"Beater" Stockman

T

thesouthernguitarist

Joined
Aug 19, 2010
Messages
320
Hey everybody, With Christmas upon us many family members have asked for gift ideas. So, I have been wanting a really good user stockman lately. A stockman that i'm not afraid to use or scratch up at all and can edc confidently. I want to keep it $50 and less. Any ideas?
 
thesouthernguitarist said:
That is very interesting, just before i posted this i was checking out the Buck line. Are they of decent quality?
Click to expand...

Good quality from a famous manufacturer with a great reputation. I've never been a fan of Buck's blade steel, but I'm probably going to buy at least one of their yellow ComfortCraft series... they are beautiful little knives!

The 301YWS and 303YWS are the two sizes of stockman style knives. Check 'em out....

Boker has their "Tree Brand" stockman with carbon steel blades and bone handles for your price. Check out their model 7474AB. Very nice!


Stay sharp,
desmobob
 
Last edited:
I would consider a Case stockman in the size and configuration of your choice.

There are many options in the line that would allow you to stay at or under your budget of $50.00.

I've purchased two Case stockmans recently and have been pleased with the fit and finish and overall quality of both.

Good luck,
dan
 
thesouthernguitarist said:
That is very interesting, just before i posted this i was checking out the Buck line. Are they of decent quality?
Click to expand...

Buck makes a fine knife and they are very reasonably priced..
IIRC, they are now making the slip joints here in the U.S too. For awhile, they were made overseas. Buck is a great company. Still family owned and operated, and they truly care about their customers. Plus, if you have a problem with any of their products, they will take care of you.

If I only was going to buy one knife and wanted it under 50 bucks, I would buy a Case 63032 medium stockman with Chestnut bone scales and CV blades.
The CV is a good steel. It is carbon steel so it can rust, and it will develop a patina with use, but thats a good thing. It really makes the knife look great.
Case too has great customer service. You can easily find them at dealers online or at the famous auction site, just do a Google search.

The older U.S made Schrades are terrific knives. IMHO they dont have as much eye appeal as others, but they are well made and have 1095 carbon steel blades :thumbup: Be careful if you decide to get a Schrade though.
They went out of business a few years back, and the current offerings are made overseas, and not anywhere near the quality of the old originals.
 
338375 said:
Be careful if you decide to get a Schrade though.
They went out of business a few years back, and the current offerings are made overseas, and not anywhere near the quality of the old originals.
Click to expand...

Can one safely assume that if the tang is stamped USA then it is an older one and not made overseas?
 
Here is my Dad's Schrade stockman. He gave it to me a couple of months ago. Looks good to me!:)

img1064tp.jpg
 
I think i am gonna go with the Buck. It seems really attractive for some reason. But I heard from one person that your mileage may very with the Buck 300 series. Implying that some of them have bad quality. Has anyone experienced this?
 
Just saying "300 series" actually covers a lot of ground. Some of these are currently made in China and some in USA -- both the 301 and 303 models are all USA made (as are all the 30x numbered models). Buck stands fully behind all their products though, regardless of where they're made.
 
I suppose it's possible that you could get a buck with poor quality.... Never have experienced it nor do I hear much about that. From what I know buck's quality control is pretty spot-on.
 
If you like the Buck Stockman, you might want to take a look at the 703. They were discontinued in 2001 but they can still be found NIB within your price range.

1986Buck703Colt.jpg


Check out the Case Humpback Stockmans too. They make one in Rough Black that would make a good beater Stockman.
 
A Buck 301 is my "go-to" for anytime I think I'm going to have to tackle something particularly tough.

Their hardness spec for their 420HC is 58±1.
I've personally measured blades from 3 different Buck 301 and 303 knives. All were 59. That's a good hardness for that alloy. The Bucks hold an edge noticeably better than either Case Tru-Sharp or Case CV.
 
Any more details or opinions on that 703? THat looks sweet! USA made? NIB on that auction site? Measurements?
 
There were the 701 and 703 stockmen - which match up to the 301 and 303 in basic specs - 3 7/8" and 3 1/4" - all USA made (IIRC, all were actually Buck factory made - I think during that time period they contracted at least some of the 300 series out to Camillus). Scales are some sort of engineered wood - very tough. They're built like tanks. Yep, you can often find them floating across the bay.
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top