Colt slip-joints

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Apr 19, 2007
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A friend of mine pointed these out, Colt slip-joint knives. They seem to look nice & appear to be priced a little higher than Rough Rider. From what I can tell, they're made at the same factory that makes Rough Rider.

Does anyone have any opinion on these, particularily in comparison to Rough Riders & what blade steel do they use? I would've thought they're 440A, but my friend seems to think 420. Anyone know?

Thanks in advance.
 
Did a quick Google search, and according to HilltopKnives, at least the Colt Stockman Stag is 420J2. I've only looked at the one, though, so I don't know about the rest, and have never handled them, so I have no opinion, yet.

Edit: After further searching, I am finding a mix of 420 and 440. And we know that all information on the internet is 100% reliable, right?
 
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Yes, that's why I'm asking, especially if anyone has any of these. From what I understand, they "seem" to be a higher end Rough Rider (More expensive, anyways) & since they're made by RR, I was thinking they have 440A. However, as you said, some specs have shown 420 (I didn't see J2, but have seen plain 420 & I believe 420HC).

Well, if anyone has any of these, what do they think of them?
 
I have a Colt 4 5/8" LB with leather sheath. CT0016/Stainless/China. hardwood handle. Very Nice !
i'll get a pic when it stops snowing.
roland
 
Here ya go:

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roland
 
here's 2 more Colt folders: 3" Dogleg Jack and 3 1/2" Gunstock. my pics don't show the really dramatic swaging on both sides of all blades.

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Pile side:
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Pretty nice, eh !
roland
 
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Nice ones Roland!

I've had the 3" dogleg jack(I was calling it a serpentine jack, but it was sold as a peanut...) and the 3.5" congress for a couple weeks now. Been EDCing the congress. Both real nice, better fit than RRers by a bit, and honestly, rivaling the fit/finish of my most recent Case and Queens... YMMV.

Don't know yet about the steel, haven't had them used much, but its at least the same good stuff as the RRs. I like 'em. good to see a step up coming from the RR factory, and great to get long pulls, swedges and such a high polish at this price point.

My only peeve is that C stamped on the bolsters... would have been fine without the flute, or at the very least separated, but intersecting like that is ugly IMO.

G.
 
Straight up on that one, Ice Tigre. The "C" bisecting the ringed bolster has kept me from getting some. That bone is some of the nicest I've seen on any production knife under $50.
 
& since they're made by RR, I was thinking they have 440A.

To clear it up for you, Rough Rider is a brand name that belongs to Smoky Mountain Knife Works. It is not a knife factory. I have imported from that same Chinese manufacturer. They don't buy any exotic steels to my knowledge. They allow the customer to choose 420 or 440. My own knives are made with the 440 option (add whatever letter you prefer after the number) and they seem to perform pretty well. I get zero returns.

I would imagine the difference in price between these two brands would be the margins kept by the importer and distribution channel moreso than the cost of manufacture. Rough Rider belongs to Smoky Mountain and one of the knife distributors with which it partners and Colt belongs to United Cutlery. None of the above are knife manufacturers but rather knife importers.
 
K.O. that's v. helpful info. do you know if all the knives marked "Rough Rider" are made in the same factory ? are you aware of any significant quality differences between the various 'lines' of RR knives ?
are the "Colt' knives made in the same factory(i.e. same manufacturer) as the RR knives ?
and Kungfu: i have 100s of traditional pattern Jacks so it's hard to know what to compare it to. it is well made, blade action is smooth and crisp, lock-up is tight and spine/spring junction is a very good fit. feels like a step up from RR(of which i have about 70; i like RR knives !). they are not expensive. i'm sure if you bought one you would be very pleased with it.
roland
 
Thank you for the info, KO. So they use 420 OR 440 (& I'm believe RR lists theirs as 440A & I concur), but who knows what the Colts are.

As an update, I got a Colt Congress & have to admit it's a very nice knife for its price-point. I think mine is probably the same size as the one "Ice Tigre" got, as it measures 3 5/8". However, they do seem to have a few Congress's with stag at the same size. Mine has 2 larger Sheepsfoot blades with long pull, small Coping, & Pen blade.

