Good hunting / Skinning knife

[MeccaOz]

Can anyone recommend a good hunting / skinning knife ? Something thats got a high carbon content ( for easy sharpening ) between 4 - 6 inches, wont bend or break ... Just a good quality knife that will do the job and is easy to maintain

[Chronos]

High carbon often means very hard and brittle, that means it may break and will be hard to sharpen, the opposite of what you want.

Do you have a budget in mind?

A quality knife that's had propose heat treatment will be more expensive than a cheap high carbon blade but will last a lifetime.

Why not consider a fallkniven laminated stainless blade? An F1z can be had for under $170 I promise you'll be impressed.

http://m.ebay.com.au/itm/251295751600

Or you could go up a size to an S1 for just over. $200

http://m.ebay.com.au/itm/261111178486?nav=SEARCH

Others will have different ideas but for the money I'd struggle to find a better knife for general hunting duties

Chronos

[tom604]

go to a butcher supplier and buy a couple of their no name skinners, the last one i bought was about 28 bucks, no good for general camping duties like splitting kindling and such like. buy two different knives, you cant have too many knives

[MeccaOz]

Thanks guy's and thanks for the info Chronos seems I have it arse about. I always though Stainless steel was hard to sharpen ?

[MeccaOz]

Well those Fallkniven knives certainly look the part, I'll take your word on them and order myself 1.

Thanks mate L(

[Chronos]

Well those Fallkniven knives certainly look the part, I'll take your word on them and order myself 1.

Thanks mate L(

You won't be sorry mate, I bought the F1 for my wife as a general multi purpose knife to keep in her pack and nearly kept it for myself. I keep meaning to get an S1 for myself but I've got 2 custom knives coming and can't justify the cash ATM

I carry a Sword and its a great blade but I love the Mrs Fallkniven in its Zytel sheath

Chronos

[Combat_Wombat]

Can't go wrong with a Buck omni had it nearly 5 years it's a folder but does just about everything

[Warrigul]

High carbon often means very hard and brittle, that means it may break and will be hard to sharpen, the opposite of what you want.

Do you have a budget in mind?

A quality knife that's had propose heat treatment will be more expensive than a cheap high carbon blade but will last a lifetime.

Why not consider a fallkniven laminated stainless blade? An F1z can be had for under $170 I promise you'll be impressed.

http://m.ebay.com.au/itm/251295751600

Or you could go up a size to an S1 for just over. $200

http://m.ebay.com.au/itm/261111178486?nav=SEARCH

Others will have different ideas but for the money I'd struggle to find a better knife for general hunting duties

Chronos

I think he meant high carbon stainless.

It is all in the heat treatment, often carbon steel is very user friendly and dare I say it a better long term investment than most stainless steels, low quality stainless seems to be the go to metal; for cheap knives these days.

If the OP wants a good commercial knife and doesn't mind stainless then some of the higher carbon stainless 5-6" straight backed butchers' boning knives for under $40 (victorinox, Swibo, wenger, victory, mundial etc) are worth a look, good to sharpen and durable. A market leather worker will often whip you up a practical leather pouch for under $50.

Something similar to this: http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Victorinox-Y ... a22&_uhb=1

I will take a photo later and the array I have(and use) is quite widespread.

[Chronos]

I think he meant high carbon stainless.

It is all in the heat treatment, often carbon steel is very user friendly and dare I say it a better long term investment than most stainless steels, low quality stainless seems to be the go to metal; for cheap knives these days.

If the OP wants a good commercial knife and doesn't mind stainless then some of the higher carbon stainless 5-6" straight backed butchers' boning knives for under $40 (victorinox, Swibo, wenger, victory, mundial etc) are worth a look, good to sharpen and durable. A market leather worker will often whip you up a practical leather pouch for under $50.

Something similar to this: http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Victorinox-Y ... a22&_uhb=1

I will take a photo later and the array I have(and use) is quite widespread.

Oh I can't wait!

I have a victirinox boning knife, cost me $20. But its neither a skinning knife nor a hunting knife. And I wouldn't be caught dead carrying it in my backpack without a decent hard Sheath

Chronos



Just a sample of what could be found in a pack

[Fozzy]

I just buy Victorinox knives.. Good quality

Skinner, and a couple of Boning knives will cost you Less than 150 bucks.. They hold a good edge sharpen easy and will last you a life time.

[MeccaOz]

Hey thanks for all the input guys , Loving it

[Westy]

Can't go wrong with a Buck omni had it nearly 5 years it's a folder but does just about everything

I love the Buck knife,which one ??? All of them A close Mate of mine took me to meet T.C at his factory in El Cajon Back in the early 90's great knives can't rave enough about them!!!

[MeccaOz]

Can't go wrong with a Buck omni had it nearly 5 years it's a folder but does just about everything

I love the Buck knife,which one ??? All of them A close Mate of mine took me to meet T.C at his factory in El Cajon Back in the early 90's great knives can't rave enough about them!!!

That would be VERY AWESOME !

[Warrigul]

I just buy Victorinox knives.. Good quality

Skinner, and a couple of Boning knives will cost you Less than 150 bucks.. They hold a good edge sharpen easy and will last you a life time.

