Do you prefer a short blade or long fixed blade knife?

S

steve white

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I am amazed some times how many custom hunting knives are made up with 3 3/4" or shorter blades. Have folks experienced something that causes the trend?

What would you have made up in the untimate fixed blade: 4" and longer, or 3 3/4 and shorter?
 
For a looooong time, my only skinning knife was a Buck 105 - 5" blade. I used that almost exclusively for about 30 years. Lately I lean heavily on Havalons. Heck the last moose I did - a paddle horn - I used a Havalon for the whole thing while in the field.
 
steve white said:
I am amazed some times how many custom hunting knives are made up with 3 3/4" or shorter blades. Have folks experienced something that causes the trend?

What would you have made up in the untimate fixed blade: 4" and longer, or 3 3/4 and shorter?
Click to expand...
@steve white
My primary blade is a custom fixed blade 3 3/4" Sandvik steel blade.
I use this for all my initial cuts when skinning and skin smaller deer completely with it.
On bigger game once the initial cuts are done my 5" skinning blade is out to work.
When it comes to knife work I use a minimum of 2 knives and upto 5 doesn't in how far in breaking the animal down.
I do like my little knife tho as it does a lot of things well
Bob
 
My father was a slaughterman and a butcher early in life. He’s always had a dim view of “hunting knives”. I’ll admit I went through the phase of havalon’s and 3 1/2” blades.
Growing up I helped the old man do slaughtering and butchering for neighbours and we only ever used 6” skinning knives and boning knives. That’s the industry standard for people who do it for a living, I’m not sure how hunters ever developed a different style.

I’ve graduated back to a skinner style knife. A good amount of belly for skinning some straight edge for getting through knuckles and cartilage. 4 1/2” - 6” blades. My main knife is 5” and that’s perfect.

Types of steel matters too, I’ve done my phase of “super steels” and I’m back to basic stuff. 1095 or 52100 tempered well holds a decent edge and touches up easily. For stainless N690co or Nitro V is plenty good enough. Still enjoy 3V but it can be a bitch to sharpen in the field while the former, especially those carbon steels strop up a razor edge on the back of your belt if need be.
 
Ive had similar experience to @JPbowhunter come out of a long line of butchers and everything was 6-7” knives.
IMG_2616.jpeg
 
For hunting; meaning gutting, skinning and caping, I greatly prefer a 3.5-4.25” flat ground blade with a blade height of no less then 0.75”. I honestly can’t stand havalons.
1084, D2, O2 are all easy to sharpen and hold an edge well
Magnacut and S30V hold an edge better but are much harder to sharpen

For butchering, I prefer 6” Victorinox or similar blades.

The reason for shorter fixed blades for hunting is mainly due to weight and size. I don’t need a huge blade to skin, gut, or cape.
 
3 3/4 is as long as I'd want it, and a bit shorter is better for me. (From bottom up) A buck 110 is a hair over 3 1/2" from guard to tip and I have never felt it was not enough. The Buck 112 I own is right around 3" and I have no complaints working with it on a few animals. My favorite of the ones I have made is a hair over 3 1/2". The Loveless clones I own.and plan on using are semi-skinner that is just shy of 3 1/2" and a dropped hunter that is just over 3 1/2". Working with them I prefer the semi-skinner a bit more. Skinners in Africa are often using paring knives that are maybe 3" like the Victorinox paring knife AKA Vickie. And my partner on my one and only Dall sheep hunt used a paring/steak knife for all his field work that was about the same as I recall.

The only time I need a longer blade is butchering, and that is back home. Then fillet knives come out.
1000010514.jpg
 
I use short blades. Working inside a critter a long blade is a handicap.
 
steve white said:
I am amazed some times how many custom hunting knives are made up with 3 3/4" or shorter blades. Have folks experienced something that causes the trend?

What would you have made up in the untimate fixed blade: 4" and longer, or 3 3/4 and shorter?
Click to expand...
Generally for a huntingnknife 4 to 5binches is pretty good for me. But blade geometry is also important as length. Over 5 inches they trend to lose ability for finer tasks a field/combat knife 5-7 inches.
Hunting/general purpose 3-5
Smaller than 3 i find is not super practical outside some nich applications
 
Field dressing and everyday use I use a less than 4". This is what the Buck 110 excelled at, and why it is so popular.

Butchering and boning takes larger knives

Removing large backstraps, taking roasts off the bone, removing the brisket off a moose or a cow, takes a much larger knife than boning out a Columbia Blacktail.....
 
What’s the knife to be used for?

Skinning and caping I like a shorter blade.
Processing in camp or at home 6” or larger victorinox boning knife.
Backcountry Hunting it’s a Havalon.
Diving and spear fishing a longer 6” blade designed for diving.
On my kit and overseas I started with a larger fixed blade in the 6 & 7” range, then went to a smaller 4-1/2” Winkler and eventually a thinner even shorter 4-1/8” Winkler. This is the same knife I now carry on my culling belt in Africa.
 
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I’m in the short blade for the field and longer blade for processing camp.
 
I prefer a 3.5”-4” for gutting and capping. Easy to control in an animal. 5”-6.5” for skinning and breaking down the animal.
 
I used to go for longer knives like these (I have both):

1786847971860.png


and one exactly like this old Browning:

1786848107993.png



Now, I use a fairly small, inexpensive, carbon steel Marbles knife, with a 3 1/2" blade for almost everything:


1786848636392.png



I'm sure that I may bit a too knife heavy when I hunt.

But, I carry:
- a Victorinox Champion (no longer made) in my right front pocket (Not a Champ - too much)
- a tactical folder clipped inside my right front cargo pocket
- a fixed blade knife at 4 o'clock on my belt.

My EDC includes the Swiss Army Knife and tactical folder, but not the sheath knife.

I use one or the other every day, either on my job, or doing personal stuff.
 
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I like a shorter blade, 3-4” for field work, and use 5-6 " butcher’s knives for processing, I have some longer knives that don’t tend to get used much unless I’m cutting up something big, like a rump etc, into smaller cuts or steaks and only because they make it neater with a long slice
Gumpy
 
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My son has posted a couple of good videos on YouTube about knives.

Nothing expensive, but very practical:






Yeah, he is a bit if a lightweight "weenie," but he has good experience as a hunter.


If you are with a PH and a staff of trackers, etc., this won't apply.
 
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steve white said:
I am amazed some times how many custom hunting knives are made up with 3 3/4" or shorter blades. Have folks experienced something that causes the trend?

What would you have made up in the untimate fixed blade: 4" and longer, or 3 3/4 and shorter?
Click to expand...

For gralloching and quartering done in the field:
For working on a carcass that is hanging from the ceiling and for butchering done at a table:
  • flexible boning knives with a blade length of 125-150 mm / 5-6"
An all round knife such as the proverbial Mora, can of course be used as well, but it is a compromise, being too long and too pointy for grallocking and too stiff for the finer butchering work.
 
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As a custom maker I get all sorts of requests for different sizes. My own personal preference for a working knife has always been in the 4-4 1/2" range, but I get guys asking for 3" all the time, probably more common the guys asking for 6" plus.

Thats for working knives though. All bets are off for heirloom blades made out of damascus.
 
I came across Mors Kochanski a little while ago via Cody Lundin vids , Mors said a allround bush knife allround etc would be best the « width of one’s hand size in blade length , if one took off one inch or added one it was fine . As long as it was not too unyielding «
 
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