Search for Usable Stockman.

Buzzbait

Buzzbait

Gold Member
Joined
Feb 25, 2001
Messages
6,698
I’d been searching for a good hard use stockman lately, and to tell you the truth, the hunt hadn’t gone well. I first tried out a cheap Old Timer, but the quality just didn’t seem to be there. I then tried a stockman from one of my favorite manufacturers, Camillus. It was much better than the Old Timer, but still didn’t blow me away. I then sent away for a stag handled Hen&Rooster, and was sadly disappointed. It was at least sharp, which the two before were not, but the handles didn’t even come close to matching. The clip blade was even rusting already!!! The blades on all of these knives also had a tendency to scrape together badly. I guessed I had just remembered wrong. I thought I’d remembered my father’s stockman being much sturdier feeling, solid and sharper.

I just happened to be a Wal-Mart today, and noticed a lonely Buck Cadet that cost ten dollars more than the same sized Shrade. I asked for one, but the lady behind the counter was of no use. I had a feeling that this would be the case, as I saw the frustration of the customer ahead of me. He was after a box of shells, and the lady had no clue as to what a shell even looked like!!! When she got around to “helping” me, she was completely unable to read the knife boxes and come up with the Buck. I left Wal-Mart, pissed off as usual.

So I did some thinking after I got home. I’ve been on a roll with Buck lately. I haven’t picked up a Buck that I wasn’t totally blown away by. I wanted that Buck!!!! So I waited until the shift change at Wal-Mart and headed back for some more abuse. This new lady was also unable to read the boxes, spending 20 minutes thumbing through two drawers. She finally dumped all of the Buck boxes on the counter for me to sort through. Ten seconds later (I guess I should teach reading to Wal-Mart employees), I had my Buck Cadet.

What a difference!!! The Buck Cadet isn’t big, but it’s built SOLID!!! The blades don’t scratch together. The blades are sharp. The blades aren’t polished, so those first few scratches don’t stick out like a sore thumb. The Buck Cadet is absolutely perfect for a hard use pocketknife. Well……. Almost. I just wish that Buck would make a Cadet with a stag handle to match my PCKS 110. Now that would be perfect!!!!

Anyways, WELL DONE, BUCK!!!!!!! Amongst the cacophony of less than amazing pocket knives, your Cadet stands out as a stockman worthy of actual use.
 
Buck actually made the 303 in stag a few years ago. You may be able to find one on ebay. The knife will likely have a year symbol of 1988 or 1989, give or take a year.
 
I have a buck stockman 301 and carried it for years at work until I went to a crosslock solitaire. It cut lots of stuff and I was always pleased with it; the 3 blades provided a lot of versatility for different cutting chores. Sometimes I felt like it was a little bulky in the pocket, which is one reason I went to the slim crosslock with the pocket clip. :)
 
I agree that Buck's slipjoints are built rock solid and are the best value on the market. I carry a small two-blade 709 most days and it can do most anything I ask of it. Just curious though, knowing that these are knives that could take the punishment for literally decades, why not upgrade to the wood-handled 700 series? If I'm going to carry a knife around for a long long time, it might as well be something I like looking at and am proud of. I guess I just like the looks of wood better than plastic. I'm not criticizing, just wondering.
 
I just acquired a 301 Stockman and a 703 Colt, which I used exclusively on a seven day Adirondack camping trip. Both are great knives, but I preferred the stiffer springs and lockup on the 703 (plus it has the "look" of an old time knife.) Over the course of those seven days, the pair of Bucks did every camp and fishing chore assigned and begged for more. I cut cordage, fishing line, whittled some, cleaned fish, spread peanut butter, etc, etc, etc and both held a decent edge. Both came back to hair razing sharpness in a minutes time on my Sharpmaker.
 
I would have purchased the Colt over the Cadet, but my Wal-Mart didn't carry the Colt. :(

I will be ordering up a Colt this week though. Am I correct that the blades on the Colt are a little more stout than on the Cadet? The pic on Buck's web site make it look that way.

