HIGH-QUALITY HUNTING KNIVES
The best hunting knife could be a knife that will gut, skin, possibly butcher, and possibly cape whatever unfortunate animal came the way of your bullet. The knife must even be ready to do a good sort of odd jobs like whittling fuzz sticks, chopping poles for a stretcher, cutting a switch for a lazy horse, and chopping onions in camp. Although butcher knives work best for butchering, and scalpels are preferred for caping, and almost anything can work on any job if you’re skillful enough, some designs simply work better than others.
The blades listed here made our cut, because they were, for the simplest knives for hunting, because they were revolutionary in their time or because they worked so well that they influenced knife design thereafter. There are only five of them because only five truly deserve the designation “best knife ever.”
STEEL
Many manufacturers alter the names of steel to extend marketing appeal. Ignore that. Only a couple of stainless and carbon steels make quality, long-lasting blades, while still remaining affordable for the typical outdoorsman.
Stainless steel is that the commonest steel utilized in knife-making. The industry benchmark is 440C — a high-carbon, high-chromium steel mixed with manganese and molybdenum. Often hardened to 58-60 on the Rockwell Scale of Hardness (HRC), 440C holds a grip well, resharpens easily, resists corrosion, and carries a moderate tag. Some manufacturers stamp 440 on their blades, but if it doesn’t have the C, it is not what you would like. (Aus-8A is a suitable substitute for comparable composition.)
Balance may be a combination of blade length, thickness, and handles of the material. Actual balance can only be determined through handling the knife and can vary supported personal preference. I prefer a knife with a weight-forward balance, choosing a neutral balance second.