1st. Hunting knife for son

The #1 community for Gun Owners of the Northeast

Member Benefits:

  • No ad networks!
  • Discuss all aspects of firearm ownership
  • Discuss anti-gun legislation
  • Buy, sell, and trade in the classified section
  • Chat with Local gun shops, ranges, trainers & other businesses
  • Discover free outdoor shooting areas
  • View up to date on firearm-related events
  • Share photos & video with other members
  • ...and so much more!
  • Brickman301

    Ultimate Member
    Mar 23, 2015
    2,530
    FREDERICK, MD
    Ok, my son and I do a lot of hunting, he is 12 and wants his own knife. He has pocket knives but now needs a good hunting knife. We hunt deer, small game and all types of birds. I want to get him something that could cover field dressing/skinning a lot of these types of game. I don't want to spend a lot of money, I was thinking of maybe a sharpfinger?What do you guys think? Would that be a good choice?
    Thanks
     

    Biggfoot44

    Ultimate Member
    Aug 2, 2009
    32,881
    The above linked knives are classic designs, and a quick search shows the 4116 steel has similar charistics to 440C, with better corrosion resistance. ( This is fairly good, for those who favor stainless.)

    The Sharpfinger is also a good design in a useful size. The same basic knife is sold under multiple brands, but most of them use "stainless steel", not further specified. I have some of those, but I really like the older made in USA ones with old school 1095 steel, but I like carbon steels.
     
    ^^^ Sharpfinger :thumbsup:
     

    Attachments

    • 1220140740b.jpg
      1220140740b.jpg
      93.9 KB · Views: 718

    44man

    Ultimate Member
    MDS Supporter
    Feb 19, 2013
    10,129
    southern md
    sharpfinger. its small enough not to get in the way, big enough that he shouldn't want to take it to school (not a concern in my day but it certainly is today, and its only natural for a boy to want to show off his first knife) and its shape makes it very useful to skin anything from squirrels to deer easy enough..
     

    namrelio

    Ultimate Member
    Aug 14, 2013
    4,372
    Frederick Co. Virginia

    trickg

    Guns 'n Drums
    MDS Supporter
    Jul 22, 2008
    14,596
    Glen Burnie
    Just get him something with a stainless blade - my first hunting knife had a carbon steel blade, and as a kid I hated that it developed a patina and didn't stay shiny.
     

    campns

    Ultimate Member
    Mar 6, 2013
    1,191
    Germantown, MD
    https://www.cutco.com/products/product.jsp?item=hunting-knife#sm.001t9jxh111hue4zrhs1foe8bq1vs

    My Mom bought me a knife like the one above when I was in my 20s. I'm now 64 and still using it. I gutted the deer I got this year with it. I have heard that the metal in Cutco knives now, is not as good as when she gave me mine, but that sure has been one good knife.

    I bought one like it for my son, and daughter when they started hunting.

    Cutco and Ka-Bar are the company, I have several Ka-Bar, Queen Steel, Case, Cutco....etc knives but I'm from that part of the country where they are made.
     

    Biggfoot44

    Ultimate Member
    Aug 2, 2009
    32,881
    Not picking, but curious.

    The lifetime replacement and $9 factory resharpening are certainly value added features, and they are presumably well made and finished.

    As a satisfied owner could you fill us in why they are worth the $$$ , especially with 440A steel ?
     

    namrelio

    Ultimate Member
    Aug 14, 2013
    4,372
    Frederick Co. Virginia
    Not picking, but curious.

    The lifetime replacement and $9 factory resharpening are certainly value added features, and they are presumably well made and finished.

    As a satisfied owner could you fill us in why they are worth the $$$ , especially with 440A steel ?

    If you are asking about my Cutco, I have been cutting and skinning game with it for close to 40 years. It has never been sharpened. I used it this year. It could use a sharpening, but I'm scared to send it away, lost or replaced, because my mom gave it to me.

    They say the steel is not as good on the new knives. You can buy used, and old on E-bay, and get it sharpened by Cutco if that is a concern.

