So, I like to keep at least one full (width; exposed) tang knife around for times that call for such a tool. A survival knife if you will. Lately I've been reaching for my new 119brs instead of my ESEE 4 or BK16 as my woods knife. It is indeed a reasonably strong knife. I would be ok taking it into the woods as my only cutting tool, but the hidden tang does have its limits. So, I've been shopping around for something a bit stouter that is still classically styled to replace my tacticool knives. Naturally, the 124 came to the top of the list, but we all know that a survival knife should be carbon steel and certainly not hollow ground. I did finally find something that fills the bill, but every time I think about buying it, I think about getting the 124 instead. Buying both isn't possible right now.
So can anyone speak to the durability of the 124? I know the general feeling about batoning around here, but could the 124 be used in such a role? I'm not talking a 6 inch log, but maybe a 2 inch branch. I'm not building a cabin here, but I recognize the utility of using a knife to break down some kindling to get a fire going under adverse conditions. I don't carry a hatchet or ax because most of the areas I frequent are under a permanent burn ban. If I can't build fire recreationally, then I'm not dragging along a hatchet for fire building. I just need a knife that I can rely on, mostly during the winter months, to build a fire and some shelter should a true survival situation arise. Obviously very unlikely, but still possible.
I just love my Buck knives so much that it pains me to think about buying anything else. I know that most Buck knives are designed to be hunting or EDC knives, not bushcraft or survival knives, but the 124 is billed as a "survival" knife even in the old catalogs. I have yet to find any stories about one being broken on the web. Don't bother recommending the Nighthawk or the Ron Hood series as they're to tactical. The new red 104 doesn't do it for me either. And please no lectures about knife abuse.
So what do you folks think? Could the 124 be used as a true survival knife? I figure if Survivorman can baton a 119 with a rock, then the heavier 124 should be one tough knife, but I'd love to here some first hand accounts.
So can anyone speak to the durability of the 124? I know the general feeling about batoning around here, but could the 124 be used in such a role? I'm not talking a 6 inch log, but maybe a 2 inch branch. I'm not building a cabin here, but I recognize the utility of using a knife to break down some kindling to get a fire going under adverse conditions. I don't carry a hatchet or ax because most of the areas I frequent are under a permanent burn ban. If I can't build fire recreationally, then I'm not dragging along a hatchet for fire building. I just need a knife that I can rely on, mostly during the winter months, to build a fire and some shelter should a true survival situation arise. Obviously very unlikely, but still possible.
I just love my Buck knives so much that it pains me to think about buying anything else. I know that most Buck knives are designed to be hunting or EDC knives, not bushcraft or survival knives, but the 124 is billed as a "survival" knife even in the old catalogs. I have yet to find any stories about one being broken on the web. Don't bother recommending the Nighthawk or the Ron Hood series as they're to tactical. The new red 104 doesn't do it for me either. And please no lectures about knife abuse.
So what do you folks think? Could the 124 be used as a true survival knife? I figure if Survivorman can baton a 119 with a rock, then the heavier 124 should be one tough knife, but I'd love to here some first hand accounts.
