Case vs buck stockman

case or buck stockman

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T

Tjstampa

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I currently have only one traditional in my collection. I have been eying a stockman and really like the looks of the case navy blue jiggerd bone. However I have seen several reviews that they rust easily. In contrast the buck has good reviews but are made in China. I am not looking to spend more than 65 or so for this knife. Having to sneak it by the mrs, as it is
 
Tjstampa said:
I currently have only one traditional in my collection. I have been eying a stockman and really like the looks of the case navy blue jiggerd bone. However I have seen several reviews that they rust easily. In contrast the buck has good reviews but are made in China. I am not looking to spend more than 65 or so for this knife. Having to sneak it by the mrs, as it is
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Most of the Case stockmans come in stainless steel. There are a few in carbon steel (CV), but if you keep them clean and oiled, you shouldn't have a problem with rust.
You can get Bucks made in the USA for well under $65. I think I paid around
$33 or so for a 301 stockman. And the case knives you can get for about $50.
 
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Does the case navy blue jigged stockman even come in CV steel? I think they are only available in stainless, and should not give you a problem with rust. In any event, the Case CV knives take a patina, but require only a minimum of care to keep them from rusting.

The Buck 301 and 303 stockman knives are made in the USA.

Before you pick, take a look at Rough Rider knives. The RR 1991 sowbelly stockman in green micarta is quite nice. You could have three or four for your $65.
 
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Railsplitter said:
I voted Buck. Only some of the Buck stockmams are made in China. Look for a Buck 301 or 303 depending the size you prefer. Those are made in the U.S.A.
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Quite true.

When it comes to a standard stockman, I vote for the Buck. The heat treat that Paul Bos developed for Buck provides a hardness of 58-59HRC. Case Tru-Sharp stainless (same 420HC alloy, but with a fancy name) is 55-56. I notice the difference in performance. I also prefer the blade layout of the Buck.

Which is not to say that I don't carry a Case stockman on occasion. I have a Case humpback stockman in my pocket as I sit here writing this.
 
knarfeng said:
Quite true.

When it comes to a standard stockman, I vote for the Buck. The heat treat that Paul Bos developed for Buck provides a hardness of 58-59HRC. Case Tru-Sharp stainless (same 420HC alloy, but with a fancy name) is 55-56. I notice the difference in performance. I also prefer the blade layout of the Buck.

Which is not to say that I don't carry a Case stockman on occasion. I have a Case humpback stockman in my pocket as I sit here writing this.
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I’m glad to see that I’m not the only person who notices the blade layout. I, too, prefer the swapping of the spey and sheepsfoot blades. Then, the main and the nice straight edge both open right handed. Moore maker accomplished this by putting the nail nick on the mark side above the main blade but it makes it stand a little taller. I have two custom stockmen that the makers swapped the blades to mimic the buck layout. Very few people notice, but I sure like it better.
 
Prester John said:
Most of the Case stockmans come in stainless steel. There are a few in carbon steel (CV), but if you keep them clean and oiled, you shouldn't have a problem with rust.
You can get Bucks made in the USA for well under $65. I think I paid around
$33 or so for a 301 stockman. And the case knives you can get for about $50.
Click to expand...

So now it really is the difference between the blue bone or wood and brass. Both of which I like
 
I like the current production buck 301 but it has some downsides.

The first is the blades are ridiculously thick for a pocket knife. It can cut but far from impressive. Second is because of the blade layout the spey blade sticks out and exposes the tip of the blade. It's not highly likely to cut you but I think it's a really stupid design. There's a reason other stockmans are not laid out that way. The pulls are a tad light but that is not a huge deal.

I'm not saying the buck is a bad choice, as I like them and have several, but if you can only have one I would pick the case. I think it's just a better option for use and appearance.
 
I voted for Case as well, most of their knives are stainless. I really like Buck fixed blades,and really like the 110. But the hollow ground saber grinds on their slipjoints leave me cold. Honestly mostly an aesthetic thing with me,but the thicker blades kinda puts me off as well. The hollow saber grind works well with blades that are wide from edge to spine,but not so much on a narrow blade. I do have a Buck trapper,however it is Chinese and has a full very slightly hollow grind. It is thin and slicey.
 
I have used Case SS and Cv in stockman and trapper models and they do okay in light duty with CV doing a bit better for edge retention. But I’ve rolled some edges on tough materials with both ss and cv. The steel just doesn’t have enough hardness for a stable edge under more force.
However I voted Buck because in my usage at work, camping, and for tougher materials, whittling, small game hunting the Buck 301 is much better holding a good edge and don’t take much to get it back when it starts to fade. I have relegated the Case knives to my lunch box and kitchen food prep duty which they do very well cutting tatters, onions and other veggies.
I have only one Case trapper that dose really well and it has 154cm flat ground blades but they are just as thick as my Buck 301 420hc blades and about the same edge holding.
 
The Buck 371 and 373 Stockman are indeed made offshore.
HOWEVER
The Buck 301 and 303 Stockman are made in Post Falls, Idaho, USA.

