Buy once cry once fixed blade hunting knife?

[6mm Remington]

RUANA KNIVES - BONNER, MONTANA

I have the Steelhead model and like it very much. I recently was given a 5AD by some friends at work and I cannot wait to try it out this year on deer and elk. It's a beautiful knife with a great blade shape and size and handle that feels very good in the hand. I've used my Steelhead model on quite a few antelope, deer, and elk and it's a great knife also. My two sons each have the Steelhead model as well. Montana made and a neat story. Play the video they have!

https://www.buckknives.com/product/vanguard-knife/0192FAM01/

The Buck Vanguard is a great knife also. It's a nice size and shape and is a pretty classy knife. I really like the feel of it and of course they are made in the USA.

Benchmade Saddle Mountain Skinner Family
Benchmade Mini-Barrage Family

Benchmade knives are USA made and are fantastic knives. I just purchased the Saddle Mountain Skinner for a friend. The blade shape and size scream that it will do a multitude of tasks very well and is a quality knife.

For a pocket knife the mini-barrage is a fantastic knife with a spring assist opening. It also has TWO locks to prevent the knife from opening when in use, and one of the locks can be used if you are concerned it might open in your pants pocket. I have never had mine do that to me though and carry it all the time. It's certainly large enough to dress out a deer or antelope if needed as well. I know you are talking fixed blades here, but this one deserves a look as something to carry every day!

 

[micus]

Thanks for the info so far guys. Anyone have experience with 420hc steel?

 

[MtnMuley]

Per the OP's original question, I would vote for the Kestrel if he wanted the beat option for a lightweight fixed blade and I recommend an Esse for a fixed blade knife that's not too heavy, yet a bullet proof knife that'll hold an edge well.

 

[5MilesBack]

This is exactly what I use, and I have a couple extras because I got a deal on them. Gerber failed to stamp the blades with S30V so they sold them cheaper, but they are indeed S30V steel which is a great knife steel that holds an edge. Gerber's new version with S30V steel retails for $100+. I'll sell this one for $55 TYD if you're interested. New in box with sheath. 4" blade and weighs 4.3oz with the Bell & Carlson handle. Has a lifetime warranty.

 

[cbeck36]

Battle Horse Knives or Jeff White.

 

[16Bore]

Get a blade that's S30V...Joel Clarke does excellent work. I'm a bit partial to the "16 Bore".....

 

[flatlanderhuffandpuff]

Shameless self plug. Reist Knives. There are a ton of great American made products out there.

Reist Knives (@reist_knives) • Instagram photos and videos

5/32 thick
S30v
Kydex sheath

 

[EastMT]

I have worked in butcher shops, wild game shops, grocery store meat departments, and beef slaughter facilities that kill 390 beef per hour, and without fail the knife used is victorianox forschner knives. They have a boning knife and one called a sheep skinner, extremely light, ergonomic, almost indestructible. I use them the break the entire brisket, put it in the rib cage and pull. I tried to break the handle off with a hammer and bench vise to put an antler on one. It was near impossible. I've cut up hundreds of deer, beef, hogs, sheep, even emu on one knife. Holds an edge and won't rust. Best part, is they are $20-25. No flash so your buddies won't be envious until they see it in action.

 

[BuckSnort]

Check these out.. Awesome quality for the price..
Hatfield Knives - Home | Facebook

 

[AndyM]

So not a "true" hunting knife by probably many peoples standards. Yet my tried and true, beaten to heck and back, goes with me everywhere outdoor knife is the Benchmade 162 Bushcrafter. It will break down an elk, deer, squirrel, grouse, fish, rope, small tree, and logs with equal ease. It was designed to and can take a heck of a beating. The steel is CPM-S30V so it also has excellent edge retention as well. It isn't overly compact but not huge either. For me it is the perfect do everything knife.

Just got this knife for Father's Day, looking forward to using it soon!


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[Dinger]

I have worked in butcher shops, wild game shops, grocery store meat departments, and beef slaughter facilities that kill 390 beef per hour, and without fail the knife used is victorianox forschner knives. They have a boning knife and one called a sheep skinner, extremely light, ergonomic, almost indestructible. I use them the break the entire brisket, put it in the rib cage and pull. I tried to break the handle off with a hammer and bench vise to put an antler on one. It was near impossible. I've cut up hundreds of deer, beef, hogs, sheep, even emu on one knife. Holds an edge and won't rust. Best part, is they are $20-25. No flash so your buddies won't be envious until they see it in action

I haven't worked in a shop, but grew up on a sheep farm and started breaking down animals for the freezer as a young fellow and agree with the above. I love having lots of knives, but my most practical knife when I'm hunting from a camp or truck is a 5" boner....gets a run 9 out 10 times. I might chuck in something small and sharp if there is potential for a cape or two.

