Buck Model 119 and 120 knives

I can't post photos, but you guys will mostly know what Buck Model 119 and 120 knives look like. I'll try to post a video or two.

They've been featured in some TV shows and movies, like the Scream series. (Which I haven't seen.)

They were popular with soldiers in the Vietnam war and one YouTube poster (Nutn'Fancy) says his dad carried a Model 119 as a fighter pilot.

I have both. I actually have a pair of Model 120's, one rescued from a bucket of knives at a gun show.

I sent it back to Buck for refinishing and have trouble telling it from the one I got new. That one has a Buck sheath of normal type for recent models, but it got wet or something and dried with a grainy, wrinkled appearance like boots made from Norwegian Krymp Ox hide, if you've seen those. Water buffalo hide items also tend look to like that.

I asked Chuck Buck if the sheath was from a special run from the factory,and he said no. Whatever happened to it took place out of the factory, but he agreed the sheath is pretty attractive.

Do any of you use these models? For what?

I like the length and weight of the Model 120 for cutting light branches for camp fire kindling, and the knife just feels great in the hand.
I'd feel pretty good about stabbing an aggressive cougar with it.

I read about a paratrooper in the 101st Airborne who wrote to Buck that his Model 120 sheath was coming apart, the stitching failing in Vietnam's hot and humid jungles.

Mr. Buck promptly sent him a new sheath, sewn with monofilament fishing line That presumably solved his problem. Buck is a great company to deal with. For a modest fee, they sharpen your knife or refinish. I think the fee for sharpening is $7.00.

I like them. I feel a bit like Tarzan when wearing that Model 120.

It was out of production for several years, but is back.

I have a 119, nothing special, just bought in a blister pack from a big box store. It has a really good edge, and holds it well, but I find I don’t use it all that much. It has more blade than I need.

If I need a fixed blade, I usually pick up something in the range of 3-4”, like a Mora or a puukko. Those are small enoug and light enough to drop in a pocket. Unless I really need a big blade, in which case I will take some flavor of machete.

I have a 102. Nice little fixed blade knife. It was given to me, used, by a pal about 40 years ago. I didn’t realize I could send it back to Buck for a refinishing of the blade, which is scratched and somewhat dull. (The steel is very hard, and difficult to sharpen well, at least for me.)

That’s a great tip, T-Star.

Onomea-

If your knife is that old, it's made of a different steel than today's 420HC and the heat treatment was different, too. I think they changed steels because the old one was so hard and difficult to sharpen.

Call them and see what they charge for a refinish. If the knife means much to you, it's probably worth the fee. Their site also has a place where you can use the symbol by the brand stamp on the ricasso to tell the year the knife was made. But that system began about 1986, so if your knife is older, that won't work.

Don't forget to have them re-set the blade bevels and re-hone while the knife is being refinished. They may include that in the re-finish, but ask.

Is your Model 102 old enough to have the flap top sheath? I wish I knew the dates between which that was used. But it goes back pretty far.

Fallkniven now has a very similar sheath for some models.

[ame]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VoQD4YX1h-E[/ame]

Onomea-

This video shows a repaired knife and a new one they sent because some damage to the handle of the old one wasn't repairable. You can also see an old sheath as well as the new, current style.

The narrator mentions blade length variance. Both of my Model 120's have 7.25 inch blades, by actual measurement.

My knife, per the Buck site, dates from 1972-1986: https://www.buckknives.com/about-knives/how-old/

Based on when my pal gave it to me, I think it is probably mid 1970s.

Thanks for the advice, T-Star, on asking about resetting blade bevels and rehoning. It looks to me like they charge $7, as you note, for refurbishing the blade, but I don’t mind paying more if need be.

Yep, my 102 has the old flap top sheath. Dug the knife and sheath out today after reading your post. The leather flap was getting a bit tired, so I put some Leather ‘n Rich on it, a tip gleaned from the gun leather section of the forum.

(Interesting, too, what you say about the older steel being hard to sharpen. So it isn’t just me!)

I realized, too, about myself, that as a young man I rather distained the small size of the knife. As an old guy, compared to my young self anyway, I rather like the small size for its deft handling characteristics.

Like the video: That is amazing to me that Buck looked at the chipped handle and then, for free, replaced the entire knife!

What puzzled me was how they managed to chip the tough phenolic resin handle.

For more money, they offer wood laminate handles and brass pommels and guards in lieu of the usual aluminum and fiber handles. The knives with wood handles have brown sheaths instead of black.

Frankly, I prefer the black handles. They're tougher and the knives are lighter. The wood grain is pretty plain on those handles, but the Buck custom shop can probably supply nicer wood, of different types. Or, they can furnish bone or white Micarta handles. But those are custom orders, not found in stores.

