Show Us Your Hunting Knife

@Rare Breed I'm glad you got your Von Gruff knife in time for your trip.

I bought one after I had been over but I'm sure it will serve you well for many hunts and great memories.
 
Here are a couple favorites of mine. One is a Ruana made in Bonner, Montana, pricey little buggers too but nice knives, this one still unused.
The other is an old Wade & Butcher made in Sheffield England that my dad carried hunting for years and also carried it all during WWII while in the Merchant Marine. Its a very good knife with much sentimental value.
I have quite a few other knives as well.
View attachment 424075View attachment 424076
Ihave one like that it was my dads its 1st hunt was 1942 right before he went to wwII
 
Sorry for posting a few on the thread. Every time I post something, I think it will be the last time. Then I make another I like and want to share it, so hope people here are not getting bored with them.

So after making my last attempt at a night visible knife, I was asked by someone to make the same knife for them. I wasn't entirely happy with the last handle material, so did some some more searching online and found what seemed like a good alternative and ordered a set to try.

This new handle material has decent luminosity - the best I have found so far. I would rate it similar to good luminosity on a watch. The material is a little softer than I would like. Its fine for use on a knife, but I have to watch it when I grind the shape on the handle as the belt rips material off quicker than I am used to.

The blade is 3mm NitroV with a tapered tang and a distal taper to a pretty sharp point. The handle is luminous Chinesium with an orange G10 liner and Loveless bolts. I was also asked to make a Kydex belt sheath, so did it in orange in keeping with the high viz theme. It was only at the last minute while I was taking photos that I realised I got a bit ahead of myself at glue-up of the handles and forgot to engrave my logo on the blade. I will get a friend to laser etch my mark because I dont like to electro etch the blade once the handles are on.

IMG-5778.jpg
IMG-5780.jpg
IMG-5785.jpg
IMG-5792.jpg
IMG-5794.jpg
IMG-5801.jpg
IMG-5807.jpg


Very happy with the edge on this one. Should be a great user knife for the hunter its going to.

 
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My favorite is the one upon which Gary (VonGruff) and I collaborated five or six years ago. The idea was a general purpose hunting knife that would also make a useful self-defense weapon. It is fine for gutting a deer, but the places it travels with me, it is primarily kept as a weapon. We used a saber grind and relieved top edge. The point is in perfect alignment with the center of the haft providing a very powerful and directable thrust. The thumb rest and finger guard allowed us to do away with a guard which clutters up so many dual purpose blades such as a Bowie. We equipped it with a cross draw sheath. It is not only the most comfortable design for getting in and out of or riding in a vehicle, but it also allows ready access under any conditions.

And before you roll your eyes at the use of a knife in a self-defense situation, with a modicum of training a knife can be very effective - particularly in close quarters like a vehicle hijacking or hotel room.
View attachment 575952
Red leg,

Is that knife/blade design available from VonGruff?
 
Sorry for posting a few on the thread. Every time I post something, I think it will be the last time. Then I make another I like and want to share it, so hope people here are not getting bored with them.

So after making my last attempt at a night visible knife, I was asked by someone to make the same knife for them. I wasn't entirely happy with the last handle material, so did some some more searching online and found what seemed like a good alternative and ordered a set to try.

This new handle material has decent luminosity - the best I have found so far. I would rate it similar to good luminosity on a watch. The material is a little softer than I would like. Its fine for use on a knife, but I have to watch it when I grind the shape on the handle as the belt rips material off quicker than I am used to.

The blade is 3mm NitroV with a tapered tang and a distal taper to a pretty sharp point. The handle is luminous Chinesium with an orange G10 liner and Loveless bolts. I was also asked to make a Kydex belt sheath, so did it in orange in keeping with the high viz theme. It was only at the last minute while I was taking photos that I realised I got a bit ahead of myself at glue-up of the handles and forgot to engrave my logo on the blade. I will get a friend to laser etch my mark because I dont like to electro etch the blade once the handles are on.

IMG-5780.jpg


IMG-5785.jpg


IMG-5792.jpg


IMG-5794.jpg


IMG-5778.jpg


IMG-5807.jpg


IMG-5801.jpg


Very happy with the edge on this one. Should be a great user knife for the hunter its going to.

Very cool.

Have you thought of putting a small choil at the base of the blade to allow for the complete sharpening of the edge? This is sometimes called a sharpening choil.

