Buckaroo or Calf Roper.

[oldmanrunning]

I recently took a fancy for a GEC Tidioute #68 Buckaroo in Purple Sage covers, unfortunately i just missed the only one i could locate so i have gone ahead and ordered a #66 Calf Roper also in Purple Sage ( it is a Zane Grey thing ) i was hoping someone out there has some side by side photos and perhaps some history of the design, i can start the ball rolling with the only useful picture i could find, this is pretty much like the one i am waiting on.
Thanks in advance OMR.

This is mine.

 

[pertinux]

OMR, I'm going to take a shortcut and quote myself from a previous thread:

OP,

Two previous threads with further pictures/thoughts that may be of help in making a decision:

GEC #66 Calf Roper vs. #68 Buckaroo?

Difference between #66 Calf Roper and #68 Buckaroo

I love my #66 Calf Roper, including the slight sway in the serpentine frame.

However, when comparing a Buckaroo and Calf Roper in person, I found the differences to be realistically so slight that I now recommend buying whichever pattern/knife appeals to you most aesthetically.

See what I've bolded above?

I think you're going to love the Calf Roper in purple sage.

Please update us with your own impressions and pictures once you have it in hand.

~ P.

 

[oldmanrunning]

Hi pertinux thank you for the links to previous threads, you reinforced what i already thought in your reply to Planterz, that they are so close as to be pretty well indistinguishable from one another. I shall have to wait 7 to 10 days for my Calf Roper to arrive that is the average although it has varied from 5 to 33 days,but i have my trusty White Owl in my pocket till then.

Regards OMR.

 

[black mamba]

In the #66 and #68 stockmen, you have two nearly identical knives. Except for the very slight serpentine of the #66 frame, they are the same, with the same blades, the same size, etc. Having bought the #66, as it came out first of the two, I never found a reason to buy the #68.

 

[Txjohn]

I believe the jigging pattern are different between the 66 and 68 purple sage . I don't own either of those so not 100%. I like and own both patterns though . I prefer the northfields with straight , lined, and pinched bolsters

 

[pistonsandgears]

I'll second what P and Jeff said, the 66 and 68 are the same size and are basically identical aside from the slight curve in the 66 frame vs the straight 68. I have the 66 calf roper in purple sage, I think you will be happy with it

 

[oldmanrunning]

Thanks for your comments and that fine picture, also black mambas #66 in Primitive Bone now i have a hankering for that bone also.

 

[Will Power]

That Purple Sage has an odd name... what's purple about it or herb like? Undeniably, it's a very fine looking handle choice.

 

[thawk]

That Purple Sage has an odd name... what's purple about it or herb like? Undeniably, it's a very fine looking handle choice.

Maybe it's a reference to Zane Grey's most popular Western novel. The Riders of the Purple Sage?

 

[Captain Howdy]

Don't have the buckaroo or the calf roper, but I do have the 66 harness jack and the 68 pony jack and I prefer the 66 maybe it's just me but the serpentine shape fits the contours of the hand better. I think you lucked into a better frame IMO.

 

[oldmanrunning]

Hi Captain i think you may be right, but i will give a review when it lands, to ease the wait i have a Bullet Jack and an Esquire inbound, with luck and if the crick dont rise they should be in hand this week.

 

[pertinux]

Oldmanrunning, based on your posts elsewhere in the subforum, you are (more than) pleased with your Calf Roper-- yes? Great news!

I'm bumping this thread in hopes that you will post some of your pictures and happy here-- a bit o'closure, and help for the next person who is interested in (or concerned about?) the differences between the #66 and #68 stockman knives.

I love a happy ending....

~ P.

 

[dpowers311]

Oldmanrunning, based on your posts elsewhere in the subforum, you are (more than) pleased with your Calf Roper-- yes? Great news!

I'm bumping this thread in hopes that you will post some of your pictures and happy here-- a bit o'closure, and help for the next person who is interested in (or concerned about?) the differences between the #66 and #68 stockman knives.

I love a happy ending....

~ P.

Yes please post your reviews. I am one who would be interested and looking trying to decide between the 66, 68 and jack or stockman..


Pertinux
What run was your red 66 in?
Dave

 

[pertinux]

Pertinux
What run was your red 66 in?
Dave

Dave, its pattern number, #661312 (#66 frame, clip main, three blades, 2012), does not appear on GEC's list of Production Totals for 2012.

My understanding is that it is a 'parts knife,' something put together out of leftover pieces from other runs and affixed with what was for some time known as the "short run shield" (now more properly referred to as the fleur-de-lis shield).

It shares the same covers as the Special Factory Order #66 Harness Jacks (661212P) from 2012. I have no idea how many were produced.

~ P.

 

[knarfeng]

Yes please post your reviews. I am one who would be interested and looking trying to decide between the 66, 68 and jack or stockman..


Pertinux
What run was your red 66 in?
Dave

The review was posted. No need to post it again. The search function is currently operational. "Advanced Search" allows you to search by poster, keyword, and forum.

 

[oldmanrunning]

Yes please post your reviews. I am one who would be interested and looking trying to decide between the 66, 68 and jack or stockman..


