We get spoiled by the Wally World/mass produced basic 110 - they seem to all work flawlessly. The Buck 'Custom Shop' 110s spoil us as well. But - I had the same way-too-tight problem with the second BG-42/G10 BCCI 110 I got last month. You nearly needed pliers to depress the lockback bar enough to then grudgingly release the blade. Even then, it got me once, leaving the top of my forefinger bleeding. The smoothness of the blade's rotation was improved by flooding it with aerosol RemOil, and black dust, possibly ground G10 or Micarta, was floated out. Any improvement in bar operation was minimal. Mine was headed home for a swap, anyway - it had fit problems with the scales, too. The replacement was perfect - I just shouldn't have had to spend $11.05 to get the knife back to them.
I would return that fine knife to the vendor for exchange for another one, if they have it. Otherwise, send it back to Buck. Oddly, my buying spree from last week, netting me three knives from two vendors, has also produced two turkeys that shouldn't have left the factory - or vendor. One, an ordered 112FG, actually had a new 112 in the box. The other, an 850 Bravo, was improperly assembled, resulting in a dragging & dull blade and scales that stand above the frame. They just arrived yesterday, see other threads, and I haven't received an answer from the vendor yet. The knife boxes were dated 5 & 8 of 08 - I wonder if this has anything to do with Buck's downsizing/consolodation? Yeah, always on the look out for 'black helicopters'!
Let us know what happens - it sure isn't normal.
Stainz