1996 Remington Trailhand question?

M

MGarofalo

Joined
Sep 29, 2016
Messages
7
Hey everyone, longtime lurker, newly joined, and first time poster here. I just acquired the above referenced knife from an online auction site. The knife looks brand new, was in the box with all paperwork and in the plastic bag inside the box. All for $42 shipped.

However, when I opened the blades, both the main spear and pen secondary blade there is a ton of wobble, both side to side and away from the bolster. I'm not new to traditional slipjoint knives, but this is my first of this make and pattern. Is this common to the pattern or did I just get a bad one? Is there anyone I can send it to to get fixed?

I have always wanted one of these chunky style camp/scout/utility styles and would like to keep this one if it can be made usable.

Any advice will be appreciated.

Thanks in advance.

Mike
 
You didn't post a photo. But I would guess that the knife was made by Camillus and the company went out of business. There are folks in the Exchange who sell services and may repair it. Or you could give it a squeeze in a padded vise and peen the pins.

Wobble is not desirable but it happens with peened pin construction. The knives are just assembled with pins that are peened (smashed) on the ends and buffed smooth. Torque can loosen up the blades. And sometimes there's some minor play from the manufacturer. A "ton of wobble" would normally be a knife that I'd return.
 
Thanks for the reply. Not sure how to post pics yet, and I was aware Camillus likely made the knife and is now out of business, so factory service is out of the question. I'll check out the exchange and see what I turn up.
 
One thing to keep in mind when buying Camillus and Schrade knives is that tons of unused parts and even some unused packaging was sold when the factory closed. There are guys who put these parts together. They may even have the correct packaging. And some are put together with parts from other knives or companies. The quality of construction would depend on the individuals skill (or lack of skill). I've seen a few examples of Schrade parts knives but I haven't been looking. It's just something to keep in mind.
 
I'll keep that in mind in the future on this pattern. I'm going to ask around for someone to possibly fix it.

Thankfully I didn't pay a lot for the knife.
 
After the knife is nice and tight, you could get the cool poster to go along with the knife. I always liked those Duke posters that came with the knives.
 
It shouldn't have wobble. I have looked at a lot of Remingtons made by Cammilus, and its not common. The most common defect is cracks around thong holes for more than one pattern. Return it if you can.
 
A few years ago, I too bought a '96 Trailhand (new) and was surprised at the amount of wobble. A "ton" describes my knife pretty well.
 
Supra, you said I didn't post a pic. Either I'm not permitted or I can't figure it out. I've lurked on the forum and on others, but I am unfamiliar with how to do it. Any tips? Am I only allowed to post pics with a paid membership?
 
MGarofalo said:
Supra, you said I didn't post a pic. Either I'm not permitted or I can't figure it out. I've lurked on the forum and on others, but I am unfamiliar with how to do it. Any tips? Am I only allowed to post pics with a paid membership?
Click to expand...

Paid members can upload pictures from their computers, but all members can open a photo hosting account and post pictures using that.

1. I use www.photobucket.com

Download your pictures.
Go to your Photobucket album.
Click on the pictures you want.
Go to the right and see Links to share this photo.
Left click on IMG. It will flash Copied. Paste into your post.

2. Another way, go to www.imgur.com
Upload your image.
Then select the BBCode option - it starts with .
Copy & Paste into your thread.
 
I have two Trailhands. Wobble is usually an issue with almost any scout pattern. Scouts are hard to manufacture well, as they are quite complicated to get right. Lots of blades. The Trailhand is even tougher to build than your standard scout, since it has tools on the backside also. One of my Trailhands is put together fairly well, with a touch of wobble on one tool. The other knife is pretty darned wobbly, I'm afraid.

If you want a great scout, without wobble, get a Remington R-4 or a Camillus C4. They have exceptional fit, and are actually far more practical knives for real world use. Far superior ergonomics. I have maybe 5 or 6 of them, and each one is nearly perfect in fit.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
 
Knarf: thanks for the "how to" instructions.

Buzz: I'll keep those models in mind. I have probably a dozen various camp/scout/utility style knives, from ww2 production knives, to pre-war imperials, to SAK, to rough riders. Even the oldest and most used don't have wobble like this one. I specifically wanted one in this style and didn't have the money to spring for the Boker, so I took a shot and was high bidder. Are the Bokers in this style as wobbly?
 
MGarofalo said:
Did you manage to get it fixed or just leave it as is or did you get rid of it?
Click to expand...

I reduced the wobble quite a bit by using a padded C clamp as carefully as I could....

Important note: As I was re-reading the thread, I realized I made a mistake--my knife in question is actually the Remington Ranchhand, not the Trailhand. My apologies for any confusion.
 
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