Bring On The Horses!

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Battle Horse Knives’ Winning Strategy Is Corralling A Lot Of Knife Users.

By Pat Covert

Last June at the Blade Show in Atlanta, it was readily apparent a lightning fast youth front was invading the cutlery industry. Part of this can be attributed to the Bushcraft movement, which has been growing by leaps and bounds the past five or so years. One very noticeable, vibrant company at the forefront of this skein of fresh fare is Battle Horse Knives.

Dan Coppins is the founding force behind Battle Horse, but things weren’t always rosy for the now seasoned knifemaker turned entrepreneur. “I’ve always had an interest in knives. I was inspired to make knives after attending a knife show in our home town in 2000.” Dan tells Handgunner. “I had a rather lengthy conversation with a knifemaker by the name of Mudbone Jones. He explained the process of how to make knives and I became intrigued. After talking to other knifemakers, I ran into a gentleman by the name of R.W. Wilson, who invited me to his shop to learn how to make knives. For those of you who don’t know, R.W. was the maker of the tomahawks in the movie Jeremiah Johnson.”

“With an investment of $18 in skill saw blades left over from my time as a carpenter, I fashioned them into knife blanks,” continues Coppins. “I did all of my grinding and shaping with a 4″ belt sander. For handles I went to our local grocery store and bought real bone dog chews, dyed it different colors and then put them on the knives with finish nails. I sold them for $20 a piece. I made sheaths out of pocket books and boots I found at our local thrift store. After selling enough of those I purchased some real knife-making supplies.”

Dan would hone his skills and in 2007 formed the company Blind Horse Knives with another knifemaker and it would become a huge force in the Bushcraft market. This relationship lasted several years before the two artisans parted ways. “After the break-up of Blind Horse Knives I knew my dream of making knives was not over. I invited my daughter Alicia McQuain to join me in a full partnership, starting Battle Horse Knives in October, 2013. We now have 10 employees in Cambridge, Ohio.”

Small Workhorse Saber Grind

Bushcrafter Flat Grind

Off To The Races

Coppins was already a big name in Bushcraft, but he knew expanding his line would be necessary to grow Battle Horse. “Our main focus is survival, hunting and tactical knives. We are starting to get into military — and battle-grade knives — and we’re also starting to get into folders,” Dan lends. “The most popular knives we make are the Scout Platoon, because it is large enough to do the heavy chores required when you have a single option tool in a survival situation. The Bushcrafter model is also popular because the overall shape of the handle lends itself well to long-term use in the hand without creating hot spots or fatigue. Then there’s the Large Workhorse, which is very popular among our hunting crowd. I have field-dressed many whitetail deer with this knife and its companion, the Small Workhorse. The sleek design and drop point allows you to do the small detailed work needed to process large or small game. The Woodsman Pro has been a big seller for a long time because it is a crossover knife between Bushcrafting and prepping large animals while hunting.”

GNS Scandi Grind

Busy Bee Saber Grind

Outstanding Breed

What Battle Horse users say they appreciate most about Battle Horse’s knives is the fit and finish. Their knives are not high dollar customs, but that’s not what they’re supposed to be. They’re made for hard use and this is where they excel — plus you can tailor the blade to your needs. “We offer quite a few different grinds for the different types of chores people need to do,” Dan informs Handgunner. “The V-shaped Scandi grind is our most popular for bushcrafting and woodworking because the knife is ground to zero — there is no secondary bevel. It works great for traps, triggers or any other fine-detailed carving. The full flat grind is what we suggest for our hunters who will be processing meat. This is the thinnest grind we offer so it is great for slicing meat and other soft materials. We also offer a saber grind for something in between — it’s our all-purpose grind. With a saber grind you can do a little bit of everything. We also offer a hollow grind, chisel grind and convex grind when asked.”

The company built their reputation among bushcrafters and survivalists using high carbon tool steel for their fixed-blades. These steels are easy to sharpen in the wild — you can do it with a rock in a pinch — yet keep a strong cutting edge. “The primary steel we offer online is O1 high carbon tool steel,” says Dan. “We like O1 because of the edge retention, its ability to throw a spark on flint — which is very important in the survival/bushcraft community — and also the ease of sharpening. We do offer a wide variety of other steels such as D2, which we believe is great for retaining an edge for a longer period of time but is much harder to sharpen. These are some of the other steels available upon request: CPM154, A2, CM154, 12C27, 13C26, S30V, 440C, 19C27 and 1095.”

“The primary handle material we offer is Resiten (popularly known as Micarta), other synthetic phenolic resin products, wood/resin combos, stabilized woods, antler, dyed bone, fossil ivory, G-10, and just about anything you can imagine … even race car tires!” Coppins adds. Some Battle Horse models can be had with a removable scales option.

Woodsman Pro Saber Grind

While the overwhelming majority Battle Horse produces are fixed-blades, as Dan mentioned they are easing their way into the folder market. “We offer a high-end folder called the R.M.R. model. This is not your everyday folder, a little on the extreme side, and will surely make you go WOW! It is made of a 1/4″ D2 blade steel and titanium scales. We also offer the Tree Frog, which is a very unique folder I designed for people who may not be able to carry a fixed blade but still would like it to do some of the tougher bushcraft chores associated with a fixed blade. The use of two locking pins allows the knife to be batoned through wood without the fear of breaking the knife.”

Battle Horse prices are extremely reasonable considering their high quality build and the punishment they can take. Small fixed-blades can be had in the $70 range, medium sizes are typically $170, and their large fixers around $250. In other words, there’s a knife for virtually any budget in the Battle Horse line.

So what’s in the cards? “Our future plans are to keep moving in the direction we are headed. We hope to continue to create a new knife every 30 days and plan to expand the line more into tactical, fishing, and even some kitchen knives. Stay tuned to see what we will come out with next!”

For more info: (740) 995-9009, www.americanhandgunner.com/company/battle-horse-knives