Need a new hunting knife

[41magsnub]

I somehow lost my venerable old Schrade Uncle Henry I've used since high school hunting 2 weeks ago and am not happy about it.  I am going Elk hunting Sunday and need a new knife, pretty much right now.  I have a folding Gerber Gator something or other that is a drop point with a gut hook and a serrated portion I like for utility work, but do not like it for everything else and stays in my pack with the saw.  Besides which it does not seem to hold an edge very well.

I think I want a fixed blade this time with a clip point.  Any suggestions of something out of common brands that is likely to be in stock somewhere?

[charby]

SOG NW Ranger

http://sogknives.com/store/S24.html

You can buy it much cheaper at other places than the the SOG site.

[41magsnub]

That looks interesting, thanks Charby.  The sporting good store right by my house is listed as a dealer too.

[Viking]

Mora knife? There are models with clip points available. Inexpensive as well, so buy two and you'll have a spare .

[Lennyjoe]

Wal Mart has a decent fixed blade Winchester knife with a gut hook for $15.  My buddy purchased one a few years ago and it has served him well since. 

Not top of the line by far, but if you need one in a pinch it will work.  Comes with belt sheath as well.

[charby]

That looks interesting, thanks Charby.  The sporting good store right by my house is listed as a dealer too.

I've probably gutted 20+ deer with it, cutting open the sterum, butchered at least a dozen and 100's of geese/ducks/pheasants and only touched the edge up once.

[bedlamite]

Gerber uses a couple different grades of steel. It's pretty common for a knife with a guthook to use 420 steel, mostly because it's not as brittle and you're less likely to snap the guthook using it on something it wasn't intended for. The downside is that cutting warm butter will dull it. The AUS 6/8/10 steels like Charby's SOG are on par with 440 A/B/C and are pretty good, the next step up is alloys like S30V or ATS-34. I'd take a serious look at the Gerber Freeman S30V. They also sell a cheaper version made from 440A. I know you said clip point, but I couldn't find one that wouldn't be mail order only.

[Ryan in Maine]

Local Walmart here has good fixed blades with solid blade steels from Buck, SOG, Remington, and Gerber that are all usually available on-hand.

If you ever thought about a folder you have some good options from Spyderco and Kershaw these days, too.

I'd probably go to Walmart, get a Buck Alpha series, Ergo series, or Kalinga series knife, and call it a season (but that's just me, personally, preferring Buck from local selection since Benchmade knives get expensive fast at local shops).

P.S. Local Walmart also carries the Schrade Sharpfinger. That's always been a favorite. Never seen anyone throw away a Buck 119 either.

Buck Alpha (420hc steel, rubber grip)
http://www.buckknives.com/index.cfm?event=product.detail&ProductID=2929
Buck Alpha (154cm steel, rosewood grip)
http://www.buckknives.com/index.cfm?event=product.detail&ProductID=3067
Buck Alpha (420hc steel, rubber grip, gut hook)
http://www.buckknives.com/index.cfm?event=product.detail&ProductID=2927
Buck Alpha (420hc steel, nylon/mossy oak breakup grip, gut hook)
http://www.buckknives.com/index.cfm?event=product.detail&ProductID=2928
Buck Alpha (154cm steel, rosewood grip, gut hook)
http://www.buckknives.com/index.cfm?event=product.detail&ProductID=3066
Buck Ergo (420hc steel, rubber grip)
http://www.buckknives.com/index.cfm?event=product.detail&productid=3667
Buck Ergo (420hc steel, rubber grip, gut hook)
http://www.buckknives.com/index.cfm?event=product.detail&productid=3666
Buck Ergo (Sandvik 12c27 steel, rosewood grip)
http://www.buckknives.com/index.cfm?event=product.detail&ProductID=3669
Buck Ergo (Sandvik 12c27 steel, rosewood grip, gut hook)
http://www.buckknives.com/index.cfm?event=product.detail&ProductID=3668
Buck Ergo (s30v steel, rosewood and rubber grip)
http://www.buckknives.com/index.cfm?event=product.detail&ProductID=3670
Buck Kalinga (420hc steel, plastic and rubber grip)
http://www.buckknives.com/index.cfm?event=product.detail&productid=2897
Buck Kalinga (420hc steel, plastic and rubber realtree hardwoods green hd grip)
http://www.buckknives.com/index.cfm?event=product.detail&productid=2898
Buck Kalinga (s30v steel, rosewood grip)
http://www.buckknives.com/index.cfm?event=product.detail&productid=2899
Buck 119 (420hc steel, phenolic grip)
http://www.buckknives.com/index.cfm?event=product.detail&productid=3051
Buck 119 (420hc steel, cocobolo grip)
http://www.buckknives.com/index.cfm?event=product.detail&productid=3052

[mgdavis]

I just ordered a SOG Field Pup off steepandcheap.com. The blade is 4" x 1/8", with more of a drop point than clip point. It is AUS 8 steel, which is a favorite of mine.