Pertinux
What run was your red 66 in?
Dave

Happy to oblige, as you can see from the ( unforced patina ) on both the #66 Calf Roper and the #68 White Owl they both get plenty of pocket time.
I have just received a #76 Outlaw so it will be joining the rotation. You asked for a review so i will do my best, here goes first the #66 Calf Roper it was my fallback after my original pick a #68 Buckaroo fell through, i wanted purple sage anyhoo it turns out the serpentine frame on the CR is so slight it hardly notices in the hand and i immediately fell for it the clip point is for me just about perfect as a main blade because now i am retired i do not need a bigger hard use blade i use it mainly for food prep, opening boxes and such, because i now have three blades to choose from i tend to use the spey blade for opening envelopes and anything i do not need a pointy blade for, the sheepsfoot blade has not had a lot of use i intended to use it for cutting out patterns in leather and cardboard but to be honest i could lose it and the knife would be lighter in the hand, dont get me wrong the CR is not uncomfortable to use, i find the heft somehow comforting it is just sometimes i do not want the weight in my pocket, which is where the #68 White Owl comes in, it has the same main blade as the CR and a small pen blade at the other end that i do not use that much. I chose the ebony covers over the jig bone or stag as i wanted an unobtrusive watch pocket knife and it fit the bill just fine. Now i come to the #76 Outlaw the first thing that struck me when i took it out of its tube was that it is bigger than i thought, only about a quarter of an inch longer but it is noticeable in the hand and at first i was not keen but it has worn me down, so after giving it a bit of a buff up on the bench wheel and some Ren wax it is getting its first full days carry today. Well i hope my ramblings have been of some help, the Outlaw and i are going out to see what the day brings.
OMR...

 

[pertinux]

Happy to oblige, as you can see from the ( unforced patina ) on both the #66 Calf Roper and the #68 White Owl they both get plenty of pocket time.

They look great. Thanks for posting the straight-up comparison.

... first the #66 Calf Roper it was my fallback after my original pick a #68 Buckaroo fell through, i wanted purple sage anyhoo it turns out the serpentine frame on the CR is so slight it hardly notices in the hand and i immediately fell for it.

With both a #66 and #68 now in hand, do you have a frame preference? Or does the 3-blades-on-two-springs vs. 2-blade, one spring difference in the two knives add too many variables for you to tell?

the clip point is for me just about perfect as a main blade because now i am retired i do not need a bigger hard use blade i use it mainly for food prep, opening boxes and such, because i now have three blades to choose from i tend to use the spey blade for opening envelopes and anything i do not need a pointy blade for, the sheepsfoot blade has not had a lot of use i intended to use it for cutting out patterns in leather and cardboard but to be honest i could lose it and the knife would be lighter in the hand, dont get me wrong the CR is not uncomfortable to use, i find the heft somehow comforting it is just sometimes i do not want the weight in my pocket.

I get that, but just wait. There will still come a day when the sheepsfoot will be just the thing.

...which is where the #68 White Owl comes in, it has the same main blade as the CR and a small pen blade at the other end that i do not use that much. I chose the ebony covers over the jig bone or stag as i wanted an unobtrusive watch pocket knife and it fit the bill just fine.

The White Owl is a slim carry, for sure. :thumbup:

Given your initial trepidation, I'm glad you are liking the Calf Roper. Yours is sure a beauty! Thank you for the update.

~ P.

 

[oldmanrunning]

Final thoughts on the Outlaws full day carry, i guess what they say about size matters is true !! That extra quarter of an inch meant the #76 kept getting jammed up in the corners of my watch pocket, but on the plus side the slightly longer blade seemed to work better as a slicer ,of course i had given it a couple of passes on the fine stones on my Sharpmaker in the 40 degree setting and a gentle stroppiing to bring it to shaving sharp but then thats" what i do to most of my knives. But i think it is back to the Calf Roper tomorrow.
PS. I have not told why i got the CR in the first place, it was after watching a Derrick Bohn video on You Tube it seems that one of his main carry knives is a Buckaroo and as he seems to be a first rate chap i thought that will do for me, the only drawback was i could not find a Buckaroo in Purple Sage, but as it appears that the sheepsfoot on the Roo sits lower than on the CR it may be that i will try one in whatever covers i can find.
Happy Trails, OMR..

Before the rain came.

 

[onejim]

it appears that the sheepsfoot on the Roo sits lower than on the CR

Can anyone weigh in on this. I also found my calf roper sheeps foot too high for comfort in hand. I ended up sanding down the kick and then sanding down the back springs liners to minimize the 'feel' of the sunken back spring.

I wish I took a pic of before and after, but I didn't. I love it now.

Just curious if the straight frame allows for a lower sheeps foot. Or maybe I just got a roper with an oddly high blade......or I'm just weird. All possible options.

 

[LastRodeo]

I think a lot of us filed down the kick on our Calf Ropers. When I look at pictures of new Buckaroo's and Calf Roper's the sheepsfoot blades appear equally high to my eye. Hopefully someone with both will chime in soon.