Bucklite 426, brown handle, drop point blade?

[carpediem]

Just got this one, Bucklite 426, brown handle, three brass rivets & one stainless lock pivot rivet. finger grooved. DROP POINT BLADE marked BUCK 426 U.S.A.. When did Buck put drop point blades on these?

Tom

ps. Don't you just love those small boxes in the mail!

 

[Vern Taylor]

Tom, what you have is the original 426. They were hand made; every blade started life as a 110 blade stamped 426 and the clip point was removed BY HAND on a grinder. Tooling for the 426 drop point never existed. If you lay your 426 over a 110 you will see that it is possible, it just doesn't look that way at first. The "brown" handle you refer to I call "wine" or maroon.

The first set of 500 Alaska statehood etched blades used this blade in a 110 body. The second 500 (I think it was 500, maybe it was 1000) used the standard 110 blade; same scene with the Brown Bear. They all went to Cutlery World and most of the 426 drop points did too; the buyer, Dan Wright, was a drop point admirer. Dan still resides in Chattanooga and is virtually bedridden with multiple sclerosis.

I could go look up all this stuff but I'm going to guess and say it was 1983 and 1984

Vern Taylor (founder of the Buck Collectors Club)

 

[carpediem]

Thanks for all the information, I had no idea, I wish the blade was in better shape. It has been used and resharpened quite a bit. I was playing with the idea of sending it to buck for a BG42 blade. For a user I appreciate the light weight and non metallic handle in cold weather. I also have quite a few Buck Selector knives and blades.
Again, thanks for the information.

Tom Howard
BCC Life Member