Buck ID

[Pete1977]

can someone ID this buck fixed blade? It is the third knife from the top. (I don't own the knife and got the pic from the web.)

thanks

Pete

 

[buckman#10]

its a model 116 caper
some here can help narrow it down as to the the year but i cant sorry

 

[gd526]

116 Caper alrighty....circa '69-'73 is gonna hit it pretty close.

Dave

 

[MWallace]

116 Caper alrighty....circa '69-'73 is gonna hit it pretty close.

Dave

Dave, How did you arrive at the date for the 116? Do you know what year the caper was discontinued?

Mike

 

[gd526]

Dave, How did you arrive at the date for the 116? Do you know what year the caper was discontinued?

Mike

Well Mike, four micarta spacers and the general blade shape narrow it down mostly. I would not be surprised if the stamping were either BUCK u.s.a. or inverted three-liner containing the 116. It could be an early regular three-liner but I suspect it to be among the former stampings. In '69 micarta replaced the four red bone spacers so that begins my initial dating. The blade became a bit fuller with more 'belly' in the early mid '70s and I seem to recall that the fourth spacer just behind the guard was dropped around '74 so there you go Sir. I hope that is of assistance for you, Mike.
That, and I tend to have several Capers around the place. It mostly resembles the details I described.

Dave

 

[gd526]

Sorry....... I think Buck dropped the 116 and 118 and 121 near '98 or so. That is the sketchy guess at best.

Dave

 

[MWallace]

Thanks Dave....great info.....
I've been wondering about the dating on the spacer variations. Some of the black phenolic handled Bucks I've accumulated have the four spacers, others have three, and I have a 1989 121 with only two micarta spacers.

Thanks again, and just for kicks here's a photo of my caper......Mike

 

[gd526]

You're welcome Mike! I hope my descriptions are accurate and believe them to be. I would place your lil' darling at mid '73 to mid '74 now with that stamping. Nice knife to be sure!
Fun, ain't it?
BTW- Your avatar? 1967 First Production white teflon spacer 124 with a total of 300-500 made as such. The prototypes had no spacers and were produced with BUCK* stampings on 30-50. After the white teflon was dropped, red bone spacers adorned them until 1969 when the micarta graced all the 100 series Bucks! I hope your phenolic is not cracked on that knife. Mine is. It was not uncommon for the long phenolic 106 Hunter's axes and the early 122/124s to crack for no apparent reason. Some did. Most didn't. Go figure.

Dave

 

[MWallace]

Fun, ain't it?

Yeah, It's been a blast hunting down these older Buck Knives. The 106 Hunter's axe is the only one I'm missing from my collection of the black phenolics. Well, I don't have any of the twin sets either, the hunt goes on.

I hope your phenolic is not cracked on that knife.

No cracks on my 124. Still looks brand spanking new, never sharpened, never used......Mike