Field Archery Knife - suggestions for

Sion

New Member
Mar 24, 2004
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Northants
Hello everyone. I'm new to this site but thought it looked extremely interesting (I'll have a good look round later). The reason I'm here is I could do with any advice people out there might have. I am a field archer and am looking for a handy all-round knife but one which is particularly suited to the demands of field archery. The main use when on a shoot is prying/cutting out the arrow (not that I ever miss, obviously :wink: ) from the target boss posts. For this I need a knife that won't break, has a thick blade right up to the point that won't bend when widening cracks in the posts, and a good cutting edge for cutting around the arrow when it is deeply embedded. By choice I'd prefer a fixed blade but suggestions for a folding knife will be considered.
I've seen the Ray Mears design and, apart from the price, I like the look of it but don't know if it would be sturdy enough for my specific needs. Does anyone know of a suitable knife - maybe a manufacturer out there does one specifically for field archery?
Thanks in advance
Sion
 

Wayne

Mod
Mod
Dec 7, 2003
3,787
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West Sussex
www.forestknights.co.uk
Welcome Sion.

I once to used a tanto to pry arrows out of trees and bosses. i now just carry an old screwdriver and a small hammer in my quiver. Cheaper and more robust. i do less damage to the trees and the target without worrying about destroying a decent blade.
 

JakeR

Bushcrafter (boy, I've got a lot to say!)
Jan 18, 2004
2,288
4
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Sion, if you PM me your email, i'll send you a video of a Lapp Puukko being hammered into a tree and then being bounced on!
It is reviewed in the review section and is about £30. I have one, a great knife, certainly up to the job you describe.

www.woodlandorganics.com
www.kellam.co.uk (go to j-line)

Cheers,

Jake
 

C_Claycomb

Moderator staff
Mod
Oct 6, 2003
7,627
2,701
Bedfordshire
A screw driver or chisel and light hammer could be the best solution. Not so much fun though!

I used to do field archery and had the same problem finding the ideal knife! I carried a Cold Steel SRK factory second, very strong, tough point, big enough to rake around in leaves or dig with, and pretty cheap. The only complaint was that the edge and point were so thick (for strength) that they couldn’t cut much. I found that most of the time I wanted to cut points from wood rather than pry the wood apart. Less damaging for the target posts etc.

I once thought that a Cold Steel Tanto would have been good, but having handled them, and worked with the SRK, I think they could be among the worst designs for the job. No doubt they are strong and sharp, but they lack enough point to winkle piles out. They are real good for stabbing through car doors, but I have yet to shoot a car, so that isn’t real important to me. I would have thought that a big puuko would have the same problem, not enough point?

The Buck Nighthawk has a longer point than the SRK, it could be better, if you can find a cheap one. The Woodlore would be great for cutting wood, but I would be worried about damaging the edge against the steel pile, and I would hate using it for digging or raking around it the leaves. Cutting arrows out of underground roots is hard on a blade.

For me the ideal would me an SRK with a reground edge to improve cutting ability. The Falkniven A1 or S1 would fill the bill, but both are more expensive than the SRK, but they cut better out of the box.

Screw driver would probably still beat them. :roll:

Sorry not to be able to offer more suggestions. I guess a lot comes down to how often you miss and what you hit when you do. I could never be sure that when I missed all I would hit was the target stake!! : -l)

Surgical steel. :banghead: ROTFLMAO. BKCG and Attleborough are both full of that stuff. Shame there is no such thing! :rolmao:
 

Adi007

Bushcrafter (boy, I've got a lot to say!)
Sep 3, 2003
4,080
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If it's a small knife for prying that you are after what about something like the Busse Assault Shaker ... small, thick and sharp and you can pry with it all you want!
 

Sion

New Member
Mar 24, 2004
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57
Northants
Wow :shock: , I never expected so many leads in such a short time! I have some good starting points now and clearly a lot of websurfing to do. My thanks to everyone for their help and thanks in advance to those yet to post a reply.

Sion
:lol:
 

gurushaun

Forager
Sep 12, 2003
212
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Modbury, Devon/Cannock Staffs
I'd Look at the Fjallkinven range at Joe's or Hennie's, the F1 or the S1 are both very robust, have a strong convex edge, and the blade protrudes past the pommel allowing it to be hammered without damaging the handle.

Cheers

Shaun
 

Chopper

Native
Sep 24, 2003
1,325
6
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Kent.
Personally I would have thought that a bow would have more effective for archery than a knife :roll: :roll: :roll: :roll: :roll:
 

sargey

Mod
Mod
Member of Bushcraft UK Academy
Sep 11, 2003
2,695
8
cheltenham, glos
i'd say an iasaakki jarvenpaa puukko would be plenty tough enough.
j5226.JPG

it the same knife as in that video.

if you fancy the busse assault shaker styling on a budget, you could go for the becker necker
bk-11.jpg


cheers, and.
 

Hoodoo

Full Member
Nov 17, 2003
5,302
13
Michigan, USA
Tough question! I think the WS Woodlore come close to perfect for this kind of work. The blade is plenty stout and there is no distal taper so the full thickness extends all the way to the tip. The tip itself is sharp enough to get pretty good penetration which is what you need to dig an arrow out. However, lateral prying MIGHT snap a mm or two off the very tip. I dunno. Personally, I would never pry with my Woodlore unless I had to.

I like sargey's suggestion of the Becker Necker. It's a pretty stout little blade.

In all my years of archery and stump shooting, I've never had to deal with this because my arrows have screw on points. I just unscrew the shaft and screw in a T handle specifically designed for this purpose. I think they even make them with a hammer slider so you can pound it out, much like the tools used to remove dents out of a car body. Are your field points glued on or screwed on?

Personally I would buy a small chisel, maybe grind on it a bit to thin it out, and carry a hammer head. A sharpened punch would work too. These are a lot cheaper than a knife and if you break one, just get another.

These are a little short for prying but something a little longer with some work on the edge might be just what you need.

chisels1.jpg


Add a jarvenpaa puukko for cutting away the wood and you should be able to dig out the toughest field point or broadhead.
 

Rob

Need to contact Admin...
Probably going to get volunteered for spotting with no cover for this one, but i dont think that you can beat a good old Frosts Mora 740.

I have been using one for the last 3 years for all my Field Archery (shoot instinctive AFB so I miss plenty) :oops: and as a good all-rounder for other stuff.

Previously to that I tried loads of knives from small/multi-tool to something spanish that looked like excallibur. Best less than a tenner you will spend. :wink: IMHO
 

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