    No matter what you get, a kid will remember his first knife. Good luck with his.
     

    outrider58

    Eats Bacon Raw
    MDS Supporter
    Jul 29, 2014
    49,815
    Buck 110. I use this knife exclusively for dressing deer. When I'm done I just fold it up, put into a baggie(fits perfectly) and clean it once I get home. Was it in warm water, couple licks across the crock sticks and she's ready for the next deer. The thing I like the most about it, it has a strong but narrow blade, making it perfect for cutting around butt-holes and separating the sternum. Once this knife is honed, it never needs to see another stone. Crock sticks are all that's needed to maintain a razor sharp edge. Done a bazillion deer with this knife.

    https://www.amazon.com/Buck-Knives-110-Folding-Genuine/dp/B000EHYZKK
     

    Pale Ryder

    Ultimate Member
    Jan 12, 2009
    6,234
    Millersville
    For a hunting, skinning, small animal processing knife, smaller is better. You don't need or want a 6-7" blade. 4" or less is ideal. I prefer a drop point but YMMV. Fixed or lock back is personal preference. At the moment a Mora is my game knife.
     

    Uncle Duke

    Ultimate Member
    MDS Supporter
    Feb 2, 2013
    11,665
    Not Far Enough from the City
    Buck 110. I use this knife exclusively for dressing deer. When I'm done I just fold it up, put into a baggie(fits perfectly) and clean it once I get home. Was it in warm water, couple licks across the crock sticks and she's ready for the next deer. The thing I like the most about it, it has a strong but narrow blade, making it perfect for cutting around butt-holes and separating the sternum. Once this knife is honed, it never needs to see another stone. Crock sticks are all that's needed to maintain a razor sharp edge. Done a bazillion deer with this knife.

    https://www.amazon.com/Buck-Knives-110-Folding-Genuine/dp/B000EHYZKK

    Right there with ya! Got mine as a gift from an old girlfriend 40 years ago. She's long gone, but that knife has been on my belt every hunt since.

    I'm not a knife guy, and I'm sure there's a lot of good knives out there. But my Buck 110 owes me absolutely nothing, is easy to keep shaving sharp, and has done anything I've ever needed it to do.
     

    fidelity

    piled higher and deeper
    MDS Supporter
    Aug 15, 2012
    22,400
    Frederick County
    Ok, my son and I do a lot of hunting, he is 12 and wants his own knife. He has pocket knives but now needs a good hunting knife. We hunt deer, small game and all types of birds. I want to get him something that could cover field dressing/skinning a lot of these types of game. I don't want to spend a lot of money, I was thinking of maybe a sharpfinger?What do you guys think? Would that be a good choice?
    Thanks

    I see you're in Frederick. I have an unopened deer processing knife set that you can have, and probably have an unused suitable fixed blade. I got the processing set as a mistaken delivery from an internet retailer that didn't charge me (came with other things I ordered). I contacted them to try and return it to them, and they said keep it. Send me a PM, and I can pass these on to you this weekend.

    (btw, in case your kid did his hunter safety training at the Frederick IWLA last year, he might have been in the same class with my older boy)
     

    Minuteman

    Member
    BANNED!!!
    Don't get a replaceable razor blade type, people are complaining that some hunters are leaving the dull blades in the woods.

    I'd recommend a good quality folding knife (that is not spring assisted opening), because he can carry it almost everywhere in his pocket or on his belt and it's totally legal (maybe not to school now a days).

    If you want to go fixed (better I agree for strength), then get a small (~3") skinning blade blank with a hole in it, and you and him make a handle for it! And they are inexpensive. I recommend a soft steel, so he gets lots of practice sharpening it; do it with him, teach him.

    http://www.damascus-blanks.com/prod..._blanks_blades_knives_knife_making_custom.php


    bl046(3).jpg
     

    Users who are viewing this thread

    Latest posts

    Forum statistics

    Threads
    274,921
    Messages
    7,259,000
    Members
    33,349
    Latest member
    christian04

    Latest threads

    Top Bottom