Rough Rider & Related Slipjoints

[Balrog99]

Man I love stockmans. Case honestly has always seemed strange to me. I've held a few and they just feel strange to me. Anyone else get that? Maybe when I actually get one it'll be different.

 

[afishhunter]

Rough Rider 858 with imitation tortious shell handles, is on the way. Will be my smallest knife, at 2 1/2 inches closed.
They call it a "small trapper" (because of the clip and spey blades, maybe?) but it looks more like a Barlow, to me.
At 2 1/2 inches closed, and only a single bolster, does it count as a peanut?

 

[kootenay joe]

The little RR's are neat. So small you might think of it as a toy or a bracelet charm, but they are real knives made just as well as the full size RR's including very sharp blades. I like them.
kj

 

[Rich S]

I've got an RR small coke bottle (3 " closed) with jigged bone handles on the way. Looks like a nice little pocket piece. Hope it's as good as my other RRs.
Rich

 

[JPD1998]

Man I love stockmans. Case honestly has always seemed strange to me. I've held a few and they just feel strange to me. Anyone else get that? Maybe when I actually get one it'll be different.

The stockman is my favorite pattern too.
If you like the larger stock knives , the Case is a great knife.
The picture is a comparison of the Case, RR and Queen large stockman.

 

[fvdk]

My Rough Rider Ocean Wave Blue Pearl set.

 

[black mamba]

Love my stockmans. This brown sawcut bone RR at 4¼" is the same size as the Case 75 or the Queen 49.

Mine is just as well built, too, and sharper than either. Look at that perfectly even grind on the clip main.

 

[Bloefield]

Nice collection fvdk.
Black Mamba, that saw cut is real nice.
I have a few saw-cuts, barlow, copperhead etc, and they are well done too.

 

[kootenay joe]

If you group RR's by the handle covers, certain handle covers are on better made knives regardless of pattern. In this instance, any RR with the same brown sawcut bone handles will be RR's best quality.
I have found this to be reliably so, however nothing is 100%, so likely there are a few knives out there that do not quite make the grade.
kj

 

[nugun55]

Received this RR 481 Barlow, yesterday. Surprisingly well done for the money.

 

[supratentorial]

If you group RR's by the handle covers, certain handle covers are on better made knives regardless of pattern. In this instance, any RR with the same brown sawcut bone handles will be RR's best quality.
I have found this to be reliably so, however nothing is 100%, so likely there are a few knives out there that do not quite make the grade.
kj

I think the newer knives are maybe a bit better than some of the older ones. I had a dogleg whittler that was particularly poor in comparison to every other RR knife that I've ever seen. It was old stock at the time that I ordered it and that was more than 3 years ago. I usually stick with the yellow synthetic handles but I've had good luck with the outdoorsman series and the painted desert series.

My Armor Hide medium stockman is a fine little knife, great covers.
These are all Rough Riders, the Armor Hide is second from right.

Jeff, could you please post a close up of the iron hide stockman? I usually don't like the bone handles on the RR knives but that series tickles me. I'm probably going to order one.


Colt did a really nice job with the "black stag" bone covers. I'll take a few photos later. The rest of the knife is the same as the RR knives that cost 1/2 as much so it's just an indulgence. But it's not a very expensive indulgence.

 

[black mamba]

Here you go, Jake. The Armor Hide is bone jigged to look like the old Samurai armor. Very grippy stuff.

 

[supratentorial]

Thank you, Jeff. I need one of those.

Here are some photos of the "black stag" bone from Colt.

 

[jc57]

That "armor hide" reminds me more of alligator skin than it does samurai armor. Their brown sawcut makes me think of a snake's belly scales, armadillo scales, or perhaps the segmented skin of an earthworm

 

[supratentorial]

That "armor hide" reminds me more of alligator skin than it does samurai armor. Their brown sawcut makes me think of a snake's belly scales, armadillo scales, or perhaps the segmented skin of an earthworm

It'll match my boots! ....the alligator skin, not the earthworm.

 

[5K Qs]

They called it rootwood when they use it on their "Loveless" look alike fixed blade.
It's wood.
Best regards

Robin

Thanks, Robin! Sorry for not acknowledging your help earlier; apparently I was not functioning optimally at 8am yesterday morning!

