ultimate hunting knife

G

grunt soldier

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now i am not on most of you guys level. but i am looking for the best hunting knife. i am currently using the knives of alaska light hunter and cub combo. i can get the cub razor sharp but the light hunter maybe its the blade but i can't get it to hold a edge. i am by no means on your guys level and am just using a lansky kit and smith kit. but w/ neither can i get it really sharp.

so i am looking for a new knife one i can gut with and bone with and just all around task's around camp. i am sure everyone will have a suggestion and that will be greatly appreciated as what i am using now just isn't cutting it.


thanks in advance
 
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Are you comfortable with the blade/handle shapes and style of the KOAs? Just looking for better edge retention? How much do you want to spend? What, specifically, are the all around camp tasks you'd be using it for? There isn't really an 'ultimate' hunter per se. Some knives will perform better than others but it's really up to you to decide what you think is best. Some people swear by Knives of Alaska and will tell you that you already own the ultimate hunting combo.

Of the top of my head, and just for edge retention;

Chris Reeve Shadow IV
Spyderco Bushcraft
RAT Cutlery RC-5
Scrap Yard Scrapper
Horton Knives
Any Busse ;)
A good custom

There's hundreds of excellent choices but the size, weight, style, materials, cool name, sheaths, etc. that you want in a knife are all up to you. If there was one knife to rule them all (nd in the darkness bind them) Then we probably wouldn't have a Bladeforums.com in the first place. :D
 
Dozier are as good as hunting knives get. Also more expensive than some others. http://www.dozierknives.com/

Fallkniven have a well-deserved reputation, not quite as expensive as Dozier. Look at their H-1 and F-1. http://www.fallkniven.com/en Check out dealers for local pricing and service.

RAT Cutlery and Ka-Bar and Ontario have similar lines, inexpensive but very tough and their high carbon steels will definitely sharpen up well. Check out RAT's RC-4 and RC-6 -- the RC-5 is way too thick for hunting, it's a survival knife. http://www.ratcutlery.com/
 
In no particular order. Any of these knives would serve you well.

Bark River---Any of their hunting knives in A2 steel are excellent.
Rat Cultery---For Hunting the RC3 is all you need. 1095 carbon steel is harder to take care of in the field.
Fallkniven---F1 or H1--VG10 laminated steel.
Dozier---As has been mentioned. One of the best hunting knives but expensive. D2 steel.

If I could only have one (and was using it mostly for hunting) I would buy the Bark River, or the Dozier, just pick a model.

Good Luck

Bill
 
I would strongly recommend Dozier or Crotts, Krein for a hunting knife. Last weekend my hunting party shot 16 deer and my Crotts Model one field dressed 8 deer over the weekend. I was amazed at the edge retention. I touched it up with a strop back at camp and it was hair shaving sharp. Another super important thing to me is the sheath.. That Kydex sheath is awesome..
 
I have had great service from Doziers also. However, you may want to get some good sharpening help because in my experience, Knives of Alaska are pretty decent production knives. They ought to take and hold a competent edge.

DancesWithKnives
 
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Id check out the custom makers on this forum, or bark river.

Busse are great knives as well, but more suited for other jobs imo
 
There is no ultimate. There are applications and well-fitting tools. You don't mention if you'll be skinning, just field dressing, what sort of game, etc.

I second the Dozier recommendation though.

Have a look at Geno Denning's work too. He makes some great hunting knives. His wife used to post here with regularity and is missed by some of us. http://www.cavemanengineering.com/main.html

Here is my Denning hunter. :thumbup:

DenningHunter.jpg
 
Here are a couple more of my favorites. The first is readily available. The other would be harder to find.

First up is the Buck Vanguard with the rubberized grip. Good guard. Nice size and blade geometry. Available in Buck's normal 420HC or in premium Bos-treated S30V through Cabela's. Mine (top knife below) is an ATS-34 version that was offered by Bass Pro some time back.

ABALE3.jpg


Another favorite is the Swamp Rat Safari Skinner. Designed by Mike Thourot and produced by Swamp Rat in D2 steel, this is a top-notch hunting knife.

