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Joined: Jun 2006
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Campfire Regular
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OP
Campfire Regular
Joined: Jun 2006
Posts: 2,342 |
On my last 2 guided hunts, the guides used hunting axes. I was impressed with their utility and handiness. As I am planning on an unguided moose hunt next fall, I think I need one of my own. Anyone care to comment on best combination of handle length, head size, favorite manufacturer? Is it advisable to track down an older one? Is there a good one still made in the USA?
Imagine your grave on a windy winter night. You've been dead for 70 years.
It's been 50 since a visitor last paused at your tombstone.....
Now explain why you're in a pissy mood today.
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Joined: Aug 2001
Posts: 4,896
Campfire Tracker
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Campfire Tracker
Joined: Aug 2001
Posts: 4,896 |
Gransfor Buk (hope I spelled that right) has a high reputation here. Just got one of their hatchets for a friends Christmas present and you could shave with it. Definitely a true piece of art. Sage Creek Outfitters. They are not cheap so be prepared for a little sticker shock. TM
Some mornings, it just does not feel worth it to chew through the straps!~
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Joined: Dec 2003
Posts: 6,116
Campfire Tracker
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Campfire Tracker
Joined: Dec 2003
Posts: 6,116 |
Check out Sage Creek Outfitters and look at the Gransfors Bruk line. They're the best. I have the small forest axe, but all are handy. Ask for Scott he'll do ya right.
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Joined: Oct 2002
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Campfire Oracle
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Campfire Oracle
Joined: Oct 2002
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"Dear Lord, save me from Your followers"
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Joined: Mar 2005
Posts: 11,695
Campfire Outfitter
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Campfire Outfitter
Joined: Mar 2005
Posts: 11,695 |
Every normal man must be tempted, at times, to spit on his hands, hoist the black flag, and begin slitting throats.
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Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 58,550 Likes: 8
Campfire Kahuna
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Campfire Kahuna
Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 58,550 Likes: 8 |
I skinned a few Bucks with my baby GB,just for curiousity.
One can palm it Ulu-esque and it worked nicely.
Will be curious to try it fleshing Spring Bears...........
Brad says: "Can't fault Rick for his pity letting you back on the fire... but pity it was and remains. Nothing more, nothing less. A sad little man in a sad little dream."
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Joined: Nov 2004
Posts: 959
Campfire Regular
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Campfire Regular
Joined: Nov 2004
Posts: 959 |
If you buy the Gb you'll want to reprofile the edge for a more obtuse angle. Moose bone will do a number on the factory edge.GB is great for wood cutting from the factory, bone is a different story.
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Joined: Nov 2003
Posts: 67,739
Campfire Kahuna
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Campfire Kahuna
Joined: Nov 2003
Posts: 67,739 |
This is the little Wetterlings hunter's axe I carry on long trips in the woods. You would be amazed at the edge it will take, and hold. Wetterlings Axe
Sam......
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Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 58,550 Likes: 8
Campfire Kahuna
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Campfire Kahuna
Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 58,550 Likes: 8 |
Had no trouble,with either of my GB's on Mooses,Deerses or Bearses.
I like the story...................
Brad says: "Can't fault Rick for his pity letting you back on the fire... but pity it was and remains. Nothing more, nothing less. A sad little man in a sad little dream."
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Joined: Aug 2006
Posts: 22,930 Likes: 15
Campfire Ranger
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Campfire Ranger
Joined: Aug 2006
Posts: 22,930 Likes: 15 |
I am partial to the Marble's belt hatchet. It don't split kindlin' as good as the GB, but I thinks it is better balanced and skins better...... Pictured with a full-sized Vaughn riggin' axe(now retired to a pack pannier) and my Dozier knives for scale. Works most dandily for choppin' elk to quarters..... ![[Linked Image]](http://i26.photobucket.com/albums/c124/huntsman22/HPIM3223.jpg)
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Joined: Mar 2005
Posts: 11,695
Campfire Outfitter
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Campfire Outfitter
Joined: Mar 2005
Posts: 11,695 |
Aren't the new Marbles axe's now stamped "MADE IN CHINA?" That'll turn me off about everytime. Love the Dozier's btw. Let's see, Slim Outdoorsman and Pro Guides Knife, correct?
Every normal man must be tempted, at times, to spit on his hands, hoist the black flag, and begin slitting throats.
