Description
Eleven inches long and under seven ounces, the Black Bird is the lean one in the Ultra Line rack.
| Overall length | 11 inches |
| Blade length | 5.5 inches |
| Handle length | 5.5 inches |
| Handle | Stag antler |
| Steel | Stainless steel |
| Hardness | 58–60 HRC, oil tempered |
| Weight | 6.7 oz |
| Included | Hand-stitched leather sheath |
Who it suits: anyone who wants reach without the weight that normally comes attached to it. Five and a half inches of blade covers big game and camp chores alike, and the matching five and a half inch handle means you can choke back for leverage or forward for control without your hand running out of room.
Reach without the weight
Most knives that measure eleven inches feel like a small machete once you pick them up. This one lands at 6.7 ounces, which changes how you use it. You can hold it out at arm’s length and still cut accurately, and it does not fight you during the slow, careful part of a job. The trade is that it is not a chopper. Use it for cutting and separating rather than for splitting.
Living with a stag handle
Stag is a natural material, so no two grips are shaped exactly alike and yours will have its own ridges and hollows. That irregularity is what makes it grippy when your hands are wet: the texture does the job that checkering does on a synthetic handle. It also means the piece you receive will not match the photograph line for line.
Care
The blade asks for almost nothing. Wash it, dry it, put it away. The handle is the part that repays attention. Keep stag out of long soaks and away from radiators and dashboards, because natural material moves when it dries too fast. A thin coat of paste wax once or twice a year keeps it looking right. For the steel side of the question, carbon versus stainless steel explains what each one asks of its owner.
Common questions
Is the handle real antler? Yes, natural stag, shaped and fitted by hand.
Will it corrode if I forget it in the sheath? An overnight lapse is not a disaster with this steel. Even so, keep it out of leather for anything longer, and see storing knives properly.
What if I want a figured blade instead? The Gavial is the pattern welded hunter in this series, and it comes with the upkeep that goes with it.
Can it be personalized? Yes, laser engraving is added before the knife ships.
Made and finished in Memphis, Tennessee, covered by our lifetime guarantee on workmanship.
Model: BMK-859
RICKY (verified owner) –
not the quality i expected