A.G. Russell Knives

This is a variation of Bob Loveless' stellar semi-skinner design as interpreted by knifemakers George Herron and Tommy Lee. It is offered on page 50 with black micarta-like handle scales.

In early 2002, we had the opportunity to purchase in Japan the remaining stock of several models produced for Paragon Knives. Paragon had a program in which they took designs from several American knifemakers to Seki, Japan and produced very high quality knives. The original owner of Paragon lost the company and the new owner followed the same program.

Back in the 1990s, I designed a hunting knife for Randall Knives to make just for A.G. Russell™ customers. We made the knife with a 4" blade and then a 5" blade. Handle materials have included India Stag, Leather and Desert Ironwood. For a new variation, we have chosen Ivorite with black Micarta® spacers for the handle. Ivorite is a dense phenolic resin material that is a white to cream in color. It is field tested to be every bit as durable as the linen Micarta's offered by Randall.

Randy is now a full time maker and attends about six shows a year. A serious hunter, Randy field-tests all of his designs.

If you've been receiving our catalog for a while, you are familiar with the very fine, high-quality working knives that Wayne Hendrix has designed, based on his experience as a hunting guide, and which he makes entirely by hand. Recently, Wayne embarked on a path that a few other handmade knifemakers have followed.

Buck's® Boone and Crockett® Rosewood Skinner pays tribute to men like Theodore Roosevelt who started the American conservation movement by forming the Boone & Crockett Club and celebrates the club's dedication to conservation and Fair Chase®. Buck is also committed to helping protect America's wildlife resources and hunting heritage. A cooperative effort between these two organizations is a very natural fit.

David Yellowhorse, a well-known and respected Navajo artist has been creating beautiful works of art for Buck® Knives for many years. A fourth generation silversmith, David creates custom handle work in the tribal tradition on many types of knives. Buck typically releases two to five David Yellowhorse limited editions each year. The first in 2011 is this Model 113 Classic Skinner, titled "Wild Mustangs".

The first Browning® gun patent was granted in 1879 to John Moses Browning. Since that time, Browning has become one of the most recognized brands in the world and one of the most carried and used. For the past 38 years, they have been offering Browning knives with the same attention to detail that you expect from a Browning firearm.

Ken developed this tool because there is a real need for it. After taking a large game animal it is a versatile tool for the heavy-duty tasks, with a gut hook, a fully curved Razor-Sharp skinning edge, and a handle that allows it to be used as a cleaver to separate pelvic bones, or even to quarter a large carcass in the field.

One of Russ Kommer's favorite custom knife sheath packages is the 2-Shot™. As a hunting guide, he has used it daily in the field in Alaska and around the world. Russ explains the sheath this way; "For me, a horizontal sheath makes getting around easier. It doesn't interfere with your rifle or backpack waist strap, and it's not always banging the bush plane, pickup, or fouling the packhorse guide rope. I've been making two-shell custom sheaths for years. I never carry a box of shells out of camp . . . usually just a magazine and the two cartridges in my sheath.

Columbia River Knife & Tool's® Keydashi, designed by Brazilian knife designer Flavio Ikoma, has traits rarely found in such a small knife, such as a deep wrap-around index finger groove, a reinforced notch at the thumb and a slight swell in the Zytel® handle scales. The locking sheath plate is also unusual. Let's face it, I've never seen another knife like it.

For many years, Buck® has offered a series of limited editions as a part of their Heritage Collection. For this latest 500-piece limited edition they have chosen to bring back the Model 121 Guide. This model has not been made for several years and except for this special limited edition version, it is not in their current line.

This White River Skinner, named for the White River National Forest in Colorado, is as suitable for skinning Beaver as it is for skinning Grizzly or Moose.

The Semi-Skinner was an original Loveless design, though he credited Rudy Ruana with the inspiration for it. First made sometime in the 1960s; in my opinion, this is the finest hunting knife design of Loveless’s career.

These American made hunters from Kershaw are designed for the serious outdoorsman. The designs are simple, yet the features are those that are most used by the hunter.

David Yellowhorse, a fourth generation Navajo silversmith, has been creating custom handle work in the tribal tradition for many years. The Gen-5 is part of a current series of limited edition knives he is creating for Buck®.

The Gen-5 was designed by Josh Buck, son of the current company president, and the fifth generation Buck to be involved in the company. Like his father and grandfather, Josh spends his summers working in different parts of the company. He spent the summer of 2006 on the production floor and it was there that he designed the knife known as the Buck® Gen-5™ Skinner.

These two unusual fixed blade knives designed by knifemaker Jesper Voxnaes of Denmark are part of the Böker Plus® line. Both designs have already enjoyed success as handmade custom pieces both overseas and in the U. S. Each is compact, but built to withstand heavy use.

Boker Arbolito have worked in collaboration with Miltner Adams, a California based company known for their innovative tactical knife designs, to produce these unusual hunter and skinner models. These are new and unusual hunting knife concepts, each with their own advantages.

The features of the Buck Paklite knife were designed specifically with hunters in mind. Lightweight, sturdy and effective this skinning knife can be carried alone or used to compliment any hunting knife. The skeletal steel frame is heavy-duty, yet lightweight for easy carry.