Walmart has them for $32 online, I'm not sure what the in-store availability is.

[41magsnub]

I ended of with a "knives of alaska" with a blaze orange handle.  It has very good reviews.  The local availability of knives was not great, walmart had crap for stock.  My favorite store decided not to staff the knife counter this morning and ignored me, and my second favorite store had this.

[bedlamite]

Nice knife. D2 isn't stainless, so don't let it sit in a wet sheath.

[jdoc]

Mora knife? There are models with clip points available. Inexpensive as well, so buy two and you'll have a spare .

  Been using a model 840 clipper the past couple years. Great little knife and wickedly sharp.   

[Headless Thompson Gunner]

D2 is good knife steel.  I likes it.  Holds an edge well and sharpens easily.

Just be careful to keep it clean and reasonably dry.

[Brad Johnson]

D2 is good knife steel.  I likes it.  Holds an edge well and sharpens easily.

+1

Knife metallurgy is such a huge comprimise.  Hard = hold and edge but hard to sharpen. Soft = easy to sharpen but dulls easily. The big question is what's the best comprimise for the application. As a kid my grandfather gave me his old Uncle Buck camp knife.  It would hold an edge forever.  Unfortunately it also took forever to sharpen once that edge went away.  Lost that knife somewhere along the way (actually I think a college room mate decided he liked it better than I did, but I couldn't prove it).  Wish I had it back, if for nothing else than it was a gift from Grandad.

Brad

[Northwoods]

I have a Buck Alpha with the gut hook in 154CM.  I managed to shoot my first deer ever tonight (2.5x2 blacktail - it was trying to be a 3 pointer on one side but didn't quite form a true point).  While cutting the lower half of one of the legs off the knife had 2 big chips break off near the base of the blade. 

At least my hunting season is now over so I'll have time to get it replaced before next year's hunting season.  Not sure if I'll keep the new one that Buck should send me or if I'll get another one in a different alloy.  Might be worth getting somethng not quite so brittle.

[Gewehr98]

I won't buy a knife unless it's 154CM, ATS34, D2, A2, or 01.  All that 440 stuff is so much Ginsu.

I apprenticed as a knifesmith for a few years off-duty in Sacramento, and you can also royally booger up the above alloys with improper heat treat, which I suspect is what happened to Sumpnz' BUck Alpha in 154CM above.

[RaspberrySurprise]

I won't buy a knife unless it's 154CM, ATS34, D2, A2, or 01.  All that 440 stuff is so much Ginsu.

Why is that? I'm curious.

[bedlamite]

I won't buy a knife unless it's 154CM, ATS34, D2, A2, or 01.  All that 440 stuff is so much Ginsu.

I apprenticed as a knifesmith for a few years off-duty in Sacramento, and you can also royally booger up the above alloys with improper heat treat, which I suspect is what happened to Sumpnz' BUck Alpha in 154CM above.

Crucible came out with S30V specifically because 154CM had a lot of heat treatment issues. It's supposed to be easier to heat treat properly.

[Gewehr98]

440A is rust-resistant, and little else. Ginsu used it along with serrations to market a rust-resistant and permanently-sharp product, albeit in an underhanded manner. 440B is not much better.  440C can at least claim better hardness due to the greater carbon content, but still pretty much pales in comparison to better knife steels.

Even the lowly 01 tool steel has impressive edge-holding and edge-keeping qualities, although it needs an external finish applied to prevent corrosion.  This 01 and red linen micarta "Field and Bloodstream" model my mentor made for me to carry during Desert Storm is parkerized on everything but the edge - shown with my Desert Eagle for size comparison:

[Perd Hapley]

"Field and Bloodstream"

   FTW.  Looks just about perfect, to me.  Right size and shape.  Great handle. 

[seeker_two]

Seems kinda puny compared to your pocket pistol....


j/k....both are impressive works of art.....

[Gewehr98]

I learned from a great one. He hated artsy knives, but could make a knife that would fit your hand perfectly.

Here's a 154CM skinner with red linen and black micarta scales, paired with the Norinco/Kart/Ed Brown/Videcki/Chip McCormick Limited Class and carry gun that he also built for me:

[Balog]

That is a gorgeous knife.