SS.jpg
 
thanks for all the replies. i have been looking at all the custom knives and just haven't found exactly what i am looking for. i am definately wanting one w/ the vg10 or something close. but i would also like a grippier (if thats really a word) handle. i have noticed alot w/ the KOA when the blood and fat get on my hands the knifes start to slip a good bit. it will mainly be for deer and pigs mainly for the initial gutting and starting process to get them back to camp. then at camp it will be used for normal tasks no chopping or anything hard like that.

to the one poster i probably definitely need more work on my sharpening skills. i can get most any blade pretty sharp but the round blades that have that big curve i just can't get it there. i have a older colt with the same curved blade and i can't get it sharp either. i also don't stropp just cause i have never really learned how to do it and i suppose that would probably help alot. i mean i get it to where it cuts good but definitely won't shave so it doesn't run through the game like i want it to. lol anyone around indianapolis indiana who wants to give me some classes let me know.

as far as what i can spend. about 200-300 dollars is where i am looking to cap at. and more suggestions let me know. i really liked that swamp rat safari but can't seem to find one for sale. i will have to look more when i get home. again i know everyone will have differnt opionions but i like to see what everyone else is using and working well for them. so i would change the title to whats your favorite hunting knife or something but i don't think i can now :)

again ty everyone for all the suggestions
 
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A lot of Micarta handles can be roughed up for better grip. If you don't want to change the cosmetics of the handle, there is some stick-on, sandpaper-like grip tape you can apply.

Many times I avoid some of the nasty handle problem by boning out game, without gutting it. A lot less messy. However, you need a hatchet, saw or sturdy knife & baton to sever the ribs at the spine in order to extract the tenderloins.

Also, I use some of the gauntlet-length dishwashing gloves when field dressing game. They make your hands a lot easier to clean and offer fair traction on the knife grip. I also bring some wet naps or baby wipes for cleanup.

Hope you find a good knife,

DancesWithKnives
 
If you looking for a hunter, your best bet will be a dozier expensive but as good as hunters get IMO best bang for your buck would be an RC-3, if your looking for somthing on the cheap just try and old buck 119 you can get them for 20$ at wally world.

EDIT to add; also you may not be getting the burr removed from your knives so they will appear sharp to the touch and slice paper but as soon as you use them they go stone dull, so try looking up some sharpening vids ( I reccomend murray carter) and pick up a good stone and learn to sharpen that way you will find your edges to be uglier but all around sharper and beter with a little practice.
 
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Queen Cutlery bear head? decent little hunter with a D2 tool steel blade...i got mine for $50.

QN73ASBa.JPG


QN73ASBb.JPG
 
Doziers are great, you won't go wrong there. They are very easy to sharpen as well. If you want a tackier grip, then the Fallkniven H1 in VG10 would be a great choice. Very solid knive, and takes a great edge. It's much sturdier than the pictures would suggest.
 
Get a Dozier if you can. They are awesome hunting knives. Get something about 3 1/2 in long blade with a drop point and you will be good to go.
 
I sure can't argue with hardly any of the choices so far. The Grohmann Belt knife is another very good one. The old Cold Steel Master Hunter was very good, can't beat the Bark River Highland either.
 
I can't speak about the Lansky kit but I have the Smith's Standard Precision kit and it is hard to get a decent edge with the ceramic sharpener that comes with it. It's good when you need to take a lot of steel of the edge or for serrations, but it is almost impossible to get the best hair shaving edge with it. Try hand sharpening, I use a chef's steel on all of my larger knives and it puts a fair edge on them with very little effort. You might want to try it on your knife if you really don't want to put out the money for another knife.
 
Take a look at the 'Deer Hunter' by A G Russell..... D2 or VG-10 variety.
They are sweet knives and won't break the bank either....... :thumbup:

I think I'd get dinged if I posted a link........ not sure. :confused:

But do a search and check them out....... they should be easy to find.

PS / I just saw the $200 - $300 cap.........
....... get one from Robert Dark [ www.DarkKnives.com ]
He is a regular here at BF, makes a great knife, and he is a good guy to boot. :thumbup: ;)

Get a Deer Hunter also though...... you'll like it.
 
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