So SgtMike88......... Where did you go to in the Adirondacks? I tend to haunt the streamsides in the Newcomb/Long Lake area. I'll be heading back up this week for a great 4-day weekend, doing lots of chopping, whittling, and cutting for sure! :D

Oh yah. My family had a little whittling competition this weekend. Here's the tale and review. :) Beware of the Angry Beaver!!!!
Click here to see how the Cadet did gainst the competition
 
Both the 300 and 700 series are great knives that will last till you sharpen the blades away. My preference is for the 700 series of knives just because I think they look better with the wood handle scales.

Smoky Mountain Knife Works has the 701 Bronco large stockman pattern on their web page for $21.99 plus shipping. Can't beat that price for a good user knife. :)
 
I noticed that the Bronco isn't shown on the Buck web site. Has it been discontinued?
 
There's a nice mint Bronco stockman going on Ebay.com right now. Check item no. 1167738085.
 
I won a bone handled Buck 303 auction on Ebay last week. The knife arrived on Monday. It's a BEAUTY of a knife!!! The attention to detail is just perfect. It's gonna' hurt putting that first scratch into this one!!! :eek:
 
"It's gonna' hurt putting that first scratch into this one!!!"

True, but with a knife that great, it's a joy putting the next 1,000 scratches on it. :D
 
I have owne most examples of Buck's 300 series for years, and also own a 703(?). I have two Cadets, one an old version I bought as a kid in 1978 which was probably made for Buck on contract by Camillus; the second one I bought a few years ago. I took my newer Cadet out when I wanted to try my hand at whittling something from a piece of branch of Jacaranda tree. Although I never was able to whittle anything artistic out of it, I was surprised that the blade I used (the sheepsfoot) did not need sharpening for a long time. I finally touched it up a bit on the Sharpmaker easily.
IMO the 420HC steel is a pretty good combination of corrosion resistance, edge-taking/holding at a good price.
Jim
 
By far the most usable knife in my collection is the Buck yellow handle 307 Wrangler stockman. I like this knife
so much I have three. My daily carry is usually the 307 (it's 4.25" closed) and some type of lockback. The main blade is 3 3/8 long just right for most jobs and the sheeps foot is large enough to do the rest. These knives hold a good
"working" edge (razor edges belong on razor's) for everyday use. I just splurged and bought a buck cadet for
dress so that i don't feel "naked" with no knife on me. Buck ,of all the manufacturers makes a very unusual line
of pocket knives. Black ones for work & and wood handled for dress. Something for everyone.
 
Another great benefit about the 300 and 700 series pocket knives is the fact that the collecting community has not caught on to them yet. YOu can still buy a first version 301 for a reasonable price at a show or on Ebay. Considering the fact that those first 301's and 303's were not repairable, i would think that eventually they will all be "consumed".
 
Joe makes a very good point about the slipjoints not being heavily collected just now. I started a poll in the
discussion foum to invite folk's to speak up in favor of a slipjoint forum. The stockman ,sak, and al the rest
of the slipjoints offer so much more to collect ,want etc. than any single blade ever will. Huge variety to pick
from. As an example..How many folk's noticed that Buck is the only manufacture that puts the sheepsfoot
at the opposite end from the main clip blade on the stockmans they make. Everybody else puts the sheepsfoot
and main clip side by side on one end with the spey on the other. Bucks arrangment makes more sense in
actual use that does the traditional way. Not to mention that the Buck 700 series is the only hollow ground
pocket knife I've ever seen.
 
Another difference I've noticed with the Buck-produced pocketknives (not counting the old contract-made Buck knives by Camillus) is that each blade has its own backspring. Therefore, the blades are not crimped (bent) to accommodate each other. Now, it MAY, on a 3-blade knife, make it a wee bit thicker, but I do like the fact the Buck blades aren't bent.
Jim
 
I have several stockman knives of various brands and Buck is my favorite. I have 5 303s, a 301, a 307 and I like them all. The little 3 blade Buck whittler is a dandy little knife, especially for dress pants. I was sorry to see it missing from the new catalog. I like the one hand opening knives better than I ever thought I would but I still like the 303 as my all around favorite knife. I would love to see it with a real nice jigged delrin in a brown or redbone style. That would give the looks of bone with the durability of delrin. I have the 303 jigged bone 2000 modle and love it. If fact, I bought two, one for carrying and one to keep. I like the way the bone looks after years of carrying and use. It adds character. I hope Buck will always continue to make the traditional patterns even in our high tech world.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top