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How To Choose The Right Hunting Knife – Tips & Guide
There are so many different types and styles of hunting knives available that it can be overwhelming when it comes to choosing and buying a hunting knife. There are some questions that can be asked that will help you determine what type and style of knife you want.
- What kind of game are you going to hunt? You will need a different knife if you are hunting big game or rabbits. Trust me when I say that bigger is not always better. If you have a knife too big, you have more chances to cut yourself and not be able to skin or gut the game as you wish.
- How much are you going to hunt? Are you going to be a full-time hunter or just a weekend warrior? This matters because if you only hunt on weekends, then a smaller, more versatile knife can make sense so you can use it for other tasks when you’re not hunting. If you are a serious hunter, then a full blade would make more sense to you.
- What is the biggest and smallest game you can imagine using the knife?
- Are you going to be killing the game or just trimming?
- Fighters mainly of meat or trophy hunts? If you hunt trophies, then you may want to get a second knife called a cover knife.
Once you answer those questions for yourself, you should have a better idea of what type of knife you are going to buy. There are some factors that should also be taken into account when buying your knife.
Fixed Blade or Folding Blade
The difference between a fixed blade and a folding blade hunting blade is not rocket science.
For the serious hunter, the fixed blade hunting knife will be the best option. This knife has a fixed blade that does not fold into the handle. Because of this, they are generally stronger and more reliable than folding blade knives.
If you are going to do a lot of gutting and skinning animals, you will definitely want to go with the fixed knife style. However, if you are an occasional hunter and can use the knife for more than hunting it is important for you that with the folding blade style, since you can hide it better and are generally smaller.
Some like the folding blade style because they say they come with more than one blade type, but if you answered the above questions correctly, then you should not need more than one type of knife when you are hunting. There is an exception to this and that is the protective blade, but we’ll talk about that later.
Knife Blade Design
There are three different types of blade designs that I want to talk to you about. I will be brief because you can find more detailed information on the specific pages of this website.
The three different blade designs are:
- Clip Point: This knife style is ideal for the occasional hunter. It has a definite point at the end and will perform all the necessary tasks of the occasional hunter.
- Drop point: this is the preferred knife for big game hunters as the drop point and generally has relatively thick steel.
- Skinned: this knife is designed primarily to skin the animal, but it can also perform the work of the point of trimming and the point of fall.
There are other optional things to consider with the design of your sheet. One of those is if you want a gut hook. An intestinal hook helps you open the abdomen of the animal without tearing the skin or piercing an internal organ. This design works but it totally depends on you if you want this on your knife. If you do it later you decide you want a gut hook, you can always buy it separately.
Serrated Blade
Do you want your knife to have a serrated edge? Usually, this edge is placed on the upper edge of the blade. Having the sawed advantage there makes some of the more difficult hunting tasks a little easier. How to divide the rib cage or the pelvis.
Knife Handle
What kind of mango do you want? Although the more traditional handles, such as bone, wood and metal, look very good, the new composite materials are also fine. You want to keep this in mind. You do not want your hand to slide off your handle just because you have some blood in it.
Knife Steel
In what kind of conditions are you going to be hunting? The answer to this question will affect the type of steel you will get for your blade. The ability to maintain an edge and resistance to corrosion play a role in the type of steel you choose.
These are some basic types of steel that are used in hunting knives today:
- 420HC: must be treated properly to maintain a good edge and not rust
- 44O-A / B / C – Stainless steel. The corrosion resistance is good, but it needs to be heat treated to maintain a good advantage.
- AUS-6/8/10 – Japanese steel equivalent 440. More or less the same but a little stronger.
Summary
As you can see, buying a hunting knife has a lot to do with your personal preferences. It can be a little less overwhelming if you take the time and answer the questions I have described for you and plan ahead before going to the store to buy your knife. If you are working on your survival skills, you may want to see a different type of knife that is more versatile. Of course, when you are in a survival situation you cannot be demanding.
