Jase Posted April 13, 2009 Report Share Posted April 13, 2009 Hi guys, Yet again I say thanks for all the valuable info I've learnt in the short time being a forum member. This one is about the knives. Any informaiton I can get, positive or negative would be great. When you buy a knife, what do you look for. Lets start out by saying I haven't been on hunts yet. I have yet to get my .22LR and .17HMR, but when I do i'll be shooting pests: foxes, rabbits, feral cats, goats etc. I've seen so many different knives on the market, ranging from the 30 dollar ebay job, up to the 300 or 400 top of the line mega special knives in hunting stores. How do I know what is a good knife to buy. Things I am thinking are a consideration are size, type, material and life of blade, if it has extra funcionality on the rear of the blade, the handle type, construction and material. Anyone got some opinions, advice on what to get, what to stay away from? Thanks again, Jase Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
.300WinMagnum Posted April 13, 2009 Report Share Posted April 13, 2009 it all depends on size of game etc, you dont want a huge knife to gut a rabbit, so you will probaly need to buy 2 or 3 for differents sizer's. Then you need one for skinning, one for boning etc Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YABBIE Posted April 13, 2009 Report Share Posted April 13, 2009 The size of game hunted is the main consideration. Having said that a sambar still only needs a 3-4 inch skinner to dress it. Far too many huge knive's being fought with in the field when a smaller one would be more suited. You may need a couple, a nice little folder for the bunny's (Joseph Rodgers "Bunny" is ideal funnily enough) and a 3-4 inch drop point skinner for the bigger critters like goats and such (spend what you want, something from cold steel will be reasonable value) But I can almost guarantee that you'll buy one, then another, and another, and another and it'll just keep going on and on! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jase Posted April 13, 2009 Author Report Share Posted April 13, 2009 Whats the difference between a "knife" a "skinner and a "drop point skinner. Remeber you are talking to a total newbie. The other thing I meant to ask is folding or fixed? I found this on ebay. Is something like this sufficient? Remember for the moment I'm just hunting pests: rabbits, foxes feral cats etc. Maybe the odd goat, but that wouldn't be very often. Jase Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YABBIE Posted April 13, 2009 Report Share Posted April 13, 2009 Wouldnt be my first choice. For the little critters I'd be leanin towards a small foler with a blade no more than about 75mm long. Even the good ol' swiss army (basic mod, not with ALL the Sh1t!) would do a good job. Excaliber make some nice little cheap folders of reasonable quality available every where. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SCULPTY Posted April 13, 2009 Report Share Posted April 13, 2009 I agree with YABBIE - in that it wouldn't be my first choice either... for the game you are wanting it for I would suggest a single blade lock knife such as a Gerber... This last one is probably my pref. as it is basic, functional, well made (holds its edge) and easy to clean! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SCULPTY Posted April 13, 2009 Report Share Posted April 13, 2009 Also should add to the above... Take a light weight tomahawk/cleaver with you as this will make removing the head, feet and the poo from in the groin area of a rabbit much easier (I keep that in the vehicle or at camp & bring it out at the end when dressing the rabbit). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
goatherder Posted April 13, 2009 Report Share Posted April 13, 2009 I've got a knife with a tanto point and I don't find it all that useful. The one you linked to looks like a fighting knife. I'm not sure it will be any good for much except pig sticking. Look for a smallish knife (5-10cm blade) with the edge curving up towards the point - most knives described as a 'hunting' knife will look like this. I have a small ka-bar drop point fixed blade knife (this one) which works very well on rabbits. Drop point simply means that the back edge of the knife (the blunt edge) 'drops' towards the blade near the point. I'm not sure what the advantages are, I think they look pretty good though. Whats the difference between a "knife" a "skinner and a "drop point skinner. Remeber you are talking to a total newbie. The other thing I meant to ask is folding or fixed? I found this on ebay. Is something like this sufficient? Remember for the moment I'm just hunting pests: rabbits, foxes feral cats etc. Maybe the odd goat, but that wouldn't be very often. Jase Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jjason Posted April 13, 2009 Report Share Posted April 13, 2009 I use a 5inch skinner,and have heaps of old boning knives all either 5inch or 6inch all Vitranox knives I used to work as a beef and mutton boner and these knives are easy to shapen and cheap.Look at the butchers they all use either vitranox,swibo,dexter russel or f-dicks all are reasonably priced if bought from a butchers supply shop>expect to pay over double at tackle,surplus and gun shops.No need for a $30 dollar plus knife if your going to spend big bucks put it to a decent steel.My knives are cheap but my steel is about $140 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tom1 Posted April 14, 2009 Report Share Posted April 14, 2009 you cant go past the 75-100mm fixed blade, drop point skinners 'old timer' make a brillent one, they shapern easily and hold edge for ages i use it for bunnies to fallow dear works great easy to work with etc, id also reccomend a 'gut hook' the second on in sculpty's pictures saves popping they gut for a newbie however all said and done no knife is any good if you cant sharpen it and keep it sharp- invest alot of time here or get a old fella to show you the way nothing worse then dressing an animal and knife isnt sharp enough and ya can run down the shop to get it done when ya in the scrub, very vauble skill to have but lots of practice in it cos it aint easy to do it properly so it stays sharp just another 2c Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jindydiver Posted April 14, 2009 Report Share Posted April 14, 2009 For your first knife you could start with a rabbiter folder of a swiss army knife, both will do all the jobs you want for now and later when you have more idea of what you want to do, and how you want to do it, you can look at something bigger and more expensive. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fenring Posted April 14, 2009 Report Share Posted April 14, 2009 This would be a good all rounder for not much $$ http://cgi.ebay.com.au/Gerber-Profile-Fixe...34.c0.m14.l1262 This bloke combines shipping so you may as well get a decent folder while you are going. I've used him twice - no dramas at all. FWIW the quaility on those S+W knives is pretty patchy. I got two as cheap bunny knives - one was utter rubbish (Extreme ops folder) and the larger Border Guard model I got is my regular bunny knife. Takes a decent edge and holds it fairly well, but is no so expensive it would worry me to lose it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adios Posted April 14, 2009 Report Share Posted April 14, 2009 (edited) a Edited September 17, 2019 by Adios Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fangster Posted April 14, 2009 Report Share Posted April 14, 2009 Mate this is a good cheap general purpose knife . Have some leather worker make you a pouch with a built in steel holder :--VICTORINOX Boning knife 5.6503.15 Victorinox Boning knife with wide curved blade Hi quality S/S Blade extra thick making this stronger. Normal Straight Edge FIBROX Handle- Black polypropylene handle, Dishwasher safe, ant slip for professional use Blade length :15cm http://www.cfmvic.com.au/swsales.aspx?cati...mp;subcatid=159 Last for years no rust issues and cheap as dirt to replace if you loose one. You're right Happy Jack, for anybody who guts/bones or dresses, a boning knife is the best way to go. Add a proper skinner from Victorinox, F D1ck (silly swear police) or Swibo, and you got it all. Oh, and a diamond steel of course. A good boner is the best sticker too, and has the dual purpose of being able to dress the animal out. And, it's only $30-40. If you can't get a sheath made or do one up yourself, wrap it and stick it in your hunting bumbag or pack. Anyone who is looking for the easiest, neatest and fastest knife to use would do well to check out what the pros use on roos, pigs and deer where speed and getting the job done is important, bet there won't be many commercial "hunting" knives for miles, with good reason. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TJ_Tas Posted April 14, 2009 Report Share Posted April 14, 2009 Personally I favor Bowie knives. I was bought up with them. I've got an 8" Puma bowie which i've had for 20+ years. I use it for everything from hunting to fishing to killing and dressing my sheep. Its good steel and will hold a good edge for a fair while. If you know how to sharpen a knife you can get it razor sharp. The only other knife I use is a chinese cleaver which i think is an essential in any meat prep area. If you are looking at a fixed blade make sure it has a through tang. You can always bind the handle to get extra comfort or grip from it. This is similar to my Puma:- Puma Bowie knife Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
len Posted April 14, 2009 Report Share Posted April 14, 2009 My choice for small game - rabbits, foxes and game birds http://www.wellingtonsurplus.com.au/showPr...ATH+MODEL+96OTS Excaliber make a copy of this knife which is slightly smaller and is half the price but buy the Schrade its much better quality for medium to large size game Buck 121 a great knife - discontinued - but still available 2nd hand http://www.worthpoint.com/worthopedia/buck...e-55-inch-blade http://www.everten.com.au/product/dexter-r...ning-knife.html and large size game http://www.everten.com.au/product/s136-6-6...-sani-safe.html http://www.everten.com.au/product/dexter-r...r-sl12-525.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
.300WinMagnum Posted April 14, 2009 Report Share Posted April 14, 2009 i normally buy buck or gerber knifes but saying that i got a nice little winchester folding knife for bunnies, remington also sell a three pack of stainless knifes which are very good can pick them up for most gun stores for around $80. But like yabbie said you will just keep getting more and more Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tom1 Posted April 14, 2009 Report Share Posted April 14, 2009 (edited) My choice for small game - rabbits, foxes and game birdshttp://www.wellingtonsurplus.com.au/showPr...ATH+MODEL+96OTS Excaliber make a copy of this knife which is slightly smaller and is half the price but buy the Schrade its much better quality i'd second this choice good quality, easy to carry, has a sheath, old timers sharpen extreamly well (good steel used not sh!t) and a good price, perfect for rabbits and foxes nothing worse then a huge knife and small animal to dress, but you will have no trouble using a small knife on a bigger animal just takes a bit longer also you can find old timers like this for a bit cheeper at your lgs but still worth its weight at $80 Edited April 14, 2009 by tom1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Craig74 Posted April 15, 2009 Report Share Posted April 15, 2009 As a butcher i cant go past the tools of my trade being Victranox boners and a good skinner in there as well. These are cheap easy to sharpen and hold good edges even for novice knife sharpeners. As stated no matter what Knife you use spend the money on a good steal be it diamond or a good polished 1 for those with more knowlage. As to smaller game i alway have a selection of 3-5 inch Excalibre folders on me or in the car. Personally be more worried about the edge and how to keep it sharp as a $400 work of art is just a butter knifel if it aint sharp. Cheers Craig Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adios Posted April 15, 2009 Report Share Posted April 15, 2009 (edited) a Edited September 17, 2019 by Adios Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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