Where my love of Buck knives started

eveled said:
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mill428 mill428 Thanks for your kind words. I was indeed a BoyScout.

Here is the prequel to my story. I’m not sure I’ve ever shared it before.


The old smooth 110, was my Dad’s original. An early 70’s model he had filed the bolsters to be rounded. He carried it on his duty belt. When I was ready to buy my own. He went with me. He wanted to upgrade.

So I paid retail for his used one, $30 and he bought the finger groove new for $35. I remembered him being tempted by the 111 at $55. That was the mid 1980’s.
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Very, very nice. Obviously great investments. Especially when Buck will take them back and make them like new if they ever wear out. Not very many companies do that anymore.
Thanks for the prequel.

Craig
 
My folks had a 119 and a 102 from the late 70s that were gifted to them. I used to stare at those knives all the time and that created my fascination with Buck knives. We didn't have a lot of extra money but I used to stare at the hardware store Buck displays and the Buck display at Walmart and wish I had the money to afford a Buck of my own.

Then one day, in the late 80s, someone in my family found a deal on 425 mini Bucks and my Dad, my Grandpa and I all got mini Bucks. I used to carry it everywhere and fiddled with it all the time. It was my favorite possession at the time, by far.

Then one Fall afternoon, my buddies and I went jumping from one huge hay pile to another after the fields were cut. I got home and realized I had lost my 425 somewhere in one of the 8 foot high hay piles. I was sick about forever and still am to this day. I wish I still had that one.
 
SoDak81 said:
My folks had a 119 and a 102 from the late 70s that were gifted to them. I used to stare at those knives all the time and that created my fascination with Buck knives. We didn't have a lot of extra money but I used to stare at the hardware store Buck displays and the Buck display at Walmart and wish I had the money to afford a Buck of my own.

Then one day, in the late 80s, someone in my family found a deal on 425 mini Bucks and my Dad, my Grandpa and I all got mini Bucks. I used to carry it everywhere and fiddled with it all the time. It was my favorite possession at the time, by far.

Then one Fall afternoon, my buddies and I went jumping from one huge hay pile to another after the fields were cut. I got home and realized I had lost my 425 somewhere in one of the 8 foot high hay piles. I was sick about forever and still am to this day. I wish I still had that one.
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Oh man that’s rough! I haven’t lost many knives over the years but it’s always worse when it’s tied to family. Hope you found something to replace it.
 
I don't really know where my love of Buck knives started, but I know it definitely started with the 110.

I have no clue where I first saw the 110 or how I knew about it but I just kind of knew what a " Buck knife " was, because they really are that much of an Icon.
I remember one day when I was about 11 I was playing with a friend and he actually found a 110 in it's sheath laying on the sidewalk, if only a few things had lined up differently the Buck knife could have been mine.
The worst part is that this kid wasn't actually a particularly close friend and he didn't really even know what he had.
I think that's probably when I officially started to covet 110 and really think of Buck as a top name in quality knives.
 
I've enjoyed this thread, reading your stories, and am sorry to see it slowing down. Like several have mentioned, I grew up in an outdoors family; fishing, hunting, shooting, hiking, camping, Scouting, were common activities as was working on family and area farms in the summertime. My Dad and my Uncle Fred subscribed to Outdoor Life and Field & Stream, also available were Sports Afield and numerous books from the Outdoor Life Book Club. Those Buck ads captivated my imagination, especially cutting through a bolt with a Buck Knife. My first was a Christmas gift from my Grandma in 1972, this Buck 301, she gave me a budget of $15 and let me pick whatever I wanted from H L Hodges Hardware - I picked the 301 (but remember deliberating over the 303 as well). My Grandma and H L Hodges are long gone, but the Buck Knife I carried for 18 years (until she passed) is still treasured and sits on my desk in its orginal box. A picture of me and her in the spring of 1972 at one of the family farms during a family reunion, just a month or so before HS graduation and Army BCT/AIT. The knife and a picture of the hardware store where my Buck Knife came from (and several of my first firearms). OH
Bruce-Jr-Grandma-Baker-Family-Reunion-Black-Creek-NC-ca-1972.jpg

Buck_301_-_Camillus_with_box_JAN_1973.jpg

H-L-Hodges-Hardware.jpg
 
Old Hunter said:
I've enjoyed this thread, reading your stories, and am sorry to see it slowing down. Like several have mentioned, I grew up in an outdoors family; fishing, hunting, shooting, hiking, camping, Scouting, were common activities as was working on family and area farms in the summertime. My Dad and my Uncle Fred subscribed to Outdoor Life and Field & Stream, also available were Sports Afield and numerous books from the Outdoor Life Book Club. Those Buck ads captivated my imagination, especially cutting through a bolt with a Buck Knife. My first was a Christmas gift from my Grandma in 1972, this Buck 301, she gave me a budget of $15 and let me pick whatever I wanted from H L Hodges Hardware - I picked the 301 (but remember deliberating over the 303 as well). My Grandma and H L Hodges are long gone, but the Buck Knife I carried for 18 years (until she passed) is still treasured and sits on my desk in its orginal box. A picture of me and her in the spring of 1972 at one of the family farms during a family reunion, just a month or so before HS graduation and Army BCT/AIT. The knife and a picture of the hardware store where my Buck Knife came from (and several of my first firearms). OH
Bruce-Jr-Grandma-Baker-Family-Reunion-Black-Creek-NC-ca-1972.jpg

Buck_301_-_Camillus_with_box_JAN_1973.jpg

H-L-Hodges-Hardware.jpg
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Love it OH Wish I had a pic like that of Gram, and boy do I miss those hardware stores
 
pjsjr said:
Old Hunter Old Hunter Bruce, you can tell my the way she"s looking at you that she thought the world of you. Thanks for the story.
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I was getting ready to write the same thing! She's looking at you as only grandma's do. Great story and awesome pictures! It would be sitting on my dresser too.