I have both and love them, but for a big knife I prefer the model 124. As I get older I appreciate the smaller fixed blades. The model 117 being my favorite. It is a relatively new model that started with a black blade and leather washers handle. It is now available with the classic black Phenolic handle which I prefer. Buck sometimes makes special runs everyonce in a while they release a sheath knife with what they call Cherrywood handles as they become available I buy each one hoping to have a set someday. Here is a picture with some black Phenolic place savers.

The 117 is in the middle with the Fuller. It looks like a baby 119. There were only a handful of the 117's made with the Cherrywood handle. Less than 10 as far as I know.

I just got a 75th anniversary 119 from Cabela's last week. They're on sale for $39.88. Great price. Great knife.

Buck Knives(R) 119 Anniversary Tin : Cabela's

Love my 119. I’m a clip point fan anyway. Have a pre 69 Puma skinner that is of similar blade design that I like also, but less corrosion resistant sonit sees less belt use. While a TAD big, maybe, for SOME of my general purposes, the 119 fills all uses I expect of it admirably. Particularly with the fine point. Up to and including filleting of fish if I don’t have a filet knife handy. Skinning and break down of medium to large sized game, ideal. General camp use of pretty much any description (I don’t do any batoning with it, and wouldn’t expect that from it), ideal. Bait preparation, whatever. Never got in a fight with it on any critter four legged or two, hope I never do, but I imagine it would serve the purpose. Perfect camp and field knife, in my opinion.

Mr.Harry said:

Love my 119. I’m a clip point fan anyway. Have a pre 69 Puma skinner that is of similar blade design that I like also, but less corrosion resistant sonit sees less belt use. While a TAD big, maybe, for SOME of my general purposes, the 119 fills all uses I expect of it admirably. Particularly with the fine point. Up to and including filleting of fish if I don’t have a filet knife handy. Skinning and break down of medium to large sized game, ideal. General camp use of pretty much any description (I don’t do any batoning with it, and wouldn’t expect that from it), ideal. Bait preparation, whatever. Never got in a fight with it on any critter four legged or two, hope I never do, but I imagine it would serve the purpose. Perfect camp and field knife, in my opinion.

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Thanks for that useful testimony! But the Puma model equivalent to the Buck Model 119 is their Bowie with 6.5 inch blade, I think. I sold mine because the handle was too short for me. I prefer their Outdoor model. Or the fancier Model 3589.

BTW, I know of two men who used Buck knives to save themselves from dangerous animals and another man saved his six-year-old son from a puma with his Spyderco knife. Looked like a Delica on the TV news. The three-inch blade didn't penetrate enough to kill, but he scared the cat off. That attack was at a lodge in a national park!

A Model 110 folder was used to kill or maim a Kodiak bear that attacked a man dressing out a Sitka deer. He crawled clear of the bear, reached his rifle and made sure the bear was dead. But he stabbed it in the neck and evidently hit something just right.

He sent that knife to Buck and the president kept it framed on his wall for years.

I know of another case on Vancouver Island where a man cut a cougar's throat after she attacked him. His knife was a Schrade LB-7, their version of the Buck Model 110.

His wife initially didn't want to put him on the phone when I called. I wanted to interview him for an article that ran in, Knife World, where I wrote for many years. But the mainstream media had been bugging him, and some Greenies even said the cat should have killed him!

He was very nice and gave me an excellent story, which I'll tell more of if asked. He was a mess, but lived. He and other cougar attack survivors were later on a Discovery TV program.

And there was the case of Harry Wolhuter in Kruger National Park in South Africa. Used his knife to kill a lion dragging him off to eat! His knife and belt and the lion's hide were displayed at the park for decades; may still be there. If Peter, Stirling, or our other South African members see this, do they know if the knife and hide are still there?

Wolhuter mentioned this event in his autobiography and I saw it written up in a US knife annual and, I think, in Man/Magnum, a SA magazine. Check him on Wikipedia, too.

I hope I never have to face a big cat or a bear with a knife, but I think the Buck models discussed will suffice.

My overall favorite Buck for most practical use is the Model 105 Pathfinder. But that new Model 117 intrigues me, although I find the Model 102 Woodsman too small.

Anyone know the retail price for a Model 117 with black phenolic handle?

Buck does good work,especially for the money.

BTW, I agree with the member (Mr. Harry) who said he doesn't baton wood with his Buck M-119. I don't approve of that, especially not with knives that are semi - hollow ground, with edge bevels honed for normal uses.

I've seen photos of a couple of Bucks with broken blades. I bet someone was batoning them with a rock or was trying to baton through bone. That's a good way to chip or break a blade! Tips may break if thrown at wooden walls. I broke the tip on a Fairbairn-Sykes commando dagger that way when I was about 13. The lesson has stayed with me!

The 119 is my favorite watermelon knife.

