Show Us Your Hunting Knife

My Pheasant Hunting Knife, a pocket folder.
Build by my good friend, Greg Lightfoot, custom knife maker in Canada.
The Captain.
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I used a knife that I built last winter to skin a deer today. I wanted it to have a stout thick blade and handle like a Randall.

I bought the blade and parts and used African Ebony wood I had on hand. 440C stainless

If you look close. It’s no Randall I was not able to get the pins or bolsters perfect. And the jimping is not even.

But it really takes an edge and is a great skinner
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@Altitude sickness - The flaws you see are much more noticeable to you than anyone else. Sometimes we can be our own worst critics instead of focusing of the big picture. Like taking the time to craft your own knife and use it on an animal you harvested.

Congratulations on a fine blade and bountiful season.
 
I used a knife that I built last winter to skin a deer today.
Fantastic!

Like anyone working with their hands, you are your own worst critic. I’d say it’s awesome and you are using it! Make another one, perhaps in a different style and continue to hone your skills. Lots of folks sell blade blanks on eBay and Etsy. Woodcraft sells knife scales in all sorts of exotic woods. Here:


Lots of knife supply companies out there to sell you fancy pins and all the stuff you need.



Ed Z
 
Fantastic!

Like anyone working with their hands, you are your own worst critic. I’d say it’s awesome and you are using it! Make another one, perhaps in a different style and continue to hone your skills. Lots of folks sell blade blanks on eBay and Etsy. Woodcraft sells knife scales in all sorts of exotic woods. Here:


Lots of knife supply companies out there to sell you fancy pins and all the stuff you need.



Ed Z
Thanks for the links. I could do this. Just starting the cherywood case for the 404 I built last year. Think I'll leave a compartment for a custom knife build.
 
I used a knife that I built last winter to skin a deer today. I wanted it to have a stout thick blade and handle like a Randall.

I bought the blade and parts and used African Ebony wood I had on hand. 440C stainless

If you look close. It’s no Randall I was not able to get the pins or bolsters perfect. And the jimping is not even.

But it really takes an edge and is a great skinner View attachment 649125View attachment 649126View attachment 649127View attachment 649128View attachment 649129View attachment 649130
@Altitude sickness - looks nice to me and better than anything I could build. If you want it to be “More like a Randall” - then just WAIT 3-4 years before you use it
 
I used a knife that I built last winter to skin a deer today. I wanted it to have a stout thick blade and handle like a Randall.

I bought the blade and parts and used African Ebony wood I had on hand. 440C stainless

If you look close. It’s no Randall I was not able to get the pins or bolsters perfect. And the jimping is not even.

But it really takes an edge and is a great skinner View attachment 649125View attachment 649126View attachment 649127View attachment 649128View attachment 649129View attachment 649130
Absolutely awesome.
 
Whenever I'm walking to the public library from my office, I'll usually stroll by the Historic Arkansas Museum & see if the blacksmith, Lin Rhea, is in the forge making anything interesting. The last knife I got was when I asked him to forge one of his X-Rhea knives for me. It's a single piece of carbon steel & nothing else so it's a minimal utilitarian design.

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I learned one thing. I won’t use African Ebony again. The grain is gorgeous. But it is very dense hard wood to work with.
No ebony available here and only piece of rosewood in town was crap. I needed to finish my 404 build in time to get to Africa so I opted for zebrawood to make the fore end cap. It is hardwood but about same density as walnut. Maybe a bit harder. Fairly easy to work with. I have enough left for knife scales. This project will happen over the winter I'm thinking. Thanks all for tips on where to get parts.
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Whenever I'm walking to the public library from my office, I'll usually stroll by the Historic Arkansas Museum & see if the blacksmith, Lin Rhea, is in the forge making anything interesting. The last knife I got was when I asked him to forge one of his X-Rhea knives for me. It's a single piece of carbon steel & nothing else so it's a minimal utilitarian design.

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Very low maintenance! Unique.
 
Not a hunting knife yet but I'm working on it....
Making a couple of knives for myself, I'm not a knife maker but here goes nothing.
The Nessmuk style blade will be for removing skins and other larger jobs, the modified Tracker is just because I always wanted one. I profiled both blanks on a laser cutter from large crosscut saw blades and a mate, who is a knife maker, ground and heat treated them for me. The skinner will have handles made from offcuts to match a rifle stock I'm making and the Tracker will have Ironbark handles.
......getting a bit ahead of myself but I started on the sheath for the Tracker, a horizontal behind the back with pouch for a ferro rod and a diamond sharpener, etc.

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Roger
 
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Not a hunting knife yet but I'm working on it....
Making a couple of knives for myself, I'm not a knife maker but here goes nothing.
The Nessmuk style blade will be for removing skins and other larger jobs, the modified Tracker is just because I always wanted one. I profiled both blanks on a laser cutter from large crosscut saw blades and a mate, who is a knife maker, ground and heat treated them for me. The skinner will have handles made from offcuts to match a rifle stock I'm making and the Tracker will have Ironbark handles.
......getting a bit ahead of myself but I started on the sheath for the Tracker, a horizontal behind the back with pouch for a ferro rod and a diamond sharpener, etc.

View attachment 649760View attachment 649761View attachment 649762

Roger
@yumastepside
You are truly a multi talented person mate.
Leather work, wood work now knife making. Love the modified tracker blade
Bob
 
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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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