My New Knife : A True American Classic

[wesheltonj]

Back in the 70's when I was in the Boy Scouts it was all the rage to have a Philmont belt with a Tooth of Time buckle and a Buck 110 knife. My parents gave me one in 1976 when I received my Eagle Scout award. I have to admit, that I don't use it very much and never hunting. I prefer and straight blade knife, Case perferably. That said, I have a Puma handmade straight blade knife, that I carry for show - I am too afraid to use it as it was too expensive to damage. Because, I always wanted a Puma knife.

PS - A little Brasso, will that tarnish of the brass and make it nice and shiny.

 

[Major Khan]

Back in the 70's when I was in the Boy Scouts it was all the rage to have a Philmont belt with a Tooth of Time buckle and a Buck 110 knife. My parents gave me one in 1976 when I received my Eagle Scout award. I have to admit, that I don't use it very much and never hunting. I prefer and straight blade knife, Case perferably. That said, I have a Puma handmade straight blade knife, that I carry for show - I am too afraid to use it as it was too expensive to damage. Because, I always wanted a Puma knife.

PS - A little Brasso, will that tarnish of the brass and make it nice and shiny.

I have W R Case knives ( a pen knife and a trapper model ) in my collection , as well. Their Chrome Vanadium steel takes a really fine edge . I also like the old Imperial Schrade Old Timer series . Good working man's knives , they are .

 

[fourfive8]

Major Khan,
Glad you found one! Yes, I've had Buck knives of various types since the early '70s. The only one I carry for hunting is a Buck 102. Had a little too much upsweep (belly) to the edge so I modified mine. It has a 3 3/4" blade. I put it on a Lansky before going on a trip then just throw a small diamond sharpener into my day pack along with the Buck. Has done everything from deer and elk to moose and brown bear.

Here's my 102 and trusty Buck 503 pocket knife that goes everywhere with me... except through TSA. The handle on the 102 is painted orange so it's easier to find if dropped or set down in the field.

 

[bruce moulds]

458,
interested to see you like a 3 3/4" blade.
I have come to like 3 1/2 to 4" blades for most hunting work myself.
we are not there to fight bears when there is no time to reload, or defend ourselves from human predators, but rather to skin and butcher the fruits of our labour.
I have skun many foxes with your folding knife.
I keep searching for the perfect blade shape/ size/ handle configuration balance, and when found it will be time to have that made into a quality custom knife.
that would be a sheath knife, but a pocket knife will always be part of the team.
bruce.

 

[bruce moulds]

does anyone remember the old rogers bunny knife?
in fixed blade, I have always wondered about the old Canadian belt knife by russel.
they looked a bit different, but still seem to exist, even in this day when a knife's primary purpose seems to be to make you look like a commando.
it might say something for their functionality?
bruce.

 

[Wyatt Smith]

I have a 102 and like everything about it but the handle is to small, causing cramps after use, especially after covered in blood and fat.

 

[jeanes]

Major, I have two of the Buck 110s. The first was given to me by an army buddy over 40 years ago. He is gone but the knife will always remain in my possession. The other is one of a pair that my son and I got before his first deer hunt. They are wonderful knives and you will surely get many decades of service from yours.

 

[JimP]

My problem with Buck 110's is that I give them away faster than they get dull. They are a great knife.

For those that are looking for a folding knife that has a handle that you can grip no matter what check out the Gerber Gator.

 

[wesheltonj]

Major Khan,
Glad you found one! Yes, I've had Buck knives of various types since the early '70s. The only one I carry for hunting is a Buck 102. Had a little too much upsweep (belly) to the edge so I modified mine. It has a 3 3/4" blade. I put it on a Lansky before going on a trip then just throw a small diamond sharpener into my day pack along with the Buck. Has done everything from deer and elk to moose and brown bear.

Here's my 102 and trusty Buck 503 pocket knife that goes everywhere with me... except through TSA. The handle on the 102 is painted orange so it's easier to find if dropped or set down in the field.

