Call em "Hunters","Camp',"Skinning","Fighters", whichever! What are you looking for in a GREAT knife! One you can pass down for generations! One that makes you grin every time you pick it up! All aspects!



Dragons Breath Knives

After cleaning, skinning deer, processing for others adnausium and for my self the last few years. Combined with chickens, turkeys, pigs, goats and guinea fowl. I look for the following.

I use 1 knife for the gutting, skinning, anus removal, and processing and deboning. It is an 8 ich blade 1 /4 wide at the tip, 3/4 inch wide at the base. It looks almost like a filet knife but is 3 times as thick. It has very little flex and no curve to the spine of the blade. It does not have a finger gaurd on it, i wish it did.

This knife works execelent for removing the anus and other male/female organs intact in one circular cut in the anal cavity of all 4 legged creatures. It is stiff enouch to sever cartilige below the hocks and through the rib cage to the wind pipe. It is delicate enouch to cape a 10 point deer, and de breast water fowl and other birds.

I process deer for a fair number of life time hunters who try and use skinning knives, caping knives, bone saws and other crap. I do it all much more efficiently with 1 knife. When i work with them to show them how i do it so quickly and let them practice with my knife it all clicks for them. 1 tool one skill set of knowlege. They learn and work so much faster.
Does all the other stuff work? Yes at 500 times the cost and learning exp.

If you want to make a knife that can do that. I suggest 5160 steel, full grip, finger gaurd at the end. Sized to those demensions.

quote:

Originally posted by DSgrouse:
I use 1 knife for the gutting, skinning, anus removal, and processing and deboning. It is an 8 ich blade 1 /4 wide at the tip, 3/4 inch wide at the base. It looks almost like a filet knife but is 3 times as thick. It has very little flex and no curve to the spine of the blade. It does not have a finger gaurd on it, i wish it did.

That sounds like a stiff, straight-blade boning knife. (There are also flexible boning knives and ones with curved blades.)

They work great for breaking down animals. I've never used one for skinning but I'm not sure it would be my choice.

quote:

Originally posted by maladat:

quote:

Originally posted by DSgrouse:
I use 1 knife for the gutting, skinning, anus removal, and processing and deboning. It is an 8 ich blade 1 /4 wide at the tip, 3/4 inch wide at the base. It looks almost like a filet knife but is 3 times as thick. It has very little flex and no curve to the spine of the blade. It does not have a finger gaurd on it, i wish it did.

That sounds like a stiff, straight-blade boning knife. (There are also flexible boning knives and ones with curved blades.)

They work great for breaking down animals. I've never used one for skinning but I'm not sure it would be my choice.

You are right i could not place the name pre coffe post this morning.

It is faster than any other knife i have used. Even on near frozen deer. Where the skin is just starting to thaw. It was great on my guinea hogs. The knife has a ton of versatility out side the boning area. The thin tip is perfect for caping. The long blade allows for near up right placement dueing caping wuth enough hanle to have a firm grip on.

quote:

Originally posted by DSgrouse:
I use 1 knife for the gutting, skinning, anus removal, and processing and deboning. It is an 8 ich blade 1 /4 wide at the tip, 3/4 inch wide at the base. It looks almost like a filet knife but is 3 times as thick. It has very little flex and no curve to the spine of the blade. It does not have a finger gaurd on it, i wish it did.

I think many here would appreciate a picture of this blade that serves so well!

Profile wise, I like the Buck Vanguard, but would prefer a flat grind with a heavier blade. I have the Buck Zipper which is the Vanguard with a gut hook machined into the back side of the tip. Great hunting knife, slightly less useful as a general field knife.

The Esee 4 is good, but would like a finger guard and more of a drop point.

Morakniv is also close and very affordable, but I would like slightly more drop point, a stronger full tang and a slightly thicker blade.

My Drop Out Hunter by Dozer is almost perfect, but needs to be about an inch longer (it's around 3") needs a sheath with retention, and could stand to be less pretty so I wouldn't feel bad batoning it through a piece of oak if needed! The design is great, though. The choil at the back of the blade functions as a finger guard, the notch in the spine is to give you a finger hook for fine work like caping and the thick spine gives superb strength, weight and (with a slightly longer blade) chopping power. I really like this knife...



