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Main Boards => Hunting Knives and Crafters => Topic started by: skullworks on December 05, 2008, 01:49:00 PM
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I have a customer that wants some. What would you all consider a minimum for killing a hog? Blade length, thickness, blade shape, full tang/hidden tang, type of guard, handle material, etc. Thanks in advance!
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Having talked to someone (must remain nameless here now) who's done this quite a bit, he recommended a 7" blade, clip or drop point, only sharpened on one edge (ie no sharpened back edge or daggers). He recommended a substantial double guard. His favorite pig sticker was a converted Old Hickory butcher knife. Fairly thin and flexible.
I highly recommend you take a look at old fighting knives. Not the recent "fighters" with the highly contoured grips, but the actual fighting knives where people depended on them for their lives.
The two most popular fighting knives of all time (each being popular for around 500+ years) are the broke-back seax and the rondel. Neither have substantial guards, though some of the rondels that were made for fighting in armor have a pretty big disk guard.
Handles on both of them were pretty straight and plain. This allowed you to hold it in what we consider the "normal" grip or the "ice pick" grip... which is by far the most widely used grip. It allows for more powerful strikes and is the natural position you'd be in when quick drawing a big knife. (also allows for more effective defensive actions)
The wedge shaped tip of broke-back seax excelled at penetrating the heavy leather armor of the time. It seems like it'd be ideal for getting through the shield of a hog.
Full/hidden tang doesn't matter as long as you make it strong enough and properly heat treat the blade. Handle material shouldn't matter either.
If you're thinking of designing a knife for killing hogs, your best bet is to copy a design that excelled at killing people.
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Here's one I did for a friend when I first started making knives. A little rough but big finger guard and very textured grip...I think I'd use paracord now though. It seemed to work just find although I sure don't want to be that close to a hog and dogs. I know Hunt it used one of Karl's knives with success too...tippit.
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v110/tippit/Knives/BensPigSticker16.jpg)
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Hey tippit you think the one in your pic would work on a black bear ???? bowdoc
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I disagree completely with your friend, Jeremy, on the thin and flexible. Thin maybe, but you need the toughest steel that won't bend you can find. The blade should be 10-12 inches long. A 7 inch blade, after going through 2-3 inches of the shield, means you are only hitting one lung. I want more length, so I can strike through both lungs on one plunge.
A hog, even a sow, once it reaches 150-200 lbs, has a thick, almost impenetrable shield that is like a giant callous underneath their hide.Think of bacon, only its bacon you can bounce a hammer off of.
To kill a pig, you have to drive through 2 sometimes 3 inches of that stuff to get to the goodies..and if you strike a rib under that....well, you get where I am going with this.
I wouldn't necessarily use a Bowie Knife in the classic sense... I would want a full guard that extends above and below, like an elliptical guard, and I would want a sharpened like you ain't never sharpened anything before blade- with the top of the blade sharpened as well for about 1/4 of the length, tip toward the rear.
I'd want a no nonsense very tactile grip..nothing smooth or fancy, and a wrist tie to keep that thing in my posession after I stick the hog..you are probably going to need to get it at least twice.
Close quarters with 200 lbs of steel trashing its head around (make no mistake- a true wild hog only has fat on the outside layer...inside, he/she is all muscle and full of true grit!!!)
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Hey Ray after reading your post I may pass on the hog sticken with a knife this year...bowdoc
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I feel about sticking pigs with knives like Biggie Hoffman feels about turkeys hunted with arrows. He thinks they are perfect shotgun prey... and I think hogs are great for bows and guns... and not so hot for knife hunting them.
I only want to stick a hog when its my last resort.
If I can put another arrow in it that's my choice.
If I cant, I'm looking for a pistol. If I can't do that, then a knife, but in that order only.
I had a buddy jump out of his treestand on a mortally wounded arrow shot 2 1/2 year old eight point buck with a bayonet.
When things were all sorted out, the buck was laying dead about 15 feet away from my "buddy". His knife was on the ground, unsoiled.
Buddy was laying on the ground too, with about 40 deer tracks "burnished" into his hide from the flailing hooves of that mortally shot deer...he was bruised from head to toe, with a stove-in skull....and the buck died from the arrow wound after he kicked my buddy's axx...the guy never even got the blade close to the inside of that deer.
A hog is waaaaay tougher than a deer ever thought of being.
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Unless you have four dogs latched onto that pigs extremities to keep it in lock-down knife hunting a reasonably large pig makes you "Mother Q's" foolish child.
And if you do have dogs latched onto the pig, who hunted it- YOU OR THE DOGS????
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I think a good hog knife should have at least an 8 inch blade and have good push/pull features built in. There's lots of ways to get hogs. Using dogs is just one way. Lin
(http://farm1.static.flickr.com/34/113912092_a61f53f4aa.jpg)
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Lin what are the particulars on that hog knife?
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Wow Lin that is a beautiful knife right there.bowdoc
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Tom,
The blade is 8 inches long X 1 1/4 inch wide X 1/4 inch thick of Carbon steel. The handle is Micarta and the guard is stainless.
Thanks, Lin
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G'DAY Lin,
does it come with a pouch,is made in the U.S.
BOB
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rheaknives.com
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Originally posted by Lin Rhea:
I think a good hog knife should have at least an 8 inch blade and have good push/pull features built in. There's lots of ways to get hogs. Using dogs is just one way. Lin
(http://farm1.static.flickr.com/34/113912092_a61f53f4aa.jpg)
I have just always LOVED that knife!
