Thoughts on the Busse Game Warden

johnwaynesandw

johnwaynesandw

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Mar 18, 2005
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I thought I would post this here in hope that I would not get one sided answers.

I have never owned a Busse knife, but I do have two Scrapper 6's. I use one pretty much every time I go camping (which is often in the summer).

I am looking for something a little shorter than the S6, but still as tough. Are there any other suggestions out there?

I also have a Barkie Huntsman in rams horn, but it is just not very comfortable to me. The horn is very thick at the butt and the area near the bolster it is very thin.

I like the blade of the huntsman and the handle would be great if it was more contoured to the hand and just a tad longer.

As far as handles, I really like the Res. C on the scrapper 6 for use. I also like the looks of some of the scales that come on the GW. Any suggestions?


Thanks,
John
 
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Well, I am a Busse afficianado and have a half dozen or so GW's but I will give you my honest answer:

The Game Warden can be had in 0.140" thickness, which is wholely adequate for this size knife. I do not see the point of the thicker GW's. To me, there are better Busses to be had in a small knife: The Active Duty, the Leaner Meaners in particular. What makes them better than the GW to me is the longer handle. (Disclaimer - I have a fairly large hand.) IMO, the Active Duty in the thinner versions is the best knife Busse ever made.

If you are looking for a short, substantial EDC and a full hand-length handle is not important to you for this application, the GW would be a great little knife. It would also be wholely adequate for field dresssing small game and deer, again if you are ok with the short handle.
 
I agree with MikeH. I love smaller fixed blades, but I don't see the need for an extra thick steel. With a handle that small, it would not be the ideal tool for a task requiring a thick steel. I prefer smaller blades to be better at slicing, rather than prying or puncturing. That being said, I like the Game Warden. I don't own one, and would probably get an boney AD, for the reasons MikeH mentions. At that price point, there are alot of options out there.
 
I'll mention that the Game Warden has a lot of belly in a short blade. If you like that then the GW is the last small fixed blade you'll buy - it's that good. If you're looking for less belly the Active Duty is the way to go. A Busse is truly a do it all kind of knife. Caution - Busse ownership may sour you on other knives once you've used yours some and have the right working edge for your needs. :thumbup:
 
Thanks to three of you.

Mike you bring up one of the main things that popped into my head, the thickness of the blade. That isa another thing I do not like about my huntsman. For a blade so short, it is too thick.

I do like belly on my knives, but I also like a shorter blades that come to a nice point for fine work.

Can anyone post a few pics of these two?

Thanks,
John
 
The GW is great, although the blade is too thick. Get one of the thinner models though. Another one I should have held onto, but let slip through my fingers.
 
bad. satin/blue g10. (pic from bcs)
attachment.php
 
johnwaynesandw said:
Thanks to three of you.

Mike you bring up one of the main things that popped into my head, the thickness of the blade. That isa another thing I do not like about my huntsman. For a blade so short, it is too thick.

I do like belly on my knives, but I also like a shorter blades that come to a nice point for fine work.

Can anyone post a few pics of these two?

Thanks,
John
Click to expand...
Might be worth it to look for some of the GW variants with clip points. I have both a skinny GW and AD and while I love my GW it does not have the utility of my AD mainly because of a lack of a point although I would like to get the butt of my AD rounded as it digs into my side sometimes You might also want to check out the Cultis or the Muskrats they make a good EDC.
My Skinny AD is my favorite Busse although that might change if the ever release the Anorexic Assault Shakers:)
 
I'm with MilkeH on the .140's being the way to go on a GW, and also his point about the handle being small if you have large hands.
I prefer the handle of the AD or Cultie over the GW.

Here's the GW, AD, and Cultie. Bottom three.
IMG_3387.jpg
 
That's a great comparison pic, Ken. Top to bottom in Ken's pic: Anorexic Badger Attack (BA III), Meaner Street, Cultellus, Active Duty, and Game Warden.

I prefer the Active Duty. I have three of the thinner models in satin and double cut and have even stashed another one back for my son when he gets older.

The Game Warden is a great little knife though, and I do prefer the knives in the .14 or .17 range. I have a thick one left, but i kept it more for the handle scales than for the thickness.

BusseHunters.jpg
 
I really liked the shape, look and feel of the game warden, if I were to get another one which I never will, it would be a skinny one. I absolutely hate the stupid choil on all of the Busse knives. If they made a game warden, 1/8" thick and added 1/4" to both blade and handle, removed the choil, I would carry and use it everyday. I have tried serveral Busse's and they are just not for me.
 
I will concur with many of the previous posts that the Active Duty is the best small Busse. The AD is much more ergonomic than the Game Warden IMO. I like the miliganzaa over-runs with the Sabre Grind the best. They were offered in Sage with Black Canvas Micarta and Muddy with Tan Canvas Micarta. They usually go for ~$220.00 on the exchange and sometimes less depending on use. The Boney AD's have the higher rockwell--64 instead of ~59--and are nice too but usually go for $260.00 + because of the Satin Finish and G-10 Scales.
 
Guys, any spine shots of those lying around especially comparing the "leaner" spines vs. "standard?

Guyon, in your last pic the rundown is GW, Active Duty, Active Duty, Meaner S., Meaner S. and Badger Attack yes?
 
Ramm9 said:
Guys, any spine shots of those lying around especially comparing the "leaner" spines vs. "standard?

Guyon, in your last pic the rundown is GW, Active Duty, Active Duty, Meaner S., Meaner S. and Badger Attack yes?
Click to expand...

Yes, only the first Meaner would, I suppose, be a Leaner Meaner because of thickness. It was a 2007 Special Edition offered at Blade.

These are all Game Wardens. I think they are (top to bottom) .14, .17, .22, and .27. I think all the .20 versions were coated.

WardenThicknesses.jpg
 
I think the .14 GW is a pretty well balanced pocket carry knife. It's very sturdy, but still offers reasonable cutting performance. If you wanted a little bit thinner blade or more point, you could send one to Krein. The GW is also compact and non-threatening.

The BAD is much more delicate than the GW. It functions better as what I think of as a traditional knife, but you have to exercise reasonable care with the tip.

The MAD is very stout - more like the .20 GW, but with more point. The AD profile also carries larger than the GW profile, and the AD's look a little more intimidating to non-knifers.

The MS/LMS/Meaner permutations are substantially larger than the AD's. At that point you're getting into knives that are significantly more intimidating around town, and yet still a little under-sized for the woods, IMO.

The BAIII profile is a fantastic mid-size outdoor knife.

I think my optimum Busse EDC knife would be the offspring of a .14 GW and a BAD - something right in between.

The .20 GW seems a little ridiculous at first, but they are actually quite useful if you want something small and non-threatening that cuts, pokes and pries. Silly as it might sound, they make great staple removers.
 
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