Rough Rider & Related Slipjoints

Well, I finally gave in and purchased a pair of Rough Rider knives.

3 1/2" Amber Bone Half Whittler
3 1/4" Checkered Gunstock Brown Bone Barlow

The pair, including shipping, ran me $21.

This is a MAJOR departure for me, as 95% of all my knives at home are American-made, with a few German, Swedish, and Japanese knives thrown in.
Curiosity got the better of me though, and I just had to see, what was the quality of modern Chinese-made knives?

Steve
 
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Be interested to hear what the Half-Whitt turns out like.

Couple of weeks ago I got an RR Mini Copperhead (the CASE version seems very expensive for some reason) Very reasonable small knife with everything in order.
 
I received a RR Stockman 262 in micarta yesterday. The micarta is pretty smooth but that's ok. There were gaps between the scales and bolsters on 3 of the 4 sides. The spey blade catches the nail nick of the sheepsfoot so its a pain to open. The sheepsfoot was the sharpest out of the box so not using the spey may not be a problem. The spey and clip were sharp enough to cut paper.

With all that said, I can't really complain for $7.01 shipped. I'll keep this at my desk at work as a spare.
 
Heres two of mine a peanut which is to small for me. And a gunstock that I really like.

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Thanks for looking.
 
Interesting looking Gunstock that. It has a really slim Spear blade, my RR Old Yellow Gunstock has the more usual broad Spear.
 
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I love my barlow, I have a earlier model small sunfish which is a little crude and heavy but most i've seen now are definitely more refined and they are getting better. I ordered a large coke bottle, 4 1/8" blade should do nicely in the back pocket.
 
I admit, my first RR left me unimpressed. It was an earlier Sunfish, red bone. The bone started out red, at least- by the time I'd cleaned all the grit from the pivots, it was much lighter. Making it worse, the grit was the only thing keeping the blades from wobbling. Wobble, re-pein, and watch it develop wobble again. The nail nicks needed deepened to allow access. I eventually got it tuned, filed the pivot pin smooth and cleaned up the bolster, and now it's secure.

Sharpness was good, snap is very strong. Still, not overly impressed.

Then, a trade. Small Case Butterbean for an RR Muskrat in bone and a yellow RR Canoe. My mind has changed.

Both of these are nearly perfect. Smooth operation, sharp, no gaps, no wobble. The bone stayed colorfast, and the blades are nice and straight. A large Stockman and Sodbuster reinforce this- aside from the linerlock on the Sodbuster needing a little smoothing, all four are as nice out of the box as many Case or Queen offerings.
 
I continue to be impressed with this little RR Damascus lockback. I've carried and used it often and it still locks up tight and wobble-free (tighter than my $100+ GEC lockback). It easily takes a hair-popping razor edge and holds it well, and the fit and finish suggests a knife costing four times as much as the $20 I paid for it. This lit'l sucker bit my finger the other day, and the tip is so sharp that I didn't realize I'd been cut for an hour or so. When I noticed it, I thought "where'd that come from?" and then I remembered working with the RR. :)

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Some pics of the RR Stockman 262. There are rub marks on all the blades that didn't really come out in the pictures.
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I am going to have to try out a Rough Rider. I've been carrying a Steel Warrior for the past month in an effort to see how well it would do on my day to day knife usage. The SW slippies, I now have three, are well worth the money and have excellent fit/finish.
 
Rick said:
I continue to be impressed with this little RR Damascus lockback. I've carried and used it often and it still locks up tight and wobble-free (tighter than my $100+ GEC lockback). It easily takes a hair-popping razor edge and holds it well, and the fit and finish suggests a knife costing four times as much as the $20 I paid for it. This lit'l sucker bit my finger the other day, and the tip is so sharp that I didn't realize I'd been cut for an hour or so. When I noticed it, I thought "where'd that come from?" and then I remembered working with the RR. :)

RRSanMaiLockback022a.jpg
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WOAH! where did you get that? i cant find them on ebay so maybe i'm typing the wrong thing...I REALLY want that model.

I found a laminated RR but its a linerlock non-trad. At this point I want to focus on traditional.
 
In post #324, pg. 17, i extolled the virtues of my RR Jumbo Trapper. Super sharp, but would it perform well in a real life situation, like fully field dressing a deer without becoming dull before the job was completed.
Well this morning i got a nice little Whitetail, so now i know. Read On !

Deer and RR Jumbo Trapper

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The first cut is to encircle the anus. The tissue here is lax so a sharp point and sharp edge at the tip of the blade is essential.

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very easily done, tissues parted with ease. so far, very good.

next is to open up abdominal cavity from pubis to xyphoid (lower end of sternum) without puncturing intestines or stomach.

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again, zipped through it with great control and ease.

Now eviscerate:

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and then amputate forelegs:

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and finally, skin:

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easy, still using the Clip blade and it's cutting through the hide with ease.

I've field dressed about 50 deer, 6 elk and 3 moose and this is the only time i've used a Folder.
Now this is what amazes me: I've never used a knife that did all this with such ease. never had to force the knife or cut twice in the same spot. almost no pressure, just put the blade edge against the tissue and it cut cleanly. I usually use one of my $500 Custom FBs.

This is The Best performing knife i have ever used:

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The downside: how can i possibly justify buying anymore Custom knives ?

roland
 
Well done, Roland! Now you got me hankering for a mess of slow roasted tenderloin slices off the back-strap of that fine fellow, collard greens w/butter and potatoes w/fresh sour cream! :thumbup: :D


Anthony
 
rprocter said:
... I've field dressed about 50 deer, 6 elk and 3 moose and this is the only time i've used a Folder.
Now this is what amazes me: I've never used a knife that did all this with such ease. never had to force the knife or cut twice in the same spot. almost no pressure, just put the blade edge against the tissue and it cut cleanly. I usually use one of my $500 Custom FBs.

This is The Best performing knife i have ever used:

customs011-12.jpg


The downside: how can i possibly justify buying anymore Custom knives ?

roland
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An eye opening testimonial, Roland, for all those who say it won't hold up to "hard use".
LOL.
 
Voltron said:
An eye opening testimonial, Roland, for all those who say it won't hold up to "hard use".
LOL.
Click to expand...

Yep.

Thanks for the field test, Roland. With that posting, you have provided a test many of us can relate to when testing a knife for practical use.

My knife testing comes from using mine in construction work all day, but in less you are in the trades, it is hard to relate. Not many would know what it would be like for me to post that I shaved a piece of trim, cut fiberglass lumber strapping, cut away several rubber pipe jacks and was still able to put a sharp point on my pencil.

I would wager a great many here hunt, though.

I haven't purchased any RRs, but you guys sure make it tempting.

Good post(s)!

Robert
 
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