Why are these 303s so dissimilar?

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Is one of these a fake? They both could be fakes, I suppose.
I got the bottom one at an antique store in Michigan. It is narrower and faintly stamped BUCK / 303 C / USA. The upper one I just got at an antique store in NY. I felt like a fool for buying a duplicate by accident, then I got it home and found it isn't identical. This one has a broader blade with more belly and a long pull instead of a nail nick. Also more obvious pivot pins. Stamped BUCK / 303 / USA.
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The top one was built by Camillus, for Buck, in the 1970's (or early 1980's); the bottom one is a version built by Buck in their CA plant, the C denotes mfg in 1995. There are many nuances of changes to talk about, but that is the major difference. OH

Ps I own and enjoy carrying different versions of the 303 - they are a perfect size pocketknife.
 
Thanks. That explains that. Now that you mention it, the old one looks a lot like my 4-incher I bought in the 70s.
They are a wonderful balance between easy carry and strong capability. I had the old one on me the other day and it made very short work of some impromptu shrub-pruning.
And it's nice to have a good knife that you're not afraid to get paint or caulk on.
 
The long pull nail nik is a dead give-a-way for a Camilus made 300 series knife. The black or deep long pull nail nik is a camillus trait and the shallow long pull nail nik is seen on Schrade made 300s.
You can also find the 301 and 303 with BUCK Made in the USA blade stamps. Both Camillus and Schrade used this stamp. In addition you'll find them both with scale pins. Lots of different versions.
 
SP,

I would suggest you do a forum search on 303s. Lots of stuff has been photo'ed and written about them by a number of folks.

The history of the 303 and 301 have followed a closely related course. Many historical threads on the 301 also apply to the 303.

300Bucks
 
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