Older 110 question [gravity?]

[chickentrax]

I've browsed through some of the Buck history, and the 110 in particular, and came across an entry that stated the early 110's were production-modified to prevent "gravity" operation...

I had thought I had an idea of what "gravity" knives were [i.e. - push a button and the blade fell out via gravity] but I'm kind of scratching my head at how a 110 could be considered a "gravity" knife...Was the rocker-to-tang clearance so great that pushing the release allowed the blade to swing free???

 

[Clydetz]

I can't answer your question about the early Buck 110 but to me a 'gravity' knife doesn't need a 'button'. A 'flick' of the wrist is all it takes to open. I've had a couple of well used knives that functioned like that.

 

[chickentrax]

I can't answer your question about the early Buck 110 but to me a 'gravity' knife doesn't need a 'button'...

I meant 'button' in the generic sense...

I found a pic of a German "Paratrooper" knife that was labeled as a gravity knife, but it looked like part of an Erector set, and simply unlatched and unfolded so that the blade was exposed...I couldn't see the "gravity" part of it...

Maybe I don't have a grasp of what "gravity" is referring to here...

 

[CJ Buck]

You guys are both right. The original definition of a gravity knife was a push button that allowed the blade to fall into place using gravity. Legislators expanded the definition to include centrifugal force. The problem with centrifugal force is that all folders that do not "lock" closed will open if you apply enough force. That is indefinite, hard to determine and open to interpretation.

AKTI is trying to get law enforcement to better quantify what this means by providing model legislation to be used as a template. It is an uphill battle...

Buck made the rocker have more spring tension and added a dip to the radius of the blade in the 110 to make it more effort to open the knife blade (as well as more force keeping the blade closed).

In my opinion, and in the definition of gravity knives we we successful in getting california to adopt, that "bias towards closure" makes the 110 not a gravity knife.

cj

 

[Mike Kerins]

Chuck,
In the "for what its worth" category, I was a San Diego cop back in the 70's and we dealt with a lot of bikers and others for that matter that all carried buck 110's that had been worked. We just saw them as "knives" and the fact that they could open quickly by gravity was not an issue. It was not unusual for an owner to "work" it to open easier. We were much more concerned with concealable daggars. The close proximity to the Mexican border made swichblades of many sorts a way of life for us. Buck 110's were never a problem. I even carried one for a short time on my gun belt before switching to a 112 because it was better suited to the job.
Mike