Home on the Range #057: Montana Knife Speedgoat – Precision & Speed

We are in the midst of hunting seasons for innumerable game animals, people are camping in the beautiful autumn weather, and you can never have enough good blades on hand. Tis the season for skinning, pelting, cleaning, and harvesting – both game animals and our gardens – so it is great timing to check out a new knife from Montana Knife Co (MKC) in their Speedgoat. This is a knife that was debuted earlier this year and it is meant to exhibit speed and precision; similar to the speedgoat – pronghorn antelope – it is named after in the western United States. So, today we will take a look at the Montana Knife Co (MKC) Speedgoat in an Olive colorway to see how it performs under our testing. Let’s dive in!

“Home on the Range” Series Coverage on AllOutdoor

Welcome to our reoccurring series of “Home on the Range.” Here, we would like to share all of our experiences for those who may be homesteading, living off the land, hunting, farming, ranching, and truly investing in nature and the great outdoors. The ability to provide for yourself and your family can be tremendously rewarding and simultaneously difficult at times. So, in “Home on the Range” we want to share our different exploits so you can learn and hopefully we can receive your feedback along the way as well.

Specifications – Montana Knife Co (MKC) Speedgoat

The Montana Knife Co (MKC) Speedgoat in all of its colorway options has an MSRP of $225. That might be a touch spendy for the economically-minded hunters/adventurers among us, but if you want to get an actual high-quality blade for your endeavors, this is respectably priced. You have a strong blade material, a Multi-Generational Guarantee (something you can pass down to your children), and this knife is 100% made in the USA. The rest of the specs for the MKC Speedgoat can be read below as presented by Montana Knife Company.

Blade Steel – 52100 Ball Bearing Steel
Design – Full Tang Construction
Overall Length – 7 3/4”
Blade Length – 3 3/4”
Blade Thickness – 0.095″
Knife Weight – 1.7 Oz
Blade Finish – Black Parkerized to Minimize Glare & Rust
Handle Material – USA Paracord
Manufactured – 100% Made in the USA (Hand Finished in Montana)
Available Colorways – Black, Orange/Black, Forest Camo, Grey, Olive, Desert Camo

It isn’t hard to see why The Speedgoat is one of our most popular blades. It can handle just about anything — from caping, gutting, skinning, and deboning an elk to cleaning fish, cutting line, and so much more. And at just 1.7 oz, this do-it-all blade is specifically crafted to be packed to the most difficult-to-access locations so you can pursue your passions faster.
The Speedgoat takes its name from the Pronghorn Antelope native to Montana and the American West. As the fastest land mammal in the Western Hemisphere, it moves through the toughest terrain with speed and precision, making it the perfect symbol for our lightest hunting blade.

PARKERIZED 52100 CARBON STEEL BLADE – The Speedgoat is made from cryogenically-treated 52100 high carbon ball-bearing steel. This achieves the perfect balance of toughness, edge-retention, and easy resharpening. The blade is also parkerized to a matte black finish which minimizes rust and glare.
ULTRALIGHT DESIGN – After skeletonizing the tang (steel part of the handle) to shed unnecessary ounces, we wrapped it in 550 paracord to minimize load. The Speedgoat’s blade is also ultra-thin, measuring just 0.095” thick at the spine.
550 PARACORD HANDLE – Wrapping the handle in seven feet of 550 paracord was just as much for minimizing weight as maximizing versatility. It can fix a broken boot lace, tie down a tent, hang meat in a tree, act as a tourniquet for wounds, or help in any number of unexpected, emergency situations. And when the paracord is removed from the handle, the Speedgoat still fits securely in its sheath.

FULL SIZE HANDLE LENGTH – Too often, ultralight knives have shortened, unwrapped handles that can quickly wear out your hands as you process an animal. Despite its ultralight design, the Speedgoat has enough handle to keep your hands comfortable enough for extended use.
EXCLUSIVE MKC OPEN CARRY SHEATH 2.0 – Each Speedgoat comes with a 100% Made in the USA, custom MKC Kydex sheath. The sheath features a built-in retention screw to customize blade tension and allow for handle-down carrying. The Speedgoat sheath comes with a Kydex clip that allows you to carry your knife on a pack or belt loop, either horizontally or vertically.
FREE SHARPENING FOR LIFE & BEYOND – Generations® is our promise to restore your knife to its original, unmatched working condition. MKC will clean, sharpen, repair, and even reshape your blades when necessary, as well as rewrapping handles free of charge. While we perform all necessary sharpening and maintenance, our aim is not to return your knife to its brand new appearance.

Field Use – Montana Knife Co (MKC) Speedgoat

To test out the Montana Knife Co (MKC) Speedgoat, my wife, Andrea, and I took it camping with us on the shores of Lake Superior in Minnesota. It was a bit early for whitetail deer season in Minnesota and I did not draw a black bear tag via lottery, so the Speedgoat was going to get its merit tested by a campfire. We brought with traditional campfire fare in eggs and steak for breakfast as well as green beans, steak, onions, and cheese for meals later in the day.

We enlisted the Montana Knife Co (MKC) Speedgoat for simple food processing tasks like chopping onions, cutting green beans, and even eating our steaks. The Speedgoat passed all of these tests with flying colors. The blade was sharp – incredibly sharp – because Andrea, unfortunately, cut her thumb while slicing onions (like you would pear an apple). After learning first-hand just how sharp this edge was, we were more careful food prepping thereafter.

While prepping various vegetables on the tailgate of my Tacoma, I gave it a bit of a rigidity test. I pressed hard against my cutting board – the flat of the blade against the flat board; both parallel – and the blade bent a small amount, but immediately “sprung back to zero” or its origin (midline). The knife could, bend but not break. For a thin knife this sharp, I thought that was great resilience.

An additional test I put it through that might seem insignificant (but those in the know of the hunting world would understand), is I found some areas of cartilage and tendon on our steaks and repeatedly and aggressively set about cutting it with the Speedgoat. Typically, when field-dressing game, if you cut through a lot of cartilage and tendon (either by accident or on purpose) that can significantly dull your blade. After my miniature brutality test on the edge, nothing happened. The knife was as sharp as when we took it out of the original packaging.

Final Thoughts – Montana Knife Co (MKC) Speedgoat

So, what are my final thoughts on the Montana Knife Co (MKC) Speedgoat?… All in all, we did not put this knife through an abusive test – it wasn’t drug behind a four-wheeler or run over by a truck or grinded on with 60 grit sandpaper. That’s not the kind of people we are. We aren’t here to abuse or break products. We put it through realistic tests. Food processing, chopping food, cutting through tendons/cartilage, we did not clean it all weekend, attempted to bend the tip, and eat with it like traditional silverware. Overall, it survived everything with flying colors and both Andrea and I came away impressed by this knife. Aside from chopping bones when field-dressing wild game (which this knife isn’t designed for), the Speedgoat can do anything you ask it to. At a price of $225, the knife is an investment, but a worthwhile one. We highly recommend it.

In closing, I want to say thank you to Montana Knife Co (MKC) for allowing AllOutdoor and myself the opportunity to try out their Montana Knife Co (MKC) Speedgoat in an Olive colorway. That is greatly appreciated. Also, we would like to know what all of you guys and gals think? Do you believe that the Montana Knife Co (MKC) Speedgoat in an Olive colorway is something worth spending your money on? Would you deploy one for hunting this fall? Take it with you camping? Use it everyday in your kitchen at home? As always, let us know all of your thoughts in the Comments below! We always appreciate your feedback.

Adam Scepaniak