Gil Hibben designed back in the 1980's

Damascus knife and the sword making is a tradition that has endured in Japan for over 1000 years. Japan's feudal history, often shrouded in conflict, demanded the making of blades that possessed qualities of exceptional strength and beauty. Today's Japanese Damascus knife makers continue to blend their art, religion and culture into a unique knife making process that is expressed exquisitely in each blade that leaves their anvil.

Master sword maker Makoto Takaba selects only the finest bars of pure nickel and high carbon stainless steel for the blades. In ancient tradition, the fire is stoked with pine tree charcoal. Again and again the red hot metal is taken from the fire, hammered out lengthwise, folded over and reheated. A core layer of high carbon stainless steel is then forged into the center of the blade for the cutting edge. In a practice common only to the Japanese knife making the nearly finished blade is drilled or beveled, then pounded flat again, creating elegant, contoured patterns. Freehand grinding, followed by dipping in acid completes the traditional process.

The blade has a full tang which extends through an exotic cocobolo wood handle. The hilt, end cap and spacers embellishing the handle are all polished nickel silver. The entire knife itself is 7-3/4 inches long. The Damascus blade itself is
3-3/4 inches long and consists of over 200 separate layers. And, like a fingerprint, no two blades look exactly alike. Designed by the acclaimed American knife maker Gil Hibben, and forged by the master sword makers of Seki City, Japan, the Browning Double-edged Damascus Hunter is truly an extraordinary knife, and destined to become a classic.