Largest usable outdoor knife?

[Old Savage]

Pictures! Let's see some pictures.

[Bill in Oregon]

The legging knife was mentioned in the ranch manager's article on best equipment for buffalo hunting that he wrote several years ago for SPG Blackpowder News.
Here is a Russell/Green River legging knife next to an old Wilson of Sheffield "buffalo skinner."

[Blaine]

The Old Timer with tacky, no-slip-when-bloody green rubber handle, and gut hook. Thirty years old, maybe. Holds an edge field dressing, and skinning a deer. 5" blade, and would not want it any bigger.
I've never had an Old Timer fail in any way whatsoever.

[2ndovc]

These are my most used especially the Case on the far right, though the Mora seems to be getting a lot of use lately.



jb

[Bill in Oregon]

Blaine, I carry a Buck Vanguard Zipper very like your Old Timer in my deer pack. I like the way it holds and edge, and the grips don't get slippery.

[Blaine]

Blaine, I carry a Buck Vanguard Zipper very like your Old Timer in my deer pack. I like the way it holds and edge, and the grips don't get slippery.

Those seem to have a bigger guthook, and I'd like that. I've been thinking about widening mine.
Millions love their Bucks. But, I've broken two, and moved on. Just a personal preference, and does not reflect the judgement of others.

[mark]

Mark, a fellow who used to manage bison ranches for Ted Turner said the most
useful knife for dealing with those big shaggies was a Green River "legging knife."

Looking at the photos it seems to be the same knife.

http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/DEXTER-RUSSE ... 4abc182092

We call them "sheep skinners" down this way.

I find them to be an excellent working tool

Cheers Mark

[Old Savage]

Well 2ndovc, I can come reasonably close here tonight I actually have the other two but they are not here.

[RJM52]

At one time all I had were 5.5" blade knives it seemed. They did everything from building shelters to processing game. Probably 15 years ago CRKT had a Russ Kromer designed knife called the Alaskan Carcajou. The blade is about 3" long and has a ring on the butt to hang it off ones little finger while pulling down the skin. After several years of using it and another smaller skinner I tried the 5.5" again and it was like trying to skin a deer with a machete...

They were cheap...about $25 with both a leather and plastic sheath...really too bad they were discontinued...



A couple of years ago I processed an entire deer from gutting to freezer with just this knife...

For the pelvis bone I now carry the Gerber bone say...makes quick work of the pelvis and ribcage...

https://www.amazon.com/Gerber-Moment-Fi ... B00KQB1NIQ

For an all-around knife something in the 4-6" range is much more practical...

Bob

[Bill in Oregon]

Mark, that's definitely the same knife.

[Old Savage]

Three very useful ones.

[jeepnik]

Anyone else try a Havalon? They are basically a handle to which you attach a scalpel blade. No good whatsoever for cutting bone, but for everything else they shine. Super sharp, and when they dull you just pop the blade off and put a new one on.

I started using them on small game and have graduated to larger stuff. Being light and sharp there isn't any hand fatigue (I guess surgeons figured that out long ago) and they are very agile in the hand.

These are tools. No style points, they just do what they are designed for, cutting skin internal tissues.

[2ndovc]

Well 2ndovc, I can come reasonably close here tonight I actually have the other two but they are not here.

Always knew you were a classy guy!



jb

[Old Savage]

Who made your holster.

[2ndovc]

Funny, I was going to ask you the same question. Mine was made by San Pedro about ten years ago. Don't think they're around any longer unfortunately. They made some good stuff.

jb

[Old Savage]

Bought mine off a member no longer here. He had it custom made. He did not say by who. Fine workmanship, I thought the design to be unusual for a 1911.

Here is another Mora.

[JerryB]

OS, I do like that Mora with the bone handle!!!!!!!!!!

[gcs]

I used a Havalon to skin a coyote, scary sharp, but it's kind of light weight, I feel, for heavier cutting.
might just need to get used to it, but these cheap Moras are so sharp, and tougher, I'd probably relegate the Havolons to just skinning fur.

