by David E. Petzal

Pro Tool, which makes the Woodman’s Pal combination tool, and master outdoorsman and writer J. Wayne Fears have designed three new knives that bear his name (top to bottom): the Ultimate Survival Knife, the Ultimate Outdoor Cook Knife, and the Ultimate Deer Hunter’s Knife. J. Wayne knows about everything there is to know about hunting and staying alive in the wilderness, and the knives show the input of someone who knows what the hell he is doing.

All three are made of 1095 cutlery steel, tempered to Rc 54-56. This steel makes a blade that sharpens easily and takes an edge like a razor, but usually requires a fair amount of resharpening. However, these hold their edges like Grim Death itself. Out of curiosity, I cut the top out of a steel acetone can with the Survival Knife. Its edge needed a little retouching, but otherwise it didn’t seem to mind.

Because tool steel rusts, the Deer Hunter’s Knife and the Survival Knife have their blades and tangs epoxy-powder coated. The Cook Knife does not, and if you leave it in your kitchen knife drawer you must stress to all who may use it that if they put it in the washing machine, they will be stabbed with it. Repeatedly.

--Chad Love

Walking the aisles at this year's SHOT show, a first-time attendee might have been struck at the preponderance of body armor. There was samurai-looking body armor, military-looking body armor, casual Friday-looking body armor, body armor that made you look like that "Danger! Danger, Will Robinson!" robot from "Lost in Space" and of course, body armor that protects you from the now-ubiquitous zombies.

But, at least as far as I could tell, there was no body armor that made you look like a fish. At least not yet.

From this story on discovery.com:

An ancient Amazonian fish with thick piranha-proof scales may hold the secret to building better bullet-proof body armor, puncture resistant gloves or even safety goggles and CD cases. Researchers at several institutions have been looking engineering new materials that contain some of the same properties as these fish scales; they’re light, flexible and often transparent.

By John Merwin

About a month ago, I wrote about the necessity of maintaining and servicing your fishing reels. Some readers noted doing a lousy job of tackle maintenance while at the same time taking meticulous care of their firearms.

That brings up an obvious question: Why is this so? Or what’s the difference? Seems to me that if you’re going to make the effort to keep a prized rifle or shotgun in top shape, then you might lavish the same attention on a nice, quality reel--be it fly, spin or baitcasting.

Guns and reels both perform better with appropriate care. But somehow guns are often seen as treasured heirlooms while various tackle items are usually not. Historically, it’s an attitude that goes back a long way, which I learned as the former director of a flyfishing museum and often went through boxes of old, usually neglected fishing stuff.

The gun recognized as one of the greatest Paterson Colts fetched a record $977,500 at auction in Dallas at Heritage Auctions on Sept. 18, the most a single firearm has ever fetched at open auction. It surpassed the previous record firearm auction price of $920,000, also for a Colt revolver. The buyer of the Paterson Colt was identified only as a “Silicon Valley mogul.”

The entire Cali collection sold extremely well, a testament to collector Al Cali’s eye for quality according to Greg Martin of Greg Martin Auctions. In addition to the Paterson Colt, a pair of revolvers tied for second highest price at the sale at $805,000 apiece, both well above their pre-auction estimates. One was a cased, engraved presentation Model 1861 New Model Navy; the other, a cased ivory-gripped Colt Third Model Dragoon revolver, engraved by Gustave Young and inscribed to “Colonel P.M. Milliken.” The “Thumbprint Walker” brought $690,000.

For details and photos of the Paterson, the 1861 Navy, the Dragoon, the Tumbprint Walker and other amazing items from the Cali Collection, click here or on the photo above.