my BF has requested a hunting knife for his birthday/christmas. he referred me to Randall Made Knives and Knife Art Custom Knifes as resources. It appears that Randall knives requires a 36-48 month lead time for all knives. I have found one that I like, but decided to see if anyone here can provide me with any other quality manufacturers. I really have no idea what i’m looking for.
when asked as to what one does with a hunting knife, he replied: skin… gut… cut salami… stuff like that.
i guess this is half factual question and half opinion (?)
“Hunting knife” is kind of a generic term. Does he dress game frequently and need a more specialized knife for that or does he want a more general purpose knife? You might find out from him if he’s really picky about the specifics of a knife. The one you linked to looks like a terrific knife but it would not be what I’d choose to dress game.
If ye be squeamish, do not highlight…
IMO a skinning knife should have a lot of “belly,” that is a deep curve in the edge of the blade toward the end and a less actute angle at the tip so it is less likely to puncture accidentally. Some purpose made skinning knives have a rounded bull nose with no point at all. He did say he wanted it for gutting so he might want a knife with a gut hook. that is hook shaped notch in the back edge of the blade that is sharpened on its inside radius. Makes the whole blade look kind of like a barbed fish hook. It’s made to cut with a pulling motion in order to open the abdominal wall without cutting any of the things inside.
Getting an expensive designer knife for down and dirty skinning, gutting etc is an absurd waste of money. Buck, Gerber and Case can all provide you with excellent hunting knives for less than $ 100.00. Getting a high end designer knife is virtually always an artistic/aesthetic purchase. It is highly unlikely that a designer knife will ever see an animals hide other than it’s sheath.
I recommend Buck knives. I’ve had several over the years, and they have performed wonderfully. Get your BF to give you more details as to what exactly he is looking for, then go here.
Astro makes a good point and it’s something you should talk to your BF about. If he wants a Randall get him one. Heck, he might even be willing to wait a few years to get one made specifically for him. Y(and his)MMV but if I was getting a fancy knife I’d get a really nice utility folder that I could use every day. True hunting knives get used rarely and for a fraction of what you are planning to spend you can get a sturdy, well made knife that works just as well.
FWIW I never spent more than $150 on a knife and that a spur of the moment thing when I got a Benchmade automatic.
Also, I just noticed the knife you linked to is made with 440 stainless steel. So, not only is it a couple hundred dollars more, it uses an inferior steel. The only thing stainless steel is good for, is looking shiny and not rusting. Carbon V or AUS 8 steel is much stronger. It will get sharper and even hold an edge longer. I would definitely not go with stainless steel on a knife I actually intended to use. Stainless steel does not hold an edge very well at all.
You can get a Randall from such dealers as AG Russell without the long wait. You pay slightly more for it, but if your bf wants one, I say get him one.
