Blade Length for Hunting Knife?

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stevehgraham said:
I have two Gerber Gators which are great for prying things and hacking around, but the 420HC steel is total garbage, so the edge is about as durable as cheese. I am considering making a 440C blade for one. I'll throw the old blade out and keep the nice handle.
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Gerber knives are now made in China as are most of the others.
 
If I am field dressing/skinning a deer, or skinning a squirrel, I prefer a Classic Mora knife https://www.ragweedforge.com/1.jpg which is slightly under a 4" blade. For a large camp, utility knife I like a 6" Mora knife (#3) https://www.ragweedforge.com/mora_classic.jpg, or even an vintage butcher knife, like something made of Sheffield steel http://www.knifesupply.com/sheffield-19th-century-butcher-s-knife.html but I look around for one with a carbon steel blade rather than the copy with a stainless blade.

LD
 
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For small game and birds I use what I'm carrying which is usually a Leatherman tool. A sharp 2 or 3 inch blade and a pair of shears is ideal.
For deer a 3.5 to 4 inch drop point fixed blade is what I used for many years.
I bought a Havalon Piranta a few years ago and it's pretty darn handy.
 
Benchmade Steep country and Havalon Piranta. (scalpel knife with replaceable blades)
 
After years of searching for the perfect hunting knife, I decided to make my own. Carbon steel damascus blades, which are easy sharpened in the field. The dual edge knife (R) is a belt knife, it has a true sharpened back. Curly koa handle, aluminum guard and elk antler and bowling ball spacer. The skinner has a rondel brass guard, curly koa spacers and end cap with the main body of elk antler. The skinner sheath is curly maple, and guards against a fall puncturing the sheath. The skinner stays in the pack until the animal is down. As you can see, both blades are right at 5" and that is a great length for me.
thumbnail (1).jpeg
 
One that can be used to gut and or skin. Length is up to the user.
Have used a Buck 110, folding. Great knife but used for either operation, needs to be thoroughly cleaned after use as
blood/fatty tissue, what ever gets inside . A non-folding cleans up much faster. That by itself is a plus.
 
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I went by Gander Outdoors yesterday to buy a Marlin 60, and I saw that Buck actually BRAGS about 420HC on their knife packaging. Disappointing. It's very clearly a downgrade from 440C, intended to save them money. Why not be honest so customers don't come to hate you? I wouldn't buy a Buck now without checking the steel type first.

I read that 420HC can't be hardened past Rockwell 55, as compared to 58 for a quality knife that holds an edge. The 420HC Gators I have lose the ability to shave hairs after cutting the paper tape on a few packages or slicing nylon rope. I literally have to sharpen them every time I use them, if I want a sharp edge. It's like what I go through in the kitchen with Forschners. Cut, cut, cut, sharpen. Cut, cut, cut, sharpen. But in the kitchen I have diamond hones handy all the time. I'm not going to carry a chef's hone with me everywhere I go.

They say 420HC is tougher than expensive steels (because you always have to look for a "feature" to pimp when you debase a product) but expensive steels are tough enough, and they also stay sharp.

When I was a kid, I liked Case pocketknives. I collected them. Then my grandmother gave me a new one in about 1980, and it was crap. Very soft. I kept it because it was a gift, but I didn't waste my time trying to use it.

I got my first good knife in about 1983. It was a Gerber made from 440C. I used it to strip the bark off a maple walking stick, and to round off the knots. I was amazed to see that it stayed sharp. I had never seen anything like that before. I hadn't realized it was possible to make a knife that good.

At some point after that, Gerber started making trash, and unfortunately for me, they didn't put "TRASH" on the packaging in large letters, so I bought a few more.

I like good steel. There are a lot of brands I won't go near any more. As steel has gotten better and better, many knives have gotten worse. Crazy.

I can't wait to try the new Entrek I ordered.
 
stevehgraham said:
I went by Gander Outdoors yesterday to buy a Marlin 60, and I saw that Buck actually BRAGS about 420HC on their knife packaging. Disappointing. It's very clearly a downgrade from 440C, intended to save them money. Why not be honest so customers don't come to hate you? I wouldn't buy a Buck now without checking the steel type first.

I read that 420HC can't be hardened past Rockwell 55, as compared to 58 for a quality knife that holds an edge. The 420HC Gators I have lose the ability to shave hairs after cutting the paper tape on a few packages or slicing nylon rope. I literally have to sharpen them every time I use them, if I want a sharp edge. It's like what I go through in the kitchen with Forschners. Cut, cut, cut, sharpen. Cut, cut, cut, sharpen. But in the kitchen I have diamond hones handy all the time. I'm not going to carry a chef's hone with me everywhere I go.

They say 420HC is tougher than expensive steels (because you always have to look for a "feature" to pimp when you debase a product) but expensive steels are tough enough, and they also stay sharp.

When I was a kid, I liked Case pocketknives. I collected them. Then my grandmother gave me a new one in about 1980, and it was crap. Very soft. I kept it because it was a gift, but I didn't waste my time trying to use it.

I got my first good knife in about 1983. It was a Gerber made from 440C. I used it to strip the bark off a maple walking stick, and to round off the knots. I was amazed to see that it stayed sharp. I had never seen anything like that before. I hadn't realized it was possible to make a knife that good.

At some point after that, Gerber started making trash, and unfortunately for me, they didn't put "TRASH" on the packaging in large letters, so I bought a few more.

I like good steel. There are a lot of brands I won't go near any more. As steel has gotten better and better, many knives have gotten worse. Crazy.

I can't wait to try the new Entrek I ordered.
Click to expand...



