1956 Seattle, WA: Discharged from Navy. Working for Boeing. Began making knives part-time. Sold first Bowie knife for $45.
1963-1965 Sandy, UT: Began making knives full time. Began using 440C stainless steel. Some knives were marked "Ben Hibben" through a partnership in 1963-1964.
1965 Hibben knife featured on the cover of "Guns and Ammo".
1965-1970 Manti, UT: Making knives under the Hibben name.
1968 Designed Browning's original knife line.
1968 Designed the "Ed Parker Fighting Knife" as part of his black belt thesis in Kenpo Karate.
1969 Manti Ut: Gil had a less than a year partnership with Ensign where Gil designed and made knives for Ensign to sell. After Gil left Manti, Ensign partnered with Buster Warenski.
1970 Springdale, Arkansas to Alaska: Gil made knives here for about 6 months and used the Hibben Knives Logo only with no city or state on the stamp for a few months after his move to Alaska.
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1970-1975 Alaska
1975-1979 Silver Dollar City, MO. Resident knifemaker. Met his wife, Linda.
1979-1991 Louisville, KY: Making knives under the Hibben name.
Also Charlton LTD. produced some Hibben Knives under contract 1988-1989 (small Damascus scale replica of the knife used in the movie "Rambo III").
1987 Designed and made knives used in the movie "Rambo III".
1990 Designed the Silver Shadow, the first of the annual Fantasy Series from United Cutlery.
1990 Inducted in the Blade Magazine Knifemakers Hall of Fame
1991 Gils knives featured in the action movie "The Perfect Weapon" starring Jeff Speakman
1991-Present: LaGrange, KY - Still making knives every day in his shop
1992 Gil's knives seen in the movie "Under Siege" starring Steven Seagal
1994 Gil's knives are featured in the movie "Star Trek - Generations"
2000 Inducted into the Martial Arts Masters Hall of Fame
2000 Gil's "Double Shadow" knife featured in the TV show "Buffy the Vampire Slayer"
2003 Inducted into the International Knife Throwers Hall of Fame
2004 Inducted into the Action Martial Arts Magazine Hall of Fame
2006 Commissioned by Sylvester Stallone to make the new knife for the 2008 movie "Rambo"
2006 Elected President of the Knifemakers Guild
2006 Featured in the December 2006 issue of Knives Illustrated
2007 Celebrating his 50th year as a custom knifemaker
2007 Featured in the September Issue of Blade Magazine
2008 Re-elected for 2nd term as President of the Knifemakers Guild
2008 Gil's knives featured in the February 2008 issue of Blade Magazine
2008 Gil and his knife designs featured in April 2008 issue of German knife magazine "Messer Magazin"
2010 Re-Elected for 3rd term as President of the Knifemakers Guild
2010 Gil's knives are featured in the movie "The Expendables" starring Sylvester Stallone, Dolph Lundgren and Jason Statham