Buck: Their heat treat with S30V or S35VN? Also... the 119 or 120 for that matter?

midnight flyer said:
It's always fun to share with knife guys, especially if they are going to use them, not just collect and admire. Nothing wrong with collecting and admiring, just more fun for me to put them to work as they were intended.

I think that if you start processing your own animals you will find that the reason that there are so many kinds of "hunting" (as opposed to "camp") knives is that one knife isn't perfect for all tasks. The Buck Vanguard is a great hunting knife, especially with he rubber handles, but won't break the pelvis bone if you are actually taking the whole animal apart. My grandfather was a North American style big game hunter, meaning he never left the continent. He hunted large (mule) deer, moose, trophy rams, etc. He liked to shoot the big animals then split it up between friends and nearby towns that were near his long time hunting areas.

He carried a CASE large stockman whenever hunting; that was his "hunting knife". You could do fine with the spey when skinning or caping, use the large blade for puncturing "as needed", and the sheepsfoot as needed. But he always carried a German made hunting set that my Dad brought back from his time Germany in the very early 50s. Google images of "vintage german hunting knife sets" and you should see a bunch. They were a must have item for all hunters back in the 50s, 60s and on into the 70s. The set had a large knife that was thick bladed with a heavy spine so you could go through joints, break the pelvis, cut sinew, etc. The second blade was made to be a combo knife that took care of the rest of the chores and had a blade that was about 4 -5" and usually was fairly thin and had a nice sweep on the belly. I would take a picture, but Grandad's is packed up with his WWI stuff in storage.

You can easily take a 110 hunting and find it enormously useful. Get it to a razor, then use it like a scalpel. You don't have to get it elbow deep in guts. I hunted with guys for years that used that knife exclusively in the field. We would hang a deer, open it up, then clean as needed. They would take their 110 and wash it off (along with the other gear) with soap and hot water to get the stuff off of it. After that, a quick one minute bath in hot water and it was dried, oiled, and given to me to re-edge.

My personal preference isn't a folder, although I will use it for finer cuts. My weapon of choice is the medium stockman since it has the blade shapes I know; it's like having three knives in your pocket. My gutting/cleaning knife for years was an Uncle Henry Golden Spike. Great sweep on the blade, nice point on it, and had sculpted delrin handles. The handle was a bit thin for me, but you can't have it all. I had a USA made model back in the mid 70s, and at that time they were rumored to be 1084, probably hardened to about 55-56 Rockwell. No super steels, we didn't baton, and there were no tiny diamond sharpeners to touch up as needed. The Golden Spike had an excellent sheath, and I do mean excellent. and it came with rough little stone that fit is its own compartment in the sheath. Great hunting knife, OK camp knife.

I don't do all of that anymore as I can't afford it. Every vacant lot, ranchette, tiny farm, abandoned hay field etc., is being carved up for home building. The places I used to hunt are covered with subdivisions now, or they are so damn expensive I can't see paying for it. I do have a lot of fond memories, though. You should find a friendly guide or friend to go hunting with to show you how to process an animal. It isn't brain surgery, but there are a lot of ins and outs that are much easier to master if someone shows you.
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I agree with your sentiment on using, I don't always get to do as much cutting as I want but the usage and needs are going up, and I am determined to use all my knives. I'm scared to mess up my super-steels, so in the next few months, I will be seeing a lot of use of steels like Inox, 420HC, XC70, 1075, BD1N, VG-10... so that I can know what its like to dull, sharpen, and dull a knife again, with different things presenting themselves through the course of time, like dealing with a chip or roll. I want to know what I'm doing with a soft, easy to grind steel and move up, then judge what I like best for what purposes. Now is the time to stop buying folding knives and focus on learning to maintain, use and love what I have (I can still buy things I need like kitchen cutlery, fixed blades, or a nice slippie). I digress though.

A guy said something like "I used to carry a 110 hunting as a teen, but the old rancher next to us only carried a Boy Scout type knife and bagged more deer than me by far". I am assuming that he meant a small slipjoint, by Boy Scout Knife. It is wild what some folks with knowledge can do with 2" of carbon steel. The way you describe knives is so cool and nostalgic, I hope you photograph some of that WWI stuff at some point, man, that sounds like a treat.

A quality slipjoint, carbon steel, hopefully with a couple blades, is next up for me. I have been really coveting the Cruwear Boker Quatro, but boy is that expensive... I just love the marrying of modern materials and old-school design, but honestly I am sure I can get something cheaper. Case's Trusharp has been the only "good" steel to mess with me so far, but I think that is because of the style of the knife, too (Toothpick). It's just thin, wobbly like a saw, and I can't feel the edge well on my Sharpmaker, the way I can feel it with Inox or 420HC. Maybe I'll have a better time with the CV.

Shame about all the good woods being taken out, I really hate to hear that. Hopefully I can meet the right folks, get shown the ins and outs, as well as the gems of land that still grace us. I regard very highly those folks who are able to navigate and negotiate the wild.
 