Yep,

The test is not so much what looks good(I reckon 95% of the "hunting" knives out there are shaped simply to draw in the consumers, not for practicality) but what you actually use when you have an animal on the gambrel or on the hooks. I still have my original Greg steel knives given to me by an uncle (secondhand) when I was 10- a bit long for boners but they still get a run on the odd lamb or steer, the wooden handles are knackered.

I have been making do without a proper skinner for a few years now(long story involving knives left on flat trays by wives) but will eventually get another swibo or victorinox etc

[Fozzy]

Bit like fishing lures are made to catch fishermen not fish

[Warrigul]

Bit like fishing lures are made to catch fishermen not fish

You are dead right, I did have a laugh watching a show, on mate I think it was, where the final few tests were how the consumer would react to the item and the changes that were made purely to appeal to the consumer's sense of aesthetics.

A butcher/abbatoir worker/Farmers/professional shooter etc is going to have a totally different outlook to a cashed up occaisonal hunter. If it doesn't do the job well when used frequently it won't keep on selling. BUT an infrequent recreational user will often know no better and put up with using a dog of a thing a few times as he spent a fortune on it and would never admit it was a mistake(I bought a small bowie and carried and used it for years before I finally admitted it was crap for what I did- but it did look good).

I bought my latest straight backed boner (victory brand) after a mate who works in the boning room of the local abbatoir said they were good steel and sharpened well (the only difference being they usually use angled blade), before that I didn't know what they were like and stayed away from them.

And really, when was the last time you used your knife to split firewood? Or fight to the death with a savage Indian? If I want a fire I gather a few small sticks to start with or use petrol, any kindling that is too long breaks easily enough or if it is for the main fire I use an axe/hatchet/chainsaw or if walking light I just let it burn through the middle early on.

Oh and when it comes to defending myself from Savage Indians there is a reason I take my missus along.

[Swarm]

And really, when was the last time you used your knife to... fight to the death with a savage Indian?

Hmm, last Thursday I think?

You know, it happens so often you lose track...

[Supporter]

Had a look at Joker?

Spanish brand. Good steel...

They do a fixed 12cm blade with skinning hook and an olive wood handle. Thinking about ordering one myself...

$130 too, not expensive for a good knife.

[Supporter]

Here you go. CO-55 is the model.

[bigfellascott]

I just use a boner that I bought new from my local butchers - $20 and is sharp as, he uses the same knife to bone out all the beef and lambs etc, reckons they are better than the more expensive ones he used to buy. I use it to skin the foxes I shoot and it works fine.

[Westy]

Buck Kalinga great knife but the F-Dick 5" knife is also great for butchering Deer!!! I'm not going to say I love the Dick though!!!LOL

[MeccaOz]

Thanks for all your input guys , very much appreciated. I think I'll go with a mundial knife, Ive used them before and they are sharp buggers, and they are easy to put an edge on again. Now can anyone recommend a leather worker who does knife sheaths, as they are sharp as hell

[nords]

Bit like fishing lures are made to catch fishermen not fish

Ha ha.

I have a mate who's going to love that.

[Chronos]

Thanks for all your input guys , very much appreciated. I think I'll go with a mundial knife, Ive used them before and they are sharp buggers, and they are easy to put an edge on again. Now can anyone recommend a leather worker who does knife sheaths, as they are sharp as hell

At a pinch a piece of PVC pipe heated and squashed to be a tight fit at the handle can be used to make a knife that's dangerous to it in your pack safer.

I made one for my victorinox boning knife , I heated a piece of 20mm PVC pressure pie (the white one) with a butane torch entail it was malleable then pressed it begawan two boards and let it cool. Then I split the end near the handle and reheated it, shaping it so it could clip over the handle and keep it from falling off.

I can take some pics when I get home. It's not pretty but would stop it poking through your pack while you find a leather worker to make a sheath.

FYI you can buy kits and materials to make your own but you'd need to go through the whole process yourself.

Check out http://www.tandyleatherfactory.com.au/e ... /home.aspx

Chronos

[MeccaOz]

Chronos ... Tell me the truth here... Were you Mcguiver in another life ? Just kidding , but that Pvc Idea is very cool. And thanks for the link mate

[Chronos]

Chronos ... Tell me the truth here... Were you Mcguiver in another life ? Just kidding , but that Pvc Idea is very cool. And thanks for the link mate

ha, no but i did watch a bit of it as a young bloke :LOL:

here's the sheath i made for the victorinox boning knife, $20 from my butcher who like most butchers buys them by the box of 20. as i said earlier in this thread i wouldn't be caught dead carrying that knife in my pack without some kind of hard sheath because knowing my luck i'd stumble over a ledge and land on it

i made an error earlier when i said it was white pressure pipe PVC because now i see it it's grey electrical conduit. it's rough and ready but there's no way you could impale yourself on it.

Chronos

[Khan]

Chronos ... Tell me the truth here... Were you Mcguiver in another life ?

He melted the PVC with sticks and a suger packet to make fire!

Also there was a rubber band and a paper clip involved somewhere.