So you're outfitting the hands on a ranch ...

Hey, I have one of those kneissler knives! Mine is just a single blade though, no needle or saw. I love it, easily my best slip joint!
 
Mr Fowler, what you wrote in post #119 is the best thing I have read in a long time. Thank you sir for sharing your wisdom. It has made my day.
Jim
 
Well said indeed, the cowboy or any outdoorsman who respects his milieu,is impressed by the diversity of nature, becomes part of nature itself. This in stark contrast to the ignorant show off -or crazed survivalist- who sees nature as a 'threat' and 'challenge' killing for 'fun' and leaving us with a sterile wasteland. What a victory.
 
Mr. Fowler you don't know how good your post made me feel. There is hope yet when I read of tough hard working men who are sensitive to their surroundings, have love for animals of all sizes and respectful of God's handiwork. That mentality is in the sad minority but should be held up as an exemplary view to all.
Thank you.
 
I had heard of Cracker cattle, though, because one of my good friends keeps Pineywoods cattle, and near as I can tell, they're pretty similar. It's good to get another perspective on the cutting tools, too. Do y'all do much roping in Florida?

James[/QUOTE]

Pineywoods are related; also feral decendents of Spainish stock from what I understand. Still have good ropers down here however the bulk of the work in done in pens with squeeze chutes. The little KBar machete is only 16" oa; handy, heavy enough for clearing trail but doesn't flop around on the saddle. That mention of A Land Rememberedby is right on, anyone who enjoys this forum would probably take the book to heart; it captures the spirit of a Florida that is being lost. However there are still old timers that can remember driving cattle clear across the state when we had open range and loading them on ships going to Cuba.
 
Caught up with my pastor yesterday for a couple minutes after church. i didn't get to ask about when he was the wrangler for a camp on the wet-side with tons of horses but did get to ask about what he uses when he works cattle today.

He carries the Kershaw Leek that I gave him when he married Autumn and I but uses it strictly for "flesh work": castration, etc.

He carries a leatherman wave in a belt sheath that he uses for everything else. The two knife blades and the saw are handy and "it's got my pliers on it."

I'm on graveyards so maybe I'll catch up with some of the other cowboys at the diner at lunch time and jaw with them some.
 
Mr Fowler - thanks for the explanation, answers a lot of questions as to why the bowie didn't get mentioned much in this thread and speaks volumes for the posters on the forum.

Tam
 
Thank you mr fowler. This is exactly how a man living in nature have to approach his environment. A great wilderness needs to be met with great respect and gratitude. To few of us gets the opportunity to learn this by hart.

Bosse
 
This thread is going on four years old, but it is too good to let it stay in the archives....

I recently bought a Moore Maker stockman--yellow handles, with clip and spey blades, and a punch. Darn nice knife.

Got to rummaging around at other stockman threads, and found this one. It's one of my favorites.
 
The cowboys and ranch hands that I know all carry a cheap lock back and or a leatherman. So that's probably what I'd give my guys. Maybe a case in walnut like what I have, or maybe even one of the super inexpensive rough riders if the budget is real tight. I've found my leatherman to be nearly indispensable for fence building and repair. And speaking of fences, a good pair of fencing pliers too. Believe it or not, ace brand is the one that I've found to be best.
 
While it would be nice to give them give them case sodbusters or stockmen in CV, if I had a lot of men to outfit, I'd probably go with A Roughrider or Boker plus Lockback sodbuster and maybe a mora 2. But on second thought since I'm a good guy and want to keep it to american production I'd go with the Case Sodbusters. Too bad the american made schrades are gone or I'd give them all 5OT's or 34OT's and call it a day.
 
The knives I tend to see Texas ranchers and ranch hands carry most are a trapper, stockman or sodbuster. Moore Maker and Case trappers carried on a leather belt sheath being the most common setup I see. I don't believe that it is a coincidence that those are what I generally see for sale at feed stores. A Moore Maker trapper is the choice of my wife's cousin, who is a full time cowboy based in Oklahoma and Wyoming.

