Gifted Colt

[Ratbert]

Several years ago, a lady who works with me lost her husband. He was probably just a few years older than me. Recently this lady heard that I was interested in pocketknives and told me, "I think I might have an old pocket knife or two that belonged to Dave. You're welcome to them if you want them." I assured her that I would certainly be interested in seeing them.

I knew that she had two grandsons and asked her if the boys wouldn't rather have them. She replied that she showed them the knives some time back and asked if they wanted them and both boys just shrugged off the offer, "Not really." (This really surprised me! What boy wouldn't want Grandad's pocketknife?)

The next day she told me that she could only find one of the knives and handed me a Colt Medium Stockman. I didn't know much about Colts except that they were inexpensive stainless knives made in China, but I thanked her and said I would clean it up and sharpen it and would be proud to carry it.

It turns out to be a pretty solid knife. They are inexpensive, appearing to sell for about $17 new and available on auction sites for $10 or so. Descriptions call the handles stag, although I can't find any examples just like this one. I'm not sure if they are really stag at this price point, but the handles don't feel like plastic. If anyone knows for sure, please tell me. I cleaned it and sharpened it up on the Sharpmaker and I'm very pleased with how it feels and how it slices. It's my only China-made knife and now is in my carry rotation.

Mostly I'm touched that she offered me her late husband's knife and I am humbled by her gesture.

Tell me what you guys know about Colts.

Here's a picture of my "new" knife.

 

[Old Hunter]

Ratbert, don't know the length of your knife, but if it is 3-1/2" +/- then I would call it a clone of the Case 18 pattern Medium Stockman - one of the most useful and popular patterns Case makes. I know nothing of the current Colt knives except what you already know - made in China (which China I don't know either). I own one, a Jumbo Trapper, that was a gift to me - it is nicely made and solid, snaps very positively, blades and handles are well fitted, there is no wobble - the one I own is a good knife. OH

View attachment 639126

 

[Railsplitter]

My experience with Colt knives has been good but limited. I own a four blade Colt Railsplitter and a two blade Colt Teardrop Jack. I acquired both knives in 2011 but I'm not sure when they were actually made. Both are very well made knives. I don't carry either one of them but I certainly would not hesitate to if the mood struck me.

I don't recall ever seeing the tang stamp that your knife has but I don't know that much about these in the first place. The covers on your knife remind me very much of the Stag covers seen on many Case knives. Case does Stag a certain way, at least to my eyes, and the covers on your knife look very similar to a Stag handled Case knife. If Colt was trying to duplicate the Case 18 pattern like Old Hunter mentioned above, I think they did a stand up job.

Yours looks like a fine knife worthy of pocket carry.

 

[Ratbert]

Ratbert, don't know the length of your knife, but if it is 3-1/2" +/- then I would call it a clone of the Case 18 pattern Medium Stockman - one of the most useful and popular patterns Case makes.

It is 3.5" long and does mimic pretty much exactly my Case medium stockman serpenines, except that in the closed position, the sheepfoot blade doesn't sit as high as the Case. The medium stockman is far and away my favorite pattern.

 

[redsparrow]

A few years ago I picked up a Colt because I liked the "Black Stag", it was inexpensive, and I was curious about Colt's quality. They were so well made I got a few more and today I'm glad to have these. Ratbert, the sowbelly is my favorite and Colt's sowbelly was the first one I had ever tried. 3rd from right it's a stockman with curve to the grip.

 

[supratentorial]

Tell me what you guys know about Colts.

Yours appears to be real stag. I've had a few genuine stag Rough Rider knives but none from Colt. Some had pretty nice stag on them like yours. Some didn't. It looks like you got a winner.

I also like the black stag bone and would probably even buy the black stag bone on a more expensive knife as well. It's subjective but the quality of the bone used for the black stag seems to be a bit better compared to what's used on some other knives. I wonder if perhaps it needs to be a bit more dense for the stag pattern to fit... probably needs to be at least a little bit thicker than what's necessary for other types of jigging.

I happen to also be a big fan of the sowbelly pattern. Colt (and Rough Rider) have a very traditional sowbelly shape and style. Except I've never seen a vintage sowbelly with pinched bolsters. It's a matter of personal preferences but I would prefer that they didn't pinch the bolsters.... I prefer most knives didn't have pinched bolsters. Also, the clip blade on the 5-blade Rough Rider is a bit more full than the blades on the 3-blade Rough Rider and Colt sowbellies. I'd prefer they use that full blade on all of the sowbelly knives.

