Care and Handling of Hunting Knives

It goes without saying that sharp objects should always be handled carefully. Avoid cutting on hard surfaces such as stone, metal and glass. Only meat cleavers should be used to cut through bone, other blades can be easily damaged.

Hand wash knives with warm water and mild detergents and dry immediately. Some advertisements say that knives can be put in the dishwasher but we don’t recommend it. Avoid cleaners that contain bleach or citrus extracts.

Sharpen as needed. With regular use and honing once each week, you should not have to sharpen your knife more than once or twice per year. Sharpen with a whetstone or knife sharpener designed to sharpen at a 16° angle or have it sharpened professionally.

Store in a safe place to protect the edge and prevent injuries.


Today’s blog from Ms. Knife

Shun Knives

These extremely popular cutting utensils are in high demand world wide. First manufactured in Japan, which is renown for knife excellence, they began to be manufactured in the U.S. in 1998.

D-shaped wood grain handles are made from Pakkawood and are water-proof. The thin, light-weight stainless blade incorporates layers of softer steel, giving it a hard razor sharp edge. This makes the knife sturdier and non-stick.

Shun knives remain sharper longer and come with a lifetime guarantee. You can view some of these knives on our website.

New this week: Shun Kaji 6" Boning Knife

Today’s blog by Ms. Knife

Hunting Joke of the Week

Two guys are coming out of the woods dragging a deer when another hunter stopped them to say, “I don’t want to tell you guys what to do but it would be a lot easier to drag that deer on the other end. The antlers won’t dig into the ground.”

After the third man left one of the hunters said to the other. “You know, that guy was right. This is easier.”

His buddy replied, “Yeah, but we keep getting further from the truck.”



Speaking of hunting, you might like to take a look at our website.

Ms. Knife’s chuckle for the week.

Gerber Answer Knives

This knife comes in both a serrated version and a fine edge drop point. Both knives are technical and tactical. The are lightweight. Their aluminum handles contribute to the lesser weight and are textured with inlays for better grip.

The tanto serrated blade is used for thrusting. The shape is similar to Japanese made knives. The drop point fine edge is used for general purposes especially hunting.

Both of the these knives can be found on our website.

Gerber Knives-Feature of the Day

Gerber knives have been around since 1939. Pete Kershaw, a very successful knife merchant, once was employed by Gerber. Gerber knives are known for their “bolt-action” and push button locking systems. They are made of AUS-8 and ATS-34 high carbon stainless steel. Japanese knife manufacturers use this same steel. Zytel handles are light but tough injection mold. Kraton rubber is used for enhanced grip.

We carry Gerber knives on our website. Today I would like to feature the Gerber Prodigy-Serrated Edge Knife. This is an example of hybrid knife design at its best.

It is easily opened with one hand. There is a pocket clip for convenience. The handle is a blend of die cast aluminum and Softgripâ inserts. It comes with a Lifetime Guarantee.

There is a picture of this knife in the right hand column. If you buy this knife from us, we will have it engraved for you for free. Just e-mail us from the website and let us know what to engrave.

Fixed Blade or Folding Knife?

I polled the responders to a Field and Stream blog to find out what they had to say.  Only one respondent picked one over the other.  He preferred a fixed blade. 

Most guys had both kinds of knives.  The fixed blade knives tended to be longer in blade length.  I was happy to see that some of their favorite brands were Buck, Gerber and Puma knives that we carry on our website.

One hunter said that folding knives were easy to lose, so he usually buys the less expensive ones that had assisted opening.  Others definitely had brands they preferred.  Much to my delight we carry some of those also.  Buck and Kershaw knives, especially those designed by Ken Onion made the list.  These also can be found at hunting-knife-outlet.com.

Plain Or Serrated Edge

When my husband and I started looking at knives to sell he was amazed at how many serrated knives are available.  He prefers a fine edge knife.  What it really boils down to is the purpose of the knife.