This was Randall's original drop point blade. After more than 60 years it is still one of their most usable knives. Designed by Tommy Thompson, noted Alaskan guide, in 1952 for big game skinning, with a point that is "dropped" below the top of the blade to prevent cutting too deeply through the skin when used point first.

Ed Van Hoy is a multi-award winning knifemaker from Virginia with a career in knifemaking that has spanned more than 30 years. Known for his innovative designs, some of which are produced by Columbia River Knife & Tool®, Ed's custom knives are highly sought after, both in the U.S.A. and internationally.

The Alaskan Skinner was my favorite Randall pattern for many years. It is the first Randall I bought when I had $35 to spare. After more than 60 years it is still one of their most usable knives.

Böker® of Germany, a 100+ year old knife company, and Bob Dozier, one of America's foremost makers of handmade knives, have teamed up to produce several of Bob's designs. One of those designs is the Anchorage Pro Skinner with green Micarta®.

Wayne Hendrix's experience as a hunting guide drives his knife designs. He specializes in very fine, hard working hunting knives with different handle materials. We have previously offered his Model 30 and Model 32 in a variety of handle materials.

Böker® recently introduced an exceptional new knife based on one of Bob Dozier’s best selling models, the Dozier Yukon Pro Skinner.

Ready to handle deer, elk and moose, this skinner-caper combo utilizes full tang 8Cr13MoV stainless steel at 56-58 Rc. construction with a rich walnut pakkawood handle scales.

This little skinner which Randall calls the Little Game, Model 21, is one of the most popular of Randall's many models. It is a practical and useful size, and in the hands of an expert, is very suitable for both large and small game. The 3-5/16" blade is forged from 3/16" stock. The overall length is 7-5/16".

The Kissing Crane™ Classic Hunter is based on a traditional hunting knife design that has been popular in both Europe and the United States for well over 125 years. This style knife comes back into favor every couple of decades. There is probably a knife of this basic design in the hunting pack of some member of your family.

Bob Dozier has been one of America's foremost makers of handmade knives since about 1968. He makes some of the finest and most practical handmade knives you'll find. Recently, he has teamed up with Böker® of Germany, a one hundred year old plus international knife manufacturer, and the finest knife manufacturer left in Germany, to produce several of his designs. One of those designs is the Anchorage Pro Hunter.

No two Randall Made knives are exactly alike, for no jigs or patterns are used in their final construction. Large scale commercial production with this kind of attention to detail is not feasible and that's why knives of this unique quality are not widely available.

For 2008, Buck® created a series of three knives inspired by the artistry of handcrafted guitars. The handles are crafted from actual guitar fret material and abalone dots set in rich cocobolo wood scales. The first in this series is the Buck® Gen-5™, a fixed blade knife introduced in 2007.

Only a few years ago Tinus, a teacher of Afrikaans and other subjects at an English School in South Africa, had never seen a handmade knife. His world changed when a friend showed him a knife that the friend had made. Tinus describes it as being rough indeed, but it inspired him to attempt his own. His knives improved for several years, but it was not until Tinus began selling outside South Africa that knifemaking became profitable.

From the manufacturer:

The most complete hunting set for big game! Includes the Kodi-Skiner/Caper combo, Axe-It, Griz-Saw, Steel Stick, Boning/Fillet knife, Cerama-Steel Sharpener, Pen, Tape Measure, Flagging Tape, Zip-Ties and Game Cleaning Gloves. All these tools store in a compact Cordura roll-pack organizer.

The most complete and portable butchering set for preparing big game, waterfowl, wild turkey, small game and fish. This set also doubles as a great set of cutting tools for outdoor cooking. The Game Processor includes the four most useful knives for butchering.

Outdoor Edge has teamed up with custom knifemaker Neal Blackwood to bring you his most popular knife design. The Hybrid Hunter combines classic styling with modern features not found on ordinary hunting knives.

The Hybrid Pak is another great system for field dressing. The Hybrid Hunter and Kodi-Saw are both contained in a leather sheath.

Some of our more popular items we have carried from Outdoor Edge have been their combo packs. They put together two items whose use compliment each othe while camping or hunting and put them together in a sheath for easy carry.

A special knife for Canadian trappers and professional hunters. A very curved 4 to 4-1/4" blade (1/8" thick), very upswept with lots of curve for skinning. Rosewood handles, brass rivets, thong hole at butt. 8" overall length. Leather sheath.

In the late 1950s, D. H. Russell, owner of a cutlery store in Toronto, designed the Original Canadian Belt Knife. Demand for this design was so great that he brought an experienced cutler from Czechoslovakia to make the knives.

This White River Skinner, named for the White River National Forest in Colorado, is as suitable for skinning Beaver as it is for skinning Grizzly or Moose.

Jerry Fisk is one of the most highly recognized bladesmiths making knives today. His knives have received so many awards that it would take much of this page to list them all. As a boy, Jerry watched in awe as a neighboring blacksmith created knife blades at his forge. A sixth grade field trip to the old James Black shop in Washington, Arkansas seems to have assured Jerry's path in life.

The man who has skinned two to five deer a year for 20-50 years probably does not need a set like the Kodi-Pak. That man is probably using his father's or grandfather's pocketknife just as he was taught. However, if you don't have the finesse you once had, or haven't yet gained it, this may be the tool for you.