My Trusty Old Gerber Bolt Action

loeman · Jul 8, 2014

I want to share with you my trusty old friend, a Gerber bolt-locking folder. It has been my workhorse knife for around 35 years. I keep it in the garage hanging with my wrenches and other tools and I seem to use it all the time. I have a boxful of other really nice knives. My pocket knife is a Mel Pardue Benchmade and my hiking/fishing knife is a Pat Crawford Benchmade. However, this is my all around, go-to knife for all kinds of projects and work around the house. It actually started out as my gardening knife but it was just too darn tough to be limited to hacking on plants!

I'm not sure why the bolt locking feature did not enjoy more success as it is BY FAR the most rigid lock-up of any folder I have ever owned. I guess because it is not conducive to one hand operation. The blade is super easy to sharpen and it retains its edge better and longer than my other knives. As you can see the Gerber badges are long gone and it ain't pretty. But dang, it really is a great knife. If you see one of these for sale, you should consider buying it and hang it with your other tools and you will find yourself reaching for it almost everyday.

I'd love to see some of your "workhorses" too! Please feel free to post here and it sure won't be considered thread hijacking.

Mule Packer · Jul 8, 2014

Loeman, you're absolutely right. There's nothing like a good, ol' trusty knife that has proven itself over the years to be a dependable workhorse.

Here's a pic of a few of mine. The Case Trapper with the stag handles is in my pocket every day. It handles the day-in-day-out mundane chores like cutting the string on the hay bales, opening the grain sacks, or other such everyday stuff.

The Buck 110 rides on my belt every day. The blade is S30V steel and is part of the Cabela's Alaskan knife series...thus the emblem on the blade. It handles the heavy duty chores around the ol' homestead.

The belt knife is one that my oldest son made for me one Christmas. The steel is AUS8. The scales are elk. It's my main camp knife and has done everything from slicing bacon to gutting out elk. The backbone on that knife is 3/16 wide so, as you can see, it makes for a very tough utilitarian tool.

I have others that I like and use, too, but these three knives are pretty much my go-to blades.

Frizzman · Jul 8, 2014

I have one of those that I bought in the early eighties. It is also well used and not perfect. The thumb piece for the bolt lock fell off and was lost but the stud it attached to is still there so it can still be unlocked...Its not very "tactical" but is a solid knife that does what it is supposed to do and has lasted the past thirty years doing its job. I forgot about it until I saw yours and dug it out of my knife drawer...My knife doesn't have the checkering texture on the handle. It has a very mildly stippled sort of texture. The Gerber logos are still there over the pivot screw holes...Maybe I'll start using it again.

My Trusty Old Gerber Bolt Action

loeman

Member

Mule Packer

Member

Frizzman

US Veteran

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