One of the appealing aspects of hunting for me is the validation of gear whether it's a backpack, boots, rifle, optic, ammunition, trekking poles or anything else related to the task at hand. I have more than a few knives and have bought hunting specific knives over the years, but after gutting, skinning and quartering an elk last week I have to say that I'm really pleased with and impressed by the two knives shown below.
The Casstrom was given to me by my buddy who owns Spartan Precision Equipment. I was over in England at his shop a few years ago and he saw the covetous way in which I was looking at it. I like the quality of the leather sheath which houses the knife, a small box and a fire steel but I'd rather have a simple Kydex sheath similar to those made by TOPS Knives. The knife itself is superb! The Sandvik 14C28N blade stays really sharp even when cutting through elk hide, and the flat grind seems to be just about perfect for gutting, skinning and quartering. It has a really good feel in the hand, an excellent blade shape, wonderful balance and a blade that's easy to get a great edge on. I know that more Casstroms are in my future.
This particular Casstrom is the N0.10 Swedish Forest Knife.
https://www.casstrom.com/knives/fixed-blad/casstrom/no10-swedish-forest-knife-orange-g10flat.html
About seven years ago I bought Havalon Barracuta and Piranta knives which were ok, but a few years back I bought the significantly better Jim Shockey Double Folder which is fantastic. I completely disassembled the knife this morning to give it a thorough cleaning and changed out the disposable blade.
If I had to pick one of the two shown below it would be the Casstrom, but I think I can settle on the combination set for just about any hunting scenario. A bone saw would make a good addition but my Porter Cable sawzall made quick work of removing lower limbs.
The Casstrom was given to me by my buddy who owns Spartan Precision Equipment. I was over in England at his shop a few years ago and he saw the covetous way in which I was looking at it. I like the quality of the leather sheath which houses the knife, a small box and a fire steel but I'd rather have a simple Kydex sheath similar to those made by TOPS Knives. The knife itself is superb! The Sandvik 14C28N blade stays really sharp even when cutting through elk hide, and the flat grind seems to be just about perfect for gutting, skinning and quartering. It has a really good feel in the hand, an excellent blade shape, wonderful balance and a blade that's easy to get a great edge on. I know that more Casstroms are in my future.
This particular Casstrom is the N0.10 Swedish Forest Knife.
https://www.casstrom.com/knives/fixed-blad/casstrom/no10-swedish-forest-knife-orange-g10flat.html
About seven years ago I bought Havalon Barracuta and Piranta knives which were ok, but a few years back I bought the significantly better Jim Shockey Double Folder which is fantastic. I completely disassembled the knife this morning to give it a thorough cleaning and changed out the disposable blade.
If I had to pick one of the two shown below it would be the Casstrom, but I think I can settle on the combination set for just about any hunting scenario. A bone saw would make a good addition but my Porter Cable sawzall made quick work of removing lower limbs.
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