Gun Shop Impulse Buy (Buck Striders and a Bradley)

photoman12001

photoman12001

Joined
May 23, 2008
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I was checking out a few Martini rifles at one of my local gun shops and spotted a few interesting-looking knives in a display case. I wasn't familiar with any of them but they definitely caught me eye as items that aren't typically seen in a gun shop. They had no prices so I thought maybe they were just for display but they ended up being for sale. They were asking $120 a piece plus tax. After some quick searching it seemed that was an OK price but not great. I made an offer and got them for $92.50 each after tax which I thought was pretty fair, I hope it was anyway. They are used with no boxes. The Buck Striders almost look like new with a few handling marks. The Bradley has some wear but doesn't look like it has cut much.

Here are a few of my observations:

Buck Striders:
  • After doing a little more searching at home, it appears that I got a model 881 (small tanto) and model 882 (green scales/satin blade) but I'm not sure what model the one is with the black blade. I haven't found a photo to match it.
  • I was a little turned off by the thin liners on the two larger knives but they really lock up solidly (better than most of my Emersons). I didn't try to hammer any nails with the blade spines though.
  • The blade on the little tanto is crazy thick at the tip. I don't know if I'd trust the lock to do it but I'm sure you could drive that through a car door.
  • I had never handled any of the Strider knives. The closest I've come is my ZT 0121 before these. I always thought the triangular handles looked uncomfortable but they are actually pretty comfortable.
  • I'm glad these have a screwed construction and G10 scales. Most of what I've seen are pinned construction and nylon scales. I'm really not fond of pinned construction. It's weird that they used phillips screws for the scales and torx for the pivot and clip on the big knives though.
  • Overall these are pretty cool knives. I bought them as something different for my collection but I might carry the one with the black blade some. I didn't even know Buck had made these.
Bradley Alias II:
  • I also knew nothing about this one but I like it.
  • It's got a nice fit/finish, good detent, and a smooth action.
  • This is the smallest frame lock I own and its small size exacerbates my biggest issue with them: you have to be careful not to apply pressure to the lockbar while opening it. My ZT 0630 gave me the most grieve with that but this little guy is worse; there's just not a lot of real-estate for your fingers. If there is any pressure on that lockbar it's not opening but the blade flies out if there are no fingers on the lockbar. To fix this issue I swapped the clip for tip-down carry so my fingers rest on the clip while opening. I had to do the same thing with my ZT 0566.
  • I think this one is going to see a lot of pocket time. It will be nice when I have to wear a suit to work.
Here are a few cell phone photos. It's dark and I don't feel like pulling out any lighting stuff.

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CD596219-1276-4D38-860D-D1DF4A4889DE_zpsnkbnnzjg.jpg


You can see how thin the liners are here on the 882 and other one with the black blade but they really do lock up well.
F648994A-5B69-48A0-9F37-64139332D9FB_zpskcfeqs49.jpg


Hopefully this shows how robust the tip is on that little tanto blade. It's pretty neat but seems impractical for day-to-day use.
1AE1DC41-E5A3-4511-A42A-81E3E76BA6FF_zpstuw2gik0.jpg
 
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I found one like your green one with black blade at a pawn shop for around $60 one time. Good scores.
 
You did fine, they are all discontinued and pretty popular...I have a BNIB Buck 882 with the BOS ATS-34 blade and had one like the OD green with black blade (420HC) that I sold to a dealer at a small gun show for $100 because I was also a little leery of the thin liner but it sure sounded like a Strider when it clicked open. That Bradley was supposed to be a "Sebenza killer" but we all know how that turned out :rolleyes:
 
Is the blade on the Bradley 2.95 inches long? If it is then it appears to be an Alias II. I am not sure about that, but it looks like one of those. It looks like the Bradley goes for $150 or more new, the Buck Striders if you can find them seem to be $125+ new. I don't know about the smaller tanto with black scales?
 
rje58 said:
Is the blade on the Bradley 2.95 inches long? If it is then it appears to be an Alias II. I am not sure about that, but it looks like one of those. It looks like the Bradley goes for $150 or more new, the Buck Striders if you can find them seem to be $125+ new. I don't know about the smaller tanto with black scales?
Click to expand...

I'm not quite sure exactly where to measure it but it's right at 3" +/-.
After swapping the clip for tip-down (I prefer tip-up carry but this makes opening it easier) and applying a little Frog Lube, I'm really liking this little guy. I can't compare it to a Sebenza though; I've never handled one. From what I found, Benchmade produced these Bradleys. I am a Benchmade fan so that must be why I like the Bradley :)
 
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photoman, your black-bladed, green-handled model is the Strider Buck 889 SBMF. Buck made them in three handle colors: black, green, and tan.

All of those knives are getting scarcer, so you were wise to grab them when you had the chance. Enjoy 'em!

-Steve
 
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photoman12001 said:
So do you think I overpaid on these or was $60 a really good deal? Maybe I should have done more research.
Click to expand...

Nah man, they are worth $100 and up. I just happened to find a really good deal, they were on clearance, old stock I think.
Take care and enjoy them! Happy new year.
 
Those green-handled Buck Striders are really cool looking.

It's too bad that Buck still isn't currently making them. I'm sure that they'd sell pretty well. Even with the relatively thin linerlock and all. :(
 
I had the small tanto Buck/Strider. It was a neat knife but I couldn't get that crazy fat tip sharp so I gave it to a buddy who was new to knives and was infatuated with that fat little beast of a knife.

