Rough Rider & Related Slipjoints

Railsplitter said:
jpd1998 said:
I couldn't agree more. It's a beefey knife that feels substantial in the hand. Very well made and it makes a great EDC for when I'm in the mood for a thick and hefty knife. The Stag Bone scales have a very interesting look and texture.

A strange thing happened to me while I was visiting Smoky Mountain Knife Works last fall. The employees that were working at the Colt counter told me that Colt never made a Railsplitter. (they had none in stock at the time) I told them that I have one at home but they still held their ground. I couldn't believe that not only had these guys not heard of a Colt Railsplitter but they swore that they don't exist. They must have thought I was some kind of wannabe that had no idea what I was talking about. I left there feeling like I was in the Twilight Zone.

I did some investigating when I got back home and, thanks to a freind from another forum, I discovered that SMKW lists this knife as a "Rancher Stockman".

I still call it a Railsplitter and I always will.:)
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That's funny , I'm pretty sure Colt shows it as a rail splitter.

They also have another one with checkered bone scales, like the grip on a Colt 1911. It's nice but it has gaudy artwork on the blade.

Check out the double lockback or whittler....just as impressive as the railsplitter.
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Just got a Rough Rider Deluxe Barlow in Brown bone, and I am very impressed. Only one very tiny gap, the scales and bolsters very flush, very sharp out the box, good smooth opening. Really feels more expensive than it is. Only rode for a couple days before my new sway back jack replaced it, but with the sway back being engraved with my name, it was only natural. :D
 
Had my two Scout knives well over a year using them on and off-even opened a tin with one(not that well though..) they seem fine. Rugged enough I'd say and certainly not cheap rubbish.
 
I got my first Rough Rider knives today. A jigged red bone large stockman and another one with yellow synthetic scales.
Both are quite nice knives, fit and finish on par with or better than that of the average Case knives. Unlike the Case knives these are not over-polished, so the corners and non-cutting edges are crisp but not sharp. The blades were sharp out of the box.
For a long time I was reluctant to buy Rough Rider knives, because of my previous, less than satisfactory experience with the Steel Warrior brand knives.
Based on my first impressions, these Rough Rider knives are much nicer knives.:thumbup::thumbup:
 
One RR I've been carrying lately is the one hand opening trapper with gunstock bone scales. I've had this one for over a year, purchased because it looked like such an oddball. Gave it a quick handle, and stuck it in a corner because I couldn't make much sense of it, where it mostly gathered dust. A couple weeks ago, I gave it a fresh look, and have since found it to be a decent traditional-ish edc. The blades are unlike typical two blade trappers. One large, awkward lockback blade with a thumb hole, nail nick and hollow ground sabre grind. And one small Wharncliffe slipjoint blade, full hollow grind, which also functions as a lock release for the large blade. Fit and finish are quite nice on this model. The gun stock checkering is wonderful, handsome and functional. The only flaw is that if the large blade is allowed to slam shut, the edge can impact the backspring, a similar flaw found in a variety of traditional knife patterns.

I initially thought it a clumsy one hand opener, but after a few tries, it all worked out fine, and does nice for edc. I do have some criticism. Both blades, particularly the large one, is made from rather thick stock. Combined with the narrow sabre grind, it's not as much of a slicer as it could be. The steel is fine, like all RR 440 I've used. I've since reprofiled both blades. The small is full flat grind, the large is flat sabre grind, both with a zero edge. I find this helps tremendously with cutting efficiency, as it does with almost any knife. I also resorted to my old trick to fix a blade that impacts the back spring: cut a small wedge from a cork, stuck in the liners, to absorb the impact of the closing knife.

Good knife. Handsome, traditional/novel mix, good pocketable size.
 
I have a couple of the Chinese made Remington knives, a large stockman, a medium stockman, and a peanut. I was able to pick these out at a local sporting goods store's Christmas merchandise about three years ago. The Remingtons I have are very nicely finished, and a notch up from the RRs I have seen.

The knives are so well made, the fit and finish so good it is almost embarrassing. Yes, I did see some in the blister packs that weren't as well made, but it wasn't hard for me to excellent examples of knifemaking. I paid something like $12 for the large stockman/peanut package on closeout. Both knives are excellent. I bought two more sets and gave one a away, and guy that got the set loves that large rancher (very classic pattern) and the fact it doesn't rust in his pocket while at work. He hasn't wrapped his mind around the peanut yet, but I am working on him.

I also bought a medium stockman, and it was a really pretty knife with its burl scales and long Turkish clip main blade. However, the scales came up on each end of the scales at the bolsters! All four ends of the burl scales came up! But the fit of the metal, the near perfect snap on all three blades, and the very solid feel of this knife made it too much for me to take back as a return. They probably had no more anyway as it was on closeout as well for $8 in a present tin.

I cleaned out the scales where they sat on the liners and put in a bit of epoxy and clamped the knife overnight. Back in business!

I am slowly looking into these knives more and more. You really don't worry about using them hard, and they seem to have great utility. I carry the little peanut around more than any of them as I put a needle point on it to dig splinters and stuff out of my fingers. It is also a very sturdy, well made knife.

I have said it before and will say it again; God help the American makers if the guys that are making knives like i have just purchased ever decide to use high quality steels.

Robert
 
Got this 5-blade RR sowbelly in the mail today. It cost less than I paid for my lunch. All 5 blades are sharp. Good walk and talk with some minor blade rub on some of the blades. The spey blade hits the liner (this is also the case for every example of the RR 3-blade sowbellies that I've seen) . All three springs are flush. I can see a little bit of light between the springs but the gaps are tiny.

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Their slipjoints kick ass. I have four, all of which I use for watch pocket edc.

I don't know anything about their lockbacks or fixed blades, though.
 
I am merging this with the Rough Rider knife thread. that one has been ongoing for quite some time.
 
Are they any good? i have one. its a rough rider Barlow. the only thing i see wrong with it is the blade. it isnt exactly straight. is this normal?:confused:
 
Rough Riders makes incredible quality knives, especially for the prices they sell at.

I've carried RRs for years and they have never failed me as a simple chore knife. Steel hones-up very easily too.
 
You mean aside from being good user knives at good prices?

Or a good knife to experiment with a new pattern without spending much money?

Carl.
 
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