[Old Savage]

Marble's and a Case

[KirkD]

I used a 4" bladed knife for many years, but for the last 8 years or so have gone to 6 & 1/2" bladed knives for a number of reasons and won't be going back to short bladed knives.

Reasons:

1. For skinning larger animals like Deer or Moose, I really like the longer edge of the blade for long, sweeping strokes that take about twice as much hide off per stroke compared to the little 4 inchers.
2. For cutting around the anus to tie it off, a long blade does the job better than a short one.
3. For reaching into the body cavity and cutting around the diaphragm, I'll take a long bladed knife any day of the week.
4. For fine work, I use the point of the longer blade with no disadvantage. I sharpen my knives right to the point using an old Lansky five-stone system.
5. I can use the same knife for filleting fish in the wilderness.
6. I can hack through the pelvic bone with one or two whacks.
7. If I get jumped by a Cougar or if things go wrong with a bear, I'll take a 6 & 1/2" blade over a 4" blade every time.

Consequently, I only carry one knife in the wilderness; the 4-inchers are left at home. However, when out and about in the city, the longer blades stay home and the 4-inchers come with me. A few years ago, I helped a very experienced Moose hunter clean and skin a deer. When I hauled out my 6 & 1/2" Damascus blade he actually laughed out loud. I said nothing and went to work. Several minutes into the job he wasn't laughing any more as I left him in the dust skinning my side of the animal with long, sweeping cuts ... and this was his 30th Moose. By the time we were finished, he was very impressed at what I could do with that knife.

Here are photos of my two, longer bladed knifes, both custom made, with 500 grain 45-70 cartridges for comparison. The Bowie by A.K. Soellner has Sambar Stag grips and the Damascus Steel drop point has Buffalo horn grips. For slitting the skin open on the belly of game, I prefer a drop point, but the other works just fine, as I always insert two fingers with the knife facing outwards between them anyway. On one hunting trip, the Damascus Steel blade did three 200-lb deer in a row with no sharpening required, including cutting up the meat and deboning. It is my knife of choice in the wilderness and I've made a tougher, custom sheath for it that now looks like it has been up the river and over the mountain.

[jeepnik]

Kirk, just read your sig line. You really should think about writing something you have a great way to paint a word picture.

[KirkD]

Kirk, just read your sig line. You really should think about writing something you have a great way to paint a word picture.

I do a bit of writing, but I'm not especially good at doing it very fast, so it takes a long time.

[Old Savage]

Kirk, is that the Texas Ranger model that they do not show in the On line catalog

[MrMurphy]

I've always stuck with 4 and 5" blades for general work.

I carried a 5.5" Ka-Bar deployed and never actually used it (folders did all the work).


Sunday I killed my first deer, ever. Cull hunt of a red stag (doe, so technically, a red deer), so it wasn't much of a hunt, but a clean kill and a lot of meat. I brought along an "Outdoor edge" skinning blade I'd gotten free. My guide/teacher works with me, and aside from being in law enforcement he's been hunting for 30 years and guiding professionally for 20.

Ironically he had the same brand knife (minor grip difference), a 4" with a gut hook. He said he'd gutted and quartered at least 15 deer with it, some goats, etc and was quite happy.

All my uncles in their hunting days used 4 or 5" blades with a gut hook for cleaning up their kills, ranging from whitetail to a moose in one case.

I had a Grayman Suenami, which is a 4" heavier blade, and it certainly had the edge and strength to get through what it needed to, for getting the skin clear the little skinning blade's thin blade made a lot more sense (I switched back and forth testing both). The heavier blade worked much better getting through the vertebrae, making the cuts for the diaphragm etc, anywhere the saw didn't get used.

[KirkD]

Kirk, is that the Texas Ranger model that they do not show in the On line catalog

I don't think so, Fred. I got it maybe 8 or 10 years ago and he just called it a 'Bowie Knife' at the time. The blade is Solingen steel, but I don't know what that means.

