How To Choose The Best Hunting Knife

Greetings, Fellow Hunter! Since you are reading this article, I’ll assume that you are in the market for a hunting knife; in fact you’re looking for some tips to help you choose the best hunting knife you can.

While it may not be as important as your gun or ammunition, a hunting knife is still an important piece of gear. Take a little extra time to research and make the best choice!

There are at least 4 major factors you’ll need to consider when choosing a hunting knife. They are:

Fixed blade or folding blade?
Blade shape
Blade steel
Other design elements

Before we cover those factors, though, you need to decide what you will use your hunting knife for. Decide exactly what you will expect of it:

Skinning game?
Trimming shooting lanes?
Need to be strongly resistant to corrosion?
Killing game?

Once you have decided what you need your knife to do, you can go over the 4 major factors and determine what the best hunting knife for you looks like.

Factor 1: Fixed blade or folding blade?

Choosing between fixed and folding blade should not be hard - just choose what benefits are most important to you. Fixed blade knives are stronger, faster to access, and easier to clean. Folding knives are more compact and easier to conceal.

If you plan on skinning and/or gutting animals with your knife, you should almost certainly choose a fixed blade knife. Trying to clean a folding blade knife with blood and guts in the mechanism is not easy.

For most hunters, a fixed blade knife will probably be the best choice.

Factor 2: Blade shape

There are 3 primary blade shapes used for hunting knives:

Skinner - This blade has a round, blunt shape - it is suitable primarily for skinning and gutting game. Its shape makes it difficult to accidentally damage the skin or meat of an animal. A good example of this shape is the Buck Skinner Knife.

Drop Point - This blade has a point that combines ease of skinning with more general purpose usage as well. A good example of this shape is the Gerber Big Rock Knife.

Clip Point - This blade shape is the most general purpose of the three styles. If you plan on doing alot of skinning with your knife, this is probably not the best choice. A good example of this blade shape is the Ka-bar Black Fighting Knife.

Factor 3: Blade steel

The steel used in creating a knife’s blade is very important. This determines many qualities, such as sharpness, ability to hold an edge, and corrosion resistance. Each type of steel has advantages and disadvantages. Here are some of the steels used:

420HC - Good edge holding and corrosion resistance, when properly treated (as Buck Knives does).

44O-A/B/C - Stainless Steel. Good corrosion resistance, acceptable edge-holding abilities with proper heat treating.

AUS-6/8/10 - Japanese equivalent of 440 steel. About the same, but a little tougher.

Factor 4: Other design elements

There are a variety of other features that you may want or need in a knife, such as:

Non-slip handle?
Sheath?
Guard?
Gut Hook?

Conclusion:

If you decide exactly what you need your knife to do, then go through the factors outlined in this article, you should be able to easily choose the best hunting knife for your uses.

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If you need help selecting a hunting knife, please call us at 800-651-2521.