Hunting knife for big hands

[Scorch]

Take a look at the Knives Of Alaska products. Good steel, good construction, although the prices are a bit high.

Buck knives are made in China now, as are a lot of entry-level goods.

[rickyrick]

I'll throw Zvord out there again, this their Peasant Knife, one of the smaller ones. The handle is big, but this is not my point.
My 4'8" daughter decapitated a 250lb boar with it.

They look like crud, but probably the best carbon steel blade out there.




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[lefteye]

That appears to be a folding knife, but not a locking folding knife. A fixed blade or a locking folding knife is MUCH safer for a hunting knife, especially when used for gutting and even skinning.

[rickyrick]

I was just showing an example, they have fixed blade hunting knives as well.

However the design of the folding blade makes it impossible to close while using. Has a 'tang' that folds around and becomes part of the handle.


https://www.amazon.com/Svord-Curved-.../dp/B0080KHY38
this will do all that is needed

[lefteye]

I saw the extension of the blade back into the grip. Gripping a folding knife even with a blade extension into the grip does not make it impossible for the knife to fold while being used. A locking blade is not impossible to close if, for example, the lock breaks or fails in some way. Nevertheless, a locking folding hunting knife is far safer than a non-locking folding knife that relies on a firm, stable grip on the blade extension to avoid an unintended closing of the knife. I don't mean to argue about this, but I would not want to be field dressing a deer late on a cold December day with a folding knife that doesn't lock open and closed. Although I have always carried a locking folding knife while hunting I also carry a non-folding knife which I prefer for its stability (and also its strength.)

[rickyrick]

Sorry again, I didn't mean to show the knife as a skinning knife, only an example of the blade, and handle.

I do trust the knife I showed more than the standard locking mechanisms.

I really wanted to demonstrate the large size of the handle compared to the smaller size of the blade.
The other version I posted is a legitimate skinning knife, and should exceed many others in performance.

Svord, is well known among frontier types, bush crafters and off-the-grid types. I've seen people split logs with them with the aid of a ball-peen.
They are not pretty knives, not meant to be, they are meant to be extraordinarily durable, sharp, low cost and effective.

[Kreyzhorse]

I can palm a basketball as well but haven't had issues with knives being too small.

Benchmade, while a little over priced are nice knives and their Hunt series is well made.

As far as price, the should be close to your budget and additionally, there is a secondary market where you can buy gently used knives at good prices.

PM me and I'll fill you in on a knife forumn that I spend too much time on if you are interested.

[lefteye]

Benchmade are at least one class above the most commonly used hunting knives. If I was much younger and could afford it, I would have at least a couple of them.

[603Country]

Benchmade is good stuff. After having a succession of decent but not great pocket knives, I paid up for a Benchmade Griptilian. Great knife.

I'd still get a knife maker to whip me up a fancy KaBar type knife with a Damascus blade. Saw one once. Beautiful. If you don't like the shape of the basic KaBar blade, a custom guy can build to whatever you want.

Somebody said earlier that the KaBar wasn't great for skinning. That has not been my experience in skinning and gutting hundreds of deer with one.

[rickyrick]

Krezyhorse is correct, I can't remember the seller, but I've bought a number of gently used knives at great prices.

I'll have to add that the first 30years of my life I was a knife collector. I had all of the quality makers that I could afford. I've made a few amateur blades over the years. I was further into knives than I am guns, shooting, hunting and so on.

If I was to buy a knife and want the absolute best carbon steel blade, it'd be a svord. If I wanted an attractive knife that performs just as well, I'd have to spend a lot more money.

Really depends on exactly what 'you' want, I'm only telling you what 'I'want.

Cannot dispute a Damascus blade, they are fabulous.
So many to choose from.
You do want a blade that can hold an edge.

There's plenty of good knives out there that haven't been talked about yet.

[Saltydog235]

Bubba Blade, really? Those knives suck. I have one of their fillet knives along with a whole bunch of Dexter Russell knives. My DR's stay sharp 3X as long, are easier and quicker to get an edge on and more comfortable to use. The new guy at the cleaning table always gets the Bubba, after a few fish, they opt to clean the boat or empty the gut buckets.

[GeauxTide]

Cutco came out with a hunting series a few years ago. I've been using their kitchen knives for 17 years and they have the best warranty of anything I've ever encountered. I damaged a couple over the years and they repair or replace at no cost. If they have someone selling in the area, they will come to your house and sharpen them, free of charge. Or, you can mail them in for sharpening, just paying for postage.

[Mr. Hill]

Thank you all for the helpful suggestions, I've got some shopping to do.

[Bill DeShivs]

Damascus steel is no better than any modern high carbon steel, and sometimes MUCH worse.
Many damascus knives for sale now use inferior Pakistani damascus steel.
Be very careful if choosing this type of steel. If it isn't from a known maker or entity, it's Pakistani or Indian cheap stuff.

[bamaranger]

Hey thanks for the tip on Svord, they look interesting.

[rickyrick]

Bamaranger,

I actually ordered the svord skinner above, will be here in a few days.
Don't be put off by the appearance, some do need a little honing at first.
They do have more "finished" versions of some of their knives, but cost a lot more.

I like the low cost "rough" versions.
Some folks buy them just to harvest the blade and make a project out of shining them up and making handles for them.

Anyhoo, I don't want to hijack the thread anymore than I already have.

[rjrivero]

Bark River Knives are my favorite. Their Bravo series, Aurora series, and their classic hunter series would fit the bill. I find their Nessmuck style collaboration to be a great skinner. They are al convex ground so that may require a little learning curve for stropping/sharpening but they have a lifetime warranty, and will refirb the knife for $15 shipping and handling under their "spa treatment." Their sheaths have a lifetime warranty as well.

You can "pre order" their knives to be built with your preferred handle materials. Just such a cool business model.

Here's three of mine.

[jackstrawIII]

This may sound self-promoting, but I'll share anyway.

You may want to consider having something custom-made for you. There are many knifemakers (myself included) who would be happy to make something for you and can tailor it to fit your big hands. Also, usually custom makers use better materials than a knife that sells for $150 at Bass Pro.

Just a thought.

PS. You'll likely have to increase your budget a bit if you go that route, but I think you might find it worthwhile.

[rickyrick]

Ok here is a Svord skinner. It has a big blanketyblank handle.

I didn't have anything to skin for demonstration, so I split a piece of remnant cow hide with it.
Couple of size references


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[hoghunting]

Have you looked at Silver Stag? They are made in USA and will do custom work.

https://silverstag.com/