A.G. Russell Wharncliffe Swayback Jack

Lengthen or eliminate the end cap, shorten the bolster and eliminate or change the shield and I'd be going for the smooth bone. I have a couple AGR knives and find them to be very solidly built and a pleasure to carry and use.
 
sunknife said:
Lengthen or eliminate the end cap, shorten the bolster and eliminate or change the shield and I'd be going for the smooth bone. I have a couple AGR knives and find them to be very solidly built and a pleasure to carry and use.
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I'm of the mind that they should lose the end-cap and slightly lengthen the front bolster, lol. Different strokes for different folks I guess. :)
 
Just not feeling this knife. Mainly due to the shield, and price.

Nice to see more swayback offerings though.
 
I just received an A.G. Russell catalog in which I found a new knife offering - a 3 5/8" Wharncliffe Swayback made in Maniago with M390 blade, but with hafted (read: no screws) construction, traditional cover materials (stag, smooth white bone, and desert ironwood), bolster and endcap:

rus-ij13s_swb_di.jpg


I think this is interesting, the knives are priced right, considering the materials. For those who want a Swayback in a slightly smaller package, it's probably ideal. The GEC #47 frame, while very usable, is still to large for a lot of people at nearly 4" closed. I think I'm most excited to see hafted construction from the Italian makers.

Another interesting note is that these knives proudly feature cam tangs (no pun intended in reference to proud springs). There's an article in the listing from BladeMag, which references Mr. Russell's distain for half-stops and features discussion from custom makers Phil Gibbs and Bill Ruple, with lots of details on the history and justifications for half-stop action. You can find the article here.

I'm not sure if I will order one, as I don't tend to carry a single blade wharncliffe knife, but I am very excited to see these whenever they end up being released. I have enjoyed the Lionsteel/CK collaboration offerings but have noted some dissent from traditional knife enthusiasts who are turned off by the screw-together construction. I hope to see these discussed and shown off on the porch whenever they become available.
 
Thanks for the heads-up :thumbsup: :thumbsup:
I would buy any of those three…if only the tip of the shield matched that Gawgeous blade’s, and was -25% in length. Knice knives from those pics!!
 
I don't fully understand the shield choice, either. We see it on some theme-appropriate knives like the Gunstock, but mostly on Remington Bullet-branded or homaged knives. I'll be curious to see if they release any other patterns/frames.
 
If interested in other posts regarding these swaybacks, here's a thread that was open by Brian over 3 weeks ago

A.G. Russell Wharncliffe Swayback Jack

I saw these on the cover of the latest catalog that A.G. Russell sent to me and I hadn't heard anything about them here, so I thought I'd make a post. I think they look pretty sweet. Three cover options; stag, smooth white bone, or desert ironwood. 2-7/8" mirror-polished, wharncliffe blade...
www.bladeforums.com www.bladeforums.com
 
knifethetank said:
If interested in other posts regarding these swaybacks, here's a thread that was open by Brian over 3 weeks ago

A.G. Russell Wharncliffe Swayback Jack

I saw these on the cover of the latest catalog that A.G. Russell sent to me and I hadn't heard anything about them here, so I thought I'd make a post. I think they look pretty sweet. Three cover options; stag, smooth white bone, or desert ironwood. 2-7/8" mirror-polished, wharncliffe blade...
www.bladeforums.com www.bladeforums.com
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Ah, forgive my failure to research. If a mod sees this and wants to combine threads, I think that'd be fair to pare down extraneousosityness.
 
traumkommode said:
I don't fully understand the shield choice, either. We see it on some theme-appropriate knives like the Gunstock, but mostly on Remington Bullet-branded or homaged knives. I'll be curious to see if they release any other patterns/frames.
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The bullet shield might have been A.G. Russell's way of reminiscing, so to speak. He used bullet shields on some of his Hen & Rooster knives when he owned the factory in Bertram, Germany. I believe I've seen a Hen & Rooster Baby Barlow from around 1976 with either this exact shield design or one very similar. Other calibers where used on other H&R knives from that era also.
 
Railsplitter said:
The bullet shield might have been A.G. Russell's way of reminiscing, so to speak. He used bullet shields on some of his Hen & Rooster knives when he owned the factory in Bertram, Germany. I believe I've seen a Hen & Rooster Baby Barlow from around 1976 with either this exact shield design or one very similar. Other calibers where used on other H&R knives from that era also.
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That makes sense. A.G.'s legacy, while well marketed, didn't seem to be trend chasing. Especially after reading that article about the tang designs, seemed like he was fully steeped in tradition.
 
Thanks for posting that link, it's an interesting article.

I've seen the half stop debate for years, and have participated in more than a few of them. I have never bought the idea that half stops are a safety measure for any number of dried-out reasons. I don't have strong feelings about half stops. I've got knives with them, and knives without them. Dun't matter.
 
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