I know technology and the advancement it brings are often good things, but we've lost something greater as the simpler way of life slips away and priorities get twisted.

Thanks for sharing! Your's is a great story to start my day!
 
pjsjr said:
Old Hunter Old Hunter Bruce, you can tell my the way she"s looking at you that she thought the world of you. Thanks for the story.
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howiema said:
Love it OH Wish I had a pic like that of Gram, and boy do I miss those hardware stores
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mill428 said:
I was getting ready to write the same thing! She's looking at you as only grandma's do. Great story and awesome pictures! It would be sitting on my dresser too.
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Thanks for the kind words gents. It has been nearly 35 years since she's passed, I think of her often and miss her greatly. OH
 
mill428 said:
How I miss those great hardware/sporting goods stores from back then. They always had the best combination of stuff and the guy behind the counter was generally an expert on most all of it.
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I remember back in the early 80’s and my dad taking me to the local hardware store after Saturday morning bowling to buy a carton on Remington shorts for $8.88. And then asking him to go back the following Saturday because the first carton was gone.
It had the old wooden floor that squeaked every step you took. The gun was a Remington 121 Fieldmaster with an old 7/8” Bushnell 4x scope, side mounted. Wish I still had that gun.
 
I grew up hiking, canoeing, backpacking, sailing.... I can remember playing with saks and making shivs out of popsicle sticks as far back as second grade. My brother is 10 years older than me and he was always bringing home knives. I never had a Buck knife. Lots of SAKs growing up, and then some larger folders for work. I always had an appreciation for hunting knives. I spent a lot of time going to pow wows as a young kid, and the knives those men carried always fascinated me. My son and I took the hunter safety course offered by my state, and bought myself my first Buck 196. I wanted a knife made in the USA. I liked Bucks family message. They offered a great warranty and it was still affordable for a dad with 2 young kids. Replaced my work knife with a Buck shortly thereafter, and I have only bought Buck since.

A child hood memory of mine comes from running errands with my grandmother. My parents had a 2 family and my grandmother lived on the first floor until she passed. We would go to 3 stores, on the bus that I will never forget as long as I live. The smells the sounds. The people. First was a Woolwoths, but she called it The Five and Dime. There was a $5 and 10c in cast stone at the corners of the building ND the sign read "woolworths." The next place was Benny's. A chain local dept. store. They had a little bit of everything shoved into a place the size of a modern drug store. Electronics, automotive, household stuff, bikes... but the best was the Hot Wheels and GI Joe's, that she would always buy, much to the frustration of my mother. Lastly, and the point of my rant, was Durfees Hardware. Wood floors that creaked, a key room with 6 and a half million different types of key blanks, tools and knives... no guns that I can remember, but a super creepy tool department upstairs, that housed giant bins of loose nails and screws, which you would put in a brown paper bag and pay for by the lb. It is now technically an ACE, but is owned by the Durkee family still... much of it remains the same. I will never forget those trips with her even though she passed when I was in the 5th grade.
 
BennyBlade said:
I grew up hiking, canoeing, backpacking, sailing.... I can remember playing with saks and making shivs out of popsicle sticks as far back as second grade. My brother is 10 years older than me and he was always bringing home knives. I never had a Buck knife. Lots of SAKs growing up, and then some larger folders for work. I always had an appreciation for hunting knives. I spent a lot of time going to pow wows as a young kid, and the knives those men carried always fascinated me. My son and I took the hunter safety course offered by my state, and bought myself my first Buck 196. I wanted a knife made in the USA. I liked Bucks family message. They offered a great warranty and it was still affordable for a dad with 2 young kids. Replaced my work knife with a Buck shortly thereafter, and I have only bought Buck since.

A child hood memory of mine comes from running errands with my grandmother. My parents had a 2 family and my grandmother lived on the first floor until she passed. We would go to 3 stores, on the bus that I will never forget as long as I live. The smells the sounds. The people. First was a Woolwoths, but she called it The Five and Dime. There was a $5 and 10c in cast stone at the corners of the building ND the sign read "woolworths." The next place was Benny's. A chain local dept. store. They had a little bit of everything shoved into a place the size of a modern drug store. Electronics, automotive, household stuff, bikes... but the best was the Hot Wheels and GI Joe's, that she would always buy, much to the frustration of my mother. Lastly, and the point of my rant, was Durfees Hardware. Wood floors that creaked, a key room with 6 and a half million different types of key blanks, tools and knives... no guns that I can remember, but a super creepy tool department upstairs, that housed giant bins of loose nails and screws, which you would put in a brown paper bag and pay for by the lb. It is now technically an ACE, but is owned by the Durkee family still... much of it remains the same. I will never forget those trips with her even though she passed when I was in the 5th grade.
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Awesome story! Priceless memories. Sounds like your grandmother was quite the lady. Thanks for helping us recall something so common place all those years ago - but definitely missing in our culture today. My grandpa and I would go to a hardware store that was the same kind of store when I was young. Who would have thought then they would be a rare thing in the not too distant future?
 
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