Well, you can always just use your teeth. :rolleyes:
 
When I first learned to do taxidermy work in 1999 I witnessed another taxidermist skin a deer with a scalpel and I was literally amazed. The skin was completely white without a speck of meat. It looked it had been fleshed on a fleshing board. I was so envious and I vowed to do that myself. That was my introduction on how to skin an animal. Today I do all my skinning with a No. 22 scalpel with a stainless steel handle. I would say to anyone who skins an animal with flesh remaining on the skin that you need to get a smaller knife with a more rounded point. The worst skinning knife is a large knife that has a long straight blade with a sharp point. The Buck knife shown by the Armored Farmer will work because of the curvature of the blade. That style of knife is good for both field dressing a deer and skinning a deer. The bigger the knife the more apt you are to cut unwanted holes in the cape. I use a Buck 110 folding hunter to field dress a deer but I skin with a No. 22 scalpel.
 
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"Well, you can always just use your teeth."

Only for a few more years.

The scalpel idea is interesting. I still need a knife, because you can't do everything with a scalpel, and because I just like knives, but I may have to try a scalpel. I remember using them to cut up cats and sharks in college. Blades didn't last too long, but they worked very well. I can't argue with centuries of medical science.
 
sage5907 said:
The Buck knife shown by the Armored Farmer will work because of the curvature of the blade. That style of knife is good for both field dressing a deer and skinning a deer.
Click to expand...
And indeed it has, many times over.
Another reason to like it is the depth of the blade from edge to spine. It is a good boning knife as well.
I could take a deer from woods to table with this Buck 105.

20170406_175848.jpg 20170406_175636.jpg
If you like primitives or diy, these knives and others from Green River are really good carbon steel blanks.
 
stevehgraham said:
The scalpel idea is interesting. I still need a knife, because you can't do everything with a scalpel, and because I just like knives, but I may have to try a scalpel.
Click to expand...
Ive used a single blade to field butcher a Mulie. The knives are cheap and blades are cheap.. I think I pay about 6 bucks for a 12 pack on Amazon The knife was around $20 +/-. (Probably cheaper elsewhere if you search around.)
I am freakin hooked, I hardly ever use a "normal" knife anymore except places I need to pry/scrape/saw..
 
stevehgraham said:
I went by Gander Outdoors yesterday to buy a Marlin 60, and I saw that Buck actually BRAGS about 420HC on their knife packaging. Disappointing. It's very clearly a downgrade from 440C, intended to save them money. Why not be honest so customers don't come to hate you? I wouldn't buy a Buck now without checking the steel type first.

I read that 420HC can't be hardened past Rockwell 55, as compared to 58 for a quality knife that holds an edge. The 420HC Gators I have lose the ability to shave hairs after cutting the paper tape on a few packages or slicing nylon rope. I literally have to sharpen them every time I use them, if I want a sharp edge. It's like what I go through in the kitchen with Forschners. Cut, cut, cut, sharpen. Cut, cut, cut, sharpen. But in the kitchen I have diamond hones handy all the time. I'm not going to carry a chef's hone with me everywhere I go.

They say 420HC is tougher than expensive steels (because you always have to look for a "feature" to pimp when you debase a product) but expensive steels are tough enough, and they also stay sharp.

When I was a kid, I liked Case pocketknives. I collected them. Then my grandmother gave me a new one in about 1980, and it was crap. Very soft. I kept it because it was a gift, but I didn't waste my time trying to use it.

I got my first good knife in about 1983. It was a Gerber made from 440C. I used it to strip the bark off a maple walking stick, and to round off the knots. I was amazed to see that it stayed sharp. I had never seen anything like that before. I hadn't realized it was possible to make a knife that good.

At some point after that, Gerber started making trash, and unfortunately for me, they didn't put "TRASH" on the packaging in large letters, so I bought a few more.

I like good steel. There are a lot of brands I won't go near any more. As steel has gotten better and better, many knives have gotten worse. Crazy.

I can't wait to try the new Entrek I ordered.
Click to expand...
Buck does an excellent job with the heat treat on their 420HC. You would be surprised how well Buck’s knives perform. It’s not just to save them money, it saves you money too. 420HC can be blanked where 440C can’t, so production can be more streamlined.

I have an Entrek Javalina. It’s a great knife and I have used it for deer with good success. Entrek is one of the real bargains in the knife world: you’re essentially getting a handmade knife at factory prices. Ennis knows how to make 440C really perform.

To answer the question that was asked: 3.5” to 4” is about ideal, and anything over about 5” is a recipe for cutting your fingers or stabbing your hand when reaching inside a deer.
 
I have used a lot of knives over the years and anything from quail to elk can be managed very well with 3-4" of blade. My large semi skinner (see the mad poet camp set thread) is 4.5".
A too long blade is more tiring when you're using it a lot.
 
"Buck does an excellent job with the heat treat on their 420HC. You would be surprised how well Buck’s knives perform. It’s not just to save them money, it saves you money too. 420HC can be blanked where 440C can’t, so production can be more streamlined."

It's still soft, though. If it's true that it can't be hardened past 55, it's not much of a knife steel.
 
3 to 3.5” for me, I want the blade shorter than my index finger for the gutting cut. I once field dressed and butchered a whitetail with a SAK to make a point with a friend. Short and sharp!
 
I found people on the web saying 420HC couldn't be hardened past 55. Who says it can be hardened to 59?

The 420HC in my Gerbers is total crap, but I have not tried a Buck.
 
Back during the Viet Nam War, Gerber sold a "survival knife" that was based on the British Commando double-edged dagger. A worse choice for a survival knife cannot be imagined! I have never been able to force myself to buy a Gerber because of that nonsense.

(My own knife was a Randall Model 14 bowie -- and a handier knife for jungle use was never made.)
 
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