Look what I found today! Buck 311 Trapper

Hoyt Buck produced the first Buck Knife in 1902. Hoyt and his son Al moved to San Diego and set up shop as H.H. Buck & Son in 1947. Al Buck revolutionized the knife industry in 1964 with the infamous Model 110 Folding Hunter. The company's innovative history and attention to quality have made for many great collectible knives.
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Baykeeper
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Re: Look what I found today! Buck 311 Trapper

Post by Baykeeper »

Here I go again, this showed up at the worst possible moment, right when I was arranging payment for the #332 Barlow I posted earlier. I've learned however that these don't come on the market that often, so I felt compelled to snag this one when it appeared.

#329 Trapper, Smooth Yellow Delrin, 1988. I already have the Freedom Trapper version with blade etch and handle graphics, but wanted the "regular" version too. I toyed with the idea of carrying this one, but when it arrived I realized it was completely unused so decided to leave it that way. I've scanned the database, and the only reference I found lists this model, along with the #334 Millennium Trapper, as having been made by Buck. It is listed under "Other Buck Knives", so I don't think this was an SFO for SMKW, but perhaps 300 can pipe in and confirm that for me.
I also included a "family" photo of sorts, all the Buck Trappers I currently have, (including the #311 that started this thread). Hopefully a #334 will soon be a part of that family.
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Re: Look what I found today! Buck 311 Trapper

Post by Baykeeper »

Found this on the bay & couldn't resist, just fell hard for the color. 1990 #305 Clipper, Smooth Blue Delrin; total unused condition from an uber-reliable source. I find I like these pre 2000 Buck-made 300's, I think the grind and build quality is better than current models. Fell hard for the smooth handle too, feels neat in the hand.
More goodies later this week, but this will do for today.
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Re: Look what I found today! Buck 311 Trapper

Post by Bamarick »

I like that blue 305. I was in a local pawn shop a few days ago and found a mint 305 with the scissors just like yours but in red smooth delrin. The fit on this Buck is as good as any I've ever seen. You can hardly see where the clip blade fits up against the backspring. I got it for $9.00. I also got a U.S. made Uncle Henry 707 pen with scissors at the same time. It too was mint and I got it for $8.00.
Ricky
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Re: Look what I found today! Buck 311 Trapper

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Bamarick wrote:I like that blue 305. I was in a local pawn shop a few days ago and found a mint 305 with the scissors just like yours but in red smooth delrin. The fit on this Buck is as good as any I've ever seen. You can hardly see where the clip blade fits up against the backspring. I got it for $9.00. I also got a U.S. made Uncle Henry 707 pen with scissors at the same time. It too was mint and I got it for $8.00.
Ricky
Great finds Ricky, especially the Clipper for under $10, (unfortunately I paid much more for my blue one). I agree about the fit on these pre 2000 Buck folders too. They changed some things after that, grind, profile, etc, (they have a name for the new grinds, just can't remember what that is), and they just aren't quite the same nowadays. Every pre-2000 Buck I have is tight and sharp, something I can't say for the ones I've had made this century. I need to find a pawn shop with those kinds of prices, it would save me some money.
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Re: Look what I found today! Buck 311 Trapper

Post by Baykeeper »

While I contemplate a life of Ramen, (because that is all I can afford to eat after this), I can gaze upon this, the mate to my yellow one. #332 Barlow, Black Sawcut Delrin, 1995 SFO for SMKW.
I wasn't prepared to chance never finding one of these NIB if I passed on this one, so I decided to take a relatively deep dive and grab this while I could.

So, my quest for one of each model 300 Series SFO continues, (only #334 & #333 left to go). After achieving that goal I can go on the hunt for the "versions".
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Re: Look what I found today! Buck 311 Trapper

Post by bertl »

Baykeeper,

I'm a little out of the loop, especially with acronyms. What is "SFO"?

Bert
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Re: Look what I found today! Buck 311 Trapper

Post by Baykeeper »

bertl wrote:Baykeeper,

I'm a little out of the loop, especially with acronyms. What is "SFO"?

Bert
Special Factory Order. They weren't made to be sold by Buck, they were special orders from SMKW to Camillus by agreement with Buck to be sold only through the SMKW catalog. All of the Buck 300 Series SFO's were made by Camillus. In Buck's case they were never sold or listed in their company catalog.
Other manufacturers also make them, the Tom's Choice, (or TC), Barlows by GEC are SFO's for Waynorth Cutlery for example.
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Re: Look what I found today! Buck 311 Trapper

Post by bertl »

Baykeeper,

Thanks for the clarification. As a pilot from many years ago my first though for SFO was San Francisco International, but then I thought maybe Santa Fe Ordinance. As I said, I am out of the loop.

Bert
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Re: Look what I found today! Buck 311 Trapper

Post by Baykeeper »

bertl wrote:Baykeeper,

Thanks for the clarification. As a pilot from many years ago my first though for SFO was San Francisco International, but then I thought maybe Santa Fe Ordinance. As I said, I am out of the loop.