[Old Savage]

Steel made in Solingen, Germany. I recall when you got it.

[Camel73]

Kirk, I can't stop looking at that buffalo horn Damascus blade! So nice

[KirkD]

Kirk, I can't stop looking at that buffalo horn Damascus blade! So nice

Of those two knives, it has become my main knife in the wilderness. It has seen a lot of use this year especially, with three wilderness trips since the end of June. I can't recall how many animals I've cleaned, skinned and butchered with it, but at least half a dozen deer and Moose.

[Old Savage]

Well Kirk, if that is the case, maybe this 7" Marble's woyld be the ticket.

[KirkD]

Well Kirk, if that is the case, maybe this 7" Marble's woyld be the ticket.

Very nice! A 7" blade is about a perfect length in my very subjective opinion.

[Camel73]

Oh boy... I think it's time for a new knife

[Old Savage]

Here is one from Sheffield similar to you Bowie.

[Old Savage]

Kirk, what do you think, you have a preference between these two designs, 6 and 7"?

[KirkD]

Kirk, what do you think, you have a preference between these two designs, 6 and 7"?

Fred, I'd vote for the 7" for two reasons. First, I prefer 7" over 6" when it comes to butchering game and, second, I like the visual shape of the 7" over the other one. I realize that both reasons are pretty subjective, but when it comes to knives, aesthetics is also important.

[Lastmohecken]

I can and have field dressed more then one deer with a 3 bladed stockman, but almost all of my life (knocking on the door of 60) I have carried something similar in size to the old Buck Folding Hunter and usually preferred a bigger knife then most people, because I just never found a whole lot that made me wish for a smaller knife over a bigger one, but when I was young and worked on the farm a lot, I usually carried a 3 bladed stockman and a big single bladed folder like the Buck 110 if not actually the 110 itself, I also liked the Big Puma folders, and the Big Case 2 bladed folding hunters.

So, I never placed much value on a fixed bladed short knife with a 4 inch blade because I usually always had a folder in my pocket that long, although I do have a few Dozier's in the 4-1/2 to 5 inch range, including his 5 inch Model, I believe he calls the Professional Guide knife. But my favorite knives for a large belt knife, run in the range of 7 to 8 inches long and I have one which a friend made for me, a lot years ago, after I sketched out what I wanted, and it's probably my all time favorite. It's a large clip bladed knife with a sharp point in the Bowie Style, sort of.

That's a Custom Buck 110 below it, for size comparison. That Bowie is IMHO about the perfect size to do anything from chopping veggies, and butchering squirrels to chopping small limbs off for whatever. That Bowie is probably slightly harder then a Randall which is really pretty soft and easy to sharpen, but holds an edge better then my Randalls, and is still much easier to sharpen than the D2 of the Dozier's and can sharpened on a plain old Arkansas Oil Stone, I think my Bowie is made out of A2 steel if I remember correctly. I bought the Sandbar Stag handle slabs from A.G. Russell way back before the gov. started regulating it.

That Bowie is a full tang, with real Sandbar Stag handle slabs and I had him put a brass cap on the back, in case I needed to hammer something or needed to hit the back end of the handle with the palm of my hand to drive the point through something. What is neat about this knife is it has a sharp fine point, and the handle can be choked up on to make the knife feel light in the hand for delicate work, but you can still slide back on the grip and have a blade heavy knife for light chopping.

[JerryB]

Lastmohecken, where you been??? I knew with a long post on Bigknives you would show up sooner or later. I like the design of your Bowie. Are the fall leaves showing up yet over there??

[Old Savage]

These two are from the old farm, most likely more than 80 years old, no brands, 6" and 10".

[Lastmohecken]

Lastmohecken, where you been??? I knew with a long post on Bigknives you would show up sooner or later. I like the design of your Bowie. Are the fall leaves showing up yet over there??

They are showing a little bit. There is a slight touch of fall in the air, but still kind of hot mid day and afternoon.