3 Great Hunting Knives (top to bottom): Benchmade Meatcrafter, Buck 110 Slim Pro TRX and Bear & Son Small Hunter.
September 22, 2022
By Adam Heggenstaller
It's no fun to have just one knife, especially when there are models that handle specific duties much more efficiently than a general-purpose blade. A knife that makes short work of dressing a deer may struggle when cleaning a duck, and there isn’t much sense in using a boning knife to skin a squirrel.
It’s always a good idea to match blade size and type to the task at hand for both safety and effectiveness. Following are three tasks all hunters must undertake at some point, along with three levels of knives that excel at these jobs.
Benchmade Meatcrafter The Meatcrafter has Benchmade’s proprietary 14-degree edge and just the right amount of blade flex for deboning, trimming and slicing. Every component of the knife can be customized from blade steel and polish to handle material and pivot ring, and each Meatcrafter is built to order at Benchmade’s factory in Oregon City, Ore.
Blade Length: 6.08"Blade Steel : CPM-154 or 440CHandle : G10, Richlite or carbon fiberOverall Length : 11.06"Weight : 3.24 oz.MSRP : $300 (base model)Info : benchmade.com Read More: How to Build a Custom Knife in 8 Steps
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Buck 110 Slim Pro TRX Task: Field-Dressing a Deer An updated version of the iconic 110 Folding Hunter, the Slim Pro TRX has a Cerakote-treated pocket clip and thinner handle scales, and uses Torx screws in its construction rather than rivets. It also features dual thumbstuds for one-hand, ambidextrous opening.
Blade Length: 3.75"Blade Steel: S30VHandle: G10Locking Mechanism: l ockbackOverall Length: 8.63"Weight: 3.3 oz.MSRP: $114.99Info : buckknives.com Knife: Bear & Son Small Hunter Task: Cleaning Birds and Small Game Made in America, the Small Hunter is the ideal size for preparing rabbits and squirrels for the table. The clip-point blade allows for precise cutting, and its 440 steel holds a fine edge while being easy to sharpen. The nickel-silver finger guard lends additional control for tough cutting tasks.
Blade Length : 2.38"Blade Steel: 440Handle : rosewoodOverall Length : 6.5"Weight : 1.9 oz.MSRP : $65.99Info : bearandsoncutlery.com