Bert
Before Buck Fever, SFO did mean SFI to me, (I come from a family of private pilots & model airplane nuts), only a fellow flight enthusiast would recognize that reference. One thing for sure, knife collecting is a lot cheaper than civil aviation!!
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Re: Look what I found today! Buck 311 Trapper

Post by Delmar Morgan »

I got this buck 311 stamp made in USA with three other knives this Camillus stamped New York , a Saber 644 stockman ,the other is a Craftsman linerlock single blade trapper made by Schrade that I took apart to fix. The total price with shipping included was $24.65 that would be
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$6.16 per knife. Got off of ebay.
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Re: Look what I found today! Buck 311 Trapper

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Delmar Morgan wrote:I got this buck 311 stamp made in USA with three other knives this Camillus stamped New York , a Saber 644 stockman ,the other is a Craftsman linerlock single blade trapper made by Schrade that I took apart to fix. The total price with shipping included was $24.65 that would be 1485874092031-488948266.jpg$6.16 per knife. Got off of ebay.
Good finds, proves there is still a deal or two available out there. The #311 you show was made by Camillus between 1972-1985, the master blade appears to have been extensively sharpened, but it still looks like it will be a good user.
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Re: Look what I found today! Buck 311 Trapper

Post by Baykeeper »

A little premature bragging if I may.
Just obtained a #331 Grandaddy Barlow in Jigged Bone today. It is winging it's way to me as we speak, however, I couldn't wait to brag about it so I borrowed the seller's photo to post here. I'll post my own when it arrives.
And the search continues!
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Re: Look what I found today! Buck 311 Trapper

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Baykeeper, Please post when you open the Buck Knife Museum - I want to come visit and see the exhibits! You have added another very nice and hard to find Buck 300 there - looking forward to seeing more photos. OH
Deep in the guts of most men is buried the involuntary response to the hunter's horn, a prickle of the nape hairs, an acceleration of the pulse, an atavistic memory of his fathers, who killed first with stone, and then with club...Robert Ruark
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Re: Look what I found today! Buck 311 Trapper

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Old Hunter wrote:Baykeeper, Please post when you open the Buck Knife Museum - I want to come visit and see the exhibits! You have added another very nice and hard to find Buck 300 there - looking forward to seeing more photos. OH
Thanks OH, actually I have seen and heard of collections that truly deserve museum treatment, but I'm not sure my humble collection qualifies for that status, (yet). These SFO's are getting so scarce it's hard to pass one up when they appear, as finding another is a slim likelihood. When I see one I don't already have I feel compelled to grab it when I see it for fear I might never see another. At this point I need to find only two more models, (#333 California Toothpick & #334 Millennium Trapper), to have one of each 300 Series SFO, after that I guess I'll have to focus my efforts elsewhere.
Stay tuned for more photos when this newest knife arrives.
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Re: Look what I found today! Buck 311 Trapper

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Drum roll please!!

Here it is, Buck #331 Grandaddy Barlow in Jigged Bone, NIB. I now have all of the Buck Barlows in all versions, (I think), and believe it or not something more special will be delivered Monday. To say I found a honey hole is an understatement, (I actually found THE honey hole), but all I will say right now is by next week I will have one of each model of the Buck 300 Series SFO's made by Camillus. "Family" photos will be posted soon. Enjoy!
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Re: Look what I found today! Buck 311 Trapper

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Here are the final pieces to my Buck 300 Series SFO puzzle-quest. Just received these two today: Buck #334 Millennium Trapper Limited Edition #0082 in Jigged Bone, and finally the pinnacle of Buck unobtanium, a #333 California Toothpick in simulated Stag, (Stagalon; a real stag version will follow soon I hope). I now have one of each of the 300 Series SFO's, and when I get the genuine stag toothpick I'll have all versions too. I want to thank all of you who participated in this thread for helping me along the way, bertl and 300bucks especially.
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Re: Look what I found today! Buck 311 Trapper

Post by garddogg56 »

GREAT JOB ::ds:: ::groove:: ::ds:: ::tu:: THOSE LAST TWO ARE beautiful ::nod:: ::groove::
"On the Road Again"Willie Nelson
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Re: Look what I found today! Buck 311 Trapper

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garddogg56 wrote:GREAT JOB ::ds:: ::groove:: ::ds:: ::tu:: THOSE LAST TWO ARE beautiful ::nod:: ::groove::
Thanks GD, honestly I didn't think I would ever find them all, kinda amazed that I did. I'm going to try and stage a full family photo soon, but in the meantime I'm just going to enjoy them. That big Trapper is truly spectacular isn't it?
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Re: Look what I found today! Buck 311 Trapper

Post by Baykeeper »

Here is the family portrait of all the 300 Series Special Factory Order models made by Camiilus for SMKW. There were other SFO's, namely the #330 which was models #312 & #314 Trappers in Ironwood, but those were made in-house by Buck. The photo below is an example of every SFO Camillus made prior to their demise, (not all the versions....yet!).
The most recent additions were the Jigged Bone GD Barlow, Toothpick and Millennium Trapper. I know there are other versions out there, namely a real Stag #333 Toothpick, Smooth Black & "put together with old parts" #334's that went out the doors near the end of Camillus' existence, but this photo represents one of each CC-made SFO models, (my initial goal). For whatever reason the #333 California Toothpick was the hardest to find, in fact this one was the only one I saw for sale in the entire three years I searched for them.

