Tips for finding and buying a Buck knife

H

Hypermole

Joined
Aug 23, 2012
Messages
662
Hello,

I have been looking at buying a larger Buck knife. There seems to be allot of models that have sub-models of the ones I am looking at. My friend keeps recommending a Busse but I still think I would like a Buck instead.

Here are two models that I find appealing. Buck Heritage Series Frontiersman Micarta Handle Knife or a Buck Buckmaster 184.

Any advice or tips would be greatly appreciated.

Thank You
 
Well we cant deal spot for you but there are a few large models. Whats your intended use?
 
My wife bought me a Buck frontiersman for our 11th anniversary in 96. I have most of the Buck fixed blades and can say that the Frontiersman is my most used and loved Buck knife. From game processing to camping duties it excels!
 
bigcountry1315 said:
My wife bought me a Buck frontiersman for our 11th anniversary in 96. I have most of the Buck fixed blades and can say that the Frontiersman is my most used and loved Buck knife. From game processing to camping duties it excels!
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Thank You. I saw some with a lanylard hole and some with different handles and then there is the size differences. I don't have any specific intended use for one yet. I have never had a fixed blade. So I would use it when I went out in the woods and probably as a collector item.

Maybe camping or self defense from bears and wolves?

I thought I would start a topic I know very little about and try and learn something.
 
Hello mole,

The tactical 184 is a collector's item and hasn't been made for a great many years. It wouldn't be a sin to use one but, well, err, ah, it would be a sin to use one. The handle is hollow so it doesn't have a full tang which, IMHO, is a problem if the knife is expected to have strength for prying.

The Frontiersman is a brilliant fixed blade. Not too big and not too small. It was brought back recently, after not being made for a very long time, for enthusiasts and lucky fellas just like you. There is one size for the modern 124. Older 124s have been issued in various handle materials, wood, stag, micarta and such. The ones that you have seen with lanyard holes in the handle are scarce vintage collector items. It is my favorite fixed blade and one of the best Buck knives of all time. Here is a pic of a 2012 Frontiersman (exposed tang) along with a new BCCI 124 (hidden tang) with a colorful resin handle material.

p3e1.jpg
 
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oregon said:
Hello mole,

The tactical 184 is a collector's item and hasn't been made for a great many years. It wouldn't be a sin to use one but, well, err, ah, it would be a sin to use one. The handle is hollow so it doesn't have a full tang which, IMHO, is a problem if the knife is expected to have strength for prying.
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well ... I have used a a 184 in the woods and back yard ... it is not a good user..
.the 124 is so much better all around
that said ...
the 120 is a better all around camp knife then the 124!
now that is JMHO ... lota folks here might disagree wit me but
thought I would jump in wit my two centivos worth...
 
Hello Oregon,

So the Buck Buckmaster 184 is just a collector's item. A good, stronger, first time user would be the Frontiersman (which may turn out to be a collector).

Rather than keep asking about all the other U.S.A. made models, Is there a website that has good pictures and descriptions of the knifes and their sheaths and their history?

Thanks Again !
 
oregon said:
Hello mole, The tactical 184 is a collector's item and hasn't been made for a great many years. It wouldn't be a sin to use one but, well, err, ah, it would be a sin to use one......
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Respectfully, I disagree..... Buck made over 100,000 of them between 1984 and 1997. I think that they are overpriced but if you can find one cheap enough to be a user....have at it. Use it and use it hard without guilt. They are not rare. I can't find the reference but I recall that the handle strength has been throughly tested and would not be an issue. There are enough people out there that have paid big enough money for one that they will be safe queens for all eternity preserving the "bloodline" for future generations. :rolleyes:
 
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Hypermole said:
Hello Oregon,

So the Buck Buckmaster 184 is just a collector's item. A good, stronger, first time user would be the Frontiersman (which may turn out to be a collector).

Rather than keep asking about all the other U.S.A. made models, Is there a website that has good pictures and descriptions of the knifes and their sheaths and their history?

