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Buck 309 age help.

W

wing40

Joined
Feb 7, 2006
Messages
119
Received a Buck 309 the other day that does not have a year code. The tang is BUCK with 309 under it and USA under 309. Three other things different from a newer 309 I have, are the shield which is raised above the handle, the spring pin is brass and the liner and handle are cut out for easy open of the pen blade. The shield is worn smooth. Is this enough info to get a rough idea of how old this knife is?
thanks
 
It's a Camillus made contract knife, for starters it's between 1973-1986 from that tangstamp.

Some of the good folks on here that are smarter than me may be able to narrow it down even more from the other details you give.
 
I sure 'ain't' gonna claim to be any smarter than anyone round here, just got some stuff written down. Especially as my steel trap mind is starting to rust a little.

Sounds like an early "second" version 309, well worn. The brass pin is 'heard of' but not very often seen. May have been re-bladed. Age of blade 1974 thru 85. I hedge for early in that time if all is original and shield has been worn smooth. Version one will say BUCK, 309, Made in USA on tang . :foot:
 
This 309, bought new years ago by me appears to be the same as is described, right down to the brass pin. It definitely has not been rebladed. Ain't no virgin as it has served me well over the years but thought I would supply a pic if that helps.

<a href="http://photobucket.com" target="_blank"><img src="http://i90.photobucket.com/albums/k242/browni10_photos/Bucks/IMG_0454.jpg" border="0" alt="Photo Sharing and Video Hosting at Photobucket"></a>

Telechronos:)
 
Telechronos, that's for sure a Camillus contract, nice pic!

I love seeing pocketknives that have earned their stripes!
 
Here's an example of narrow track thinking. I was focused on pivot pin in brass since they were talking about tang stamps, but they were talking the standard backspring/handle pin in brass.
Duh. Original knife in question was probably not rebladed. Just used well.
:foot:
 
Thanks for the info guys. Techno is the shield on your 309 raised above the handle or recessed it's hard to tell from the pic. Mine is above the rest looks identical. Talk about used knives I thought the handles were smooth until i looked very closely to see the remnants of the sawcuts on this one.
 
Shields are generally level but a few get by inspection high, low and angled this way and that, even upside down.
People have been known to salvage a shield off of a parts knife and replace a missing one. I myself might do so on a common knife but not one to be held in high esteem. :rolleyes:
 
wing40 said:
Thanks for the info guys. Techno is the shield on your 309 raised above the handle or recessed it's hard to tell from the pic. Mine is above the rest looks identical. Talk about used knives I thought the handles were smooth until i looked very closely to see the remnants of the sawcuts on this one.
Click to expand...

The shield on mine is absolutely flush, but I have seen them above the plane of the scale. The "sawcuts" are only on the flat portion of the scale and yes a lot of stuff in my pocket has worn some of them down.

It's a good little knife. Hone it to a razors edge and it won't let you down.

Telechronos
 
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