420HC vrs 440A

T

tpaulos

Joined
Aug 6, 1999
Messages
101
is bucks 420hc a beter blade steel than 440a
for camping or hunting what would yor prefer.
this is not a complaint about buck 420hc steel,have had good luck with all my buck's.
easy to sharpen and hold a good edge,just curious what other members think.
tony paulos
 
OK, here it goes.

What makes Buck's 420HC better than the dreaded 420, or 420 J2? I assume the "HC" means a higher carbon content than straight 420, with perhaps all the other alloying elements the same -- but that's just a guess.

I'm not putting down Buck; I've recently gotten "Buck fever" and picked up a couple including a plain 110 with Edge 2000 that is very nice. I'm just curious.
 
From a previous thread: 420 aka 420-J2 has .35% carbon while 420HC has .45-.55% carbon. The 420 HC has no molybdenum or vanadium and 12-14% chromium. I believe some of the 420's can be lower in carbon. For comparison 440A has around .75% carbon and 14.5% chromium (and no molybdenum or vanadium). While 440A should be tougher the mix tends to have a coarse grain structure that is harder to get and keep razor sharp.

[This message has been edited by Jeff Clark (edited 01-07-2000).]
 
thanks for the info Jeff,I agree with you,the Buck 420HC does out perform most 440A blades I've ever used,I'm going to order one of the Buck 110's in BG42 from Petes Custom Shop.
Tony Paulos
 
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