OSCAR wrote: ↑Wed Mar 08, 2023 8:20 pm
afishhunter wrote: ↑Wed Feb 01, 2023 5:52 am
Nice. I like mine. The blades hold a working edge for a reasonable amount of use. The brushed stainless steel bolster looks great too, IMHO. And the G10 covers are pretty much indestructible.
Truth to tell, if I ever have my 301's blades transplanted (I'm not fond of how Buck polishes/grinds the bolsters so thin on the 301) this is probably the 371 I would use for the blade swap ... unless I get a 371 with wood covers that match my 389 canoe.
This is actually my second G10 371. The first was stolen by the poltergeist that resided in the expedited box truck I drove a few years back.
Usually, when she "borrowed" one of my pocket knives, she would give it back after a few days to a week. (putting it somewhere I would
never put a knife; in the mini fridge's freezer, for example) The G10 Buck 371, and a Rough Rider Mini Trapper were the only two she took to her home realm/dimension and failed to return.
I found a NOS replacement online, a couple years after I retired. They only offered the G10 371 in 2014. It was a Walmart SFO, I believe.
Great looking knife Fishhunter. How would you rate it compared to the Buck when Buck made them in America ?
Rough Rider is a great value but I don’t think the blade steel is as good as Buck’s. The Buck steel holds the edge longer but the Rough Rider steel sharpens more easily. I guess it’s a trade off. What’s your opinion ?
Buck is still making the 301 and 303 in Idaho.
One thing about the offshore 371/373 knives Iike are the bolsters. The domestic knives have the bolsters polished/ground to almost even with the liners. In my 2014, the bolsters and covers at the liner is near a knife edge. Less than 1/68 inch. I don't know how thick the bolsters are at the pins on the Idaho knives, and I don't have calipers or a micrometer to measure the width at the bolters. However, the offshore knives
feel a bit thicker across the bolsters, which if true, means the pins have more support. I
suspect the 301/303 have the pivot pits supported about as much as the old shell construction Imperial/Colonial, and post 1933 Hammer Brand clamshell knives.
From what I understand, the 420J2 used on the offshore Buck knives is not as wear resistant as the 420HC used on the domestic knives, and the 420J2 is a point or two lower on the Rockwell scale, as well. 420J2 needs stropped or honed a bit more often that 420HC in my experience, but it
will hold an acute 10 degree per side/20 degree inclusive edge angle for a reasonable amount of time, and is easy enough to touch up the working edge with a dry strop, leather boot, or on the bottom of a ceramic coffee mug.
I haven't noticed any practical differences between Buck's 420HC and Rough Rider's (or the old US Schrade+) 440A. Both sharpen about as easy as the other, IMHO.
To be honest, because of the
perceived lack of pin support on my 301, I am more likely to drop a 371 in my pocket, when I carry a Buck stockman. (I have several alternative stockmans to choose from; Rough Rider, Marbles, a Old Timer USA 858, BTI Schrade Old Timer offshore 858OT and 858OTB, and a GEC 82.)
I will say neither of my 301s have developed any blade play. (Neither have any of my others, including the 1978 to 1984 Old Timer 858 that has Swindon Key construction!
).
you to AAPK! 
