301 Stockman Fifty Years

bertl

bertl

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Feb 17, 2011
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There are only three months left for 2016, and I don't think anyone has mentioned that this is the fiftieth anniversary for the 301 Stockman. The First Version was a Schrade contract knife, and the one in the photo is a little unusual. It is one of a handful repaired under the Buck warranty. It didn't take long for Buck to realize that through rivets were not a good solution for repairing the Schrade design.

Bert

301 Schrade repaired.jpg
 
Your right, 50 years....I was even a teenager then, just barely.

What I want to know is how many did you have to look at to find a good repaired one....?

Somewhere between a bushel and a peck I bet. 300
 
I know the 110 is iconic but Buck should have done a 301 50th. Shame on them.
 
Buck celebrated the fiftieth anniversary of the 110 with an inlay shield. I wish they would have for the 301 Stockman too.
 
Thanks Bert. Those serpentine Schrade made Bucks were really pretty.
 
300, those are some awesome knives. I love the long pull Camillus made knives. I wish Buck would go back to the long pull and stiffen the spring. Anyway, some of those knives you have there are awfully nice.
 
Those older Schrade and Camillus made 301's are really nice. I too wish Buck would come out with a stiffer spring and some more handle (bone & stag) options for the 301's and 303's as well as recognizing the 50th anniversary of the 300 series of knives.
 
Fifty years, what happened to all that time?
The 301 was my dream pocket knife as a kid, the one I saved and saved for, always checking the Field and Stream magazines to see if BUCK had run another add for the 301 so that I could agonize over not having one yet and fantasize about all the adventures I was bound to have once it was secured in my pocket.
Where did all that time go.........

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The Schrade contract 301s are my favorite in the series. Arguably not the most robust but I've not had issue with mine, however I really only ever cut with them.

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There's just something I really like about the 'BUCK' stamped tangs on the second gen Schrade contract knives.

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Here's one I rescued for a song, it looked like it had been in the bottom of a wet tackle box most of its life.
It's my edc and, along with the help of this translucent Arkansas stone, there isn't a 'modern' cutting job this old knife can't handle.


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Where does the time go, when it first came out I was in High School. A few years latter I purchased my first 300 as a gift. When I started picking up Buck Knives one I looked for in particular was the 301 with grooved bolster the first one I found was I believe a knife the factory replaced when it was sent in for repair.



I have found a couple NIB over the years

 
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Peppercorn,

Here is a 301 with "BUCK" stamped on the wrong side of the secondary blades. I'm not sure how they managed to do that.

Bert

IMG_5260.JPG.jpg
 
bertl said:
Peppercorn,

Here is a 301 with "BUCK" stamped on the wrong side of the secondary blades. I'm not sure how they managed to do that.

Bert

View attachment 664458
Click to expand...

Now that is interesting.

The stamping appears somewhat crude compared to what I am familiar with and when compared to the stamp on the clip blade in your photo.
It's as if they used a completely different process on that stamping.
Does your hands on, personal assessment agree?

I like it, thank you for sharing


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This thread and the wonderful photos have renewed my interest in Buck slip joints in general and the 301 in particular. I've got a few but now have the urge for more. Nice collections guys!
 
Peppercorn,

You are making me work. First of all we have to remember that these were essentially hand made knives so we can expect variation. I only have 5 of this version and yet I can see a little variation from one knife to another. The knife with the “reverse” stamp is on the right and, other than being reversed, there are two things I notice about the stamp: it is much heavier (deeper) than on the other knives and the stamp seems to be out of parallel with the far end of the ricasso. It also seems to be a little closer to the handle. The knife next to it has a much lighter stamp than the rest and seems to be out of parallel, also. The knife on the far left seems to have a little heavier stamp than the two immediately to its right. Finally, it may just be me, but the font size appears slightly smaller for the two on the far right, the heavy and light stamps.

The other thing is that there seems to be variation in the blade geometry from one knife to another, especially the sheepsfoot curvature.

Take a look at the photo.

Bert

IMG_6993.jpg
 
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bertl said:
Peppercorn,

You are making me work. First of all we have to remember that these were essentially hand made knives so we can expect variation. I only have 5 of this version and yet I can see a little variation from one knife to another. The knife with the “reverse” stamp is on the right and, other than being reversed, there are two things I notice about the stamp: it is much heavier (deeper) than on the other knives and the stamp seems to be out of parallel with the far end of the ricasso. It also seems to be a little closer to the handle. The knife next to it has a much lighter stamp than the rest and seems to be out of parallel, also. The knife on the far left seems to have a little heavier stamp than the two immediately to its right. Finally, it may just be me, but the font size appears slightly smaller for the two on the far right, the heavy and light stamps.

The other thing is that there seems to be variation in the blade geometry from one knife to another, especially the sheepsfoot curvature.

Take a look at the photo.

Bert

View attachment 664520
Click to expand...

Bert,
Now I'm feeling a little guilty making you work so hard but I have to say, in the same breath, that your hard work is appreciated and does not go unnoticed.
These are more interesting observations and examples that you bring to the table with regard to the variations in secondary blade stamps.

All that being said, I have to say that I too notice variation in the blade geometry and,as you have mentioned, especially in the Sheepsfoot blades.
Some of the Sheepsfoot blades are noticeably wider especially.
Now of course this comparison I am referring to involves blades that still have factory edges so as to make it an apples to apples comparison.

Good stuff here....


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Bert, there even seems to be a bit of difference in the kick between these knives.
 
My dad gave me a 301 Stockman many years ago. He had gotten it several years before he gave it to me. It has the grooved bolsters like the the one bertl posted the pic of.

Needless to say, my stockman has given me a few battle scars over the years. The worse one was when it snapped close on my index finger because I was young and didn't know any better. Lesson learned and gave me healthy respect for a sharp knife. After that, I was MUCH more careful using any knife.

The 301 and a 110 were my EDC for many years.

Thank you all for your posts in this thread. It was good to learn more about the knife that I carried around for many years.

Ric
 
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