All of which is to say, I haven't really found what I like best.

Here is the straight boning knife i was talking about. I use it for Gutting, skinning, break down and parting out.


If i do not have the above with me, then this is what I use. My big complaint is that the blade is to wide to fit easily around anal cavities for gutting. Requiring me to use the above. As a general camp knife it excels against all comers in my estimation.


If you want a book on the subject, coerce Ed Fowler in here. Damn, his are a grail knife for me.

Thanks for all the feedback, KEEP IT COMING!! I've got some new stuff in the works!!

Jim
Dragons Breath Knives

quote:

Originally posted by sybo:
Thanks for all the feedback, KEEP IT COMING!! I've got some new stuff in the works!!

Jim
Dragons Breath Knives

I was not kidding about Ed Fowler. He is a member here, an master smith who has written the books. His knives are amazing. Well worth dropping him an email, and certainly buying his books.

For me a great outdoor knife would fall into the camping or more trendy "bushcrafting" category. A fixed blade in the 4-5" range, rust / stain resistant, thick enough for some light battoning, but not too thick for campfire whittling work. A nice stabalized wooden handle vs. G10 or the like along with a retention snap leather sheath. The BRK Aurora is about as close as I could reasonably find a few years ago, but still not perfect. She does the job quite well though.

That orange handled one you made for me is nearly perfect for what I do.

Its sort of an all arounder though, I got it a little thicker than Id normally get for a "hunting" knife but I wanted it that way.

If I was getting a new one (which I may soon), id get a similar profile but id go with a thinner blade and possibly get less of a finish on the blade.

That particular knife you made for me, I cant really see ever getting rid of it and its moving to Alaska with me this summer where im sure it will be used full time.

I got a Bark River Bravo 1 a couple years ago for a camping/outdoors knife & I'm happy with it. It's big enough for most camping chores that don't require an axe.

I've used and carried all sorts of things over the years, but the last few years has been a Bark River Aurora. I figured I'm getting older, time to act gentleman like and leave the Rambo knives for the young guys.



My Old Timer Sharp Finger still comes along in my pack, I've used it too much in the last 30+ years to abandon it.

Balanced, weight wise, fills my hand with ergonomics of being able to hold for doing more delicate cuts (removing the tenderloin for example).

So far the best knife i have which fills this is a Wayne hendrix model 32.

Mike from Liontribe made me one last year just for that purpose. Short fat blade, lots of heft. Had a custom Kydex sheath made for it by Darkstar Gear. It perfectly fits the role I had in mind for my camp/hunting/all purpose knife.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Appliance Brad,

iPak for camping

Like that ipak!!

My favorite is a Chris Reeve's Professional Soldier. I use it for everything except filleting fish.
Sean

What I look for in an 'outdoors' knife:

-usable blade shape.
-comfortable handle without hotspots.
-Enough blade and weight for chopping tasks, but the ability to choke up to do more intricate work.
-Corrosion resistance.
-Ease of sharpening.

I have a lot of knives.
But the one that has served me the best for the past 18 or so years is this early Entrek Javalina. It's been on multiple hikes and camping adventures, and has processed a lot of deer. It has a 4.5" blade, very well-fitted micarta scales. A very very thick slab of 440C steel. Nearly corrosion-proof and very easy to keep sharp.

There are only three things about it that keep it from being perfect:
-Not a true flat grind
-Bead blasted finish. Looks ugly with use and causes a little bit of drag going through wood.
-The sheath that came with the knife was really pathetic. But then again way back when I got this knife, the art of kydex wasn't at the level it is today.

Otherwise, the one knife I feel could be the best all-around outdoors knife is the ESEE Laser Strike. If only they offered it in a more corrosion resistant steel, it would be at the top of the heap for me.

Also I have a few Bob Dozier knives that are spectacular but all have one glaring fault: the scales are waaaaay too slick.

Here's my Entrek with a sheath I recently made for it to replace the crap one that came with it.

Camping knife. Design/size similar to a Fallkniven A1. Convex grind, 1/4 spine, steel that's fast/easy to field sharpen, G10 grip.