Buck Bucklite Max for Bushcraft?

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pinnah

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Jul 28, 2011
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Was wondering if anybody has used the 4" version of this knife for bushcraft type purposes.

I would expect to need to thin out the blade some to smooth out the shoulder of the hollow grind.

More curious to find out how it holds up to batonning and splitting.


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Thanks,
 
Although I have not used that knife, I have used the Large Pakilite for general outdoor use and it does fine.
Buck's 420 is good and the heat treat is good.
If it's what you got, use it.
The handle is prpbably quite comfortable too.
 
Got a couple for backups.
Battons fine on small sticks. Does great as general purpose bush knife as is.
Really great knife for the price. Sheath retains , but knife rattles a little. ( easily fixed.)
One of the best deals on a 4" FB going Imo. Love it.
 
A big problem with gear is worrying it's not good enough, when what you have is more or less just as good. Being happy with what you have will save you a lot of money in the long run, trust me. I had a similar model and it was a good knife, it was years ago and can't remember the name, but my brother stole it, I think. I now have about 20 to replace it and can't decide.
Still have a lil buck 55 and it's a beautiful little piece.
 
Buck's make great Bushcrafting blades. My 105 whittles and slices really well. That Bucklite Max looks like it would be really comfy and good at bushcrafting.
 
Instead of starting a new thread I thought I'd bump this and ask a few questions. I watch a video where a guy said it was a one deer only knife. Do they break or chip easy? I was about to buy another Mora Orange because I love mine so much, but may consider the Buck.
 
I think they mean "The knife needs to be sharpened or touched up after each Deer".

My 105 mentioned above was made in 1974 from 440C steel. But my Buck 110 is from 2002 and it was made with Bucks 420HC. It's done some whittling/carving and food prep. Never had any problems with the edge breaking or chipping. Don't pound the knife into knots or rocks, don't pry with it either, and you should be good.
 
I'm the guy who started this thread. My opinion....

Get a Mora Companion Heavy Duty.

For a bushcraft, I've concluded that the 2 primary uses are making shavings/feathersticks and splitting wood. For both of these, a convexed Scandi grind does much better than a hollow grind. The hollow grind on the Bucklite Max is optimized for cleaning deer. Meat self separates when cut, so the thick shoulder of the hollow grind with the abrupt transition doesn't cause a problem and the thin very thin blade just above the cutting edge keeps the blade cutting in meat even after it dulls.

For making feathersticks you want a thicker portion above the edge to allow for more precise edge angle in the wood and to throw a curled shaving. For batonning in wood, you want a convexed blade that acts like a splitting maul. This can be achieved by taking a pure Scandi Mora HD and working it to Scandi-convex shape.
See this video for more details.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sLlxWbce4iE&index=1&list=FLByelOYNpINNJtbaLpAfh0Q

The review you saw on the Bucklite Max that said it was a 1 deer knife is due to the 420HC, which is like carbon steel or 12C27, which means that it lacks carbides like 440C or D2 has and thus will wear down from the abrasive cutting through deer hair. High carbide steels like 440C will keep cutting meat even as they dull. Here is a review of the Bucklite Max by the same guy.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-gfTVM3B0j8

IMO, the Bucks are better hunting knives and the Mora is a better for bushcraft.

Last thing... I think the quality for steels for bushcraft are just the opposite for bushcraft. I think you want a low carbide steel that will bend without chipping and that will take a fine edge with basic stones. Carbon steel, 12C27 and 420HC are all fine.
 
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