the Little Rock show a couple weeks ago. Those that followed the show preview thread have already seen Chuck Ward's excellent photo of this knife, and those lucky enough to attend the show probably got to see the knife itself. Here's a fresh look for everyone:

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The blade is forged from 5160 spring steel and measures 4.7", overall length is 9.2". The blade has received a flawless hand-rubbed satin finish and displays a subtle hardening line that my photos simply can't capture. Sheath is by Kenny Rowe.

The first things that grabbed me about this piece were its beautiful lines and visual balance. Everything just flows in a graceful curve from tip to butt. The second thing that grabbed me was the gorgeous piece of bark mammoth ivory. A warm gold background streaked and checkered with various shades of green and touches of dark blue. Aint nature grand? What's particularly interesting about this material is the way that different colours jump out depending on your viewing angle. For example - compare the first and last photos in this series which show the same side of the knife but from different angles. The scales are well matched, as can be seen below:

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This particular knife represents a number of firsts for Mike: first use of mammoth, first knife stamped with his "5 year" mark (to record that anniversary as a maker), and his first framed handle. It's a fairly stout piece - the heft in the hand belies the almost delicate lines. The blade is a shade under .25" thick at the spine, making for a dramatic taper to the fine point.

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There just isn't a bad angle to be found:

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Keep up the great work Mike!

Roger
 
I agree with Roger. This is well designed and beautiful knife. Mike's work is exceptional........Chuck
 
Hi Roger,

I saw that knife in LR. One of, if not Mike's best hunter. The only thing I didn't like about it was that you had bought it. :D

WWG
 
I agree Roger. This is just a beautiful hunter across the board. As with the Sendero, it's overall design just caters to any use. What more can I say about the ivory? Other than it's outstanding. :thumbup: I liked it until viewing the photo showing it's frame handle design, now I'm crazy about it. An extremely well executed frame handle I must add. The photos represent the fit and finish as close to flawless as I believe possible. Chuck's photos get better with each one he takes.
 
That's one of the nicest hunters I've seen and I think it's the most pleasing piece I've seen from Mike Ruth. All of the reasons have been touched on. When I saw it posted, I knew it would be snapped up by someone with good taste. Bravo Roger! You're a lucky guy to have picked that piece up.
 
Now, THAT'S a working knife. :D

Looks deceptively heavy. Not a bad thing. You gain control with the weight and since it's not supposed to be a swift fighter, the balance is probably perfect for its intention.

Roger takes outstanding photos doesn't he??? :thumbup:

Coop
 
Keith Montgomery said:
That knife has a very familiar design. It looks great.
Click to expand...

That would be the Sendero by Fisk, and you know it.;)

Becoming as common as the drop point hunter by R.W. Loveless, by the forge crowd.

This particular knife has nice blade, and gorgeous handle, but is it not possible that the guard is too thick, as well as too long, throwing off the visual balance(trying out my new approach, here), and the the handle shape is a bit bulbous in appearance?

Best Regards,

STeven Garsson
 
Keith Montgomery said:
That knife has a very familiar design. It looks great.
Click to expand...
Years ago, John Frankl called it the 'Mastersmith Hunter' because of the prevalence. The Sendero is truly the origin as I can see.

Coop
 
Roger, I just assumed they were Chuck's photos, even though I notice now they are not marked as such. Great work. :thumbup:
Yes no doubt, many a knife will be inspired by the Sendero.
 
The handle and finish are great! I love the guard and in that kind of knife you really want the balance to be around the guard or little behind it. I would like it to be less thick though... but that's only a matter of personal taste. The only thing that really bothers me is that it doesn't have a tapered tang. Other than that... looks almost perfect.
 
Yeah, the Sendero, that's it. ;)

The handle looks okay to me, but I would prefer the guard to be a little thinner (the guard part of the guard, not the bolster).
 
BrB said:
The only thing that really bothers me is that it doesn't have a tapered tang. Other than that... looks almost perfect.
Click to expand...

That's not the tang you're seeing Jeff - that's a frame handle. The tang is encased within the ivory scales and the frame. I am not a big fan of exposed tangs on a carbon steel knives as a general rule, tapered or not.

Mike does tend to build his knives on the beefy side - I would venture a guess that this would be one of his more slender models overall. A thinner guard would bring it more in line with the traditional Sendero look, but I would venture to guess that Mike was not trying to replicate that knife so much as to render a hunter that is an homage to that seminal design.

Keep in mind also that in the top view shot, the handle is much closer to the camera than the blade, making it look comparatively larger / thicker than it actually is.

STeven - I like the new you! :p Just yankin' your chain.

Thanks for all comments gents!

Roger
 
I did see and was able to hold this knife in Little Rock and it is a great knife! Mike is an outstanding guy to work with on a knife design. Great piece Rodger, Mike told me you got it while I was picking up a new bowie. Rats, I told him.:D
 
NICE frame. It appears to me that the reason the guard is "big is that Mike chose not to have a seem betwen the handle frame and guard, so he ended up with a "ferrule frame" If you wanted a thinnner guard, it wuld be interesting to do a "guard frame" combo. but that might be a bit more complicated. It certainly would require a LOT bigger piece of raw stock to start with and a lot more sawing and milling. I may have to try that one of these days in the DISTANT future:D I would like to try a 1018 guard/frame/buttcap combo on a bowie without welding the cap bolsters. Migh be a good way to balance out a monster bowie like the one I have a tentative commision for.
 
I have looked at this knife several times. The ivory scales are some of the most striking I have seen. I am and always will be a fan of the sendero styling and in particular the blade shape. The fit and finish looks temendous, especially the plunge and hand rubbed blade finish.

The first question I had was does this knife work "because" of the guard, or "inspite" of it. My first reaction was the latter .... but the more I look I strat to edge towards the former.

The second question was do I like this knife or do I love it? There is no doubting that if I had an opportunity to buy it, I would. But I do have a couple of ideas that would make this almost "my" ideal hunter ........ I'm going to have to speak to Mike.

Thanks for posting this Roger..... its a truly wonderful piece that has just inspired me to contact Mike Ruth.

Cheers,

Stephen
 
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