When using a knife, usually one of two functions are needed-slicing or cutting as you sort of push the blade.  Examples would be whittling, peeling fruits or vegetables, or skinning game.  When the push action is involved a plain edge knife is more useful.  You have more control and accuracy.  The cuts are also cleaner.

Slicing is best handled with a serrated edge. You can use a plain edge for slicing but the edge must be very sharp.  Generally serrated knives work better to slice.  Serrated edges have high and low points along the edge.  The high points touch the material first.  That increases the pressure on the blade and makes it more powerful.  The chisel-ground edge of the blade is thinner and will cut better than a plain knife.  Hard and dry surfaces can be handled more easily.  Tough ropes and wood are prime examples.

The serrated edge is said to have a more menacing appearance also.  Security clearances dislike serrated edges more than plain edged-knives.

There is an argument, though, that plain-edged knives can be sharpened with a coarse stone that creates a semi-serrated edge.  Plain-edge knives are easier to sharpened.  Sharpening changes the characteristics of the knife.

Combo knives are becoming more prevalent.  It makes sense to have both types of edges on the same blade.  Two things have to be taken into consideration.   Unless the knife is a good length, the amount that is serrated would hardly be feasible.  Ninety percent of combo knives are generally designed with the top 50%-60% of the knife having a plain edge and the serration closer to the handle.  The combination of plain edge at the top and serrated near the handle may be formatted incorrectly for someone who wants to cut meat at a campsite and whittle with it at some other time.  This individual would be more likely to use a coarse stone to give the top edge of the knife more bite and polish the lower edge with a less coarse stone to use when whittling.   

Type of Steel Used in Hunting Knives

Here is an explanation of the different types of steel used in hunting knives.  This is an important aspect of your knife.

420 knife steel has a low carbon content.  It is found in inexpensive knives and is used more prominently for diving purposes.

420HC steel, when treated properly, has good corrosion resistance and holds an edge well.  Buck knives contain 420HC steel.  They are carefully treated.

Sometimes referred to as “semi-stainless”, because it contains 12% chromium instead of the 13% standard, D-2 knife steel is excellent for holding an edge.  It may not be as strong as a knife that has more carbon content.

S30V knife steel is mainly for cutlery.  It is thought by many to be the best steel for knives.  Carbon and vanadium content makes it corrosion resistant and it holds a sharp edge.

440 knife steel comes in three grades: 440A, 440B and 440C.  440C, in my opinion, is the best of three grades.  The only downfall is that it is the least rust resistant.  It contains the highest carbon content and therefore is the strongest.  If a knife says 440, it is probably 440A and has the least carbon content.  All grades meet the standard to be considered stainless steel.

Similar to 440A, is 425M knife steel.

Many high quality knives are made in Japan.  AUS knife steel is used there.  It also has three grades: AUS-6, AUS-8 and AUS-10.  With AUS-10 being comparable to 440C,  It is even less rust resistant but stronger.  AUS steel contains vanadium that improves it wear.

The Japanese use two other types of steel.  The ATS-34 knife steel is also similar to 440C.  VG-10 has an added element of cobalt.  It is used to enhance other qualities of the knife.  There is a toughness factor present that increases the knife’s ability to withstand stress.  VG-10 keeps a good edge and resists corrosion.  It is easily scratched, however.

Today's Blog by Ms. Knife
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How to Choose a Hunting Knife

A hunting knife serves more than one purpose.  These include, but are not limited to, skinning animals and splitting through the ribcage and bone.  Consider how you will use your knife and what type of game you plan to pursue.  Big game hunters will use a different kind of knife than those preying on rabbits and squirrels.  Large knives can be cumbersome when working with small animals.  The risk of getting cut also increases.

You have to take into consideration how often you plan to use your knife.  Occasional hunters, that use their knife for more than one purpose, tend to purchase knives with smaller blades that fold.  Avid hunters are more likely to purchase a fixed blade knife.

"To sheath or not to sheath?" is the next question.  Of course, fixed blades need a sheath.  Folding knives might better serve you without a sheath.

-Today's blog from Ms. Knife