It's my cheapest knife and the one that needs the least amount of care....it just gets chucked in the dishwasher, gets pinched for kitchen duties and knocks around in the back of the truck.

 

[fort fireman]

Certainly not premium but I love my cheap 12 dollar mora for a beater knife that's stays pretty dang sharp. I can buy a lot of them for the price of a custom and not worry about losing it.

 

[boom]

i subscribed to "go big or go home" with my first custom knife. i did cry once..well, i did get watery eyes when my wife got mad at me..she did not subscribe to "go big or go home"

well, the one knife that got me busted with my wife is from ADVENTURE SWORN. i opted for the Explorer Model.

 

[16Bore]

I have worked in butcher shops, wild game shops, grocery store meat departments, and beef slaughter facilities that kill 390 beef per hour, and without fail the knife used is victorianox forschner knives. They have a boning knife and one called a sheep skinner, extremely light, ergonomic, almost indestructible. I use them the break the entire brisket, put it in the rib cage and pull. I tried to break the handle off with a hammer and bench vise to put an antler on one. It was near impossible. I've cut up hundreds of deer, beef, hogs, sheep, even emu on one knife. Holds an edge and won't rust. Best part, is they are $20-25. No flash so your buddies won't be envious until they see it in action.

5" Vic Boning knife is the cats ass. I've a buddy with a similar background and turned me on to the things. Those and the Vic paring knives get a pretty good work out.

 

[flatlanderhuffandpuff]

If you're going to go with a fixed blade I would go with something more stout than not. Thats the benefit of fixed blade over something like a Havalon.

Instagram

I have another much more difficult piece being split on my personal account but I couldn't save it over.

Also Esee makes a few decent options if you're ok with 1095.

 

[Davebuech]

I've got a Boker Integral II many years ago that is still my go to knife. I have skinned and deboned 2 elk and a muley before needing to resharpen.

 

[bozeman]

Gene Ingram x1,000, second would be Larry Rosi.....

 

[mcseal2]

I like the Battle Horse knives also. I have some S30V knives including the Gerber shown earlier, and while they are great knives I still like carbon steel better. It may just be because I'm better at sharpening it. I like Battle Horse's O1 steel as well as anything I've tried. Their Blackwater knife is what I end up taking a lot of the time for deer or elk. I always pack the fixed blade, if I throw a spare in it's usually a Havalon for caping. I like Outdoor Edge's razor lite better overall but the Havalon is great for caping since I'll use the fixed blade for the rest anyway.

I have been extremely impressed with the Camillus Bushcrafter knife also. I have been carrying one on the ranch for several years now most of the time. Days we will be horseback most of the day I pack a Pine Ridge knife on my left side, the rest of the time I carry the Camillus on my right side. I've abused the heck out of that Camillus doing many jobs a knife shouldn't do and it is still going strong. It's 1095 but has a good heat treat for holding an edge plus it re-sharpens really simple.

I have a Cabelas ceramic steel I carry in my daypack when I have the O1 steel fixed blade on my belt. It weighs like 2.5oz and does a great job of touching my knife back up. I threw one in the feed truck too last winter and we cut net wrap all winter using one blade on my Outdoor Edge razor lite knife. It's amazing what a steel can do to those thin replaceable blades. It is super easy to touch them back up once they are home and clean if you don't want to buy new ones all the time.

 

[Jason Snyder]

I have a Knives of Alaska Alpha Wolf that has worked very well for me. I can have it shaving sharp with my WorkSharp Ken Onion in a matter of minutes. It holds the edge very well.

 

[Cgeb]

Certainly not premium but I love my cheap 12 dollar mora for a beater knife that's stays pretty dang sharp. I can buy a lot of them for the price of a custom and not worry about losing it.

What he said ^^^ I own plenty of nice knifes, why would I mess them up when I can have a Mora do the job. I can fondle, sharpen, the expensive knifes, but when it comes time to do the dirty work, I'll use a mora.