Old Guard Handmade D2 Steel Gut Hook Hunting Knife with Stacked Leather Handle, Brass Guard & Pommel | Traditional Hunting Gift for Him | BMK-1168

Description

Old Guard is built the way hunting knives were built for most of the last century: a stack of leather washers compressed onto the tang, sanded round, burnished smooth, and capped top and bottom in solid brass. It is the only handle material that actually gets better in the hand the more you use it.

The blade is a 4.5 inch D2 drop point with an integral gut hook, polished satin and finished by hand inside the curve. A brass guard keeps your hand off the edge when you are working wet.

Built for: field dressing deer, elk and hog, hunting camp, and long belt carry. If you grew up with a leather-handled knife on your father’s belt, this is that knife with modern steel in it.

Care: D2 is a semi-stainless tool steel — highly rust resistant but not rust proof. Wipe the blade dry after every use and pay attention to the inside of the hook, where blood and hair collect. Oil it lightly before long storage. The stacked leather handle should be kept out of standing water and given a little leather conditioner once or twice a year; it will darken and polish with handling, which is the point. The brass will patina; polish it if you prefer it bright. Do not store the knife inside the leather sheath for long periods, and keep it out of the dishwasher.

FAQs

What is a gut hook knife used for?
Field dressing game. The sharpened hook slips under the hide and unzips the belly in one controlled pull, so the point never dips into the stomach or intestines. Cleaner meat, faster work, and it removes the single riskiest cut of the whole job.

How do you sharpen a gut hook?
Not on a bench stone — a flat stone cannot reach inside the curve. Use a small round file, a fine ceramic rod or a tapered sharpener that fits the hook, and work from the inside outward. The main edge sharpens normally.

Is the leather sheath included?
Yes. The brown leather belt sheath with a snap stud shown in the photograph is fitted to this knife. It ships with the knife at no extra cost.

How good is D2 for a hunting knife?
Very good. D2 runs around 58–60 HRC and holds a working edge far longer than the stainless most hunting knives use, so you can dress more than one animal before it needs a touch-up. It is semi-stainless rather than fully stainless, so keep it dry.

Is a stacked leather handle durable?
Very. The washers are compressed onto a full-length tang and locked between the brass guard and pommel, so there is nothing to come loose. Leather handles from the 1940s are still in use. Keep it out of prolonged soaking and it will outlast you.

Does leather get slippery when wet?
Less than you would expect — burnished leather grips well even bloody, which is why it was the standard on military and hunting knives for decades.

Make it a gift

Tell us at checkout that this one is a gift and we will pack and ship it gift-ready. Every knife leaves our Memphis, Tennessee workshop with a lifetime warranty against defects in materials and workmanship, backed by over 2,000 verified 5-star reviews.

Model: BMK-1168