Buck 303 find

[Midnight Rider]

I picked up this little 303 as part of a 3 knife lot that I got for a very reasonable price. The other 2 folders needed some small adjustments (pivot screw too loose on the Vantage, thumb stud loose on the Bantam) which I easily fixed. I then turned my attention to the little slip joint. I haven't bought many of the newer Buck slip joints, as I prefer to buy American made and preferably made in Buck's factory. Much to my surprise, this 303 is both.



The date stamp on the tang was my first clue, so I did some research here in the 300 series history thread. Turns out, this 1989 model was made during the years that Buck was making these in-house (not contracted out to Schrade or Camillus). That info gives this knife special ranking, in my eyes. I can feel the difference in quality while opening and closing it, compared to the few Chinese-made slipjoimts that I own. I can see now why you folks like these.

 

[BuckShack]

That's a fine year. The traditional folder is what I think of first when I hear Buck. Black scales with the hammer nail and avil emblem. Nice find.

 

[Lesknife]

The 303 is a nice smaller picket knife and doesn’t take up much room in the pocket. I’ve carried one for years and other similar sized stockman knives. It’s about the smallest I care to use but still big enough to be of good use.

 

[mbkr]

The 303 and 301 are both American made and always have been.

 

[bertl]

The 303 and 301 are both American made and always have been.

Almost!

 

[SoDak81]

In my opinion, the in-house Buck 300 series slippies from 1985 through 1994 were and still are the best as far as quality goes. That's a great find.

 

[bertl]

In my opinion, the in-house Buck 300 series slippies from 1985 through 1994 were and still are the best as far as quality goes.

I pretty much agree, but I would use the dates 1988-1998. That would include the 3-spring design, the integrated sintered frame, and the flat grind blade.

 

[mbkr]

Almost!

School me

 

[plb]

School me

I'm sure Bertl will be along shortly to educate us, but I know that Buck tested the idea of having slipjoints made in China in 2004. I believe it was the only one in the 300 series to be made overseas, and for just one year. Here's my 303.

 

[bertl]

School me

For those who want information about the 303WD, check this link—https://www.bladeforums.com/threads/some-303-trivia.1606812/

 

[mbkr]

For those who want information about the 303WD, check this link—https://www.bladeforums.com/threads/some-303-trivia.1606812/

Son of a gun. Learned something new

 

[bertl]

Son of a gun. Learned something new

It was a very brief event.

Bert

 

[Happy Hippo]

Let's not forget the 303's that were assembled in Mexico circa 2001.

 

[Happy Hippo]

I thought the shield where the hammer end is open were the Camillus ones and the Buck ones had a hammer where the end is closed.

 

[bertl]

I thought the shield where the hammer end is open were the Camillus ones and the Buck ones had a hammer where the end is closed.

Hippo, you are right. Both the Schrade and Camillus knives had a shield with an ellipse shape and a hammer with a relatively short, open-ended handle. When Buck took over production in 1985, the shield changed to the shape of a racetrack oval with "BUCK". After a few years, the shield went to a relatively long, closed end handle in the oval shape.

 

[Happy Hippo]

Hippo, you are right. Both the Schrade and Camillus knives had a shield with an ellipse shape and a hammer with a relatively short, open-ended handle. When Buck took over production in 1985, the shield changed to the shape of a racetrack oval with "BUCK". After a few years, the shield went to a relatively long, closed end handle in the oval shape.

View attachment 2729886View attachment 2729887View attachment 2729888

But his looks like it has the racetrack oval (indicative of Buck) but the short open hammer (indicative of Camillus). So which is it?

 

[bertl]

But his looks like it has the racetrack oval (indicative of Buck) but the short open hammer (indicative of Camillus). So which is it?

"So which is it?" It's something to work on.

 

[Happy Hippo]

"So which is it?" It's something to work on.

Can you tell if his has integral frame bolsters? It looks like some transition knife where they had the race track oval shield but didn't yet have the die to do the closed hammer

 

[bertl]

Can you tell if his has integral frame bolsters?

It is definitely a 3-spring knife, but I don't think it is an integral frame, which started in "about" 1990. I have a jigged brown bone knife (no shield) that is 3-spring but not integral; it has a 1990 blade stamp. I've looked at my 303s, and, unfortunately, I don't have standard production knives for either 1990 or 1991. My 1992 knife has the long handle shield, so the change from short and open to long enclosed could have occurred in 90 or 91—I just don't know.

 

[bertl]

I picked up this little 303 as part of a 3 knife lot that I got for a very reasonable price.

Midnight,
Does your knife show any brass on the bottom—either the frame or spacers?

Bert