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Joined: Aug 2006
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Campfire Ranger
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Campfire Ranger
Joined: Aug 2006
Posts: 22,930 Likes: 15 |
Yup on the doziers. The hatchet is American made. You can still find 'em on ebay and a couple knife outfits. Don
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Joined: May 2003
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Campfire Outfitter
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Campfire Outfitter
Joined: May 2003
Posts: 13,380 Likes: 2 |
If you want one of the all time best hunting hatchets around, buy yourself a Ruana, out of Bonner, Montana.
You can't go wrong.
L.W.
"Always go straight forward, and if you meet the devil, cut him in two and go between the pieces." (William Sturgis, clipper ship captain, 1830s.)
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Joined: Jun 2001
Posts: 5,493
Campfire Tracker
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Campfire Tracker
Joined: Jun 2001
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A nice combo Huntsman 22.....Doziers are hard to beat as well as your hatchet choice......good taste!
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Joined: Jan 2005
Posts: 10,718
Campfire Outfitter
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Campfire Outfitter
Joined: Jan 2005
Posts: 10,718 |
Aren't the new Marbles axe's now stamped "MADE IN CHINA?" That'll turn me off about everytime. Yep, the new ones are stamped "CHINA." The stamping is very discreet, and could likely be buffed out, but I still don't like it. The head design is slightly different than the Gladstones also. I'd definitely save up the them intead.
Socialism is a philosophy of failure, the creed of ignorance, and the gospel of envy, its inherent virtue is the equal sharing of misery.
--Winston Churchill
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Joined: Jul 2004
Posts: 13,436
Campfire Outfitter
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Campfire Outfitter
Joined: Jul 2004
Posts: 13,436 |
I have a Marble's belt axe made in Gladstone, not china. Bought it several years ago.
Don
Don Buckbee
JPFO
NRA Benefactor Member
NSSA Life Member
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Joined: May 2002
Posts: 15,600 Likes: 1
Campfire Ranger
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Campfire Ranger
Joined: May 2002
Posts: 15,600 Likes: 1 |
i went to a store that carried the gransfors bruks line in stock to do a hands on evaluation...
the same store also carries the full line of estwing axes and tools...
estwing's smallest hatchet and gransfors bruks' smallest are about identical for size and weight... that's where the similarities end...
the G.B. comes with a sharper edge. a small advantage... it had what appeared to be a hardwood stick for a handle, secured with a poorly fit wooden wedge... if i owned one i'd have to change the handle before i attempted to use it...
OTOH the handle can be replaced...
the estwing feels better in my hand, looks to be more durable, and as per my experience with my estwing standard hatchet, will easily take an edge to equal the G.B. .... the handle is an integrally forged extension of the head... the grip is of compressed leather washers... if the handle breaks, the unit is scrap metal...
before the day of the nail gun though, estwing hammers with the same handle design were common, and maybe even prevalent on a lot of carpenters belts... never saw one break...
my own standard estwing hatchet i have had as long as i've been married... (that's a really long time ) it appears to be as solid as the day that i bought it... (thats pretty solid)
briefly, i compared their larger axes, too...
the G.B.s get better with size...
i would roughly rate the their quality and useability as equal and maybe a tad better as compared to the estwing standard hatchet, which in size, i would judge to be somewhere in between G.B.s wildlife hatchet, and their hunters ax...
the estwing still looks pretty good, but the superiority in quality and usability that i perceived in the comparison of the smallest models was not there....
without calling them unbreakable, i do believe that the estwing handle is as bombproof as they come..... john w
"Chances Will Be Taken"
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Joined: Sep 2006
Posts: 1,735
Campfire Regular
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Campfire Regular
Joined: Sep 2006
Posts: 1,735 |
Buy a Snow & Nealley Hudson Bay from ebay for $49.00. You'll be glad. Buying American Made products, put food on the tables of your fellow man.
"If what I say offends you, you should hear what I don't say."
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Joined: May 2002
Posts: 15,600 Likes: 1
Campfire Ranger
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Campfire Ranger
Joined: May 2002
Posts: 15,600 Likes: 1 |
got a hudsons bay... made in America, when it was America... a collins...
estwing is made in rockford, illinois... about 2 blocks from the hardware store where i made my comparison...
rockford is a good town to avoid... unless you are looking for tools or tooling... then they are just about the epicenter of the world.....
"Chances Will Be Taken"
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Joined: Apr 2004
Posts: 61,130
Campfire Kahuna
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Campfire Kahuna
Joined: Apr 2004
Posts: 61,130 |
+1 on the Snow & Nealley. Great steel, and very good balance.
Still, I think the GB is a touch better overall... maybe more than a touch...
Either way, though, it wouldn't be a bad choice.
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