Hashishiin said:
Just as a random afterthought... what do you guys think of the Slim Select 110? Still USA made, it's like a Buck 110 LW... thinking about snagging one for the free shipping and then maybe dying the GFN...
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Late to the party again. I have a 112 slim select and I absolutely love it. My favorite budget folder


893-DC112-9-D86-4-F5-A-A117-E29-DC634216-E.jpg


Speaking of budget knives, Buck, and 420hc… easily some of the best value out there. I bought all three for less than $80.
BD873-F1-C-8-DF6-4-B32-9170-A6-B3-E14-E03-CB.jpg
 
JWright214 said:
Late to the party again. I have a 112 slim select and I absolutely love it. My favorite budget folder


893-DC112-9-D86-4-F5-A-A117-E29-DC634216-E.jpg


Speaking of budget knives, Buck, and 420hc… easily some of the best value out there. I bought all three for less than $80.
BD873-F1-C-8-DF6-4-B32-9170-A6-B3-E14-E03-CB.jpg
Click to expand...
That is sweet, those pics are really showing off the fine stonewash, that is a fine deal for $27 dollars... minus 15% come to think of it so less than $25, I got the tan one, because that was the only one on sale for that price on the Buck website, but the tan FRN allows me to do an awesome first rit-dye job, and it'll do its job as a pocket knife no matter what, so I am excited for this knife!

As I have stated earlier, I am not a weight stickler, I'll carry the 110, I'll carry an Espada XL, a Leatherman, a copper PM2... (probably not all at once) if I like it, I don't mind. I just compare and look at weights for fun, but I know to some people it matters, and this is crazy! The Slim Select 110 weighs only 2.8oz compared to the regular 110 coming in at 7.2oz, more than 2 1/2 Slim Selects 😂 Nobody has an excuse not to try one now, with this sale, plus you can usually get 15% off if you sing to Buck's website.
 
midnight flyer said:
It's always fun to share with knife guys, especially if they are going to use them, not just collect and admire. Nothing wrong with collecting and admiring, just more fun for me to put them to work as they were intended.

I think that if you start processing your own animals you will find that the reason that there are so many kinds of "hunting" (as opposed to "camp") knives is that one knife isn't perfect for all tasks. The Buck Vanguard is a great hunting knife, especially with he rubber handles, but won't break the pelvis bone if you are actually taking the whole animal apart. My grandfather was a North American style big game hunter, meaning he never left the continent. He hunted large (mule) deer, moose, trophy rams, etc. He liked to shoot the big animals then split it up between friends and nearby towns that were near his long time hunting areas.

He carried a CASE large stockman whenever hunting; that was his "hunting knife". You could do fine with the spey when skinning or caping, use the large blade for puncturing "as needed", and the sheepsfoot as needed. But he always carried a German made hunting set that my Dad brought back from his time Germany in the very early 50s. Google images of "vintage german hunting knife sets" and you should see a bunch. They were a must have item for all hunters back in the 50s, 60s and on into the 70s. The set had a large knife that was thick bladed with a heavy spine so you could go through joints, break the pelvis, cut sinew, etc. The second blade was made to be a combo knife that took care of the rest of the chores and had a blade that was about 4 -5" and usually was fairly thin and had a nice sweep on the belly. I would take a picture, but Grandad's is packed up with his WWI stuff in storage.

You can easily take a 110 hunting and find it enormously useful. Get it to a razor, then use it like a scalpel. You don't have to get it elbow deep in guts. I hunted with guys for years that used that knife exclusively in the field. We would hang a deer, open it up, then clean as needed. They would take their 110 and wash it off (along with the other gear) with soap and hot water to get the stuff off of it. After that, a quick one minute bath in hot water and it was dried, oiled, and given to me to re-edge.

My personal preference isn't a folder, although I will use it for finer cuts. My weapon of choice is the medium stockman since it has the blade shapes I know; it's like having three knives in your pocket. My gutting/cleaning knife for years was an Uncle Henry Golden Spike. Great sweep on the blade, nice point on it, and had sculpted delrin handles. The handle was a bit thin for me, but you can't have it all. I had a USA made model back in the mid 70s, and at that time they were rumored to be 1084, probably hardened to about 55-56 Rockwell. No super steels, we didn't baton, and there were no tiny diamond sharpeners to touch up as needed. The Golden Spike had an excellent sheath, and I do mean excellent. and it came with rough little stone that fit is its own compartment in the sheath. Great hunting knife, OK camp knife.

I don't do all of that anymore as I can't afford it. Every vacant lot, ranchette, tiny farm, abandoned hay field etc., is being carved up for home building. The places I used to hunt are covered with subdivisions now, or they are so damn expensive I can't see paying for it. I do have a lot of fond memories, though. You should find a friendly guide or friend to go hunting with to show you how to process an animal. It isn't brain surgery, but there are a lot of ins and outs that are much easier to master if someone shows you.
Click to expand...
Tilley.jpg
 
Hashishiin said:
That is sweet, those pics are really showing off the fine stonewash, that is a fine deal for $27 dollars... minus 15% come to think of it so less than $25, I got the tan one, because that was the only one on sale for that price on the Buck website, but the tan FRN allows me to do an awesome first rit-dye job, and it'll do its job as a pocket knife no matter what, so I am excited for this knife!