Rough Rider, Colt, et al have done an impressive job with patterns. Many of their patterns are extremely close to the oldies (something I value greatly).

 

[Ratbert]

A few years ago I picked up a Colt because I liked the "Black Stag"

Redsparrow, that black stag looks very, very nice. I especially like that little canoe. Very nice collection!

 

[Railsplitter]

Their Bone Stag is/was pretty nice too but I'm not sure if they use it anymore. Here's the Railsplitter I spoke of in my post above. Acquired in 2011.

 

[redsparrow]

Thanks for the compliment Ratbert, your stockman is as nice as they come. You are very fortunate to have had that one given to you... although it may lead to several more. I like the covers and the round shields on both your's and Railsplitter's, kinda looks upscale. Does your stockman have plain bolsters? I think supertentorial is right when he said they are better without pinched bolsters. If you get a chance check out a sowbelly, I believe you might like it.
-James

 

[Corwyn_bv]

I have an Exotic Colt Trapper and it's very well made, extremely sharp and well centered. I do like the snap on the Rough Riders better though...
This being said, I have a Titanium Colt Stockman on its way to me now (and no it's not Titanium handles... it's black bone with Titanium-powder coated blades).

 

[supratentorial]

I have an Exotic Colt Trapper and it's very well made, extremely sharp and well centered. I do like the snap on the Rough Riders better though...
This being said, I have a Titanium Colt Stockman on its way to me now (and no it's not Titanium handles... it's black bone with Titanium-powder coated blades).

That's interesting. It might be the model or the run since I think both are made in the same place for the same company. Some of the patterns likely use the same dies. The sowbelly is identical from both brands except for the embellishments. I have seen some variation in different runs and handle materials with both brands.

 

[Ratbert]

Does your stockman have plain bolsters?

Hard to tell from the pic, as the highlights are blown out, but yes, the blisters are plain, not pinched. I do like it when the bolster is dressed up a bit.
They went all out on Railsplitter's! Slanted, lined, pinched and topped it off with an engraved C! That railsplitter has some beautiful, gnarly handles.

 

[supratentorial]

Dressing up bolsters seems to be popular today. Queen's Schatt & Morgan line and GEC's Northfield line often have pinched bolsters. Case has also done runs with pinched bolsters. I sort of view the Colt/Rough Rider like Northfield/Tidioute or Schatt & Morgan/Queen. Same knives from the same company but with different embellishments.

Rick's railsplitter does take it up a notch. Like Charlie says, go big or go home. The "C" stamped bolsters looks right on that knife (my opinion) but it's a modern influence on an old pattern.

 

[r redden]

I have had good experience's with Colt and yours looks great. I enjoyed the story of how you obtained it. Sometimes where something comes from is much more important than what it is.

 

[5K Qs]

...
The next day she told me that she could only find one of the knives and handed me a Colt Medium Stockman. I didn't know much about Colts except that they were inexpensive stainless knives made in China, but I thanked her and said I would clean it up and sharpen it and would be proud to carry it.

It turns out to be a pretty solid knife. They are inexpensive, appearing to sell for about $17 new and available on auction sites for $10 or so. Descriptions call the handles stag, although I can't find any examples just like this one. I'm not sure if they are really stag at this price point, but the handles don't feel like plastic. If anyone knows for sure, please tell me. I cleaned it and sharpened it up on the Sharpmaker and I'm very pleased with how it feels and how it slices. It's my only China-made knife and now is in my carry rotation.

Mostly I'm touched that she offered me her late husband's knife and I am humbled by her gesture.

Tell me what you guys know about Colts.

Here's a picture of my "new" knife.