The really textured G10 was hell on my pockets so I doubt that I would've carried it much if I did get it sharp-but-it was way nicer than the one Strider I had and it locked up better too; thin liner and all.

Now that I have knives in the collection that just don't get used I'd love to have that tank back to mess with every now and then, it's a great knife at that price.
 
Thanks for the information everyone. I've been searching for examples of these particular knives online but haven't come across many photos that show the 882/889 with G10 scales and/or screw construction. Were the G10/screw versions much more scarce than the FRN/pinned versions? None of these four knives seem to be widely available so it was a lucky find at a gun shop.

I became curious about the thin liners on the 882/889 so I decided to take some measurements to compare them to other liner lock knives that I own.
I also measured the blade thickness as close I could to where it interfaced with the lock bar and included a ratio of blade thickness to lock bar thickness. I don't know if this information is useful or interesting at all but it took up some time on a Friday afternoon.

  • Knife: Blade thickness, Lock Bar thickness, Ratio (Blade thickness divided by Lock Bar thickness)
  • Buck Strider 889: 0.1455", 0.0510", 2.83
  • Buck Strider 882: 0.1465", 0.0410", 3.57
  • Buck Strider 881: 0.1675", 0.0685", 2.45
  • Emerson Horseman: 0.1250", 0.0600", 2.08
  • Emerson CQC-14: 0.1255", 0.0620", 2.02
  • Emerson CQC-10: 0.1255", 0.0600", 2.09
  • Emerson Combat Karambit: 0.1270", 0.0600", 2.12
  • Emerson EDC-1: 0.1090", 0.0500", 2.18
  • Zero Tolerance 0200: 0.1565", 0.0750", 2.09
  • Zero Tolerance 0350: 0.1215", 0.0750", 1.62
  • Benchmade 670: 0.1240", 0.0510", 2.43
  • Spyderco Vallotton: 0.1545", 0.0635", 2.43
  • Spyderco Gayle Bradley 1: 0.1155", 0.0695", 1.66

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1AbominAble1 said:
I had the small tanto Buck/Strider. It was a neat knife but I couldn't get that crazy fat tip sharp so I gave it to a buddy who was new to knives and was infatuated with that fat little beast of a knife.

The really textured G10 was hell on my pockets so I doubt that I would've carried it much if I did get it sharp-but-it was way nicer than the one Strider I had and it locked up better too; thin liner and all.

Now that I have knives in the collection that just don't get used I'd love to have that tank back to mess with every now and then, it's a great knife at that price.
Click to expand...

Yeah, that tip is not sharp; the edge angles are very obtuse.
I just wanted it as something unique in my collection. Really that's what all the Buck Striders were for me.
The Bradley hasn't left my pocket since I bought it, except to cut things.
 
I had the full size version of that Tanto model. Carried it everyday for years, and eventually lost it on a carnival ride. Its a tank/brute of a knife. Id say its the most valuable of that whole score. Congrats dude.
 
The Bradley Alias II is by far the best of the bunch, IMO.
Nice buy on all of them!
 
photoman12001 said:
Thanks for the information everyone. I've been searching for examples of these particular knives online but haven't come across many photos that show the 882/889 with G10 scales and/or screw construction. Were the G10/screw versions much more scarce than the FRN/pinned versions?
Click to expand...

Hmm, I didn't pay attention well enough when you mentioned these details in your original post. If you've got genuine G-10 handles on the 889, I don't know exactly what you've acquired. Every version of the 889 that I've seen, including three that I used to own, has had FRN handles and pins rather than screws. I know they did high-end, G-10-handled versions of the 882, but I never saw the same treatment for the 889. I'm puzzled by the "FB" inscribed on the blade's reverse, too.

Also, correct me if I'm wrong, but the liner and lock on your 882 appear to be anodized. Are they titanium? I'm not an expert, but I don't recall any of the Strider Bucks possessing titanium liners. You might want to re-post this thread in the Buck subforum and see if anyone there has more information.

-Steve
 
Great score.
Those can all easily fetch 120 each. Those Buck Striders are all the best of the best. They look different than the ones I owned even the g10.
I am jealous.
I would have picked them up too and just sold two and kept the others I like.
Good for you.
 
The Whip said:
Hmm, I didn't pay attention well enough when you mentioned these details in your original post. If you've got genuine G-10 handles on the 889, I don't know exactly what you've acquired. Every version of the 889 that I've seen, including three that I used to own, has had FRN handles and pins rather than screws. I know they did high-end, G-10-handled versions of the 882, but I never saw the same treatment for the 889. I'm puzzled by the "FB" inscribed on the blade's reverse, too.

Also, correct me if I'm wrong, but the liner and lock on your 882 appear to be anodized. Are they titanium? I'm not an expert, but I don't recall any of the Strider Bucks possessing titanium liners. You might want to re-post this thread in the Buck subforum and see if anyone there has more information.

-Steve
Click to expand...

I did post them there after I realized they were different than most others I'm seeing but I haven't really heard much more over there. I did learn that the FB means Factory Blem which kinda sucks but I'm still happy. Now I might actually carry it. I'm guessing it's from the blade finish. It's a little thin in some areas but the knife shows no other signs of use. As far as the coloring on the liners, I assumed that to be from hardening the lock face since it seems to appear only in that area. I'm sure it's steel though. They are very stiff like my other steel liner locks. None of my titanium liner locks are they stiff. I can test them with a magnet a little later.

I also emailed Buck to see if they have any further info and I was curious if factory blems are covered by warranty. I've found sources saying yes and no but nothing on Buck's site.
 
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