What knives are y'all using?

[Canhunter35]

On hogs, i really like the Victorinox 5" or 6" semi-flex boning knife. So long as there is a butchers steel nearby to keep up the edge, they are really hard to beat.

Unfortunately, I have found it impractical to field a butchers steel. They are heavy and cumbersome. I even got a small 6" travel version at one point, but it didn't work well for me. With no handle, it was still heavy, and just awkward.

When it comes to field dressing, anything that is sharp will get the job done, but keeping it sharp can be a real issue.

Knives just seem to get dull, and it can be a real inconvenience when conditions are poor. In an effort to find a tool that stays sharp, I tried a lot of different blades from different makers over the years. Some very exotic steels ...

They all get dull. And when they do, 'supersteels' are a bear to sharpen!

I picked up a few tricks along the way;

1. Take a knife that is sharp to begin with. It should go without saying, but this IS rule #1

2. Avoid making the knife dull.

-Don't cut hair, especially if it has dirt or mud in it. Use a separate blade, like @Wedgy said, a hook knife is ideal.

-Dont cut into bone. This takes practice and some knowledge of anatomy, but if a blade only encounters muscle and connective tissue, it can stay sharp and remain functional through *many* animals.

3. Work some 220gt lapping compound into, ideally, the knife sheath, or a small strip of leather. Free to pack, and it can revive a blade back to sharp in a few quick 'strops'.

Geometry cuts. The lid of a tin can is going to cut better than some tactical/bushcraft/wannabe prybar. Unless you expect to cut your way through a car door, or a cinder block wall, choose something with a thin blade (.090-.125") thick that is designed to cut.

Heat treat matters more than the alloy itself. Thermal processing is where the 'magic' really happens, undergoing a phase shift at high temperature, and then locking in a new crystal structure depending on how the steel is cooled or 'quenched'. The heat treat is where good knives set themselves apart from bad, and where true greatness can be achieved in terms of actual edge holding. Heat treat is the most critical step when transforming steel into a knife, and some makers do a better job than others.

I have been through a lot of knives over the years. It should be apparent at this point that I have a bit of an obsession. I like sharpening; my knives, friends' knives, family's knives. That has grown into a bit of a side gig - I have even made a few knives of my own along the way.

Great idea for a thread, it's interesting to see what everyone likes and uses.

I just received this a few weeks ago, from a maker in Alberta. Really excited to blood it!

6" Boning knife, 3/32" AEBL, 60hrc

View attachment 332632

Great post. I've also found the same, I also thought I'd add, knives with less or no chromium sharpen much easier, it's hard to beat a 1095 steel blade for working, but they rust so easy. I've also found steel with vanadium sharpen like razors, but on the sharpening, that's the single biggest reason why some blades remain sharp and others go dull, a true 11degree edge that's polished with no furl will last as long time. I'll castrate calves all spring, do a thousand or more without sharpening my castrating knife, lots of guys will be standing in the corral, tuning on their knife mid brandings, but they're running too shallow of an edge and it just won't last.
For field dressing I use a case trapper, two blades, the round one opens a hide so easy, better than a gut hook ime

 

[WildRose]

It's all in the title, really: what knives are y'all field dressing your hogs with?

As grampa would say, "I have more knives that Carter has little liver pills".

I literally have dozens of knives and they'll all work but I have a very close friend who's kind of eccentric but a master craftsman with anything to do with wood or metal. I his retirement he's gotten serious about knife making and has a particular knack for Pukko style Nordic knives.

Recently he gifted me one which I made the first use of a week or so back on a hog Mario shot.

Now Mario knows knives and knows sharp and was taken completely aback at how that blade went through a big ole sow like a hit wire through butter.

I have a couple of more on the way and now he's got five more to make for Mario, Jimmy, and the boys.

This isn't my knife but it's a similar style.

Don't ask me why but I've wanted one for many years and they are everything I'd hoped for. WIth only about a 4.5" blade you have all the knife you'd need to take apart anything from a pygmi goat to a whale.

 

[Laguna Freak]

Good Damascus gives a very sharp edge that holds well.

 

[59FLH]

The 1st thing I ever bought from Cabelas circa 1980-81, had it sharpened by Bill Moran once. Every deer I ever killed has been cut with this knife.

 

[Longtine88]

 

[mobenzowner]

I almost always use a Bark River. Usually one in the 3v steel.

 

[257 STW]

I have carried these 2 in my pack for quite a few years. The Linder will usually do 2 or 3 elk before it needs touching up. The little browning is just a backup. It

was a gift back in the 90s

 

[Davyalabama]

Outdoor edge razor lite and an old K-Bar. I don't get the K-Bar super sharp, because I want it to hold an edge longer, I use the Outdoor edge so I can swap blades easier if I need to do that.

 

[Scottso]

Heading south next month on a hunt, a lot of good info. Was planning on using these
all from the late Cleston Sinyard, sole author damascus. He was out of Elberta Alabama, Nemo Forge

 

[brant89]

My hunting knife is a Spyderco Bill Moran Drop Point (VG10) and my pocketknife is a Benchmade 940 Osborne (S30V). I actually prefer the VG10 over the S30V. The VG10 seems to hold an edge better and is easy to get hair-popping sharp.

 

[VinceMule]

McCrosky Custom knives
Stillwater, Ok

I skinned and butchered 8 deer and the knife would still shave you., Same with two elk.

Dave and Corky build some unbelievable knives for staying sharp like no other I have ever seen. My uncle was a taxidermist and we know knives.

A friend in Mn skinned over 300 Beaver with a trapper knife before he had to re-sharpen it.

McCrosky knife steel is so special, you will put them in your will to who they go to after your death, as they do not get dull on a hunt after skinning and butchering multiple animals...ever. You will also store them in the gun safe.

We have deer hunt clubs here in SC. There is usually a skinning area with several hooks to hang deer from so the members can be skinning several deer at the same time, plus a cold storage locker. With the liberal limits, I skinned 4 of my family's deer, and was watching another member struggling with his custom knife that was really beautiful. His knife got dull quick after the first doe. He saw I was done, and he asked if he could use my knife as he had two more does to skin. He skinned 3 of his does and was amazed at how sharp the knife was after skinning 7 deer. I then went on to butcher and bone out meat for all of mine and his deer also. This club member went on to buy McCrosky knives for all his brothers and sons.

Custom Knives become legendary for how they look or the quality in the steel for using knives....pick!

The McCrosky Elk skinner is all a man ever needs, but you will want all the variations they make after using one in the field. After using the McCrosky knives, I sold every one of the German knives I owned, as you will also. I had quit using some of my American made knives after an elk hunt where I had to skin and butcher two elk in camp.

Seems that Coyote and Hogs will dull a knife faster than other animals, dirt on the hair I suspect is the culprit

宿迁沭阳炳牧科技有限公司

宿迁沭阳炳牧科技有限公司

mccroskeyknives.com

 

[Bullwhacker]

Brad Watkins Knives
This one just came off the bench.
Shameless self promotion of my small business.

 

[Old Rooster]

Nice looking knife.Your just a couple hours south of me

 

[Bullwhacker]

Nice looking knife.Your just a couple hours south of me

Thank you, I use to live a couple hours north before moving down here.