Favorite Back Country Hatchet

[hooker]

the Gransfors-bruk wildlife hatchet IS my fave. The little Norlund is another good choice, as is the American made Marbles.

Man nice Knife collection! Thanks for sharing!

 

[mcseal2]

Is that the Dozier pro guide in the bottom pic? If so how do you like that knife? After breaking the tip on the BR Aurora I had I'm thinking of getting one of those to replace it. I want a knife tough enough for a little batoning in a bind, but primarily just for breaking down game and some camp chores. I usually have my axe for heavy work around camp and just use the knife for smaller stuff.

 

[Trial153]

Pro guide ..

 

[snowcamoman]

GB Small Forest Ax is my go-to ax for almost everything. Had the hunter's ax, but like mentioned above pounding anything was useless. You won't be disappointed in a GB.

 

[worx53]

had a gb hunter's axe. The rounded poll (used to assist skinning) was all but useless for pounding anything. I sold it and got a gb small forest axe which i think is the best hatchaxe (my term) i've ever carried. Stake pounding, rib chopping, wood splitting, de-limbing, brush clearing and other campsite chores are the uses i give it. Formidable weapon if ever needed.

yup-----this one! Used this every day multiple time on our Moose hunt!

 

[FlyGuy]

I have coveted the Grandford Bruk hatchets for quite a while now, but the price tag ultimately pushed me another direction.

Instead, I re-handled an old Hults Bruks head with a new custom hickory handle and fashioned a new leather head cover. HB has been making axes in Sweden since 1697. Somewhere along the line a previous owner decided to use this guy as a hammer, so the back end has some deforming. I've decided to leave it, at least for now, just because it adds to the history of the tool itself. It worked extremely well on my Moose hunt last month. It was a fun project and helped me to burn off some of that nervous energy i get after drawing a great tag!

Sent from my SM-G610F using Tapatalk

 

[FlyGuy]

Couple more...

Sent from my SM-G610F using Tapatalk

 

[huntsman22]

you shave your junk with a hatchet? tough dude.....

 

[FlyGuy]

you shave your junk with a hatchet? tough dude.....

HaHa!

Sent from my SM-G610F using Tapatalk

 

[nrh6.7]

Looks like a bloody rag just above that. Hope you didn't slip! : )

 

[FlyGuy]

It's SHARP. (Yes, those red stains on the shop rag in the background of the last pic are blood stains.)

Sent from my SM-G610F using Tapatalk

 

[huntsman22]

fly, nice job re-hafting the HB. Do you use round wedges?

 

[FlyGuy]

fly, nice job re-hafting the HB. Do you use round wedges?

Thank you sir! I did not use the round wedges. I've seen them in modern handles but I don't really know much about them.

Instead, I made a double wedge from a few mohagany scraps I had laying around, glued and driven in. I've had good luck with these in the past and I like the visual effect. Offers up a little prayer of safety that I don't split my foot in half each time I use it. HaHa!

Sent from my SM-G610F using Tapatalk

 

[BCSteel]

GB mini hatchet for me. Used it to field dress and butcher most of my deer last year. I bring it everywhere outdoors with me and use it for everything.

Sent from my HTC One M9 using Tapatalk

 

[boom]

i would slow file some of that mushrooming on the poll of the Hults..but what a fantastic job!!

it needs to be said, the shorter the handle, the more dangerous the tool. at least to me. there are some great tips on how to use a hatchet safety on U-toob.

 

[mcseal2]

The 19" handle seems to hit a sweet spot there for me. It's long enough for 2 handed use with more control but short enough to use 1 handed well too. I feel safer with mine than I do with a 14" hatchet. Maybe just because I've used it more.

 

[huntsman22]

I like the longer handle on horseback hunts. A Vaughan rigging axe works great....

 

[hooker]

Flyguy! Veddy veddy cool! Excellent!

 

[MTElkChaser]

It’s hard to beat any Gransfors Bruk product. I have their Wildlife Hatchet and Hunter’s Axe - quality pieces for sure. The Eastwing is going to be really durable and probably a solid choice with little maintenance needed. The price on an Eastwing is really attractive too. For me, it comes down to what is the easiest to carry and/or attach to my pack. I’ve tried them all and right now I’m using an RMJ Kestrel. It’s not the most efficient chopper, but it will split wood and cut joints and bones as well. Does everything I need it to do and the sheath keeps it locked it no matter how rough the terrain is. RMJ has a few designs that they have licensed out to CRKT that still have a solid sheath and are MUCH cheaper than an RMJ. It really depends on what you are looking to do with your hatchet and if you want a wooden or steel handle. Good luck!

 

[Shraggs]

With some use behind me with a GB outdoorsman, starting to really like it. It’s light at a pound so nice to carry. The handle is a touch longer around 15” I think, and I thinks makes up sone for the small head. Fair chopper, nice splitter.

I compared it to both my Gerber and Fiskars both of those I reprofiled to full convex and they perform exceedingly better than stock. The outdoorsman out chopped and split better. I was piecing out some very old fence row roots, and they were nearly all pitchwood and tough chopping. The fiskars variant is pretty good - but both suffer from more fatigue versus the outdoorsman as it is balanced well.