In comparison to Rough Riders, I've 3 RRs & the Colt is as good as or slightly better than the best of the RRs I had (A Trapper). However, a friend of mine (Who I got this from) got 4 Colts of different patterns, including mine. My Congress was the only one that was acceptable. The others had F&F problems & 1 of them had blades that were so thick, they were rubbing the liners. He was very disappointed, but surprised by my Congress.

Looking up Colt's knives, I've seen 420J2, 440, & 440A listed, so who knows what it really is. I will say this. I've taken up whittling & have used the Congress (Love Coping & Sheepsfoot blades for that) & it seems on par with the Bear & Sons Barlow I had in 440A & even about the same Case's Tru-Sharp SS. I would say the steel's OK. It can be sharpened easily & takes a good edge, but doesn't hold it long.

If you're looking for an inexpensive slippie to either beat up or try out to see if you like the pattern (That's what I did), then I'd recommend them. However, for a little less, I think the RRs are just as nice & maybe even more consistent. While my Colt Congress's F&F was better, slightly, than any of the 3 RRs I've had, keep in mind the other 2 or 3 Colts were not.

Bottom line, you get what you pay for. I got this one because the price was too good to pass up, but I would not pay the $30-40 I've seen this one list for (It's the stag handled CT216 model).
 
roland, thanks for the useful pix.I like the look of that wood lockback,pity it's so big though:eek:

The bone and finish on those slip-joints looks good,not so keen on those fussy bolsters though.
 
To clear it up for you, Rough Rider is a brand name that belongs to Smoky Mountain Knife Works. It is not a knife factory. I have imported from that same Chinese manufacturer. They don't buy any exotic steels to my knowledge. They allow the customer to choose 420 or 440. My own knives are made with the 440 option (add whatever letter you prefer after the number) and they seem to perform pretty well. I get zero returns.

These knives would fly off the shelves if you can get the manufactures to make some in 1075 or 1095 blades with ss back springs.

God Bless
 
As an update, I got a Colt Congress & have to admit it's a very nice knife for its price-point. I think mine is probably the same size as the one "Ice Tigre" got, as it measures 3 5/8". However, they do seem to have a few Congress's with stag at the same size. Mine has 2 larger Sheepsfoot blades with long pull, small Coping, & Pen blade.

Mine is probably 3-5/8", I don't have it on hand to check, I guessed 3.5" before. But mine has 1 large sheepsfoot, a large spearpoint, and the two small ones are both pen blades.

G.
 
You got that right - great photo's too. - :thumbup:

Todd


.

Todd, well VERY NICE , esp for about $20 !
but that's not the same kind of VERY NICE as for my custom folders. just wanted to be sure you understand which very nice i was meaning.
roland
 
I just got a couple of these late last week. I am really impressed with the whole "package" so far. The knives come in a pretty nice presentation box that is protected with a white outer box, and include a small cloth to keep the knife wiped down. The knives themselves are substantial, with fit and finish that is outstanding for the price, and rivals knives costing 3 times as much. I think the quality of materials throughout are still behind the offerings from domestics like Queen or Case, but these are built as well as just about any production slipjoints you will find.

I have the 3.5" single blade Gunstock, and the 3.75" Serpintine Whittler (3 blades w/split spring). Both in what they call Brown Stag, which appears to be stained bone. The scales are perfectly fitted on both knives.

Both of these (and I assume the rest of this line) have half-stops, and nice walk and talk. The springs are all flush open and closed, with the gunstock being slightly proud in the half position. Pull is pretty firm, on par with the GEC knives I have handled, borderline nail-breakers. That being said they are all smooth, and have ZERO play when opened. All blades are "hair shaving" sharp. Not as sharp as I like them, but they will shave arm hair.

The nickle silver bolsters are slanted, lined, and pinched but the finish in the crease of the pinch has the look of poorly plated chrome. Kind of blistery if studied under the right light, but that goes to what I said about the actual quality of materials.

I have no idea how much first class materials would add to the production cost, but those guys have figured out how to mass produce a QUALITY 3.75", 3 blade, split spring knife with pinched, slanted, stamped/lined bolsters, and real nice bone scales, that cost me $16 to my door (and the dollar ain't that strong right now).

Here are a few pics I snapped. They show the Colts alongside my 3.5" Queen Trapper for size comparison.

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Yeah, ain't those boxes something?
If we could get Case to build a box like that.
or at least include the polish cloth. I was extremely surprised at the polish cloth...

G.
 
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