Started Collecting knives...

[gpwasr10]

Cause fucking mil-surp prices are ridicules now.

ANYWAYS, I am going after American Made Stuff, So far I have picked up a

Case Russ-Lock
Buck 110 Boone and Crockett Edition
Callimus Large Stockman
Schrade "NRA Edition" Medium Stockman
Kershaw Skyline
Shining Mountains Black Jack Bowie
Cold Steel Bushman
Gerber LMF II ASEK
Kershaw Tanto Blur
Buck Buckmaster

And a Chinese Gerber Stockman that I was told was American until I got it home and looked it up... still a nice knife though.

Just stuff I like basically, stuff I wanna carry as I carry about all of it in a rotation (Save the big stuff which I do use sparingly).

Next on the list is a Buck 110 from Bucks Custom Shop with the S30v blade and a few other accouterments like Nikle Bolsters... I really like that design ALOT.

[Richard Simmons]

Congratulations on the new hobby though it you're like me it'll become an obsession. I was getting a little bored with the milsurps and my S&W collecting and knives opened up a new venue for me. There are a lot of things with them that I enjoyed with firearms such as the design, materials, craftsmanship, history, etc.

So far over the last 4-5 years I've gotten into the tactical knives including spring assist (AO), frame lock, liner lock, etc. Mosly Spyderco, Benchmade, ZT and Kershaw. After that I got into fixed blades and slipjoints. Even messed with a few of the balisongs from Bradely and Benchmade. A year or so ago I joined the Buck Collectors Club (BCCI) and have been focusing a lot on both the older, discontinued Bucks as well as the new offerings.

I've made up/designed a few custom 110's on the Buck website but haven't pulled trigger on actually ordering one yet. Last year Buck dropped the nickle bolsters from their custom knives for a month or so (supplier issues I think) but they are now available again. Though they are offering a new Chairman series 110 with nickle bolsters I have seen posts on the forums that they may be dropping the nickle again so you might want to get one sooner rather than later.

Here a few of my Buck 110's.

Standard Hunter 110 with nickle. Picked this up the other day, supposed to be part of a limited run for a distributor that was made a year or so ago.

http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y77/rsim20011/100_2418.jpg

Cabelas Alaskan Guide series with S30v blade.
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y77/rsim20011/AG110FtSide.jpg

BCCI members 110 with S30v, drop point blade, no rear bolster (bare butt) and paperstone scales.
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y77/rsim20011/06-07-2010086.jpg
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y77/rsim20011/BuckBCCIPaperstone.jpg

[Richard Simmons]

Some other Bucks you might be interested in as they are or have been discontinued and are getting hard to find.

Folding Kalinga Pro in S30v

http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y77/rsim20011/100_2354.jpg

Buck Night Hawk 655. This one is now being made in collaboration with TOPS and will had holes in the blade for opening an oxygen bottle as well as a black coating. I like this version better but they are getting scarce.

http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y77/rsim20011/100_2421.jpg

Buck Mayo TNT with carbon fiber. Not many of these made and ever fewer available. A real spendy model but with a BCCI membership you can pick it up for about 1/2 price off the Buck website.

http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y77/rsim20011/LeftSide.jpg

Bucks, both old and new really offer some nice designs, quality materials and workmanship plus the warranty is excellent and except for a small number of models are all American made. While I probably won't get rid of many of my knives Buck is where my collecting focus is going to be for quite some time. There's just a lot about them that I like.

[FunkyPertwee]

Whats the S30v blade?

I love my Buck 110. I've got a regular version but with finger grooves. My dad gave it to me when I was a youngster.

[Richard Simmons]

Whats the S30v blade?

I love my Buck 110. I've got a regular version but with finger grooves. My dad gave it to me when I was a youngster.

