Thoughts On Tradtional Folders For The Field

N

Nalapombu

Joined
Oct 26, 2001
Messages
303
Hey all,

I am thinking of picking up some folding knives for hunting and camping purposes. I am talking about the Folding Hunter, Bigger Stockman's and maybe the Moose style. I had been all set on CASE and maybe trying out a couple of the Rough Rider knives because I had a few people tell me they were nice for the inexpensive price they sold for. How could you go wrong on spending $10 on a knife to try?

Anyway, several people told me to check out Moore Maker knives. I had never heard of them until that day. I go and look on a few website and they do have some great looking knives for sure and I'd like to have 1 or 2. Some of the prices are a lot higher than the Case counterparts though.

Since I don't know anything about these knives, I thought I'd ask you all and see what you could tell me. How do they stand up to the Case knives I talked about? Which would you rather have? I am not interested in resale value as these knives would be USED and not sit in a drawer wrapped in an oily rag for years. If given the choice in the same pattern, which would you pick, the Case or the Moore Maker?

Also if you can toss in a thought or 2 about the Rough Riders I would be interested in hearing that too.

Thanks for your time.

Nalajr
 
while i dont have experience with mooremaker, ive seen guys here vouch for their overall quality, i believe they are made by queen now (used to be Camillus) and maybe Bear and sons too... (i would avoid the Bear offerings as they seem to be hit and miss)
i do have experience with Case and wouldnt hesitate to recommend them, alot of price points and materials/patterns too.
I edc a Large Amberbone CV stockman everyday, have been pretty much since i got it a couple years ago, carry others but this one is always in the left pocket:thumbup:
Rough riders are good too, my son has quite a few an they are all wxcellent, came sharp, F&F was pretty good too.
regards
gene
 
Having owned both, if I had to choose only one I would go with Moore Maker.
 
You pay a little premium for the Moore Maker mistique.IMO.Moore Maker higher end is made by Queen,the lower end is Bear.There is no knife factory in Matador ,Tx.Great marketing, good knives.I personally think you get more bang for the buck with Case.As far as Rough Rider,they are great users with generally very good quality.
 
Hey all,

I'd like to get some thoughts and ideas on the Case Folding Hunter. I have been thinking of getting one for a while to use while pig hunting, but haven't pulled the trigger on it yet. I've came close a couple of times, but just when I do I see something else I like too. Lately it's been the Moore Maker, but I think the Case looks better. I have also been tempted to buy a couple of different Rough Riders to see how I like to style and if it works well then I would get the CASE.

So would you mind telling me what you think of this beauty of a knife by CASE? Does it hold a good edge?

Also if you have any other recommendations for folders to use for hunting pigs, I would like to hear them.
One last thing, do you ever have any worries about the blade closing on your hand or fingers when using a folder for field dressing?

Thank you for your time and help.

Nalajr

p.s. I know there are a lot of people that think it's crazy to use a folder for field dressing and butchering chores. I just think it fits with my TRAD bows and such. I have nothing against fixed blades, I love 'em, I just think it's more appropriate to use folders when hunting trad style. For ME anyway.
 
Since these two discussions are related they have been merged into one thread...title edited to accommodate the merge.
 
If you're going to use a folding hunter instead of collecting, my personal choice would be a Queen. The blades are D2 and hold the edges VERY well.
 
I've been EDC'ing a Moore Maker XL stockman for a while. Made by Queen in 1095, takes and holds a great edge, and feels solid in the hand.:thumbup:
 
I have carried a CASE pocket knife of some kind EVERY DAY for the last 30 years and have never had a bad experence with one. I have field dressed more white tail deer with a medium three bladed stockman than you could imagine, but there are better knives for the job. CASE CV steel is just like any other 1095 type and easy to sharpen, easy to touch up, and just a good working tool. Their stainless is not hardened to the extreme side and is therefore not too brittle, but does an acceptable job, looks good for a long time to boot. I am very fond of the CASE Trapperlock for hunting applications today, but that's MY preference. I only wish CASE would offer more traditonal knives with higher end steels as I have some knives in S30V that I think are the bomb as far as the steel goes.

I usually have 2 or 3 knives on me at any one time!;)
 
Just an observation when looking at buying a mooremaker...... any model number that ends with a B will be made by bear and son..... also, the models that usually run $80 or more tend to be queen made..... I own three mooremakers at this time and have given away two others. Of the knives I still own, two are queens and one is bear. The bear is a decent knife but nowhere near the quality, fit and finish of the queens. The 5203 equal end trapper in jigged yellow bone is by far my favorite ( $85 queen made) followed closely by the five blade 5503 smooth yellow bone stockman ( $90 queen made). The 5301B smooth yellow bone three blade stockman ($45 bear made) feels blocky and unfinished compaired to the others but still worth what I payed for it IMO.

Keep in mind that this is a general rule and an observation that I have made. You may very well find queen made mooremakers cheaper than $80 and bear made knives that may be on the higher end of the price point. My suggestion for the bear made knives is hands on inspection of the specific knife you plan on buying (hand pick the knife). Mooremakers repair/replacement seems to be pretty decent but I have only had to deal with them on one knife.... replaced at no cost to me, one week turn around time. The knife they sent was much nicer than the one I sent them.