The puma is definitely an old Skinner, not a Bowie, and it’s prob a half inch shorter than the 119. Maybe the comparison I make between them isn’t entirely apt or apples to apples, but the fine clip point and swept tip is very similar; a design I greatly prefer. I don’t know what the carbon content is on that old “Pumaster Steel”, but it’s a little harder and a little more prone to corrosion. It takes a mean edge, but it’s harder to put that edge on it. The Buck steel takes just as keen an edge, but it’s easier to get there. For me. And it’s retention doesn’t seem to be significantly less/worse. Any knife that’s going to see extended practical use is going to eventually need sharpening anyway, whatever it’s made of, so I don’t sweat insignificant differences as long as it doesn’t go dull cutting tomatoes.

eveled said:

I have both and love them, but for a big knife I prefer the model 124. As I get older I appreciate the smaller fixed blades. The model 117 being my favorite. It is a relatively new model that started with a black blade and leather washers handle. It is now available with the classic black Phenolic handle which I prefer. Buck sometimes makes special runs everyonce in a while they release a sheath knife with what they call Cherrywood handles as they become available I buy each one hoping to have a set someday. Here is a picture with some black Phenolic place savers.

The 117 is in the middle with the Fuller. It looks like a baby 119. There were only a handful of the 117's made with the Cherrywood handle. Less than 10 as far as I know.

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Thanks! What a nice collection of Buck knives!

I hadn't seen that cherry wood handle. Looks as if they use the usual aluminum pommel and guard; not the brass seen on the heavier ones with coco-bolo or laminated wood handles.

Mr.Harry said:

The puma is definitely an old Skinner, not a Bowie, and it’s prob a half inch shorter than the 119. Maybe the comparison I make between them isn’t entirely apt or apples to apples, but the fine clip point and swept tip is very similar; a design I greatly prefer. I don’t know what the carbon content is on that old “Pumaster Steel”, but it’s a little harder and a little more prone to corrosion. It takes a mean edge, but it’s harder to put that edge on it. The Buck steel takes just as keen an edge, but it’s easier to get there. For me. And it’s retention doesn’t seem to be significantly less/worse. Any knife that’s going to see extended practical use is going to eventually need sharpening anyway, whatever it’s made of, so I don’t sweat insignificant differences as long as it doesn’t go dull cutting tomatoes.

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Understood. I was just saying that the Puma Bowie is closer to the Model 119 than the Puma Skinner.

Buck used to make a specialized skinner, I think Model 103. It's in the display of Buck knives posted in a photo in this topic. But the tip isn't as upswept or sharp as on the Puma skinner.

Pumaster steel is about like American 1095. Puma chromes many such blades for rust prevention, but they'll rust sooner than their stainless blades.So, I prefer their Outdoor model to the virtually identical Hunter's Friend, as the Outdoor is stainless. (Rostfrei)

I see your point. (No pun intended), I'm just describing directly equivalent Buck and Puma models.

joe44va said:

The 119 is my favorite watermelon knife.

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Oh, yeah! A Model 119 will definitely kill a watermelon! And you have a Model 120 for really big watermelons.

I see you also have a Buck fillet knife. I have one, too, and like it a lot. I don't think they make that model now.

I see what your saying now too. And you’re right. I guess I just don’t think of the 119 as a ‘Bowie’ design. While I suppose it’s closer to that than anything else.

I love my 119 but it's seen a lot more duty as a kitchen knife than anything else. It does a great job at that.

For really big jobs I use a Gerber machete. That thing is razor sharp. I had to basically shape the edge myself. It came about as sharp as a football. But now it will slice off a 3/4" limb with one stroke. And it holds an edge long enough for trimming back the briars and small limbs that try to overtake the paths I made around the house. I used that to keep them open for years. The back side of that machete, which BTW is not their newer "Bear Grillis" model, is a saw tooth edge. A good chain saw file will make that thing really wicked sharp. Most people who buy a Gerber machete never realize what they can do. They are like a small sword IMO only they slice vines and branches like they aren't even there. It's actually razor sharp when I start working with it. After a few hours it gets dull but it's easy to sharpen again in the field.. If I ever meet u with a bear I believe I'd rather have the Gerber machete but the 119 would certainly penetrate better going straight in. But a swinging, slicing stroke could put a serious hurt on anything made of flesh pretty much.

This model 120 was a very expensive knife- I bought it out of a collection I was helping a friend sell and realized that I needed the 119, 124 and some other models with a one or two line inverted logo. Knowledge can be costly.
I recently sent 4 knives back to Buck for what they advertise as their " spa treatment ". It was about $7 a knife and was the best deal I've had in a long time.
Regards,
turnerriver


Model 119

Which turned out to need a Lawrence sheath

I'm

Texas Star said:

Thanks! What a nice collection of Buck knives!

I hadn't seen that cherry wood handle. Looks as if they use the usual aluminum pommel and guard; not the brass seen on the heavier ones with coco-bolo or laminated wood handles.

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Bass Pro has the whole set available Cherrywood and brass. They also have an exclusive set of smooth bone/aluminum Bucks that are beautiful, but it is only the 119, 105, and 102.

Texas Star:. The phenolic 117 is only available from Copper and Clad. Either direct or through Amazon. For Around $75.