Sending it back to Buck might be a good idea. They seem to have a good reputation for taking care of their customers, one way or another. Couldn't hurt to see what they'll do, or what they might offer as an alternative, if they can't fix it to your satisfaction.
Another sort of odd thing about 'reputation', Buck's 300-series traditional folders are somewhat known for 'soft' pull in general. Many have commented here in the Traditional forum, about that. I have one of their U.S.-made 301 stockman folders, and at least one of it's blades (the sheepsfoot) has what I view as very marginally-acceptable snap and is relatively weak in holding the blade open. The blade has tried to half-close on me at times, in doing simple things like stropping, which annoys me. I don't know that it's really fixable, in the sense that another of the same model may not do any better, if it were replaced outright. The knife I bought (at a local sporting goods retailer) was the 2nd one I handled & inspected at their counter, in the store. The first one I tried was just as marginally weak on the same blade, and also had a little bit of blade rub between that blade and an adjacent one. The combination of the blade rub and the weak pull meant the sheepsfoot wouldn't close fully on it's own. I didn't waste any time handing that one back to the sales associate at the counter.
Having said that, I still believe Buck is a good company in terms of customer service and giving a hoot in general. I'd give them a chance to handle it right, whatever that may mean in the end. Maybe they'll fix it, or maybe they'll offer you something better for your troubles.
My own Buck 301 is sort of 'made as my own' now, in that I've thinned out it's edge grinds pretty radically (the sheepsfoot looks like a Scandi grind now; it's a razor) and I've even reground the tip of the spey into a spear-pointed tip. I've lately been carrying it everyday, and still enjoy using it. That should say something about what I think about their knives in general, if one wonders about my motivation for mentioning the one critical point above.
