303 Question for the gurus

MT_Pokt

MT_Pokt

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I was in my safe to swap my Walther for my Kimber and decided to pull out one of my 303s for pocket duty. I ended up getting 6 or 8 out after noticing the blade layout on this red jigged bone was different. I took a couple of photos and this is the only one I have with the sheep foot blade and the clip on the same end. I checked several from different eras, and different handles.

I remember this coming up in another thread but can't seem to find it now.

So... does anyone know if this is intentional and the purpose, or one of those anomalies?





This one from the same year even...
 
Yes, they swapped ends with the two secondary blades at the beginning of the 90's. Which way do you like. If you need details I will look them up, but bet someone who is a 303 person might know off the top of their head. Hint, Hint.....

I think I have said I like the sheepsfoot on the same end of the main clip blade because you use it more that the small spey blade. Its a rough cutting blade and you save your main clip blades and especially the spey blade for detailed cutting. Or "speying". AKA Mountain Oytsers. That is if you did that sort of thing....
300
 
MT_Pokt,

Take a look at the back springs on the jigged red bone knife. I am pretty sure you will find two. Then look at the springs on the "BUCK" escutcheon knife in your third photo. I'll bet you find three. Buck started using three springs for the 303 in 1988 and with that the sheepsfoot moved to the opposite end from the clip blade. I think the jigged red bone knife came out in 1987 which had a frame with two springs. Since 1988 was a year of change for the number of springs your jigged red bone knife probably has a 1987 frame and blade arrangement even though it has a 1988 tang stamp.

Bert
 
not to derail the thread, but was the 301 changed from a two spring to three spring around the same time, or has the 301 always been a three spring?
 
@300 and bertl:

I expected you guys would have the answers, just didn't expect the quick response!

The spring change would make sense considering the others I have with the spay opposite the clip are Camillus contracts.

I'll see about getting some spring photos up in the morning for all to see.

I'll try to make my next question a little tougher :D
 
afishhunter said:
not to derail the thread, but was the 301 changed from a two spring to three spring around the same time, or has the 301 always been a three spring?
Click to expand...

I'd love to help but I have exactly zero 301...for now.
 
A slight correction: I actually went and looked at my notes and knives. I think 1988 may have been the first year for the jigged red bone 303; however, I have one from 1987, but the blade is stamped prototype.

fishhunter, according to my notes the 301 didn't go to three springs until a couple of years later, about 1990.

Bert
 
Here's a photo of a couple of loose knives I grabbed.



The top one is the "Buck" shield. The 2nd one is the red bone. The others are pretty much the same.

It looks to me that they also changed from brass liners to stainless.

These are all Buck factory knives by the way. I have others but didn't have time to pull them out of their boxes for a line-up.
 
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When I was ten, I got a shorter one for my birthday. I don't have it anymore, but the small blade I called the pinky blade was on it"s own pin. That was 1981, now I know that my Dad bought his 112 at the same time.
 
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Scottcc said:
When I was ten, I got a shorter one for my birthday. I don't have it anymore, but the small blade I called the pinky blade was on it"s own pin.
Click to expand...

There are more slip joints, but Bucks current 303 and smaller:

303 - 3 1/4" closed. 3 blades: 1 clip & 1 spay on one end and 1 sheeps foot on the opposite (varies as described in this discussion)
309 - 3" closed. 2 blades: 1 clip & 1 sheeps foot on opposite ends (I don't know of any other configurations)
305 - 2 5/8" closed. 2 blades: 1 clip & 1 sheep foot on opposite ends (there is at least one other version with a clipper/scissor opposite the clip)

Great little pocket knives. I have a variety, as should everyone :D

There are so many different sizes and configurations in the 300 series that there is something for everyone!
 
This thread is just a 'toe in the water' talking about all the twists and turns of the 300 series design facts and changes.

Lets all get one thing straight in 1986 Buck started making the 301, 303, 309 and 305 in their own factory. Everything after that is in the details. Between Buck orders and SMKWs special orders Camillus continued to make some 300 models up into the late 1990s, but NOT the Buck made four. I will start calling them the Buck Four.

From 86 on we were brass linered like the Camillus contract knive. But"MOST" Buck made models were SS liner'ed and had a spring for each blade starting in the early - 1990's. I would appreciate it if MT-pokt would double check the date on his red bone 303 shown in the above photo list to see if it is not a earlier date. The photo several posts up shows a 1988 date.

Brass parts are generally gone from the Buck made 'Four' early in the 90's. If you are trying to make a collection of a particular model learn whether they have brass or stainless brothers that overlap in time. And or only are one or the other.
Then you will know quickly whether you are looking at a 80's or 90's and after Buck 'Four' knife.
I will try and see if a couple of us can't come up with a list of the Buck FOUR models, and the dates of change and scale type and we can post it up in the date stickies.....300

Bert, or someone how about a photo here showing a 303 with Buck shield, then the first KBH return and then the first stainless liner, three springs and blade end switches. I have to leave and won't be able to get that till later tonight. Which I will do if not possible for anyone else. 3B
 
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300Bucks said:
I would appreciate it if MT-pokt would double check the date on his red bone 303 shown in the above photo list to see if it is not a earlier date. The photo several posts up shows a 1988 date.
Click to expand...

Sorry everyone! The date on the top two on that photo are in fact 1988, not 1998. I'll fix the photo and change it.

Thanks for the help 300.

I'll dig into my "pile" and see what I can provide.
 
300,

I have been away all day. I will see if I can take some decent photos first thing in the morning.

Bert
 
Okay, here are some photos showing some of what 300Bucks was talking about. They aren’t pretty and the knives aren’t polished, but they illustrate a few things. The first photo illustrates some shield changes. At the top is the last Camillus version of the 303 with an ellipse shaped shield. Next is the first version of the Buck made 303 from 1985 with a shape more like a racetrack oval and with “BUCK” spelled out. It also illustrates a problem with that type of shield, the ink wore off. The third knife is the same sort of shield but from 1988, and the bottom knife with the traditional KBH shield is from 1989.
The second photo shows a 2-spring knife on the left with brass frame liners and a brass mid-spacer. It also shows a brass side center spacer. On the right is a 3-spring knife from 1988 with brass frame liners. The third photo shows the 3-spring knife from 1988 with brass frame liners and a 3-spring knife from 1993 with an integral nickel-silver frame. The bolsters and liners are all one piece. In the last photo, you can see that the positions of the spay and sheepsfoot blades reversed when the knives went from two springs (top) to three (bottom).
Bert

shields 1.jpg2 & 3 spring brass.jpg3 spring 1.jpgView attachment 605053
 
Good stuff Bertl. I'm interested even if no one else is following along.

I have a spread sheet showing all of the "Catalog" slip-joints from 1972 to 2015 less the Legacy knives. Care to take a look at it and adjust dates from what you know? Could be a good start for a write up, if it's not already been done.
 
Awesome info Bertl - I don't have an 88, now I'll need to find one.

Thanks for the great pics and explainstion. Appreciated!
 
Sorry to drag an old thread back up, but did the 303 & 301 both switch to three springs in the same year? Which based on the aforementioned info, I gathered was 1988.

I just received a NIB 301 with a 88 stamp, and it's still a two spring. So were 301's switched in 89? I'm after one from the first year of three springs, that still has brass liners. Not that the 88 isn't a nice one. Got it cheap too. Always a plus.

Thanks!

Joe
 
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