Jerry, whenever I'd ask Mike what kind of steel, he'd just tell me "spring steel". He'd use leaf springs off cars and trucks. Lol High carbon though. Similar to 1095 if you ask me.
Most Spring steels are a 5160 variant. Excellent stuff, just different. Not as hardenable as 1095 and less corrosion resistant. Tougher, more durable, handle abuse better, but need more frequent sharpening and need to be protected from corrosion.
