Are combat knives like a K-bar or a SOG any good for use in hunting or other typical outdoor woodsy activities?
You can check the answer of the people under the question at Quora “kabar hunting knife“
About Allison
Written by: Allison
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Are combat knives like a K-bar or a SOG any good for use in hunting or other typical outdoor woodsy activities?
You can check the answer of the people under the question at Quora “kabar hunting knife“
About Allison
K-bars make an excellent hunting knife. I carried one hunting for years. Whack the spine of a K-bar with a rock and it will cut through the hip bones of a deer like butter. Makes field-dressing them very easy.
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A good knife is a good knife. It may not be the best for a particular purpose but that doesn’t mean it is no good. SOG makes a pretty good knife. KBars are better than OK. I could use either as a general purpose outdoor knife. A “combat” knife of any type wouldn’t be my 1st choice for field dressing or butchering a deer but I could do it. In fact before I really got good at processing game, I used a Cold Steel SRK which is a similar size and shape to KBar as my general purpose knife. It was on the big size but it did the job. It was and still is a good knife. I just found knifes that I liked better.
People are funny about knifes. Despite a lot of opinions, there really isn’t a best knife for everything.
For instance in my hunting bag, I carry several knifes to use processing deer and hogs. One is a semihandmade with a pukka style blade but a fairly large stag handle. It’s funny looking but it works really well for getting an animal gutted. I then switch to a fairly small Skinner. Once I have gotten an animal skinned I actually switch knifes again. I use the pukka to remove the animals shoulders. Nexy i use a small fairly thin bladed knife to cut out the backstraps. I then switch back to the pukka style blade to take the hams off the carcass. I then go back to the knife that I used on the backstraps to trim out the rest of the carcass. When actually cutting up the meat I like a small filet knife. Notice I’ve used 4 knifes to process a deer. I can do it with just one but I do a much better job using multiple knifes. I have also done all that work with the SRK or a very similar custom knife of a similar pattern. I’ve also done all that with a Buck 110 or Puma Game Warden model folders.
Now if I could only have 1 knife, I’d use the custom knife I have that is very similar to a SRK or some KBar models. I have been on hunting trips where I used that knife to process game, do stuff around camp, cut up food for cooking and even used it as my table knife to eat with. If I had to it would do a good job as a “combat” knife, whatever the hell that really is. I’ve also chopped with it even though it really isn’t a heavy enough blade to chop well.
Any good quality knife can be used for a lot of different things. It just might not be the best for the task you have. It is irritating if a knife is too big for a task but too small is nearly as bad. What I want is a blade that stays sharp and a handle that fits my hand and is comfortable to use. If I’m going on an outing where weight matters I’ll usually carry my custom that is similar in size to a KBar. I can pretty much do anything with it short of chopping wood.
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I’m the first to say when outdoors, any knife is better than no knife. K-Bar and SOG do make some decent knives that will function well in hunting of camping situations. A K-Bar like this really isn’t meant for hunting:
Too long, too straight, and too heavy for practical hunting uses. Great for what it was designed for, not much else. Can you use it hunting or camping? Yes, but other knives would serve you better.
And; some of their “Rambo” and “Super-Rambo” style knives are just plain silly from a practical standpoint.
You gonna use this to chop kindling on a backpacking trip?
Or this?
I’d say anything with a Zombie Green handle isn’t a good hunting knife.
What can you use this for hunting?
This SOG hunting knif design doesn’t make much sense, either.
So pick your knife for the use you have in mind; if you’re trying to scare Zombies, get a Zombie knife, If you’re hunting, get a hunting knife. If you’re on a Black Ops mission there’s knives for that.
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Yes, but there’s more than one kind of each.
Before I give the rest of my answer, let’s consider what makes a “good” hunting knife….well…good:
1. Be a knife.
Seriously, you could use anything. A typical hunting knife, though, is a fixed blade, usually not overly large (4-5″ blade, although you should also consult blade length laws in your jurisdiction). The blades tend to be thick, not particularly deep, and have a drop point for better control while field dressing. The steel is usually any of the many grades that allow for easy sharpening in the field.
I have a SOG Kiku fixed blade as a hunting knife, because
1. it looks cool
2. the scales are sup…
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A good knife is good for a great many things. It is perhaps the most versatile tool a person can have.
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Any good? They are designed to try and fulfill all the needs of the user. Is it a class of knife that can replace it all better than the knives designed for the task – No, but they are a knife you can depend upon.
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All knives are not equal and I know of no knife that is good for every job. I like a K-Bar as a general camping knife. It makes a lousy hunting knife, with the exception of breaking the pelvic bone of a deer. I like a filet knife for filleting fish or cutting up meet. I want a short (3.5 to 4″) blade with a lot of “belly” for skinning. I like a :Leatherman tool for many purposes. Swiss Army knives have a place as well.
Shane is right in terms of ounces are pounds… We can’t carry everything we want if we’re humping. However, if we are operating out of a vehicle, I would choose to have what I like. If we are going up the mountain on foot, then each person has to choose how they make their own compromises.
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The K-bar is extremely handy in hunting. I used mine for years. It is a heavy knife but sometimes the strength makes it more useful. It was great in splitting the pelvic bone on Deer.
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You would need to define what SOG model you mean. As far as a KaBar they will handle basically any realistic use you would put it through. It’s probably not gonna survive something like slamming the blade against a concrete curb but if you are out hunting and keep it sharp it will baton wood, be able to do modern fine carving tasks, skin and process game etc. My personal recommendation though is the SRK in VG-10 or in Carbon V if you can find one(they have been discontinued for a while). For the money those are my hands down recommendation to anyone for a one knife option.
As a side note you really should have either a good multi tool or traditional folding knife with you also if your in the woods. The main knife is to handle the bigger tasks and the folder if for fine work, feather sticks, skinning etc
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