S30v is a premium steel that has really taken off in the knife community. Years ago 440C was THE steel but S30v has really taken hold, in fact it's so popular now days I don't even consider it a "premium" any more, more the standard.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CPM_S30V_steel

There is also S60v (not that common) and S90v which I really like not to mentiion S35VN and a bunch of others. Much like collecting firearms or other items knives, when you consider the steels, blade geometry and designs offer a plethora of variations to collect and use and new stuff is coming out every day. Some times it's an improvement on an old design or something completely new. Other times it's a new process that takes and old steel to a new heigth in performance. You can pick a niche or remain wide open to every new design that comes along. When it comes to collecting steel the only limit really is your imagination and bank account.

[FunkyPertwee]

S30v is a premium steel that has really taken off in the knife community. Years ago 440C was THE steel but S30v has really taken hold, in fact it's so popular now days I don't even consider it a "premium" any more, more the standard.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CPM_S30V_steel

There is also S60v (not that common) and S90v which I really like not to mentiion S35VN and a bunch of others. Much like collecting firearms or other items knives, when you consider the steels, blade geometry and designs offer a plethora of variations to collect and use and new stuff is coming out every day. Some times it's an improvement on an old design or something completely new. Other times it's a new process that takes and old steel to a new heigth in performance. You can pick a niche or remain wide open to every new design that comes along. When it comes to collecting steel the only limit really is your imagination and bank account.

Thanks for the lesson.

How can you tell if your buck 110 has the S30v steel? Mine has the model 110V, I think the V just signifies having the finger grooves.

[Richard Simmons]

Thanks for the lesson.

How can you tell if your buck 110 has the S30v steel? Mine has the model 110V, I think the V just signifies having the finger grooves.

If your 110 was S30v or BG42 (both nonstandard/premium steels Buck uses or has used) it will be marked as such. Buck used 440C as their standard, in house steel until about 1981 when they switched to 425M. They in turn changed from 425M to 420HC around 1994 and to date that is still their standard steel.

The V on yours is a date code and if it's actually pointing downward towards the handle it indicates a manufacture date of 1989. If it's pointing left, right or up it indicates 1986, 87 or 88, in that order. Based on that I would expect yours to be 425M.

HTH

[gpwasr10]

If your 110 was S30v or BG42 (both nonstandard/premium steels Buck uses or has used) it will be marked as such. Buck used 440C as their standard, in house steel until about 1981 when they switched to 425M. They in turn changed from 425M to 420HC around 1994 and to date that is still their standard steel.

The V on yours is a date code and if it's actually pointing downward towards the handle it indicates a manufacture date of 1989. If it's pointing left, right or up it indicates 1986, 87 or 88, in that order. Based on that I would expect yours to be 425M.

HTH

All that being said... Bucks 420HC (Standard 110 Blade) seems to be considered good metal (Best of the 420 class steels) do to their heat treat. I hav'ta say, I have been carrying this 110 for a few days...


I realllly like it. Like more then any knife I've have ever carried... needs a thumb stud though (on order).

I'll post pics of my stuff soon.

Simmons, is that Last 110 have a TiN blade or something? it looks gold... Also, how do you like that Alaskan guide... I have been considering it vs. going custom, but I am not wild about the logo on the blade steel... does the logo look AK IRL?

Either way, those knives are sweet! That Kalinga is out of control too... might need one of those too...

Ohhh shit... I'm addicted !

I might order the cutsom110 next month if the bolsters are that shifty... I like the brass, but feel that the nickle really sets the knife off... especially if I go with the Water Buffalo Scales.

[FunkyPertwee]

If your 110 was S30v or BG42 (both nonstandard/premium steels Buck uses or has used) it will be marked as such. Buck used 440C as their standard, in house steel until about 1981 when they switched to 425M. They in turn changed from 425M to 420HC around 1994 and to date that is still their standard steel.

The V on yours is a date code and if it's actually pointing downward towards the handle it indicates a manufacture date of 1989. If it's pointing left, right or up it indicates 1986, 87 or 88, in that order. Based on that I would expect yours to be 425M.

HTH

Yep, pointed toward handle while the blade is extended, so it must be an '89. Thanks man.

[Richard Simmons]

All that being said... Bucks 420HC (Standard 110 Blade) seems to be considered good metal (Best of the 420 class steels) do to their heat treat. I hav'ta say, I have been carrying this 110 for a few days...