What method do you use for hardening the Nitro V after making the blade?
 
Sorry for posting a few on the thread. Every time I post something, I think it will be the last time. Then I make another I like and want to share it, so hope people here are not getting bored with them.

So after making my last attempt at a night visible knife, I was asked by someone to make the same knife for them. I wasn't entirely happy with the last handle material, so did some some more searching online and found what seemed like a good alternative and ordered a set to try.

This new handle material has decent luminosity - the best I have found so far. I would rate it similar to good luminosity on a watch. The material is a little softer than I would like. Its fine for use on a knife, but I have to watch it when I grind the shape on the handle as the belt rips material off quicker than I am used to.

The blade is 3mm NitroV with a tapered tang and a distal taper to a pretty sharp point. The handle is luminous Chinesium with an orange G10 liner and Loveless bolts. I was also asked to make a Kydex belt sheath, so did it in orange in keeping with the high viz theme. It was only at the last minute while I was taking photos that I realised I got a bit ahead of myself at glue-up of the handles and forgot to engrave my logo on the blade. I will get a friend to laser etch my mark because I dont like to electro etch the blade once the handles are on.

IMG-5780.jpg


IMG-5785.jpg


IMG-5792.jpg


IMG-5794.jpg


IMG-5778.jpg


IMG-5807.jpg


IMG-5801.jpg


Very happy with the edge on this one. Should be a great user knife for the hunter its going to.


Love that luminescent material… I might have to try to source something similar to try out…
 
Very cool.

Have you thought of putting a small choil at the base of the blade to allow for the complete sharpening of the edge? This is sometimes called a sharpening choil.

What method do you use for hardening the Nitro V after making the blade?

Yes, but I dont use a sharpening choil unless someone asks for it. Bob Loveless didnt like them, and I definitely am influenced by his style so I generally dont use them. I dont find it an impediment, but like so many aspects of knife design, its personal choice.
 
Love that luminescent material… I might have to try to source something similar to try out…
Thanks, I was pretty happy with how it turned out. Its a little on the thin side at about 1/4", but a thicker liner would fix that. I got it off Ali Express. and it took about 3 weeks to arrive.
 
Here are the 2 of the knives I normally carry in the field. (one not both). Top is a Rigby of unknown maker, and the bottom is a Wagaman.

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For field dressing, I find myself using this more and more. It is ugly but awesome. Much like its owner. :LOL: I can gralloch a deer like it is nothing, and it rips through the breast plates like butter.

fieldtorq.jpg



Safe hunting
 
Here are the 2 of the knives I normally carry in the field. (one not both). Top is a Rigby of unknown maker, and the bottom is a Wagaman.

View attachment 594623

For field dressing, I find myself using this more and more. It is ugly but awesome. Much like its owner. :LOL: I can gralloch a deer like it is nothing, and it rips through the breast plates like butter.

View attachment 594624


Safe hunting

Pretty sure the Rigby knife is made by Emberleaf. They make for Rigby, but pretty sure you can buy the same design direct from Emberleaf. There are a few British custom knife makes that produce a similar design.

That crab claw thing is interesting. Never seen one before.
 
While I have a post from the beginning of all this with my own handmade knife I gotta add the one that keeps getting used when travelling. A Buck 112 Slim in orange. It's a tad shorter than the 110, which IMO is better. It's light and balanced. That is a big plus over the long haul. I recall a book about moose hunting mentioning a light knife being critical for the time you worked on a moose or any animal, and he is right. And finally the color, it sticks out. Put that down and walk away and you can still come back and find it. Those camo knives so popular in the 90's are a great way for a manufacturer to make money, you're destined to lose it. K-Bar makes a similar sized lock back knife in pink I'd buy for the same reason if I didn't already have this one. And it's not all that pricey. Lose it and you can track a new one down reasonably. It went to Florida in January for my last hunting report and worked like a champ.

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Talk about absolute heresy given my knife collection and fleet of suitable hunting knives, but the last two times I killed game this was all I had along. So much for the five P's. It performed well enough, but a larger bellied blade would have been more forgiving. Just my EDC knife that's sharp and available.

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Everyone always thinks about the worst thing that can happen, maybe ask yourself what's the best outcome that could happen?
Big areas means BIG ELAND BULLS!!
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autofire wrote on LIMPOPO NORTH SAFARIS's profile.
Do you have any cull hunts available? 7 days, daily rate plus per animal price?
 
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