You pull a hunting knife out of your storage drawers and have a quick reunion with your beloved cutting tool. You inspect the knife's blade from its curved belly and thin spine down to its bolster—yep, it’s a rusty drop point knife. You haven't used your hunting knife in a while because you haven't been out hunting. Besides, drop point hunting knives are meant to be used in the wild.
Perhaps you're the type of knife person that cares more about marveling at the beauty of a knife. You put it on display in a visible part of your home. Framed. Frequently looking at it along with the rest of your knife collection. You've never even used them once.
These two extreme archetypes limit the potential of drop point knives. It's because of these that misconceptions exist; that it's either used solely for hunting or as a display.
If you identify with these types of knife people to some degree, we invite you to drop the façade of the archetype and open your mind as we unmask some of the unpopular functions of this useful cutting tool.
Do You Have A Drop Point Knife? Here's A Refresher
Before we polarize the popular notions of a drop point knife's utility, let's figure out if what you have is really a drop point knife. Here are the physical characteristics of a drop point blade.
Blade drops near the point.
One characteristic of a drop point knife is its curvature on the spine of the blade. Most hunting knives that sport a drop point configuration have a straight blade spine that curves downward when the spine nears the blade's tip. This creates the "drop" point profile of a hunting knife.
Examine your knife. If the blade looks like it dips downwards, you have yourself a drop knife.
A pronounced blade sweep.
The belly of the blade's edge—the area near the blade's tip—has pronounced curvature. Its look is akin to a kitchen knife. As such, it can slice just as well as its kitchen counterpart.
If your knife has this physical feature, then it's a drop point knife.
These two characteristics should be seen on your knife's blade to be considered a drop point knife. Many fixed and folding knives have a drop point configuration. If you're sure your knife is a drop point knife, let's examine why it's seen as a knife meant for hunting.
The Façade: A Drop Point Knife Is Meant for Hunting
Drop point knives are, without a doubt, good tools for hunting. Avid hunters use different drop point knives in some of their recognized hunting activities. That's why there's a façade—a strong impression, if you will—that drop point knives are meant for hunting. Here are some of the reasons why.
It doesn't puncture the animal's vital organs.
When the game is downed and its life expires, one thing that needs to be done immediately is to cool down the game—that means to lower its temperature so it won't get infested with bacteria and rot. Field dressing comes first in the series of activities.
A drop point knife is especially useful when field dressing because it allows you to stab the animal's skin and puncture the flesh deeply without piercing the entrails and organs of the game—the parts you want to remove. Puncturing these organs will spoil the meat from the inside, attracting moths, also known as bacteria carriers.
It slices the skin of the animal efficiently.
The dressing game involves slicing the epidermis, starting from the animal's anus up to its jawline. The curved belly of a drop point knife and the blade's sharp edge make it efficient for a hunter to run the knife upwards seamlessly.
Far More Than Just Hunting
The drop point hunting knives can do far more than just hunting outdoors or being displayed indoors. Here are some of the purposes of a drop point knife.
A good everyday knife
A drop point knife has a lot of surprising uses for everyday living. Carry it around your belt if you have a fixed blade knife, or put it inside your pocket if you have a folding knife. You can find opportunities to use this drop point knife in any casual activity, such as for opening bags of chips, cutting pieces of paper, or cutting open cardboard boxes. You can even use it as palm protection when carrying heavy plastic bags and as a coat hanger. There are many ways the drop point knife is useful.
Serves as self-defense
Drop point knives, on average, lean on the short side. This feature makes these knives a great tactical tool for self-defense. There are martial art concepts that use the features of a drop point blade to deliver stopping power on an assailant without neutralizing them. Apart from its drop point feature, most drop point knives are small enough it doesn’t require a license to carry. If you're into self-defense arts or feel you're living in a dangerous part of town and need protection, you may want to explore martial knife disciplines. But do so responsibly.
Kitchen knife substitute
If you're camping out or in a place where you don't have a kitchen knife available, a drop point hunting knife is an adequate substitute. The drop point knife can be used for slicing, cutting, mincing, and chopping soft and hard foods such as meat, fruits, and vegetables.
Looks That Don't Deceive
Now that you know there's more use to a drop point hunting knife, take it out of the drawer or the display case. See the drop point knife for what it is. Its appearance does not deceive. The form matches the substance that no other knife with a different point configuration can offer.
If you don't own a drop point knife yet, we suggest you get one and use it every chance you get. Something like the Buck 656 Pursuit Pro is a good starting knife for everyday carry (EDC). You'll have more fun using it now that you know the drop point knife's potential.
August 4, 2022