In numerical order:

#322 Congress (1995)
#329 Trapper (1988)
#331 Grandaddy Barlow (1999)
#332 Barlow (1999)
#333 California Toothpick (not sure, can't find a date reference in "the database")
#334 Millennium Trapper (2000. Clone of the CC Jumbo Trapper used in their "American Wildlife Series" from the '80's).

Thanks again to those that helped, (enabled?)!
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Re: Look what I found today! Buck 311 Trapper

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Newest addition. 1988 Buck #301 Stockman NIB w/papers in Yellow Sawcut Delrin. I got this as a memorial for my stepson Joshua who tragically left us last month, he was born that year. I'll hold this for his son to have one day. It doesn't really fit into my Camillus-made Buck collecting emphasis, but I had to have it for obvious reasons.

About the knife: my first yellow #301, and of a vintage I admire. I like the Buck-made knives made in San Diego prior to their move and change of grind around 2000. I think they are obviously superior in many respects, better construction, better grind. Whatever the reason(s), a worthy knife to have.
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Re: Look what I found today! Buck 311 Trapper

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Baykeeper, I offer my condolences. I hope you get to send time with the boy. I think you could teach him plenty. Thats a good looking knife. If you have all the bucks you were searching for. What's next?
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Re: Look what I found today! Buck 311 Trapper

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montemojo wrote:Baykeeper, I offer my condolences. I hope you get to send time with the boy. I think you could teach him plenty. Thats a good looking knife. If you have all the bucks you were searching for. What's next?
Thank you, and it's in absolutely unused condition too. I also hope to be able to spend some time with him. He's too young to understand now, but we all hope to see that he remembers his dad. We are all still in shock, but we are just putting one foot in front of the other searching for our "new normal".

Well, I have a few collecting goals left to explore. I still have a single 300 Series SFO to obtain, (Genuine Stag #333 California Toothpick), and I want to get one of each handle color of the #305 Clipper. They came in several colors, (black, red, yellow, blue, and I also heard tell of a purple), so far I only have a blue one. I'll also be looking for any yellow/alternate colored handled pre-1986 300, there are a few of those out there. There are other rarities out there too, like a pre-1986 #317 Trailblazer with serrated master blade for example, I'd love to find one of those. However, things will slow a bit now, losing Josh has taken a lot of enthusiasm out of my life. My main goal now is to consolidate and document my collection so that my heirs will know what they are and what to do with them, (something I recommend any serious collector consider doing). They can keep them or sell them, whatever they want, but whatever they do it will be best if the collection is well documented.
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Re: Look what I found today! Buck 311 Trapper

Post by montemojo »

I think documentation is a great idea. I have a note book and descibe the knives and what I paid. I believe that stag toothpick will be hard to find. The differnt colored handles will make a great display. It sounds like you have it figured out. I'm sure your family life will settle in time. I really enjoyed reading your post in your quest and will be looking for more.

Monte
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Re: Look what I found today! Buck 311 Trapper

Post by Baykeeper »

montemojo wrote:I think documentation is a great idea. I have a note book and descibe the knives and what I paid. I believe that stag toothpick will be hard to find. The differnt colored handles will make a great display. It sounds like you have it figured out. I'm sure your family life will settle in time. I really enjoyed reading your post in your quest and will be looking for more.

Monte
Thanks again Monte. We will settle yes, but we will never be the same. Alas it just is what it is, so like it or not we just have to go forward.
Of course I'll be adding more, just popped for a NIB bolsterless-version of the #315 Yachtsman today, (a version I didn't have yet). I'll post photos when it arrives. It truly is about "versions" now that I have one of each model number, there seems to be endless versions of most of this series. 300bucks and bertl keep me going too, they pipe in every once in a while with a, "what about this version" comment, and that sets me off again looking for more Buck-branded unicorns.
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Re: Look what I found today! Buck 311 Trapper

Post by Old Hunter »

Baykeeper, my condolences in the loss of your stepson. BB

As to records, I have them pretty well on my Buck Knives, but haven't kept up with my Case, GEC, Schrade and others in several years - got behind and just quit. OH
Deep in the guts of most men is buried the involuntary response to the hunter's horn, a prickle of the nape hairs, an acceleration of the pulse, an atavistic memory of his fathers, who killed first with stone, and then with club...Robert Ruark
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