View attachment 337161

I always like the buck case like you have for your knife. I have not seen those in years.

 

[Ray B]

I like the Buck knives but having spent several years in Oregon I preferred Gerber folders. In any case, I recall a story told by Jack O'Connor about his Latin teacher in high school. On the first day each year she asked how many boys had a jack knife in their pockets. She didn't think very highly of any that DIDN'T. My how times have changed.

 

[Jeffrey]

I generally prefer full flat grind or scandi grind knives. I generally prefer carbon steel knifes to stainless. I generally prefer a fixed knife to be 4.25-4.75" and a folding knife to be 3.25" or less. BUT I love the Buck 110. One of my buddies has one his grandfather gave him thats 60+ years old and still locks up solid and is as sharp as anything. I myself have two 110s. One traditional with the black leather sheath, and one of the new "lightweight" ones with the zytel handle and nylon sheath at half the weight. Love them both.

For field sharpening I've lately fallen in love with the WorkSharp Field model sharpener. Everything you need and nothing you don't.

 

[Mekaniks]

Love my Buck 110. I used to carry it on my belt when I was a kid (11-18 yrs old) it was my EDC and I field dressed my first deer with it. I broke the tip off making some wood for fire kindling. So I bought a 2nd one to replace it and carried that one for several years. I still have both but don't carry them anymore.

 

[Major Khan]

Major Khan,
Glad you found one! Yes, I've had Buck knives of various types since the early '70s. The only one I carry for hunting is a Buck 102. Had a little too much upsweep (belly) to the edge so I modified mine. It has a 3 3/4" blade. I put it on a Lansky before going on a trip then just throw a small diamond sharpener into my day pack along with the Buck. Has done everything from deer and elk to moose and brown bear.

Here's my 102 and trusty Buck 503 pocket knife that goes everywhere with me... except through TSA. The handle on the 102 is painted orange so it's easier to find if dropped or set down in the field.

View attachment 337161

Thank you so much , Four Five Eight ! Did you modify the blade profile of the Buck Model 102 sheath knife yourself ? Or did you have a custom knife maker alter the blade profile ( such as Tom Krein who works on Spyderco Knives ) ? It looks quite professionally done . I am partial to the Spyderco Sharp Maker myself , for sharpening all of my knives.
I invariably put a strip of Skate Board Grip Tape on the handles of all of my knives , because that makes the knife easier to grip in wet environments .

 

[Major Khan]

Major, I have two of the Buck 110s. The first was given to me by an army buddy over 40 years ago. He is gone but the knife will always remain in my possession. The other is one of a pair that my son and I got before his first deer hunt. They are wonderful knives and you will surely get many decades of service from yours.

Always hold on to that Buck Model 110 , Jeanes . As long as you keep it in your possession , you will always have a piece of your friend with you. A memory .
My dearly deceased friend and former professional shikaree partner , the late Tobin Stakkatz gifted me a shot gun and I shall always hold it dear to me .

 

[Major Khan]

My problem with Buck 110's is that I give them away faster than they get dull. They are a great knife.

For those that are looking for a folding knife that has a handle that you can grip no matter what check out the Gerber Gator.

I have that problem too ! A young man who is a son of a close , personal friend once came to my home and his father mentioned that it was the boy's birth day and that the boy liked knives .
So , I naively showed the young man my collection of knives and told him that he could have any 1 as a gift . He ended up picking the most rare 1 out of my entire collection : A 440C stainless steel Robert Parrish fixed blade hollow handle knife which I had purchased from North Carolina in 1984 . Like an idiot , I watched the young lad make off cheerfully with my prized possession ! I was expecting the boy to select something like a Victorionox Swiss Army Knife or 1 of those cheap Italian bayonet grind stiletto pick lock switchblades . I certainly learnt a valuable lesson that day . When teen agers come to visit your house ... ALWAYS hide the good knives .

By the way , I find that applying a strip of Skate Board Grip Tape to the handle of your knife certainly aids in gripping it in wet environments .

