121’s for January 21st

[eveled]

Such a great knife, thin and slicy, Very useful for cleaning game or in the kitchen.

 

[howiema]

This was the only one I ever had , I was fileting a nice striper and flexed it to much and this was the result, I do miss this one in my fishing box, wish they would make this model again

 

[DrMegabyte]

My modest collection of 121s. On the left is a 3 line "Fisherman" model, on the right is a later 121 when they had renamed the 121, "The Guide."
The differences are subtle and are on the blade shape and in the pommel width and construction.

 

[pjsjr]

Stag 121 from 1991...

 

[wonderboy1377s]

Couple Joe Houser’s, one elk, one stag



Stag

 

[bertl]

A 121 with scaler from 2005. This version was introduced as a limited production at the 2005 Blade Show. The blade is very similar to the Klink Special 121s, and I wonder if Buck used leftover Klink 121 blades. My big question is, "How many were made?" Neither Joe Houser nor Buck Knives has the information.

Bert

 

[DeSotoSky]

The 2005 blade with scaler was overrun from the Klinkhammer series just like Bert's above.
This 121 was a Heath Stone custom. I re-homed it from Matt Jannusch, another forum member years ago.

 

[DeSotoSky]

A Buck 121 with horizontal stamp. This would be the earliest, 1964 I think. I originally thought that this knife would have had a keeper strap sheath but in 1964 holster style sheaths were being introduced. Over the years I've seen more than one example of a horizontal stamp knife with a holster sheath so I now believe there was a transition.

 

[DeSotoSky]

118 Personal and 121 Guide from the 2013 Boone & Crockett Series.

 

[Generalist]

 

[DeSotoSky]

121 2-line with scaler. I think this is the hardest one to find so the scaler must have been dropped not long after the switch.

 

[eveled]

The blades definitely got thicker over time.

Not sure if it was the reason for the name change? Or if the change even happened with the name change.

The old thin ones are a joy to use, but they were never as thin and flexible as I want a fillet knife to be.

 

[jb4570]

 

[DeSotoSky]

The blades definitely got thicker over time.
Not sure if it was the reason for the name change? Or if the change even happened with the name change.
The old thin ones are a joy to use, but they were never as thin and flexible as I want a fillet knife to be.

The 121 was bumped from its Fisherman status when Buck introduced the Mate series fillet knives in 1984.
The 1985 catalog lists it as the Guide.

 

[eveled]

The 121 was bumped from its Fisherman status when Buck introduced the Mate series fillet knives in 1984.
The 1985 catalog lists it as the Guide.

That makes sense.

Is that when it got thicker? It seems to me it got thicker incrementally over time. But I’m not sure.

 

[bertl]

It seems to me it got thicker incrementally over time. But I’m not sure.

My limited measurements show that after the scaler version, there were gradual increases, and just before it became the Guide, blades thickness had increased about 30 %.

 

[pjsjr]

My limited measurements show that after the scaler version, there were gradual increases, and just before it became the Guide, blades thickness had increased about 30 %.

Not sure where I got these measurements from...
4 spacer, tip down, measured at the tang stamp - .0583"
4 spacer, tip up, measured at the tang stamp - .0770"
3 spacer, 3 line, measured at the tang stamp - .0776"
2005 121, measured at the tang stamp - .121"

Feel free to measure and correct any and or all of the above.

 

[bertl]

Feel free to measure and correct any and or all of the above.

Those are pretty close to what I have.

Bert

 

[cccanada]

 

[bertl]

View attachment 3083860

That's a knife I would give my eye-teeth for.

bert