To date, for lovers of hunting, there are a huge number of different equipment. A folding hunting knife is no less important than a gun when hunting. It has high functionality, so it allows you to perform many tasks. For example, with its help, you can arrange local overnight stays, cut up prey, cut food, stock up on firewood and much more. In addition, he can save a life. Therefore, the choice of a knife should be approached very seriously and responsibly.
general information
Each hunter or an ordinary buyer of a knife puts forward his specific requirements for him, so it’s very difficult to create a specific list of characteristics that folding knives for hunting should have, however, some general recommendations still exist.
If you need a quality knife, it is best to give preference to models with a fixed design, as they are endowed with increased strength and durability compared to folding knives. In addition, in the event of a wild beast attack, such a knife will always be ready for battle, while a folding knife does not always have time to alert.
Folding knives can also be used for hunting, but only if practicality, compactness and convenience are more important to the hunter. Folding knives will also be preferable if you go hunting for waterfowl and plan to move along the river in a boat. In this case, the folding knife will be much more use.
In addition to products with a folding and fixed design, there are still skinners. These are knives designed to remove skins from prey so as not to damage it. To perform this task, skinners are much more convenient and functional, compared with other types of knives.
Cold Steel
To carry a knife, you do not need to get a license, however, in order to avoid unnecessary problems and talking with law enforcement officers, it is best to get any hunting equipment from your backpack and attach it to your belt already upon arrival at the place of intended hunting. In most cases, this applies to knives with a fixed design and very large sizes. Nevertheless, there are cases when folding knives caused trouble to their owners.
What to look for?
So, how to choose a knife for hunting? When buying, certain factors should be taken into account on which the quality, strength, durability and ease of use of the knife depend. The first and most important criterion is the hardness of the blade. The higher it is, the longer the product will remain sharp. The minimum hardness that a hunting knife should have is 55 units.
Some novice hunters prefer a large size hunting knife, which at the same time has an unusual shape and handle made of various exotic materials. This is not quite the right approach, because, as practice shows, all these materials have fairly low performance and very quickly fail. Such knives are more suitable not for hunting, but for collecting dust on a shelf as a souvenir.
Equally important is the choice of brand. Modern manufacturers of knives, whose products have a rather impressive cost, make tools from high quality materials and control all stages of production, so their knives will last much longer and will not fail at the most crucial moment.
It is better not to buy domestic folding knives, the prices for which are affordable, since cheap grades of steel are used to make the blade, so the blade dies and rusts very quickly. And it is possible that such a knife will simply fall apart when you finish off a wounded animal or try to save your life.
When choosing a knife, you should consider what material the blade was made of, however, in this matter it all depends on what type of hunting you are following. For example, for steppe and forest hunting, where there are no ponds, a folding hunting knife would be ideal, for the production of which a special grade of steel was used, and for marshy areas or when hunting near ponds, steel blades are best suited.
It’s not worthwhile to go for various marketing and advertising tricks promising that your knife will be able to cut trees and metal objects with one stroke. In most cases, such knives are made in China from low-quality materials with low strength and durability. However, this does not apply to blades of European and Japanese manufacture, which are manufactured in strict accordance with all modern international standards.
Knife testing
Any hunting equipment needs to be thoroughly tested and tested in the field. Knives are no exception. In this case, many factors should be taken into account, which will be discussed later.
Blade check
When buying a knife, a visual inspection of the blade is necessary. It should be perfectly smooth, without any defects and deformations. If everything is in order with this, then the quality of sharpening should be checked further. The thickness of the blade should be the same along its entire length. The cuttings should be in perfectly even position, without visible distortions. If, at the same time, the cheren is put on glue, then it should not be visible anywhere, and in the case of fastening with the help of plates and rivets, all elements must be neatly and evenly fitted.
Handle test
A good quality folding knife should have a handle made from natural materials. The wooden handle is considered the best, since it sits more comfortably in the hand and does not slip out of the sweating palm, which can not be said about metal and plastic handles. In this case, the tree should not have any defects and defects, for example, fungal lesions, cracks, knots and so on.
Latch check
In order for the knife to last quite a long time, it is critically important to check the latch when buying it. To check the reliability of its fastening, the knife should be turned upside down with the blade and not hit the table very hard with the handle. If she does not lead, then the latch is attached very high quality.
Also, a folding hunting knife must be squeezed very tightly in the closed position. If it doesn’t open at the same time, then this is a sure sign of its quality, and if the disclosure happened, then it is better to refuse such a tool, since it can inadvertently open in a backpack or in your hands and cause a wound.
General recommendations for the operation of the knife
Buying a good quality folding knife is half the battle. For him to serve long and faithfully, he needs proper care. Below will be listed some recommendations on the operation and maintenance of the knife, which will extend its service life.
- Use the blade for its intended purpose. Do not open cans for them, chop trees and logs for a fire or try to hammer pegs when setting up a tent.
- After each hunt, rub the blade with oil, which will significantly increase its service life.
- To prevent the wooden handle from drying out, it should also be wiped with oil. In the case of a metal handle, it must be periodically polished.
If you follow these simple recommendations, then your knife will become your faithful companion for many years and will reliably serve you.
How to clean the product?
A folding hunting knife needs constant care, and not only when there are any problems with it. If you do not perform periodic cleaning of the weapon, then a lot of dirt can accumulate in the mechanism, which simply puts it out of order. It is better to clean the mechanism with the help of special solvents.
When polishing the blade with special pastes, be very careful, because they quite easily fall into all available places, it will be difficult to remove the paste from them. After each cleaning of the blade, it must be wiped with white alcohol. This will extend the life of the knife and keep the blade sharp for a longer period of time.
If you do not go hunting too often, then after cleaning the knife, it must be lubricated. What tools are better to use for this? Knife experts recommend camellia oil. In addition, specialty greases are sold in weapons stores, which retain their properties for a long time and protect the knife perfectly from corrosion.
Hinges require more care. If you have a knife with a non-separable design, then the hinges must be washed periodically under running water, after which they are dried and lubricated with oil. At the same time, do not pour too much grease, because it will not only leak out and dirty everything in the backpack, but it can freeze in severe frost, and you simply can’t open the knife. With a collapsible design, lubricate all hinge elements. It is not difficult to choose a knife for hunting. The most important thing is to follow him correctly, and then he will serve you for many years.