I can appreciate tradition as much as the next guy but I never bought into the practicality of those folders over a fixed blade, which is my choice as a part-timer. When I am on ranch duty I typically carry a 3"-4" fixed blade, a SOG multi-tool and sometimes Moore Maker fencing pliers. The reason I carry a SOG multi-tool, which is not my favorite overall, is that I can deploy it into pliers mode with one hand. My grandfather, who was a Montana cattle rancher carried a fixed blade he made and a stockman.

As to the OP's original question I also like the idea of equipping ranch hands with Mora's.
 
Do most cowhands carry their trappers in sheaths or in pockets. When I was in Hereford, tx all the feedlot guys had a trapper in a sheath. Trappers must be the official knife of texas because everybody I talked to had one. A pen rider laughed at my medium stockman and said that's the kind of knife his wife carried!
 
FarmKid said:
Do most cowhands carry their trappers in sheaths or in pockets. When I was in Hereford, tx all the feedlot guys had a trapper in a sheath. Trappers must be the official knife of texas because everybody I talked to had one. A pen rider laughed at my medium stockman and said that's the kind of knife his wife carried!
Click to expand...

Cowboys are like anyone else in that they tend to use the same tools that work their friends and neighbors do. I bet most of their hats were blocked the same or very similarly, too. And I imagine that he was just harassing (or hooraw-ing, as my father would have said) you for being new and Not From There.
 
Around here you get trappers in belt sheaths or a lot of modern locking folders.

If I was staying traditional, but wanted a good, hard working knife and keeping the price down. I'd probably out them with Moras clippers (though the sheath retention might need some boosting under bouncing conditions) for a fixed blade and I'd outfit them with the new Colt carbon steel trapper with coated blades and G10 scales then let them figure out if they want to belt or pocket carry it. I'd suggest a nice belt sheath.



It may not be made here, but my experience so far is that the carbon steel blades do just what good carbon steel blades do. They sharpen up to a crisp edge, hang on to that edge, and strop up and sharpen back up with any number of methods. I got mine for $14. I'm sure you could get a good deal on a batch of them.

Trappers make good sense for the same reason a lot of folks like them. You have one full sized blade for general use and another full sized blade you can keep for finer cutting and/or food. Peeling apples, cutting dried sausage, or whatever. The spey blade also makes a good scoop and slather blade for guac, sour cream, mayo, etc..

What will these cowboys actually be doing? Are we talking old school roping and riding? Or more opening feed bags and cutting twine and rope? Maybe some quick leather repairs or shaving a wood peg to hold something for a bit?

For that matter, a Rough Rider Elephant Toenail in a watch pocket, or in a small pouch is a surprisingly effective cutter. Properly sharpened that big blade press cuts through cordage and all number of things. The frame is large enough to get fill the hand well, yet flat enough to not bulge. The jigged bone scales give a good grip, but there is also a yellow handle version if you want to be able to see it easy if you drop it. However, those big, shiny bolsters will probably glint enough. You should be able to buy a batch of them for not much money.

Practically? A good drop point fixed blade with a 3-4 inch blade length in decent steel with proper heat treat and in a sheath that offers good retention would be an ideal for general issue. Then let them pick their own folders.
 
Being from the greatest state in the U.S. I saw mostly trappers on the belts or in the pockets of most farmers and ranchers. If I was in said situation. Even though I love my GEC #48s they are a little to spiffy for most of my hombres. Considering many of ranch hands are around my age group or a little older they do not care about the quality of the knife, just the name. I'd say just about everyone I knew thought Case was high dollar, but then again. I'm just a suburbanite with red neck tendencies. I would stick with buying them Case or Moore Maker trappers in carbon steel. If the owner wasn't such a cheap skate.:p I would throw in a Leatherman Rebar and a fixed blade like my new acquired Ka-Bar Mk1.
 
U know every knife I would hand out has been covered so I would just ask my hired hands what they wanted in either a stockman or a trapper. The price for a yellow case stockman and trapper is around the same price. The first one that wanted stag or something more fancy I would fire to set an example!
 
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