Remington-Bullet-Knife-R1253 Delrin vs. Bone

MTHall720

MTHall720

Joined
Sep 21, 2010
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I like the looks of this knife, which sports a 4 inch blade I believe. Question is, is it worth it to spend double the money to get the one with the bone handle instead of whatever the synthetic material is. I may have a chance at both. Has anyone handled this knife? I think it was made in the 90's in the U.S.

Thanks much for any thoughts.
 
The worst offenders are the R1128 Trappers in cocobolo, almost every one I've seen had a crack near the lanyard tube. My father in law carried a 1173L Baby Bullet in jigged Delrin since I gave it to him in 1983, not a hint of cracking. I doubt you will see much cracking in the Delrin versions but I would still inspect prior to purchase or insist on a solid return policy. The R1253 is one I don't see very often.
 
JB in SC said:
The worst offenders are the R1128 Trappers in cocobolo, almost every one I've seen had a crack near the lanyard tube. My father in law carried a 1173L Baby Bullet in jigged Delrin since I gave it to him in 1983, not a hint of cracking. I doubt you will see much cracking in the Delrin versions but I would still inspect prior to purchase or insist on a solid return policy. The R1253 is one I don't see very often.
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Thank you. The advice is much appreciated. I mainly like the looks of the design overall, but have not found much else like this which has the 4 inch blade.
 
Maybe I'm wrong, but the 1253 doesn't have a lanyard hole does it? At least mine doesn't. Bolsters on both ends, long clip point blade with lockback and a great swedge. At least I'm pretty certain that's the model number on mine. Was the '92 bullet knife, right?
 
SOFileworks said:
Maybe I'm wrong, but the 1253 doesn't have a lanyard hole does it? At least mine doesn't. Bolsters on both ends, long clip point blade with lockback and a great swedge. At least I'm pretty certain that's the model number on mine. Was the '92 bullet knife, right?
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Glad you mentioned this. I thought maybe I was missing something. The pics I have seen of the knives I had in mind didn't look like they had anything for a lanyard to go through.
 
You both are correct, it is a capped end. I checked my Remington book, which is what I should have done to begin with. My photo of one had some flash glare at the capped end..my eyes aren't very good anymore either. Sorry for the confusion.
 
JB in SC said:
You both are correct, it is a capped end. I checked my Remington book, which is what I should have done to begin with. My photo of one had some flash glare at the capped end..my eyes aren't very good anymore either. Sorry for the confusion.
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Thanks very much. For some reason I love the looks of this and the size length of the blade.
 
It's a heck of a knife man, I love mine. Heavy bladestock, good long handle, and a great lock. The only thing I don't care for is if you want to find a sheath for it to actually carry the thing they're pretty hard to find. As far as your original question is concerned, whether bone or delrin, to me it would depend if you are getting it to use or put up on a shelf. If you're gonna use it, get the delrin...the chances of the scales cracking are pretty slim, but if you want it to look at, get the bone...adds a lot more character.
 
I had a Baby Bullet in bone. The bone was very nice and it had a sterling silver bullet.
 
My experience is that it is best to buy the one that 'speaks' to you the most. When i have been in this situation and opted for the cheaper knife even though i liked the more expensive one, i have never been truly happy with it. Whereas when i have bought the knife that just grabbed me the most, i have never tired of it. The special feeling i got when i first saw it is still there every time i look at, handle or use the knife, even years later. And this to me is what 'knifin' is all about: that special feeling you get from a knife you really like.
Otherwise, why have so many knives ?
kj
 
kootenay joe said:
My experience is that it is best to buy the one that 'speaks' to you the most. When i have been in this situation and opted for the cheaper knife even though i liked the more expensive one, i have never been truly happy with it. Whereas when i have bought the knife that just grabbed me the most, i have never tired of it. The special feeling i got when i first saw it is still there every time i look at, handle or use the knife, even years later. And this to me is what 'knifin' is all about: that special feeling you get from a knife you really like.
Otherwise, why have so many knives ?
kj
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I tend to agree. I love the looks of the bone but I will need to be extra careful not to drop it. This knife has one straight pull to open with no half stop right?
 