Love my stockmans. This brown sawcut bone RR at 4¼" is the same size as the Case 75 or the Queen 49.

Mine is just as well built, too, and sharper than either. Look at that perfectly even grind on the clip main.

...

Nice stockman, as usual, Jeff! :thumbup::thumbup: RR saw cut bone series knives sometimes have bolsters that are "too fancy" for my taste, but the bolsters on the stockman look good (just a little "fluting" at the end, instead of "flowery fluting").

If you group RR's by the handle covers, certain handle covers are on better made knives regardless of pattern. In this instance, any RR with the same brown sawcut bone handles will be RR's best quality.
I have found this to be reliably so, however nothing is 100%, so likely there are a few knives out there that do not quite make the grade.
kj

I've heard the same thing from others, KJ.

...Jeff, could you please post a close up of the iron hide stockman? I usually don't like the bone handles on the RR knives but that series tickles me. I'm probably going to order one.
...

Thank you, Jeff. I need one of those.

Here are some photos of the "black stag" bone from Colt.
...

Jake, if you order an armor hide RR, please let us know how you like it; thanks!
Very nice Colt, Jake! :thumbup::thumbup: It's interesting to me to compare it to the one I recently ordered (post 2175 above, I think). From the photos, yours definitely has blacker black than mine has, and you have a different shield than I do. I like my Colt sowbelly a lot, but I think I'd prefer your darker black and shield, given a choice. I wonder which is older, yours or mine? I ordered mine new online, but it could well be new old stock. I think earlier in the thread, you pointed out the blade rub problems you often experienced with RR stockmen; is the Colt about the same? I think I have more blade rub in my Colt sowbelly than in the RR sowbelly I've had for over a year.

That "armor hide" reminds me more of alligator skin than it does samurai armor. Their brown sawcut makes me think of a snake's belly scales, armadillo scales, or perhaps the segmented skin of an earthworm

Valid observations, John. I often note that the RR sawcut Barlow reminds me of a big beetle or cockroach (no offense, nugun beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and I love my RR amber jigged bone barlow).

- GT

 

[FordRanger]

Just a passing comment here, last night at work the edge of my yellow delrin coke bottle that I posted recently was getting a little dull; and all I did was strop it on a sheet of cardboard and it brought it right back up to speed. I am now very impressed with the heat treat of Rough Rider knives!

Also I made a pocket sheath with clip so I could carry it more easily, and now I use this knife quite a lot.







I never liked using the pocket sheath that came with my Opinel No8 but just by chance I discovered it fits the RR coke bottle perfectly, so I just ordered a Tandy belt clip and some of their gunmetal chicago screws, and put everything together. Next I'm going to make a leather pouch for my Buck 307 and a few others to do the same with.

Edit- does this make it classified as a modern knife since it has a pocket clip-apparatus? Or is that only if the clip is directly attached to the knife? Just making sure I'm not stepping over any boundaries..

 

[afishhunter]

Is Elk Ridge another of the Taylor-Schrade brands?

I bought a 3 blade stockman today, looks identical to the Old Timer/Uncle Henry with stagalon covers.

Seems ok, so far. one small gap between the mark side liner and back spring, the "spey blade" looks more like a spear blade, though. Which is ok, as I don't plan on sterilizing any critters. Both small blades even have half stops!

2 springs, but same width as my Buck 301 Stockman (3 springs) Closed length is the same, as the Buck, but the Elk Ridge clip blade is roughly 1/8 inch longer.

It feels a little gritty, so I'll shoot it with WD-40 and work the blades a bit.

 

[Sonny14]

Edit- does this make it classified as a modern knife since it has a pocket clip-apparatus? Or is that only if the clip is directly attached to the knife? Just making sure I'm not stepping over any boundaries..

I think it's great recycling protocol to take an Opinel sheath and adapt it to fit your style, (or more correctly, make it fit your knife). I carry my 307 in a sheath too, (most of my other knives too, I have nearly as many sheaths as knives), it just so happens to be a Gerber sheath. The 307 fits perfectly so why not?. A Tandy clip and a Chicago screw are better than duct tape, so I say all is fair in love and sheaths!

Sonny

 

[fvdk]

Just sharpened one of my miniature Rough Riders, an Abalone Muskrat.
Very nice little knifes .