I realllly like it. Like more then any knife I've have ever carried... needs a thumb stud though (on order).

I'll post pics of my stuff soon.

Simmons, is that Last 110 have a TiN blade or something? it looks gold... Also, how do you like that Alaskan guide... I have been considering it vs. going custom, but I am not wild about the logo on the blade steel... does the logo look AK IRL?

Either way, those knives are sweet! That Kalinga is out of control too... might need one of those too...

Ohhh shit... I'm addicted !

I might order the cutsom110 next month if the bolsters are that shifty... I like the brass, but feel that the nickle really sets the knife off... especially if I go with the Water Buffalo Scales.

The BCCI knive is just S30V, it's just my crappy camera skills that make it look gold. It is kind of unique in that it has no nail nick and is a drop point rather than the standard clip point that most 110 have.

The Alaskan Guide 110 is pretty nice though I recieved mine with some blade play. Not a huge deal but I've got a couple of other knives I'm sending back to Buck for warranty repair and a spa treatment so I'm going to send it along as well. I've seen a post on one of the knife forums where a member removed the logo very carefully with a razor blade and I think some kind of solvent. It didn't mess up the black coating on the blade at all and looked better without the logo.

Just ordered another club knife from the BCCI this morning. Model 110 with S30v clip point blade, green linen micarta scales with spacers and nickle bolsters. Should be here by the end of the week. That'll up my 110 collection to six or seven. I've also got a 110 that I carried in the Navy back in the late 70's but for the life of me I can't find it. Saw it a few years ago but where it's at today I can't say.

As far as the Buck Custom Shop goes the buffalo is one I've been wanting. I've modded it with nickle bolsters and a black blade as well as mirror polish blade, finger grooves, no finger grooves, rivets, no rivets. You name it, I've modded it, just can't decide.

Keep an eye on the web specials at Buck. A couple of months ago they did a buildout 110 with Dynawood scales and a 154CM blade (old stock for a custom order that never happened) for like $35. They sold out in two days and I will say without hesitation it was the sharpest Buck I've ever received out of the box. After some touchup I can treetop my arm hair with it. Should have bought 5-6 instead of the one.

[gpwasr10]

The BCCI knive is just S30V, it's just my crappy camera skills that make it look gold. It is kind of unique in that it has no nail nick and is a drop point rather than the standard clip point that most 110 have.

The Alaskan Guide 110 is pretty nice though I recieved mine with some blade play. Not a huge deal but I've got a couple of other knives I'm sending back to Buck for warranty repair and a spa treatment so I'm going to send it along as well. I've seen a post on one of the knife forums where a member removed the logo very carefully with a razor blade and I think some kind of solvent. It didn't mess up the black coating on the blade at all and looked better without the logo.

Just ordered another club knife from the BCCI this morning. Model 110 with S30v clip point blade, green linen micarta scales with spacers and nickle bolsters. Should be here by the end of the week. That'll up my 110 collection to six or seven. I've also got a 110 that I carried in the Navy back in the late 70's but for the life of me I can't find it. Saw it a few years ago but where it's at today I can't say.

As far as the Buck Custom Shop goes the buffalo is one I've been wanting. I've modded it with nickle bolsters and a black blade as well as mirror polish blade, finger grooves, no finger grooves, rivets, no rivets. You name it, I've modded it, just can't decide.

Keep an eye on the web specials at Buck. A couple of months ago they did a buildout 110 with Dynawood scales and a 154CM blade (old stock for a custom order that never happened) for like $35. They sold out in two days and I will say without hesitation it was the sharpest Buck I've ever received out of the box. After some touchup I can treetop my arm hair with it. Should have bought 5-6 instead of the one.

Yeah I was thinking Case... but now that I have seen some of these bucks... I might go that route too.

As far as your 110's blade play... I have heard that if you place your 110 in a phonebook (like the middle of a phone pook) and wack it with a hammer a couple times... they will tighten back up w.o damaging the knife.

Thanks for the tip on keeping an eye on Bucks Specials! I will have to do that!