I don't know if this knife has a half stop or not but you do not have to be overly careful with bone. It can develop cracks particularly at the handle pins and occasionally a chip of bone breaks off, but basically it is pretty tough stuff. I have dropped a bone handled knife onto a floor with stone or ceramic tiles many times and so far no damage done
If you have a chance to inspect a bone handled knife before buying it, try to get one with no little cracks at the handle pins as these are the handles that might crack more easily.
There are lots of 100 year old bone handled knives still in circulation and use with the bone being worn down smooth but with no cracks or missing bits of bone. i.e. bone is durable.
kj
 
I just bought the delrin version this weekend. It is a well built knife, at 5 1/14" it's not small, but it's slim and still pocketable. I've always wanted a Remington repro but every version I've seen had issues...the dreaded cracked scale at the lanyard hole or spring pin, or too high an asking price. This one I saw w/o box for $60 and unused but it is pretty much perfect. I gather it's a Camilus made knife, so it's my first from that maker.

Per on-line research, the box paperwork says it was stropped on leather, and it sure looked that way. The original paperwork says 440 steel with 56-59R hardness. Would that be 440A? After 25 years unused, a short honing on 1500 grit sandpaper and it was as sharp as it needs to be. I prepared two meals with it this weekend and it's a very well designed serviceable blade.

For the reproduction, it originally came with a poster and was called the "Guide." Per Levine's guide, the original version (1920-30 era) is a "hunter." Per others it is a "banana trapper." Some say the original was favored by Al Capone, but I couldn't find any real reference.


The construction is a little unusual, I wonder if anyone knows about that. It has slight gaps on both sides of the blade at the pivot, like it has a bushing or small washers. The blade has a little side to side play when closed (1mm) but locks up tight as that drum when opened. In addition to the main spring pin, there is a second pin (not visible from the outside and it does not go all the way through the knife) just to the rear of the main spring pin. Can anyone shed some light on the knife's internal design and the reasons for it.

I gather these came with a poster, anyone have one?
 
brownshoe said:
I just bought the delrin version this weekend. It is a well built knife, at 5 1/14" it's not small, but it's slim and still pocketable. I've always wanted a Remington repro but every version I've seen had issues...the dreaded cracked scale at the lanyard hole or spring pin, or too high an asking price. This one I saw w/o box for $60 and unused but it is pretty much perfect. I gather it's a Camilus made knife, so it's my first from that maker.

Per on-line research, the box paperwork says it was stropped on leather, and it sure looked that way. The original paperwork says 440 steel with 56-59R hardness. Would that be 440A? After 25 years unused, a short honing on 1500 grit sandpaper and it was as sharp as it needs to be. I prepared two meals with it this weekend and it's a very well designed serviceable blade.

For the reproduction, it originally came with a poster and was called the "Guide." Per Levine's guide, the original version (1920-30 era) is a "hunter." Per others it is a "banana trapper." Some say the original was favored by Al Capone, but I couldn't find any real reference.

The construction is a little unusual, I wonder if anyone knows about that. It has slight gaps on both sides of the blade at the pivot, like it has a bushing or small washers. The blade has a little side to side play when closed (1mm) but locks up tight as that drum when opened. In addition to the main spring pin, there is a second pin (not visible from the outside and it does not go all the way through the knife) just to the rear of the main spring pin. Can anyone shed some light on the knife's internal design and the reasons for it.

I gather these came with a poster, anyone have one?
Click to expand...

Camillus used 440A for their stainless traditional pocket knives. They ran it in about that hardness range.

As for the internal design, you might post the question in the Camillus collectors forum. I believe BF member Phil Gibbs checks in there every once in a while. He designed knives for Camillus and would know for sure.

http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/forumdisplay.php/695-Camillus-Collector-s-Forum

Forum > Manufacturer's Forums > Collector's forums > Camillus Collector's Forum
 
Knife uses a tension spring located between the handle & the lining:



The additional pin was added later in a vein attempt of reducing open backs, so you will find versions without it.
 
Thanks a lot guys for the info. Only on BF will you get a response 24 years later from the inventor. Slick! I sure like the design, it suits me good. Thanks for the design and excellent execution Phil. You can be proud of your work for Camillus.
 
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