Buck 124 questions.

[clampdaddy]

Hi everybody. New guy here with a knife question. Growing up on a farm I've always had a knife on me but I've never been "a knife guy". Buck knives are what I've always had so when I decided to buy a large, full tang, fixed blade S.H.T.F. knife I got a Buck 124 Frontiersman. Now, after seeing some videos of what a good shtf/survival knife should be able to do I'm second guessing my decision. The blade seems a bit thin in the hollow ground section to be pounding it into trees and splitting firewood. But like I said, I don't know a whole hell of alot about the metallurgy of knives. So how would you guys rate the 124's blade strength against a standard, like the Ka-bar

 

[killgar]

Just a few thoughts here-

When it comes to choosing emergency preparedness gear, I think it's best to be realistic in ones choices and consider situations that one might realistically find themselves in.

Unless you are going to carry your SHTF fixed-blade on your person everyday wherever you go, do you really need a fixed-blade that can do everything like chopping and prying? If you plan to leave your SHTF fixed-blade in your vehicle, then I would also suggest carrying other tools in your vehicle that you might need in an emergency, and that might be better suited for different tasks (like a prybar, hatchet, etc). If you are going to prepare a "bug-out bag", then again I would suggest choosing items that you might truly need, and choose accordingly.

I'm willing to use a knife for a variety of tasks if that knife happens to be the only tool I have with me, and if I think it can handle the task, and if no lives are at stake. But if I were specifically choosing equipment for emergency life and death situations, then I would do my best to choose the best tools for those emergency situations. I wouldn't want to bet my life on the ability of a knife to serve as a prybar or wood-splitter, because if the knife broke then I wouldn't have a knife, prybar, or wood-splitter, and then I'd really be screwed.

And I wouldn't put too much stock in what you see on youtube. The performance or failure of ONE KNIFE does not guarantee the performance or failure of another knife of the same model. For a person to put ONE INDIVIDUAL KNIFE through a variety of tasks or stress tests, and then declare that model of knife as good or bad, is as far from a true evaluation of that model of knife as you can get. The only way you can truly know if an individual knife is capable of handling any particular task is to use it for that task and see what happens. I wouldn't bet my life on what I see in a youtube video.

It's easy for a person to say "I've used my XYZ knife to do this and that and it handled it all with no problems". But do a bit of forum/internet searching and see if anyone has had the same model of knife break on them when trying to perform the same tasks. Like I said, the success or failure of one does not guarantee the success or failure of others.

While a Buck 124 may not make the best prybar or wood-splitter, I'd wager that it would serve as a very effective cutting tool. Of course, if you are set on having some kind of super-heavy-duty-near-indestructable fixed-blade knife that can easily handle prying and wood-splitting, I'm sure there are some out there that will fit that definition better than the Buck 124. But I'd also wager that the price of those knives would be such that you would save a lot of money if you stuck with the Buck and bought a true prybar and hatchet.

 

[Myal]

Take your knife out and play with it

Use it to chop some poles and really make a shelter or to do what you forsee youself having to do in whatever SHTF situation you are expecting .

Im serious , if you DO break it , you learn a lot from doing real work with it till that happened . Really its only by by actually doing what you think youll need to , that youll know if the knife you have is what you need at all , or if you need more , a better chopper , or less something for finer work even .

I enjoy watching people show off their SHTF preperations , but when its all brand new unused gear , I do wonder just a little about how well itll actually go together for them if / when they ever have to use it .

Dont be shy about using your knife for the things *you* want or need to use it for tho , just because some guy breaks his doing what he percieves is what he would need to do , doesnt mean you will .

Personally I do very little firewood cutting when Im camping now , Im not about to begin doing that when Im in trouble ...

 

[orca8589]

clampdaddy, welcome to the forum.

I love the Buck 124, but I don't own one - a Buck 119 will handle almost everything I need done. It's my sentimental favorite too - it's the first hunting knife I was allowed to buy when I was a teenager. (Gotta love grandmas. )

I won't baton with a knife, and I usually won't chop with one either. I have a Becker BK7, and I've literally beaten the crap out of it, and it's still in great shape. As much as I love it, the weight keeps it at home on some of my outings. Either the 119 or a Mora goes with me. The BK7 definitely gets used several times a month, but not carried too much.

I just bought a BK9, a little longer and thicker in the blade (it's a Camillus-made BK9) but I may sell or trade it. I just can't see carrying it for long hikes & campouts.

killgar said it best - figure out what you think you'd need to do in a real-world emergency, then go hiking & camping and see if your tools (not just the knife) are up to the task. If you think you'll be chopping with your knife, do it. From there, you can get an idea of what works. (I figured out that I needed a knife for fine cutting work, so I bring a short-handled hatchet for chopping and a Mora for the fine cutting.) I ignore YouTube when it comes to knife reviews. Too many twits that destroy well-designed and well-built knives, doing what the knife wasn't designed for. It's a waste of time & money.

Check out the survival & outdoors forum here too. Lots of good stuff there, but there's some "mall-ninja" stuff around here as well. Read a lot, and have fun. (It doesn't have to cost much either.)

~Chris

 

[clampdaddy]

Thanks guys. All of your suggestions make perfect sense. Until I bought this 124 my "big" knife has always been a 102 Woodsman. It has been an ideal knife for all of my hunting needs. Whether the job is breasting out ducks or gutting fish, hog and deer it does its job well. When I got the 124 my first thought was that it was to big for processing game and to small for hacking brush. In fact, I've found that using a nice sharp ax like an ullu works pretty darn well making quick work of a pile of cottontail rabbits. So I think I'll just stick with my 102 and my Hults Bruks made Husqvarna axe and call it good.........but why do I still want an excuse to by a Busse Gemini?!

 

[orca8589]

but why do I still want an excuse to by a Busse Gemini?!

'Cause they're so kewl.

~Chris

 

[clampdaddy]

'Cause they're so kewl.

~Chris

Yes they are. Found an excuse to buy one today so I called and ordered one. Unfortunately the comp finish is no longer available so I went with tanker gray and black micarta. Only 4-14 weeks to go!

 

[waylntat2]

i own 2 124 Bucks also have 120 ,119 110,112, My 2 124's aremy favorite .. oh my I love how heavy thay feel .. thay are my best Butchering knves.. cut & hold an edge great.. Every deal i find on a Buck I jump on them .. Love my Bucks..I also have old knives of other Brands but . an old Buck Makes me Happy . Jus my op.