When out hunting , trapping and wandering around looking for coyote I did my best to carry a good folding knife at all times but I also had a good fixed blade knife on my gun belt . I don't have any idea as to how many miles my gun , knife and pliers have traveled with me . I bought a custom knife from a guy that I worked with in around 1987 , the steel was made in Norway and has three layers laminated together two outer softer layers over a harder inner core so they could get a very hard edge but the outer layers kept it from breaking . The outer layers are 5160 steel and the inner core is 52-100 steel . You can touch up the edge and field dress an elk then use the same knife to skin it after hanging it , cut the legs at the knees and take the head off with the hide and not need to resharpen it . There are some good knife builders out there and a couple of them live fairly close to me and I have asked for and received advice and assistance in the heat treating of steels as well as to the better steels to use in a knife blade . In the mid 60's I met a girl from Kentucky she told me that her grandad had taught her that she should carry a good knife keep it sharp and well maintained show it respect as some day it might just save your life . Words of wisdom passed on from one generation to a younger generation and shared with me . She was having a bad trip one night and pulled her knife on some guys that didn't have good intentions . I took her knife and then her home , kept the knife to give back to her when she was okay the next day . I got up the next morning and my dad told me I was throwing your little knife and broke the tip of it off . I still have that knife and she got a new knife before I went back from leave . I also asked my dad why he would do that to a knife that wasn't his to be messing with . Because I didn't want you to have it was his reply .
Ramblings and Such From Hunting Coyote
- Thread starter DSheetz
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Straight Shooter
Well-Known Member
Dave, my girlfriend gave me a Buck knife for a Christmas present when I was in college. Over the years I wore off half of the blade and never did get it sharp. Steel was way too hard. First and last Buck knife I will ever own .
The first set of pictures show the truing up of the barrel extension when I started this one only had 50 percent contact so it would put quite a bit of strain on it and the barrel . It also has a piston drive pictured and then a picture of the side charging system that I machined . the bolt was nitrided so to get it to drill I used a carbide end mill to machine that off and then drilled and taped it for a 10-32 made my charging handle out of a grade 8 bolt and threaded it with 10-32 tpi cut to the proper length so as not to bond the bolt in the BC . I used the one piston drive as my pattern and then machined mine similar to it out of 4140 shafting material for the gas block . I used 2 1/4 chrome molly for the piston .
In the second set of pictures the second picture is of a blade that is 8Cr 13MOv I was playing with heat treating it as it's usually too soft to hold an edge I got it figured out after about 3 different trials where it will hold up pretty well . The fixed blade knife was made of 52-100 steel with purple heart for the scales , I made a sheath for it and gave it to a friend for her to give her son for his birth day . The last two pictures are Schrade knives that a friend had worn out so I put new blades in them two with 52-100 steel and one with 440-C
Buck knives from the past were notorious as being hard to put an edge on them . some were harder then the back of my head and some were too soft . That's why I carried Case fixed blade and Kabar lock back folding knives a bunch . Then when I went to doing control work I carried case folding carbon steel knives . I used one of my Kabar's during the night when it was darker then the inside of a coal mine . When I was done I used the thigh of my left leg to close it and trimmed about a quarter of an inch off of my middle finger nail and all . duct tape and it was ok . Thank You I have used that screw driver a bunch and Walt is kind of a needy little guy he loves to be with me .
I completely agree, never did care for the Bucks either. I will say I do carry a small buck pocket knife my wife gave me but it doesn't have the same steel as the rest of them. This one holds its edge pretty good and sharpens easy
Straight Shooter
Well-Known Member
Schrade, Gerber, and Case were my favorites. I do have a Camillus folder from 50 years ago that I really like. Excellent steel and sharpness. It is basically a large trapper design. It has a coyote embedded in the handle. My mom got it for me when I first started calling coyotes.
Those are all good knives . There are some good ones out there still you just have to look around and it can be expensive but it's still interesting . The black handled knives are all spring assisted opening and the blade shape is good for castrating calves , cutting strings on hay bails ect. . I have a couple of guys that don't have the use of both hands or have a few fingers missing that love them because they can open them with out using their teeth and most every one else thinks they are great because they can have one hand busy need a knife and get it then open it to be used . A lot of places don't allow them still . I had a couple of them in Afghanistan with Corpsmen and a fixed blade knife that was shaped like a straight razor with a good finger guard . He said you could get the gear off and find the wound with it and have no fear of doing more harm then good .