Thanks Again !
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This very forum is a terrific resource for researching Buck knives (open the search box and drop in the model number and read, read, read). The Buck Knives, Inc. site has information on current production: http://www.buckknives.com/index.cfm. And joining Buck Collectors Club gets you access to detailed historical information. And, there are knife books galore. For example, the 184 has a terrific and current one just about its development, manufacture and use. Some might buy the knife that appeals to them, live with it and then decide to keep or sell it as a way to find out what works for you. If you like to research and write and work with photos I'll give you a commission: Buck knife trading/info cards is something I would like to see so don't keep me waiting and start making them. :)
 
I have a question regarding the Buck Tactical 184. As I look at them I came across one that has BUCKMASTER stamped down the middle of the blade in large letters. On the other side is stamped "184 U.S. PAT. 4622707" right in what looks like a channel in big letters down the middle of the blade? Are these more rare or sought after? It looks pretty nice but I have only seen a few like this.

Thank You
 
Those are forged blades, made later in the production years 1987-1999, per http://survival-knife-184.com/index.htm. According to the cited source, about 31k of these were made.

Earlier Buckmaster blades, without "Buckmaster" and the patent number shown in raised form along the blade faces, were die struck, machined or stamped.

You don't seem to be reading the links/sources given to you in this or previous threads on the Buckmaster or I would suggest a new book by Richard Neyman "Buckmaster Knives" available today. Does your disability allow you to visit gun/knife shows, flea markets and does it restrict your ability to read lengthy dissertations?

I've never owned a 184. It is rare to see one in person. The story is compelling. The weapons designer Mickey Finn put the hook into me when I stumbled onto a Buck 186 titanium folding knife while in a pawn shop in a remote part of Oregon. Researching that knife brought me here, luckily, thank you members. I went so far as to talk with Finn's son, about his father and his work, who lives today surviving his, formerly covert, father. Interesting stuff to me.
 
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oregon said:
http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php/667362-Survival-knife

The link shows a interesting photo of the Buckmaster's blade tang, which gives me the fidgets viewing the stubby tang, but doesn't seem to be any kind of problem in the real world per Joe Houser's experience.
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Is that picture of the blade the same on all models of this knife? In other words stamped or forged .. does the blade bolt onto all of the hollow handle versions?


And that 124 sure looks nice!
 
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bigcountry1315 said:
My wife bought me a Buck frontiersman for our 11th anniversary in 96. I have most of the Buck fixed blades and can say that the Frontiersman is my most used and loved Buck knife. From game processing to camping duties it excels!
Click to expand...


I like to hear this about the 124, this has been my thoughts since I put one in my hand. The 124 is by far my favorite Buck fixed Blade.
 
RickJ said:
I like to hear this about the 124, this has been my thoughts since I put one in my hand. The 124 is by far my favorite Buck fixed Blade.
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So let me get this right (Sorry I'm a little slow)

The 124 and the Frontiersman are the same?
 
Back in the day, I actually used the 184 for diving. It was a great knife that felt even better under water. These days I wish I had not sold it back in 2000 when somehow I felt I did not need it anymore and let it go to the highest bidder. If you have one, I highly suggest you retain it in your stable.

The 124 is still one of the finest creations to come out of the halls of Buck. Mine has a dark burgundy handle and has been used on many an excursion into the wild. It is what I would call 'a great knife' that looks top notch in the process. It is a wonderful design that is executed in thoughtful way and most of my friends find the look quite appealing. The thing I liked is that it never needed much attention or cleaning after the hunt...rust seemed to stay far from that lovely blade.
 
Hypermole said:
Is that picture of the blade the same on all models of this knife? In other words stamped or forged .. does the blade bolt onto all of the hollow handle e!
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Yes. It is my understanding that all production Buckmasters fit together that way. It looks suspect to my eyes but Joe Houser says that only a couple came back to Buck broken @ the handle/blade interface. Joe said that the tip was more prone to breakage (see his exact words in the linked thread on this knife).

Your enthusiasm is starting to give me an itch for the Buckmaster. :)
 
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