As I have stated earlier, I am not a weight stickler, I'll carry the 110, I'll carry an Espada XL, a Leatherman, a copper PM2... (probably not all at once) if I like it, I don't mind. I just compare and look at weights for fun, but I know to some people it matters, and this is crazy! The Slim Select 110 weighs only 2.8oz compared to the regular 110 coming in at 7.2oz, more than 2 1/2 Slim Selects 😂 Nobody has an excuse not to try one now, with this sale, plus you can usually get 15% off if you sing to Buck's website.
Click to expand...

They are extremely light and surprisingly durable. I think you’ll like it. Steel snobs might not dig it, but it’s a hell of a knife for $25 to $30. I would be perfectly content with this as my only folder.
 
JWright214 said:
They are extremely light and surprisingly durable. I think you’ll like it. Steel snobs might not dig it, but it’s a hell of a knife for $25 to $30. I would be perfectly content with this as my only folder.
Click to expand...
I love classics, and this is a spin on a classic! Besides, I am trying to get the hang of sharpening and re-sharpening a knife, so I wanted a few nice ones in softer steels like Inox, AUS-8, C75, 420HC etc to use to get the hang of that before I start trying on my more serious steels. I love Buck, so this was like seeing the sale on RAT2's for 28 bucks this Christmas... had to pick one up.
 
Hashishiin said:
Just as a random afterthought... what do you guys think of the Slim Select 110? Still USA made, it's like a Buck 110 LW... thinking about snagging one for the free shipping and then maybe dying the GFN...
Click to expand...

I highly recommend the 110 and 112 Slim Selects. And by the way, enjoy your new 119. I've been thinking about getting one for absolutely no good reason at all.
 
No problem with either the 119 or the 120 dressing deer. I've dressed hundreds of deer over the last 55 years. Of course I've used other knives, too, and other Buck knives. The only Buck I have that I found a bit "clunky" to dress deer was my 124. But if you want a knife to get kind of rough with, the 124 would be my recommendation...
 
I like the looks of that compadre too, I almost snagged one on the forum here about a week ago, but I snoozed, and I lost...
 
RugerNurse said:
Have you ever used the compadre? Looks interesting. I bet the spring steel in a hollow grind would hold up well.
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I've used mine a bit, and I'll tell you what...

If you leave your razor behind, this little Buck will be happy to take up the slack...







*This little 5160 blade will go straight from splitting wood to carving chicken breasts, sausage links, and vegetables with zero complaints.
 
Alone said:
I've used mine a bit, and I'll tell you what...

If you leave your razor behind, this little Buck will be happy to take up the slack...







*This little 5160 blade will go straight from splitting wood to carving chicken breasts, sausage links, and vegetables with zero complaints.
Click to expand...
Hmmm, maybe this will be in the running for a larger blade. I recently picked up the 102 Woodsman Pro. Great little knife, pics soon lol
 
Alone said:
I've used mine a bit, and I'll tell you what...

If you leave your razor behind, this little Buck will be happy to take up the slack...







*This little 5160 blade will go straight from splitting wood to carving chicken breasts, sausage links, and vegetables with zero complaints.
Click to expand...
It'll also cut you off a fat upper decker of that chaw, boy! Lol.
I used to love the regular and wintergreen Cope in high school, my redneck friend turned me onto dip in high school when I couldn't smoke in class and I found that it was a fine pleasure, I used to be able to drink coffee and eat a cup of Ramen noodles with a chaw of Cope in my gums in Senior year! 😂
 
420HC will be a  lot easier to sharpen in the field, and according to the chart in post number 10, the 420 HC is the toughest of the lot.
Based on ease of sharpening in the field, I would choose that steel.
I know from personal experience that Buck's 420HC will field dress and peel three Whitetail before it needs stropped. (using a 110 or 877 (Idaho made with white handle)
Another point in favor of the 420HC is you don't need diamond stones or plates to sharpen it. A smooth river/stream/creek/crick rock will do the job just fine if stropping doesn't bring back the working edge.

I have a Buck 110 with S30V, and a couple with CPM154, and one with 5160, as well as 420HC. The ones with 420HC and 5160 get the most carry time and use. I haven't chopped with them, but I have dropped some pine branches up to 4 inches, doing a "beaver cut" around them.
 
afishhunter said:
Another point in favor of the 420HC is you don't need diamond stones or plates to sharpen it. A smooth river/stream/creek/crick rock will do the job just fine if stropping doesn't bring back the working edge.
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You had to bring that up again, didn’t ya?😂

And to stay on topic, I’d go with 420HC if I’m looking to buy a Buck fixed blade. It’s more than proven itself over the years.
 
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