As to your original post...... Case, Mooremaker, or Rough Rider? You can't go wrong with any of these choices...... RR for cheap usable knives or to try out a new pattern...... Case and MM are great knives! I own the Case folding hunter and it is a very good knife but I prefer the MM trapper mostly because of size and ease of carry.

One last thought..... folders closing on your fingers during field dressing will not be a problem as long as you pay attention to what you are doing and the way that you are using the knife. If you get distracted you can get bitten. If you are paying attention to something other than the use of the tool, you need to stop using the tool until you can focus on its use.

Hope this long winded reply helps.....

Jason
 
Well, it doesn't seem you can go too wrong with the Rough Rider brand, although I haven't tried any of their product. Search this group, there are a number of comments on that brand, including this large thread:

http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=582468

Having used both CASE and Queen knives extensively for a few decades, when buying new I would give the edge to Queen at this particular point in time simply for their D2. I have 6 - 7 knives in D2 that I use and it takes a great edge and holds it well. Being almost stainless, the guts and blood won't rust up your knife when cleaning an animal, which is certainly a big plus if you can't get to a gear cleaning spot for a few hours after gutting/cleaning. If you are an experienced sharpener, sharpening D2 isn't near the problem some make it to be.

There have been some that are concerned with the fit and finish of recent CASE knives (including me!), but honestly, after spending a lot of time here and on a couple of other venues I don't know that they are much different than anyone else. If you intend to use the knife, not keep it as a model specimen for your collection, I think CASE carbon would be fine as well.

Whatever you do, buy from a reputable seller so if there are any problems you can be assured they will handle them for you instead of fooling with anyone's factory warranty department.

Robert
 
Hey all,


I know I've been asking a lot of questions lately, sorry for that. Just trying to learn what I can.

I like the thought of folders for hunting and field dressing use. I have always carried fixed blades, but since I have switched to TRAD gear I seem to gravitate to folders. I am now down in South Florida and will be hunting hogs and hopefully killing a couple...

I have been looking at several different patterns and brands, particularly the Case Folding Hunter. I have also been told about Moore Makers and Queens Cutlery and for bargain knives...Rough Riders. I have also thought about large Stockman's and Trappers, Trapperlocks and lastly, I like the Moose pattern. I think it would be best to have blades 3 inches or longer.

I just noticed that I don't have a lockblade on the list except for the trapperlock. Of course I like and have always liked the Buck 110. I also have a knife coming from a friend that got one for me....a wenger Ranger 58. It looks like it has darn near everything a hunter could need in a field knife. We'll see. You can only have so many knives right???

So what do you think of my choices? Do you have any that you would add or ones that you would take off my list? What patterns do you favor for folders that are actually used in the field for hunting and dressing chores and probably camp use too.

I'm anxious to hear what your thoughts are.

Thank you all for the help and advice you have given me so far. I appreciate it.

Nalajr
 
I've used a folder for some fishing now and then, but fish don't bleed much. I used a Case peanut for a fishing knife one summer as sort of an experiment, b ut to be truthful, it was a bit of a pain to clean out. If a folder is used, try to make it as simple as possible so it's easy to flush out.

Some hunters really do swear by the trapper pattern.

When I was growing up, most hunters I knew used the Case Little Finn, or the Western or Kabar equal of it. Simple, rugged, and easy to clean up.

Carl.
 
My favorite for hunting is the full sized Case trapper, the #54 pattern. I've used one for hunting for several years now. I use the spey blade for gutting the animal, as it's blunt tip doesn't cut up the intestines when I make the cut to open the animal up. And, the clip blade is excellent for every thing else including the skinning. I've used my trappers to skin and quarter hogs, deer, and aoudad sheep. They work great.

I got a large stockman this year for Christmas though. So, I'm going to be trying that one out hunting this fall. We'll see if it replaces the trappers.
 
Threads merged (again). Let's please keep this all in one thread this time so we don't have to merge yet a fourth version of the same topic/questions.
 
I use fixed blades or "tactical" linerlock folders to clean game with because they are easier to clean with their man-made materials and open backs on the folders.
But if I were to use one of my traditionals on game it would be one of these.
GEC made #23 frame (4-1/2" closed) with linerlocked drop point skinner blade in 1095 carbon steel.

PioneerLLs2.jpg
 
In my opinion the trapper is a great choice for hunting/fishing duties as well as edc chores.
Jim
 
I think the copperhead pattern would be ideal because it contains a nice slim pointy blade and a larger clip point point for utility task.
 
I like a drop point,a modified warncliffe(spearpoint)
I like a semi skinner & nothing wrong with a clip,either

Check these out

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This one has a two fer
DSC03381.jpg


DSC03248.jpg


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There's those two bloddied up knives,you can see the blades better here
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I feel it's definitely a personal preference,but if you do alot of game cleaning/prep,you'll gravitate towards a favorite
Also,if you only have one knife you tend to learn to "make it work" for you.
Fixed blades are way easier to clean up after all the mess,too

PS I'll slip one more in here & say this,too. Most field & surf animals I clean are deer & bass (larger fish & not flat fish like a flounder),so these blades I show are what I prefer for that stuff. Bird & trout & flatfish,I think slender blades are better like a muskrat & a long fillet for flatfish
These are customs but you definitely can find all you need production built,too.

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It would be difficult to fillet fish like this with a 4" pocket knife,but it could be done
DSC03166.jpg



-Vince
 
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