 

[Major Khan]

I like the Buck knives but having spent several years in Oregon I preferred Gerber folders. In any case, I recall a story told by Jack O'Connor about his Latin teacher in high school. On the first day each year she asked how many boys had a jack knife in their pockets. She didn't think very highly of any that DIDN'T. My how times have changed.

I feel the same way as you do , sir. I have always carried a knife in my pocket every day of my life , since I was 7 years old . That very 1st pocket knife was a British military surplus Sheffield Navy clasp knife with a carbon steel blade .
Gerber knives are most excellent as well . I have 1 of their fixed blade models ( the Bear Gryllis model ) in my inventory . However , I have always dreamed of owning a Buck knife ( especially the Model 110 ) .

 

[Major Khan]

I generally prefer full flat grind or scandi grind knives. I generally prefer carbon steel knifes to stainless. I generally prefer a fixed knife to be 4.25-4.75" and a folding knife to be 3.25" or less. BUT I love the Buck 110. One of my buddies has one his grandfather gave him thats 60+ years old and still locks up solid and is as sharp as anything. I myself have two 110s. One traditional with the black leather sheath, and one of the new "lightweight" ones with the zytel handle and nylon sheath at half the weight. Love them both.

For field sharpening I've lately fallen in love with the WorkSharp Field model sharpener. Everything you need and nothing you don't.

I am of same view as you , Jeffrey . Flat grind blades are the easiest to sharpen in the field . A carbon steel knife is extremely easy to sharpen and can take an extremely keen edge quite quickly . I used to own a Sheffield Navy clasp knife during my youth and it used to have a carbon steel blade . You could get it razor sharp , just by sharpening it on a common Ganges River rock and then stropping it a few times on a coarse piece of leather . In fact , I often used that knife as a makeshift razor for shaving in the shikar camp , if I did not possess a Gillette Safety Razor with me , at the time .
In India , virtually all of our locally made knives were made from the spring steel taken from the leaf springs of disused motorized vehicles back in those days . Vehicular leaf springs are actually made from 5160 carbon steel ( which makes for a very fine steel , if you have a fair degree of forging skills . ) . The blades were extremely strong and could take a very fine edge rather quickly . They were extremely easy to sharpen on the common rocks found near streams in India . Their only drawback was that they possessed no degree of corrosion resistance whatsoever and you constantly had to keep them oiled .
However , a Buck Model 110 lock back folding knife is a thing of unrivalled beauty . My professional shikaree partner , the late Tobin Stakkatz used to own 1 early model Buck Model 110 lock back folding knife , which utilized a 440C stainless steel blade . It did not take as fine an edge , as a carbon steel blade ( Since 440C is a coarse grain steel , with large carbides ) . It was also extremely difficult to sharpen . However , it resisted corrosion extremely well and held a working edge far longer than a carbon steel knife .
My Buck Model 110 lock back folding knife came with a black leather pouch , as well.

 

[Major Khan]

Love my Buck 110. I used to carry it on my belt when I was a kid (11-18 yrs old) it was my EDC and I field dressed my first deer with it. I broke the tip off making some wood for fire kindling. So I bought a 2nd one to replace it and carried that one for several years. I still have both but don't carry them anymore.

It is pleasant to know that you have such nostalgic memories with your Buck Model 110 lock back folding knives , Mekaniks . Did you ever have the broken tip of your very 1st Buck Model 110 lock back folding knife re ground ?

 

[Luvthunt]

Have a 110 and had the orginal blade replaced due to usage (sharpening) Buck did it for free and the good news was the second blade was as good as the first. Before you ask it took around 20/25 years to make a big toothpick out of that first blade.

 

[Major Khan]

Have a 110 and had the orginal blade replaced due to usage (sharpening) Buck did it for free and the good news was the second blade was as good as the first. Before you ask it took around 20/25 years to make a big toothpick out of that first blade.

Now , that is what I call hard use !