Opinions on the Buck 120 and 124

You're not going to find many here who baton any of their Buck knives especially the classic 100 series knives. However, that's not to say it can't be done. Like others here, I've found a small hatchet more efficient at splitting kindling, but I've battoned some as well. I don't own a 120 but I do have a 124 and a 119 and I have used both to do some light batoning but nothing crazy. I personally keep it to say 2 inch branches for the 119 and 4 inches for the 124. The 124 after all has been billed, almost since its inception, as a survival knife by Buck. In my opinion a survival knife should be able to do some batoning and if it can't then I might as well save some space in my pack and carry a smaller knife. You can find videos on YouTube of the 124 processing wood as well. I think it's a plenty stout knife for the job as long as you are reasonable about it. I don't think you really gain anything by choosing the 120 over the 124 because it's just a really long narrow blade with a stick tang. Just because it has a 7 inch blade doesn't mean you can break open a 6 inch log with it. That would break the knife for sure. Also when batoning a knife like a 119 or 120 you must use proper technique which means no bearing down on the handle while banging on the blade and no hitting the handle. I suppose it's worth mentioning that survivalist Les Straud (aka Survivorman) favored a 119 and can sometimes be seen on his show batoning it with a rock. Not advised but the knife stood up to it.

Anyway, I say go with the 124 if you want a classically styled Buck knife that can do the work you're talking about. It's not as tough as some knives out there but it's pretty stout and one heck of a knife. If the price of the 124 is a problem I would say just pick up a 119 and only use it on small kindling.
 
A lot of these batoning folks use Mora knives and those have a short rat tail tang and yet they take the beating. A 119 that has a full length tang, though slender, should be up to the task. The only hesitation I would have is the new hollow grind with that thin edge vs the old grind from back in the 70's, which was thicker. Still, the knives should take it.
 
Doc, the 119 & 120has a rat tail tang. I'll agree that if Cameron is set on using the 120 get the early one from 1970's as it has the convex grind. The 124 of that era has the same grind but with the full tang. My brother, being one of the original 'bo hog brothers' used a 1980--
119 and a rock to mallet it thru sternum and pelvis on everything he shot for 20 yrs. without damage to the knife. So, it can be done. DM
 
TAH has some pictures of the Buck 119 tang. It is pretty substantial. It is definitely larger than the tang on a Mora or a Buck Vanguard.
 
Those photos weren't mine and they have vanished - courtesy of Photobucket. Here's a photo from Buck's website that shows the width of the 119 tang.

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Here's another...

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I had this photo posted as the subject went this direction. I have not seen a half tang among Buck knives but I have them on some of our kitchen knives. DM
 
those full tang rat tail style...buck seems to radius the 90 where it goes to the tang and through the guard so that makes it quite strong and takes away the stress points.

thanks for sharing the pic/diagram with ole blue with us David. always appreciated.
 
hard to tell in the pictures but there is a small radius (in the .02" range) on all of the tangs we do. nothing huge like the top photo. It is possible that older blades do not have it.
 
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