All About Pocket Knives

I know there have been many reviews on most of the Buck knives at one time or another , but Just to put my ten penneth in here goes .
I recently bought a 112 Ranger , then a few days ago I received a 113 Ranger Skinner from an AAPK Forum member to complement it . My plan is to re scale both knives with the same material to make a kind of matching pair .
As there are many reviews on the 112 , I thought I would give my own views on the 113 and see what other members think . First of all as most Buck enthusiasts will already know , the 113 Skinner is quite a small and compact version of a skinning knife with a drop point hollow grind blade of just over 3 inches with a Belly depth of 1 1/8" , and a handle length of just over 4 inches ( total length 7 1/4" ) , including a nice brass bolster that matches the bolster on the 112 which as I said helps them to complement each other . Some people may say that a skinning knife of these dimensions is not big enough to carry out its function when dressing game , but I would dispute this by stating that as far as any game up to the size of a large deer is concerned , I have always used a knife with a blade between 3" and 4" , and it has always been adequate enough for these purposes . I cannot speak of anything larger than a good sized deer as Ive never been in a situation where I have had to kill a moose or something larger . All my experience has mainly been as a Combat Survival Instructor with the British Army and as we needed to be mainly tactical in our operational mode and living what we call " Hard Routine " , everything had to be kept to minimum for size , weight and speed of movement .
Back to the 113 . The handle of my particular knife is walnut and is constructed in a very simple and slim shape . It is very adequate for my medium size hand and feels easy to use . If anything I think it would feel slightly better with a thicker handle and when I eventually replace the scales I will do this , by making the middle two thirds of the handle a little thicker and shaped so as to give a better grip . As the 113 is a full tang knife for its size it feels solid and a good all round utility knife for most smaller camp craft / bushcraft duties , I would not recommend it but I have tried some light battoning and it worked well for splitting smaller pieces of wood . The 113 comes with a normal Buck 420 HC stainless Steel blade but I would probably prefer an upgrade to S30V or something similar , but once again I think it is more than adequate for most purposes . I know it goes against what people think but Another use for this particular knife would be in the kitchen as a vegetable slicer ( just another observation ) . I know the knife laws are so different between here in the UK and the US regarding the carrying of knives , but because of its compact size I will always carry this knife in my day sack for any eventual use .
One other observation about the 113 , it comes with a very strong standard Black leather belt sheath which holds the knife very well , even when upside down . Personally I have always preferred brown leather sheaths and it is a pity Buck don't give you that option for the 113 . Because of its small size , I think this knife would benefit from a custom made cross draw or horizontal type sheath and when I find the time , I will make myself a hand stitched brown leather sheath to match the one I now have for my 112 ! I would definitely recommend the 113 Ranger Skinner for anyone who wants or needs a smaller style of skinning or indeed utility knife that is not too big to get in the way of things .
Hope this helps .
Mike

I think your review covered the ground very nicely. And I liked the expression "Hard Routine" -succinct and to the point. Thanks.

Thanks Quick Steel

Nice initial review, thanks for posting it. Need to see some pics of the knife though!

Will try and post pics of both knives after replacing the scales .
Thanks

I was intrigued with the design of the Buck 113 when it was introduced and bought one soon afterwards. The knife reminded me a bit of the Schrade Sharpfinger, with it's minimal handle and short, wide blade. For my hand I found the handle to be too small (short) when skinning and the blade a bit short when butchering a whitetail. I also found I prefer a narrower blade with a bit more length for cutting around the butts (think Buck 118). The 113 is unique in the looks department and functional - it performs well at the skinning function but comes up a bit short in the butchering function - as many clean with two knives and this one will do well as a skinner, unless you have a lot of skinning to do, then that minimal handle becomes fatiguing to the hand. OH
Ps My sheath, like my knife, is an early one, I found the sheath to initially fit pretty tightly, then it loosened up and I was afraid I'd lose the knife, so I began carrying it in my pack. As a hunter I like the old Buck flap-over sheath design.

Totally agree with your comments " Old Hunter " in that I can imagine the small handle would be quite tiring after a while . Is it worth soaking your sheath in warm water for 15 minutes or so , putting your 113 back into the sheath and then trying to remold it back slightly around the knife shape ,leave it for a couple of days to dry out , it might just work !
M
PS Do you know of any other style of Buck sheath that might just fit the 113 ?
I just really like the aesthetics of the 113

OH, A 113, a featherweight and a VXIII...nice. Way to go American. No offense Legend.

My wife carries a fixed blade when working with the horses. A 113 is in the works to surprise her. The scales come from a tree that is 100's of years old from her families land. It's a post oak and nearly 4' in diameter.

I put one on my 2016 Christmas list because I like the looks. Can't tell you a thing about it's usefulness because I haven't skinned anything at all for almost 60 years and then it was just squirrels and rabbits. What I can tell you is, it pleases my eye and I'm happy to have it. She would look better with new clothes so maybe someday.

Nice touch Kossetx regarding using that particular oak wood as it makes it really personal . jerryd6818 , totally agree with your view of the 113 , as it is pleasing on the eye and although it is small for really big game it would I imagine be an excellent tool for smaller game skinning . Done lots of skinning back in the day and its interesting to note with skinning rabbits , I was taught how to snare them and then just make a small incision with your teeth to start and using your fingers to complete the skinning process ( in the event of not having a knife with you ) . Of course it is easier and cleaner using a knife !

I tried the 113 in the sheath of Buck’s other popular skinner, the 103. The Buck 113 drops right in, width is just right, but there is over an inch of excess space at the top - lots of rattling room. I’d call it a no-go. OH