Looks like it would get me out of whatever predicament I got myself into.
Well, most of 'em anyway.......
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Lin,
That looks a lot like MY perfect hog knife...I'd just like one a little longer but it looks great.
I think where I got the dog thing was from Tippit's post as I was reading through the thread, and thought the initial person had mentioned dogs.
Sure there's other ways to kill hogs besides dogs..as evidenced by our trip together. I sure could have used a knife like that in my recent "chinese fire drill/goat ropin'" adventure!
Beautiful knife, as always!
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Hey Ray, here is a pigsticker I got from Rob!
Beauty I think!
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v75/comanche/bowie005.jpg)
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v75/comanche/bowie004.jpg)
Danny
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beauty!
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That knife is gorgeous! Love it. Lin
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Nice Danny!
Get any of those Guam hogs with it yet??
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Hey Dave,
Naw,but am closing in on a big boar I have been after for over a year. Know where he beds just normally too noisy to get in on him. Almost had him last week, went in in a drizzling rain. Got within 30 yards but the wind swirled and he smelled me and busted out. Gonna let it rest a bit then try him again either in the rain or just after a shower. How is that bow treating you?
Danny
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Thanks for all the input guys! Some great info here!
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Wow Danny now thats a knife....bowdoc
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(http://i53.photobucket.com/albums/g56/huntit/600_BF7-1.jpg)
Here is the pig sticker Karl made. It worked perfectly.
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Hijack...
Danny:
I had shoulder surgery in June (not because of the bow) :)
So I've been taking it slow with rehab. It was shooting great for me before I got cut on. I didn't get a chance to kill anything with it yet.
Hope you get the big porker!
Back to the scheduled program, lets see more pig stickers!!
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Found a pic on my hard drive of one I made a few years ago for a friend in Alabama. It's not as nice looking as the others on here but it's been used on a couple of hog hunts with good success.
(http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b66/Hogbear/pigsticker.jpg)
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that is one good looking handle wampus, right click save as...
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During my time in Chile we hunted about 20 boar with Dogs and knives. This is the most common method of hunting them in Chile and also Spain. The below photos are of a knife imported from spain, made for just this perpose. The owner of the knife is a boar with dog hunting guide and kills around 30 boars a year. Also these are not little pigs, with the average around 250 lbs.
(http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a222/JPStangs/IMG_0658.jpg)
(http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a222/JPStangs/IMG_0659.jpg)
James
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That one looks like it would get the job done in a big way. Very nice. Lin
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Originally posted by skullworks:
I have a customer that wants some. What would you all consider a minimum for killing a hog? Blade length, thickness, blade shape, full tang/hidden tang, type of guard, handle material, etc. Thanks in advance!
Hey Skull,
Tired of lurking and reading this post. Just gotta throw in.
Scientist and performance engineers have been using pigs as human analogs for a very long time now. Like 120 years here in America. Don't intend to insult anyone's particular style of hygiene, but humans and a 250 pig are almost identical in cross section with just a couple small exceptions.
I would suggest that if it's a man getter it'll be a pig getter! You have the same problems with pigs that there would be hand to hand with a man.
Except the pig has 2 Karambits...2 short push blades and flat knows how to use all of um! ;~)
I'd say the blade, regardless of single or double edge should be a MINIMUM of 5 or 6 inches, tapered in profile and thickness to the bolster... with a blood groove. All to reduce the risk of hyperbolic lock that might slow retraction. Just in case it takes a second go...?
Unless you are absolutely certain you can stab it dead center through a rib, on into a vital and pull it back out, I wouldn't want a really pointy tip. There is a reason military knives are shaped the way they are at the tip.
A big flat double bolster and a large hilt and maybe even a subhilt on the handle like on Lin's post. Both to eliminate any chance of your hand slipping up onto the blade should you make a bad lick and to make sure you can get it back out. No finger loops or hooked bits that might tie you to a really ticked off pig. Wouldn't want to get dragged to death by a hog. ;~0
And the handle material should be chosen for the most positive grip you can get. Maybe neoprene or a cotton rope wrap. Something that's not slick when it's wet. I'd even want it checkered if it was wood. Ain't no doubt my hand will be wet from sweatin' even before the blood starts flying! ;~)
Oh, and I like the ideal of a hidden or through tang so I can control the balance and C/G. I'd want it to be a guick, positive feel knife for sure.
Hope I hit all you're points. Keep in mind, I don't have any expertise on huntin' pigs with a knife. Only deer a couple times. You know...uh, when I had equipment failure. Had to defend myself! ;~)
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I like this one made here in Oz..
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(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v504/Longbow_lad/WombatPredator.jpg)
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But I like this one also, and I'm yet to pick what one I'm planning on putting the $$ down for?
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(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v504/Longbow_lad/80_1.jpg)
AK.
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i have to agree with Ray Hammond, bows and guns are the right medicine for hogs. I had to wrestle a couple of them while working at a cattle auction and wouldn't want to do it if they were worked up by dogs. If you guys want to stick them with knives my hats off to you, your cahones are bigger than mine!!! :notworthy:
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al, be careful about the finger hole. imagine what happens when that knife gets stuck in some hog and you get your finger caught in there