Sidearms & Scatterguns Questions about custom hunting knives

[ZLBubba]

I'm looking for a good custom hunting/skinning knife that will hold up for years to come. Specifically, I want a fixed blade between 3-5". The handle doesn't make much difference to me so long as it won't be too slippery with deer blood on it. Now, my grandfather taught me to hunt and fish, and he never put much stock in stainless steel blades, the reason he gave was that they didn't hold an edge like carbon steel. I'm sure stainless steel and alloy technology have advanced a great deal since he formed that opinion, but I don't know enough about the topic to render judgment.

What say you? Are there any steels that are better than the rest at holding an edge? Is my bias against stainless steels misplaced?

Do you know of any websites that carry some of the nicer custom knifesmith blades? I've been perusing Arizona Custom Knives and it seems to have a pretty good selection of quality blades. I'd love to pick up a Gene Ingram or similar, but those seem fairly hard to come by. Any help would be appreciated.

 

[vetski]

Re: Questions about custom hunting knives

Bladegallery.com

Their showroom is in Kirkland, WA and the guys there are very knowledgeable. They carry a great selection of custom pieces and have good pics on the website to help you out. There's a couple I'm seriously jonesing for.

 

[Chucky]

Re: Questions about custom hunting knives

There is a company that usually has a lot of Ingram knives in stock. If you google it something should come up. I have a pair of engrams with d2 blades and I love them. I waited almost 3 years for them though.

 

[KM375]

Re: Questions about custom hunting knives

Take a look at
https://picasaweb.google.com/tipikw
tipi knife works of Bill Snow. He is a retired Army Marksmanship Unit guy that now makes custom knives of all kinds.
He made me 4 custom skinning knives for the guys in my wedding party

 

[ZLBubba]

Re: Questions about custom hunting knives

Thanks for the pointers, gents. After a bit more Googling, I found some Gene Ingrams in stock at an internet retailer. I went with the Bullnose Skinner. Can't wait to use it this season.

 

[Apollo12]

Re: Questions about custom hunting knives

Also check out Burt Foster's laminated blades. Best of both worlds.

 

[In2b8u]

Re: Questions about custom hunting knives

Google Gene Ingram knives. He is top dog and his backlog shows just how popular and good his product is. David and Jason Winston are also great blade makers and make great custom hunters. Charles May is no slouch either.
www.michiganknives.com keep a lot of Gene and Charles stuff in stock and their price reflects that.
Give any of these guys a call and they will steer you in the right direction as far as your custom knife needs. They are all great guys to chat with and carry a wealth of information and experience as far as custom blades go.

 

[Anti-Materiel]

Re: Questions about custom hunting knives

I like Bark River hunting knives.

http://www.barkriverknifetool.com/

 

[jack simpson]

Re: Questions about custom hunting knives

http://www.dozierknives.com/

 

[chainring]

Re: Questions about custom hunting knives

fiddlebackforge

 

[Mike 338]

Re: Questions about custom hunting knives

Cold Steel Master Hunter.

Good for big game animals. Holds an edge, easy to sharpen, good handle when wet/bloody, good skinner and not to expensive. Not very pretty, the blade will stain, in fact, a real beater. It'll service you a lifetime.

 

[ZLBubba]

Re: Questions about custom hunting knives

Sorry I haven't chimed in on this thread. I didn't know it was still going. I found an Ingram skinner on Ft Henry Custom Knives that fit the bill. It arrived at my house a few days ago.

I'll be deer hunting in two weeks so we'll see how she works!

 

[smack]

Re: Questions about custom hunting knives

Several of Gene Ingrams No #1 drop points in D2 with spalted Burl maple and mosaic pins. As mention above, a three year wait. Ordered as a matching set, the original picture of my set provided to me by Gene just prior to shipping.

 

[Father Sergius]

Re: Questions about custom hunting knives

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Anti-Materiel</div><div class="ubbcode-body">I like Bark River hunting knives.

http://www.barkriverknifetool.com/ </div></div>

+1

You can also learn more about the Barkies at http://www.knifeforums.com/forums/showforum.php?fid/59/

 

[mattja99]

Re: Questions about custom hunting knives

I would stay away from the flashy glitzy stuff (custom or production). Stick with the no-nonsense tools with a good reputation, Busse, Dozier, and many more custom or small production shops. I ordered a few from Brian Johnson at http://bkjohnsonknives.com/ and am very happy. He does great work at very good prices. He offered a great value for a custom knife, where as Randall for example, is a good knife, but not worth the price (in my opinion).

 

[Anti-Materiel]

Re: Questions about custom hunting knives

I just picked up an SDS Custom. Shawn does some great work for very reasonable prices. The one I got was D2 tool steel. He makes his own sheaths too. He'll make it from whatever steel you want, whatever handle material, blade profile etc. It's nice to get a knife made exactly how you want without settling for options you don't like.

http://sdsknifeworks.com/knives/default.asp

 

[Anti-Materiel]

Re: Questions about custom hunting knives

Oh yeah... as for the steel. I always prefer carbon steels. They take & hold an edge better than stainless & they're just plain tougher. The only bad thing is you gotta keep them oiled. They'll rust if you neglect them.

Some of the best knife steels are CPM S30V (that steel will take an ungodly edge!), A2, D2, 1095, INFI (Busse Combat exclusive steel), SR77 & tons more.

I'd just do some research if I was you. Any of the previous stated steels are great though!

 

[VaFarmer1]

Re: Questions about custom hunting knives

Smack... Those are some of the nicest knives I've ever seen.
I need to get on that waiting list. Or you could sell me one of yours

 

[smack]

Re: Questions about custom hunting knives

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: VaFarmer2</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Smack... Those are some of the nicest knives I've ever seen.
I need to get on that waiting list. Or you could sell me one of yours

</div></div>

Give Gene a call, he's a great guy to deal with.

Get a future slot, no money down and his led time has really improved. I talked to him the other day and I believe he said he has it down to about a year and a half. You will be more than pleased

Another thing you may consider is selecting your own wood and sending it to Gene for a truly custom knife. You can go to sites such as http://arizonaironwood.com and look at the huge selection and types of treated wood blocks and cut scales and select one that really catches your eye. My next two on order are going to be with a real dark with black Buckeye Burl or Koa. I have time so I'll just keep checking back untill I find the perfect block that works for me. Another good place to look is, http://www.burlsource.us/servlet/StoreFront

 

[oneshot onekill]

Re: Questions about custom hunting knives

Randall Made Knives... Period. Made in the same shop in Orlando Florida since the late '30's. One of the most desired knives by the U.S. Military and hunters since WWII. 5 year wait if you order one from the shop. They can be found on auction sites and a few dealers. All you have to do is hold one and you will understand. It's like holding a Real First Generation Colt Single Action. Magic...