Before you Buy Hunting Knife, you’ll want to know what qualities to look for that make a knife great. There are quite a few things to look for before you make this investment, as a hunting knife is arguably the most important piece of gear you’ll have with you on the hunt. The bow and the gun are important, but the knife is irreplaceable. It will power through obstacles for you that you didn’t even know were there. Besides, you can’t clean game without one.
You should make sure you look for a knife with quality steel. There are lots of great steels out there, and the right heat treatment is just as important. Knives with higher carbon content like 1095 can be treated to a serious hardness and are easy to sharpen and keep sharp, but they will also be susceptible to rust and corrosion. It’s a great steel, but if you buy hunting knife with a 1095 blade that’s going to be covered in blood, grease, and water, make you sure keep it clean and dry. Way back when most steels were not corrosion-resistant, but today you can find corrosion-resistant alloys that make great hunting blades. Oftentimes these alloys contain differing amounts of chrome, molybdenum, vanadium or titanium to give a knife extra strength or lighten them, or to engender a higher resistance to rust. Great steels include T6Mov, 8Cr13Mov, and CPM-S30V and CPM-S90V. This is not an expansive list, but these are great steels that offer a multitude of benefits.
You should also make sure the hunting knife you buy has a full tang. This is sometimes overlooked but critical; here’s why. The strength of the blade, its ability to exert leverage, to pry and to absorb and distribute forces are correlative to the structure and integrity of the tang. Some knives are made with rat tail tangs that are a thin strip of steel that’s basically welded to the shoulder of the knife - stay away from these. The best knives generally have full tangs that are exposed even beyond the reach of the knife scales. Some manufacturers, however, such as Buck and Mora, in some models offer a tang that is not technically full but tapers through the handle. Though not truly fully, they generally start at the hilt as the full width of the blade and taper toward the pommel. Since they avoid sharp angles, they maintain almost the strength of a full tang and are passable.
You’ll also want to consider the shape of the blade and its ergonomics. Make sure the knife you pick feels comfortable in your hand and does not slip or roll. Consider whether you want the strength of a drop point blade or the ability to make fine incisions with a clip point since only you can answer these questions. Maybe you want a gut hook integrated into the blade or you prefer the fine work of doing it with the point of a blade. Otherwise, it’s up to you what you want when you buy hunting knife. There are too many manufacturers to easily compile offering fixed blade hunting knives, folding knives and specialty knives like skinners and fillet knives.
That being said, some popular knife makers among American hunters are Gerber, Buck, Boker, Ontario Knives, Benchmade and Columbia River Knife and Tool. There are many more excellent choices out there in a hunting knife, but you can start there and you won’t be disappointed. Gerber and Buck, in particular, have expansive lines dedicated to hunters, with models like the Gerber Moment and Strongarm and Buck’s Models 110, 119 and Bantam models as favorites. Whether you go with any of these makers listed or find your own favorite, if you follow the information outlined here, you’ll end up with a hunting knife that will fit your grip like a glove and be your constant companion in the field. Check out these models listed and find even more at WhiteMountainKnives.com, to get free shipping on all orders in their large selection of knives for all uses.
