Interesting, a 619?

David Nowlin

David Nowlin

Joined
Jan 17, 2018
Messages
2,781
So jealous ( in a good way) seeing buck nuts finding gems in pawn shops or antique malls or wherever you all find them.
my son took me to an antique store and after poking around found a Buck 619?
Looks like a 119 with a rubber handle?
What’s the story on this? 619V which is dated what 1989? Just something interesting and i love learning here.
BIK ( Buck Institute of Knifeology)
 
If you go to the search and type in 619 and check box "titles only" you will find a lot of info.
 
Nice knife.
I have a 470 with rubber handle.
I'm not sure what (if any) 100 series it is based on.
 
I did not buy it. Was $30 and lady said owner will take 10% off. I’ll get it after Christmas. Just wanted to get some good or bad imput on it before i spent the money.
 
The 119 sheath may not work, the rubber handle on the 619 is much beefier, you probably won’t be able to snap the retention strap. I have a 602 and I can’t get it to fit in a 102 sheath.
 
Kraton handled versions of the 100 series from the 80's & 90's.
Came with nylon sheaths. The 619 and 639 came in both black and olive drab.
There were lots of pictures here at one time but most went the way of PukeBucket.
Always wondered why they could not come up with a 'MATE' name for the Skinner.
102 Woodsman ...602 Trailmate
103 Skinner...603 Kraton Skinner
105 Pathfinder...605 Pathmate
119 Special...619 Woodsmate
120 General...620 Campmate
639 Fieldmate

For $30 I'd have whiplash getting my wallet out.... ;o)
 
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Sky thanks that was super helpful. The antique store is not very busy. I had to look very hard to find that 619 so high probability it will be there the next time they are open.
I am super(ha ha used this word twice) motivated to get it and start searching for other gems. You all here have inspired me to search in this new phase of my collecting.
 
(repost) Casual observation to me is that the Olive Drab (OD) color might be a little less common but not rare. I've seen OD only on the 619 and 639. Interestingly the 619 is named differently for the 2 colors, Olive Drab (OD) called GameMate and the Black (BK) one called WoodsMate. There were some 639's made without the saw on the spine and are less common. What must be very rare are the 619's in other colors, prototype samples only. Brown, Green, Gray, and Orange. I've heard of them but never seen one.
 
I have the same 619 but X code 1990. I believe we are in the 425M Steel period (between 440C and 420HC) which is a great steel. The handle provides great grip in less than ideal conditions. Snatch that baby up as soon as you get a chance. :thumbsup:
 
BuckShack said:
.... The handle provides great grip in less than ideal conditions...
Click to expand...

Kraton is a synthetic rubber developed by Shell Oil in the 1950's. Most rubbers get slippery when wet but Kraton
seems to get tackier, a good property for a knife handle.
 
Great info guys. Yes hope they open tomorrow. There were 4-5 displays with a ton of knives. Mostly cheap pocket knives some fixed blade and maybe some of those were collectable but i’m only interested in the buck knife.
 
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