Montana Knife Company (MKC) is releasing the brand’s first-ever folding knife, and I think many folks in the bird hunting world are going to appreciate the new product.
The Montana
MKC is known for its high-quality steel, American-crafted fixed blade knives—and several of them have caught our attention, including the MKC Freezeout, which took the honors for the best knife for breaking down large birds in our Best Waterfowl Knives gear test. I’m also particularly fond of the Sharptailed, which is a sleeker option better for smaller birds like teal and doves.
While fixed-blade knives are the go-to for many waterfowl and turkey hunters for their durability and strength, there are situations where folders come in handy, too. Particularly, I like to bring a folder with me on long road-trips so that I can use it both for breaking down birds but also other more general tasks when I set up camp or need to adjust my gear. Until now, MKC didn’t have a product for these kinds of situations.
The new MKC Montana is likely to be in my travel kit going forward. The Montana is a premium pocket knife made with the brand-standard high-quality Magnacut steel that holds an edge damn well. The blade is 3.25 inches long and .118 inches thick—impressively thin for those fine cuts on birds while also being sturdy enough for burlier cuts. And it’s freaky-light, too, weighing in at 2.84 ounces.
The blade shape is called a “trailing point,” which is akin to MKC’s Speedgoat Blade. While I go for a standard drop point blade for big game processing, I like a trailing point blade for birds. A trailing blade has a slightly curved spine that puts the point slightly above the rest of the blade. This allows you to use the point for precise slits and punctures, while having a nicely curved belly ideal for filleting and skinning birds.
The new Montana has several other features that will make it a functional and durable folder for bird hunters as well, including a sturdy titanium pivot screw, ceramic ball bearings, a hardened steel liner lock system, and a nicely textured G10 handle.
The Montana will be released on June 4. While MKC recently opened a large state-of-the-art factory in Missoula, MT, allowing the company to ramp up its knife production, the first run of the Montana is likely to sell out soon after it drops.