Hello all,
I am helping a friend of mine buy a new hunting knife. I know AUS-8 Isnt a great steel but isnt bad either, and S30v has good edge retention but is hard to sharpen? I know Clay had mentioned one that he uses on the ranch that is a Browning, but I cant find it anywhere. I am no pro on steels or their properties so if anyone has any more knowledge than me please correct my mistakes.

Thanks,
David

You are going to have to give us more information.

How much does your friend want to spend?
How large a knife?
What style knife?
Will it be used only for field dressing game or also as a camp knife?
etc....

I am trying to get some more information from him as far as that goes. I would say Less than $100, he currently uses a Buck 110. So I would think something similar just with a decent steel. I sharpened his Buck and he was able to skin his deer, and his Elk with it and not have any problems. But after I told him if he had a better knife he could go a lot farther he asked for my assistance. I will update it with more information as I get its.
Also what is everyones experience with the 420HC, or 440c?

If he is looking for an excellent knife for around 100 dollars, either the ESEE-3 or 4 are wonderful choices. The blades are 1095 carbon steel and so take a razor sharp edge with very good edge retention. They can handle any task set for them from skinning through to camp chores...actually nearly any job knives are expected to do. ESEE makes superlative knives for a reasonable price. I have the ESEE 4,5, and 6 and would not be without them. You can see my ESEE-4 in another post regarding Clay sharpening my knives.

Mind you, I have customized the ESEE 4's handle with museum grade Bird's Eye Maple (by Randy Chinn), but the knife was good enough that I wanted it for my prize collection.
You really cannot go wrong with such a fine knife. Excellent value for the dollars spent.

All the best
Leo

I will add one more knife that is a truly excellent all around tool for any hunter/outdoors-man. It is made by Helle of Norway and it is called their Temagami model



This knife has a slightly over 4 inch triple laminate steel blade and is perhaps the sharpest knife out of the box I have ever encountered. Helle doesn't say what steel they use but, I suspect it is every bit as good as any of the Swedish knives one finds on sale other than the 3G steel and VG10 steels used by Fallkniven...and I will wager even those are not too much better.
I love this knife and that Masur Birch handle treated with Linseed oil, comes with it as is...excellent grip and pretty too. It cost about 175 US dollars but if one saves the shekels a little longer, it is well worth the wait. I sharpened it up on the WEPS when it lost some of its keenness and it came out like a straight razor for sharpness...I gave it 18 degrees per side and this seemed to have been a good choice of bevel angles.

Cheers
Leo

I own the Outdoor Edge Swingblade, but had another unsucessful hunt this year, so I didnt get to use it. The upside down hook with a safety tip is nice for not poking the guts, and it cuts under the hair which is nice too for staying sharp. The skinning side is great for skinning, but every seasoned hunter that has seen my gear instead loves my Spyderco dragonfly and ESEE Izula II for field dressing along with the Swingblade gut hook. They all say the skinning knife would be used for skinning after hanging and aging the deer. In this regard I think the Swingblade is a little backwards. I would prefer a small knife with the gut hook for an in the field knife, and then a second skinning knife totally seperate for use later after hanging. Check out the Izula , 1095 steel, takes a great edge, but keep it oiled.

The regular Stanley utility knife with a hook blade can be used for a gut hook, I use one when unzipping a coyote but have never tried it on a deer but I do think it would work great, gets dull just turn the blade around and when both ends get dull just pitch it and install a new one, the utility knife handle will hold several new blades, The whole setup is a lot cheaper than a regular knife with a guthook.

Lucky