MAGNUM MAGNUM - Jeffersonian

GUNNYSACKRoy Huntington
REEDER CUSTOM KNIVES
This is a tale of three knives. Well actually, one knife, that
sorta’ morphed into three. About a year and a half ago
Gary Reeder (who usually makes guns and stuff) and I
were chatting on the phone and I was complaining about the
fact I hadn’t been able to find a 5" or 6" sheath knife I liked
to use around our ranch here. I kept losing pocket-clip folders
at the time, so had been shopping around to get a fixed blade
to try. “Well, have I got a deal for you!” he said. Uh … oh.
Actually, what Gary sent was a pretty good deal. The
tough, 5" fixed blade called the Predator (on the left in the
picture) was just what I’d been looking for and it’s been a
semi-constant companion of mine over the past year and a
half. That’s why it’s showing some hard use. I chop, hack,
cut, pry, dig golf balls out of my pasture (a long story …)
and anything else needing doing. It holds a razor edge
(easy to sharpen) and has enough heft to lend some credibility
to a cut if needed.
Now Gary has expanded his knife line with a couple
more. The “Classic Skinner” and “Mini-Skinner” are built
tough like the Predator, but made for different jobs. I’ve
already used the Mini to clean a small local deer, and the
compact size, razor edge (which held throughout the work)
and handle
that sort of
“swells” into
your palm
was comfortable
to use.
The hilt,
with a bit of a
finger-catch, kept
my slippery fingers
safe. I didn’t use the “Classic
Skinner” but it’s bigger, fills the hand more and has much
more belly in the blade. It would no doubt be a great
skinner and I’ll try it out soon.
Handles on the Predator and Mini-Skinner are Mongolian
Stag and some kind of wood laminate on the Classic.
The Mini blade is 2.75" while the Classic is a solid 3".
Check with Gary on the prices, but the Predator runs around
$300, with the others less. Very affordable, and they’re
made for Gary by experienced knife maker John Morgan.
For more info: Gary Reeder Custom Guns (928) 527-4100,
www.americanhandgunner.com/garyreedercustomguns
106 WWW.AMERICANHANDGUNNER.COM • MARCH/APRIL 2011