Ratbert, that's a nice story, and congratulations on your Colt stockman; it looks like a beauty!!
I haven't seen a Colt with the tang stamp yours have, but I've only been paying attention to traditional pocket knives for 2.5 years. I have several Colt knives of recent vintage and I consider all of mine to be solid, well-made knives. Colt currently offers a line of stag-handled knives for about $20 each, and the ones I've seen look VERY nice. I have a stag canoe from that series:

I also have a "black stag" (really bone stag) sowbelly stockman almost identical to red sparrow's, and I share his enthusiasm for the knife:

For a time (and I don't know if they still do), Colt offered a line of knives in titanium-coated carbon steel with G-10 handles (I know they still offer a line of titanium-coated stainless knives with smooth black bone covers). I have a carbon steel Colt canoe that is also an excellent knife IMHO:

The only other Colt I've purchased is a "buckshot bone" teardrop jack with spear and pen blades. It's probably my most "bomb-proof" knife, incredibly solid and heavy-duty:

You can find more about Colt knives in the "Rough Rider and Related Slipjoints" thread; just search within that thread for "Colt" and you should get lots of hits. Here's a link to a post in that thread where someone shows off some of his Colt knives, including a stag muskrat, and my Colt stag canoe shows up a couple of posts later: http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php/582468-Rough-Rider-amp-Related-Slipjoints?p=15704886&highlight=stag#post15704886

I think the Colt knives are good ones, and I hope you enjoy your very handsome stockman!!

- GT

 

[silenthunterstudios]

According to a certain catalog I get, I saw Case/Colt knives. These appeared to be Case designed, but made by whomever produces Colt knives.

 

[Ratbert]

Colt currently offers a line of stag-handled knives for about $20 each, and the ones I've seen look VERY nice. I have a stag canoe from that series:

That is a great little canoe! I have a soft spot in my heart for the canoe pattern, as my first knife my dad gave me as a boy was a Case canoe. Unfortunately it was lost long ago.

Thanks for all of the replies and interest!

 

[Ratbert]

I enjoyed the story of how you obtained it. Sometimes where something comes from is much more important than what it is.

Very true indeed. The knives that mean the most to me are those that were given to me by family and friends. An old Imperial pen knife that my dad used to carry, a Camillus faux ivory scrimshaw knife that my mom bought for my dad while on vacation once, an old Buck Cadet and a Schrade Old Timer that my sister gave me after my brother-in-law passed. And now this Colt that has come my way. I like carrying these knives and using them. There's a connection there with the folks who carried them and used them before me. Hopefully, when I'm gone they'll be passed on again to another appreciative soul.

 

[Sonny14]

I recently visited SMKW's brick & mortar store and obtained my first Colt, a Medium Double Lockback in Brown Stag Bone, (bone jigged to resemble stag). I was told there that they were made in the same factory as Rough Rider, and judging from the quality of this knife I believe it. SMKW demands a certain level of quality for their products, and this knife reflects that. Blades are claimed to be of 440A, are tight in the bolsters, snap nicely, came out of the box razor sharp, and the handles are awesome in my view. I was able to pick between several other examples, and chose this one due to the color variation of the handles, (which were the best IMHO of what I was shown).





I mainly collect US-made knives, but don't often carry or use them to preserve them. I buy good import knives to carry and use, (less expensive to replace for one thing), and from my experience the current offering of Colt knives are well made and very usable, (and very affordable). One thing they mentioned to me at SMKW was that since Colt is in bankruptcy, they weren't sure how long Colt branded knives will still be made. All I know for sure is that mine is an attractive, good and useful tool, no matter where it was made.

 

[5K Qs]

That is a great little canoe! I have a soft spot in my heart for the canoe pattern, as my first knife my dad gave me as a boy was a Case canoe. Unfortunately it was lost long ago.
...

Thanks, Ratbert. I'm not exactly sure how it happened, but I seem to have become a canoe enthusiast; I own more canoes than any other pattern, even though they're almost identical except for cover materials and size (some "regulars", some "minis"). I've gotten to the point where I like every canoe I see! Sorry to hear you've lost your first canoe; someday I intend to start a thread about how influential our first knives are.

... The knives that mean the most to me are those that were given to me by family and friends. ...

Amen to that! :thumbup:

I recently visited SMKW's brick & mortar store and obtained my first Colt, a Medium Double Lockback in Brown Stag Bone, (bone jigged to resemble stag). ...

One thing they mentioned to me at SMKW was that since Colt is in bankruptcy, they weren't sure how long Colt branded knives will still be made. All I know for sure is that mine is an attractive, good and useful tool, no matter where it was made.

That's an awesome brown stag bone, Sonny! :thumbup:
If true, this demise of Colt knives is sad news! I hadn't heard anything about this, so I checked with Google. Apparently Colt the gun maker had declared bankruptcy, but came out of it in January. I have no idea if there's a connection between Colt knives and the gun company, although I guess I assumed they weren't connected any more, even if they were at one time. But that's definitely just a guess.

- GT