Home Forums Gear Knives and Blades 440-A stainless

Is 440-A a useful steel for an all purpose drop point hunting knife? Thanks...

Sure , why not. Merry Christmas

It's a pretty inexpensive steel that factories use as it's very stainless and takes a high polish, especially for fillet knives. It doesn't hold an edge very well and is soft for use as a big game knife. In the 440 series 440C is a much better steel, but rarely used by production companies, use to be the stainless steel used by custom knife makers before 154CM and ATS34 came along.

Actually I have had good luck with some knives made of 440-A. It is true they don't hold an edge as long as most 440-C knives but they aren't made of butter either. I have dressed a number of deer with various Buck and Western knives that were sporting 440-A blades and they did fine. The other side of the coin is a quick touch up and they were back to shaving sharp quickly.

440A sucks IMO.

The Buck 420 HC is far better, and it certainly isn't anything that special....

Those knives are pretty common over here and seem to be sold under a number of different names, but are probably all made in the same factory in China..

For the money, I think they are excellent value, with the build quality and handle material giving it a look and feel of a far more expensive knife.

The 440A steel takes a decent, hair shaving edge but I suspect it will need to be touched up fairly often..

In fact I have just bought one as a Christmas present for a my partners son who's starting to take an interest in small game shooting..

My only real complaint is the leather sheath, which while functional, is a bit naff..if my case I happened to have a spare kydex sheath so I was able to upgrade so to speak..

naff:
unstylish: lacking fashionable stylishness and appearing boring, tasteless, or unattractive...

gary

I found a knife real similar to the one pictured, but with a 440-C steel blade. Maybe I should get that one instead? Same price...

Take the 440C over the 440A. It is better steel and will hold an edge longer.

What is the code number for elvish steel forged in Rivendale? (Keep it secret; keep it safe...)

440C would be a better bet but remember at the cheaper end of the market, the heat treat can as big a variable a the type of steel used..

That said I have a few blades in 440C and while I am sure there are better newer super steels out there, those blades do everything I want on a hunting knife..

who made those 440c blades? Thanks...

The ones I have are by Linder, a German brand roughly equal to say Buck or Gerber..

Joker knives from Spain have 440c steel , i dropped mine in the woods and found it a year later, not a single spot of rust or anything on it and it snowed at least 60 inches, when is heat treated right is great steel.

Linder blades are heat treated very good

Like with most things it sort of depends on what you are going to do with it and what you like. Some guys wont 't use less than a custom rifle built on a mauser action with a $500 mcmillian stock on it and a match grade barrel sporting a Zeiss scope while the next guy shows up with a Ruger American or a Stevens 200 with a synthetic stock and a $200 scope. Both shoot a deer at 250 -300 yards on the back 40 and are happy with their choice. Same with a knife one field dresses and skins his with a custom knife made with antique mastodon ivory scales and the latest wonder steel that he bought for $400 and the other uses a old Schrade LB7 that looks like it was made in the last century that he bought used for $15 at a gun show 20 years ago. Both will work and the end result is the same it all comes down to your planned use and your taste and budget.