Hunting Knives

How do I stop a Damascus blade rusting? Wipe it dry, put a film of mineral oil on the steel, and never store it wet in a leather sheath. Leather holds moisture against the blade.Which knife for field dressing? A four inch drop point does almost everything. Add a gut hook only if you dress a lot of animals; most people never use it.Can these be engraved? Yes, up to 20 characters for a flat 29 dollar fee. Engraved knives cannot be returned.

More reading. Read our guides on telling real Damascus from a printed pattern, what 352 layers means and caring for a Damascus blade. These are the custom hunting knives our customers order most – each handmade hunting knife here is field-tested, hand-forged and made in the USA. If you want a custom hunting knife built to your own spec, we take those orders too.

Every fixed blade ships with a hand-stitched leather sheath

A hunting knife without a sheath is a knife you leave in the truck. Every fixed blade in this category comes with a leather sheath included, cut for that exact blade rather than pulled off a rack of universal sizes. Full-grain cowhide, saddle-stitched by hand with waxed thread, a welt down the edge so the blade never saws through the seam, and a belt loop sized for a standard 1.5 inch belt. Wet-formed to the knife, so it holds on the draw and holds on the walk back.

Left-handed carry, dangler loops and cross-draw versions are available on request. If you already own one of our knives and the sheath has finally given up after a decade of blood, rain and river crossings, we make replacements.

Do your hunting knives come with a sheath? Yes. Every fixed blade ships with a hand-stitched full-grain leather belt sheath, wet-formed to that specific blade. There is no extra charge and no upsell.

Is the leather sheath left-hand friendly? Tell us at checkout and we will build it for a left-side draw at no extra cost.

How do I look after the leather sheath? Keep the knife dry before it goes back in, and rub in a little leather conditioner once a season. Never store a wet blade in leather; the tannins will spot even stainless.

Can I buy a replacement sheath on its own? Yes. Send us the model and we will cut and stitch a new one for it.

Which hunting knife for which job

Most hunters carry one knife and make it do everything, which works until the day it does not. If you are buying your second, buy for the job the first one handles badly rather than a slightly different version of what you already own.

Blade	Length	Shape	Best at	Poor at
Drop point	3.5 to 4.5 in	Curved spine, strong tip	The all-rounder, field dressing anything	Nothing badly, master of nothing
Skinner	3 to 4 in	Deep sweeping belly	Taking a hide off fast without cuts	Piercing and detail work
Gut hook	3.5 to 4.5 in	Drop point plus hook	Opening the cavity without nicking organs	Anything needing a clean spine
Caping knife	2.5 to 3 in	Fine point, short	Head and cape work for a mount	Heavy cutting, joints
Bowie or camp knife	6 to 10 in	Clip point, heavy	Chopping, quartering, camp work	Anything delicate
Bushcraft or tracker	4 to 6 in	Thick spine, flat grind	Batoning, shelter, fire prep	Fine dressing work

Steel, chosen by where you hunt

Steel	Edge holding	Rust	Buy it if
440C stainless	Very good	Excellent resistance	You hunt wet, coastal or humid country
D2 tool steel	Excellent	Good	You hunt dry and sharpen properly
1095 and 15N20 Damascus	Very good	Reactive, needs oil	You look after your gear and want the pattern
1095 carbon	Good	Reactive	You want maximum toughness for chopping

Freshly finished and added here: Crimson Vein D2 Steel Bushcraft Knife, Obsidian Crest D2 Steel Tracker Knife, Ember Burl D2 Steel Tracker Knife and Trail Legion D2 Steel Tracker Knife Set.

Every knife on this page is also listed in the wider fixed blade knives collection, alongside the bowies, trackers and daggers.

Buying for a wedding party? The groomsmen knife sets come as six matched knives, 15% less than buying them singly, and each one can carry its own engraved name.