Impressed with a Colt Gunstock that was very inexpensive...

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Mar 20, 2012
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Picked up this Colt two blade Gunstock on the auction site for like 15 bucks two days ago, and it came today... I bought it after making the mistake of 'Baying after a few too many beers, and ended up digging through slippies. I was looking for vintage German made knives, but of course ended up with about 6 million tabs opened (tab browsing is the bane of my wallet's existence... Every page I open results in my opening two more, like the Hydra of Hercules's labors in Greek Mythology!) and one of them was the Colt. I couldn't resist the spear blade. Long pull and a badass swedge, plus decent looking bone covers cut and burnt like caramel and stag. Much to my surprise, the blades both have half stops, which is a feature I definitely prefer and wish all slippies had. The edges came very sharp, much better than GEC knives that cost nearly ten times as much. The bolsters are slanted and threaded/rat tailed. Blades are centered fairly well. Main blade is dead centered, and the clip blade is slightly off center towards the outside. Neither blade rubs though. The pull on the main blade is probably a 5 or 6, so smooth and easy to open. The pull on the clip is about a 6 to the half stop, then from half stop to opened it is somehow much stiffer, maybe an 8...

Of course there are downsides, like the blade steel, which I'm sure is some low quality 440 series steel. The knife is also Chinese made (says so on the tang stamp, which reads CT 208/quality since/1836/China. There is also a gap between the smaller/clip blade's spring and the outer brass liner (not visible unless you hold it up to the light though, so it isn't a huge gap). The fit and finish aren't perfect, but for the price, about what I would expect, maybe better. For 15 bucks shipped, I might have to get my hands on some more of these knives. If this one example is characteristic of the whole line, they are about on par with a good example of Rough Rider knives (if I'm not mistaken, they may be made by the same people, or at least are all under the same parent company). All in all I'm impressed with this knife.

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Looks pretty good for $15 I must say.
I have spent a lot more on a late night alcohol infused internet knife search! LOL You got off easy with $15 spent and a
knife you like. Enjoy:thumbup:
 
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Those scales are really nice. Warm and honeylike. I've got a few Colt traditional types now and they are all very nicely done.

I wouldn't sell the steel short just yet. I'm finding that even though it's 440A'ish, both the Colt and the Rough Riders seem to have really gotten the heat treat right. I've taken a few to some sticks doing some shaving and notching and they've held up surprisingly well.

Congrats. A lot of knife for the money.
 
I wouldn't count out the steel, either. Comparing the one and only Colt I own to my other traditionals, it holds and edge better than most. Certainly better than my older carbon steel folders, easily as well as my newer carbon and stainless knives until you get to the Queen D2. Not a valid comparison as the D2 is the best of the lot by a pretty long stroke.



I love this knife though as the construction, fit and finish is great. Needed a bit of a tune up on the edge, but took a really wicked one. Great walk and talk, and the checkering was flawless. I thought the "C" on the bolster would bother me as far as appearance goes, but after some pocket wear (the pic was when it was new) I don't even notice it.

I was really surprised at this knife when I received it, and wouldn't make any kind of qualification or excuse for the knife by quoting the price I paid. It is simply a very nice knife.

Robert
 
Oh man. More temptation. I really want that knife, but I've been being a cheap beast hoping to snag one while sailing the bay at a steal. Like you said though. They are just good knives just judging them as a knife. Not a good knife for the inexpensive price, but just a good knife. At current prices they are simply a steal and a very, very good value.

Ya know. I'm just gonna have to ahead and get one of those.
 
Nothing wrong with those Colts; they're almost all 440A, but they have some very good looking offerings... I've been tempted on more than 1 occasion by them, and am trying to decide just which one to get.

One of the bigger retailers sends me a catalog, and they have a huge selection of Colts... I was surprised by how many varieties they actually make.
 
Picked up a second Colt Gunstock, this one with a single clip point blade, and it is every bit as impressive, aside from how dull the edge was out of the box. Currently scouring the web for more deals on different models in this line. Can't recommend them enough for someone looking to try out different patterns on a budget.

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If I remember correctly Rough Rider and Colt slip joints are made by the same people it's just that the Colt's are held to a slightly higher QC (from what I've heard), and sometimes different styles and materials go into it. I own 2 Rough Riders and 2 Colt carbon steel slip joints. They are all well made knives, I put the 440a in the Rough Riders through it's paces and it's held up well so don't underestimate it as they did their heat treat right. I haven't put the carbon steel through it's paces as I was disappointed at how thick the blades were at about 1/8in thick and I like my blades being half that thickness if not a hair thinner (works better for my uses having a thinner blade).
 
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