Buck Frontiersman Questions

M

me2

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Oct 11, 2003
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My dad left me his old Buck Frontiersman fixed blade. I was thinking of taking it out and using it, but was wondering if it had any collector value. I don't know when he bought it, but the earliest I saw it was the late 80's. I did sharpen it years ago, so if it had any value, this may have affecded it.
 
I have a frontiersman 124 from the late 80's that my wife bought me as an anniversary gift. I had wanted that knife from the time I was old enough to remember looking at the old Buck displays. I have gotten so much pleasure out of using it over the years. I do wish I would have bought a spare but even as much as I have used mine it still looks pretty new.I still believe these were the best knives to ever come out of the Buck company. I have owned almost every Buck that has been made and none have ever come close to the 124!
 
Interesting. I sometimes carry dads old Parker Cutlery large trapper. I may have to start using the Frontiersman too.
 
I second the notion that the 124 was the 'best thing' to slide out of the Buck factory doors. My two cents revolves around you keeping the knife and not entertaining the idea of selling it. It is a cool blade and obviously something special to you. Hold on to it! And yes, it does have value to a collector. It is worth what someone is willing to pay for it.
 
I have frequently kicked myself for not picking up a Frontiersman while they were still being made -- about the time i discovered them, I did not realize they were being discontinued. Awesome pattern for general purpose field/camp knife.
 
I have never got anything from a love one worth keeping, I'm still hoping. Keep the knife and use it. Your dad would have wanted you to. If you dont want to send it in to buck for a spa job and have it cleaned and sharpened and put it in a place you can admire it...
 
I already have his old Buck Soutlite w/ red handles, Boy Scouts symbol on the handle, based on the finger grooved 112 pattern. I have used it for nearly 25 years, and need to send it back for a new blade and cleaning. The current blade sticks out of the handle at the tip, and I've ground the kick once already. I've also reground the blade to get the edge back to 0.005" behind the bevel. It's a very good knife, and I want a new blade so my kids can start over.

I'll break the Frontiersman out of storage and see what I can do with it. Does anyone know what steel Buck was using then?
 
Good thing I brought this up. I took the old girl out of storage in the garage, and it has a couple rust spots along the spine. The only markings I see are 124, Buck, U.S.A. The handles appear to be wood, or some type of natural looking wood laminate. The whole knife seems to have a ringing quality to it, like a couple other knives I've had and one I made years ago. When I run my fingers across the edge (not down, across) it seems to make a high pitched noise. I don't have much use for a 7" blade normally, but it does seem a shame to let it sit and gather dust, especially with it getting rusty and all. I'll try some light yard work next weekend and see what happens.
 
If the handle is a burgundy color... Buck began using that in 1982 and the steel most likely is 425M. DM
 
I would suggest you keep it and admire it. Buck 124 models are very collectable and will only increase in value over the years. It will represent good memories of your Dad everytime you look at it. Those sell for about $175 to $200 on eBay.
Send it to Buck Knives and have it cleaned up. Those pits will get deeper if you let it sit as is. Do not store it in the sheath, just stick it in a cotton sock with a light coat of oil on the blade.
I am always looking for the 124 or 122 models for my collection. There is nothing better than a Buck Knife. Life time Warranty.
Hdk
 
I may complain about the paucity of knives available Down Under but you guys would have liked the 124 mirror finish with stag handles that graced the auction site here a couple of weeks ago.
 
Unfortunately I don't have a way to post pictures here. I can email them if you want to see it.
 
Email the pictures to someone and they will post them for you on this forum. We always like pictures better than words. ITE would be a good one to send them to.
 
I started looking really close at the knife and found quite a few scuffs and abrasions around the handle. I decided to go ahead an use it to see what it would do. I trimmed some small limbs and debarked my wooden baton. I also did some other whittling and wood work. Finally, I chopped through some TV antennae cable. Other that some dirt on my chopping board causing some edge dulling, it went through all this, including the copper cable, with no sign of dulling or damage. It has a good heft, though the balance is still fairly neutral. During some of the chopping, I used a 2 or 3 finger grip. The blade has what I'd call a poor man's recurve. The blade at the plunge grinds is narrower by about 1/16" to 1/8" than at the belly. This gives a recurve like effect, while still giving the ease of sharpening of a straight blade. I had not really noticed before, but the back of the blade is perfectly straight. The more I think about it, the more I like this profile. I was a little worried about the point strength, so I did some digging in the wood. No trouble at all. After this little cutting session, it cleaned up with warm water and dish soap.

I find I don't really have a need for a 7" blade knife around the house. It's too large to be a dedicated cutter/slicer, and too small to be a brush knife like my reground (added a primary bevel) Cold Steel Barong Machete. I'll likely give it a good sharpening to remove the dull spots from today, and store it in the house instead of the garage. I also scraped off the little rust spots, and found no pitting underneath them. Another good cleaning should remove them. Hopefully, I'll pass it to my daughter. She's already taken a liking to it.
 
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