Howdy one and all...I bought a new Alpha Crosslock and stamped on the base of the main blade is the number "183T" w/the T being upside-down??? Any clues as to what this means?..I know the blade is 420 HC steel...nice knife, excellent fit/finish...the el-cheapo Chinese sheath could stand tossing out...
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Buck Alpha Crosslock Blade Stamp
- Thread starter libbyhuck
- Start date
Ok..here goes...I bought a Buck Alpha ATS-34 a few years back and was way impressed w/Buck's fit and finish on that model...it is equipped w/a guthook and after using that sad excuse of a gut hook on a Remington R-3 Big Game I about laughed the concept of a gut hook out the window....the gut hook on the Alpha works as advertised however so now believe Buck did their homework on the Alpha...which led me to an Alpha Crosslock...I am a big fan of ATS-34 and D-2 Steel so was a bit hesitant to get into a 420-steeled knife...that steel just seems at home on a "looker" and not a "user"...but Buck has my confidence they know what they are doing. The gut hook on the Crosslock has a very similar profile and geometry when compared to the forementioned Alpha folder. Sawblade appears quite sharp and servicable. Main blade had a good, not great edge on it...a few licks w/ceramic rods tightened that right up....base thumb studs to start the blades open and additional thumb studs to finish completely opening blades. One hand operation...for us right-handed folks...lefties will require two hands or some serious repositioning to operate. Nice, deep pocket clip. Liner lock that I cannot defeat short of some serious abusive behavior. 1st class fit and finish. Smooth blade action. Main blade is just a shade off-center, saw blade dead on. No blade wobble. I got the Cammy version...have to watch them Cammy knives, you set them down and the Montana Prairie will swallow 'em whole. Sheath...Chinese...thats all I will say about it...[glad this is equipped with a pocket clip]...I cannot comment on its long-term edge holding ability just yet...its too new! I bought it for bow hunting...Alpha Cammy for bow hunting and Alpha ATS-34 for gun hunting...sweet! All in all a fine knife for the $50+ asking price.