Now, do you like a "light" pull of say "3" to "4" or a slightly heavier pull? (for comparison, a 92/93 mm SAK has a "5" pull on the blades)

If you like a lighter pull, get the Buck 301, if you like a "Large" stockman, or the 303, if you like the "medium".
If you want a slightly stiffer pull, the offshore 371 and 373 are around a "5", as are the Case, from all I've heard.

Be aware the Buck knives are a Three backspring design, whereas the Case (and most other brands) are a Two backspring design, which requires kinking the blades to fit them all in.
I've compared the over-all thickness of my Buck 301 and 371's to Rough Rider and (offshore made) Schrade stockmans. The Rough Rider and Schrade are both two spring designs. The Buck with three backsprings is just as skinny across the covers.

Case does offer a Stockman with "True Sharp" stainless steel blades, as well as the CV carbon steel blades. I don't know if the Navy Blue Jigged Bone is available with Ture Sharp blades though.
Case offers more cover/handle choices than the Buck 301 and 303's basic black.

The 371 and 373 are offered with different covers/handles than the 301 and 303. I don't know if they are currently offered with wood or amber jigged bone, or something else.
One of my 371's is a barehead (bolsters only at one end) with black and blue G10 covers.

Keep in mind that although made offshore, the Buck 371 and 373 have the same Forever warranty as the knives made in Idaho, and you are still supporting a US manufacturer if you buy one. (and saving a few dollars, to boot.)

Personally, I prefer the 3 spring design of the Buck. I just wish they made a true "large" (4.25 inches or greater closed) Stockman.

Buck or Case, whichever you get will be a fine working/EDC knife. :)

NOTE: The "light" pulls on the Buck 301 and 303 are not a "Defect".
The job of the backspring is NOT to keep the blade open. The normal cutting action (unless you are doing something stupid) forces the blade open.
The backsprings only job is to keep the blade from opening when the knife is in your pocket, and from flopping half closed when it is open. The 301 and 303's backsprings are plenty strong enough to do their job.
I've never understood those who want a "7" or higher pull.
Why fight your knife to open it? Especially if/when your hands are cold and/or wet.
 
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I voted for Case because I prefer a two spring knife for a stockman. If Buck was making them that way I may choose differently.
 
Buck has better steel, but Case has nicer covers and a better action.

I have a lovely 303 USA made, and it’s a nice knife, but the pulls are very weak compared to my favorite - a Buck 301 2018 forum knife which was made with much stronger pulls.

Strong solid pull and smooth action is a characteristic of a best quality slip joint.

1B9F9001-2D9A-4668-AD76-F467DD5FE7B3.jpeg C22167E8-3A07-4A8D-8242-A38D2CFDE52A.jpeg 316037A3-F388-44CA-B652-12CAF0F47AEC.jpeg
 
Depends on what you're gonna do with it. The Buck 301 and 303 are built like tanks. The Case knives are a bit more elegant. I prefer the thinner full hollow ground blades of Case knives. If I want hard use for tough chores, and don't require slicing though things but instead just cutting, I'd probably grab my 301. But most of the time a Case is what is in my pocket.

I don't own any of the Chinese-made Bucks, so I can't comment there. I have never had rusting issues with any of my stainless Case knives.
 
Just for the sake of discussion, here's a Buck 303 that I disassembled. The piece that you see in this picture is all the same piece of steel. Bolsters, liner, and shield are all one piece of steel.
IMG_5107.JPG
The way the handle slabs on the black sawcut models are attached is interesting. At least it is to me anyway. I thought all I needed to do was push on those black circles and the handle slab would pop off but that was not the case. I found out through a little research that prior to assembly, the handle slabs have a "post" that goes through those holes. The post is then melted and sanded smooth. Those little ridges inside the holes in the liner hold the handle slabs securely in place after melting.
IMG_5106.JPG
IMG_5096.JPG
Case makes great knives too. No question about it. I just found this interesting and wanted to share. If any of you folks own a black sawcut 303 and have been concerned that the shield might eventually fall out, you can stop worrying about it.
 
I think I've been lucky with all my Buck pocket-knives (and fixed) in that they all have good loud snap, a thing many people find lacking. No blade-play either, unlike some CASES. I like the 3 spring construction as it is barely thicker than a 2 spring anyway AND it's all steel liners. Brass may look good when new but it can green up in time, seen it stain Stag and light scales....The Buck spring construction keeps the blades flatter, no huge humpy Sheepfoot sticking up. For rougher use the Buck is better, tough Delrin or Valox scales and all stainless. However, the Sabre grind is not useful for me on the smaller models 309 etc, too thick for slicing.

For me, it's a draw as the two knives are very different animals. CASE has a big choice of frames, scales, carbon&stainless. Buck is more rugged and well thought out in construction, but Sabre grind is not always the best. The 2018 Forum Knife from Buck was for me ideal, flat ground 2 blades and tremendous 154 you have to fork out a small fortune to get a CASE Collab with similar steel.
 
For under $65 you can honestly do better than both. Both have their pros and cons. Buck has a far superior heat treating process but outside of that I like everything else about Case more.

Böker tree brand makes an excellent 4” stockman around that price which are superb quality in my experience. You can get carbon steel or 440C. I like their C75 myself

Also could go with a Schrade USA (made before 2004) 881/8ot for carbon steel or a 885UH for Stainless. Good deals to be had on these excellent knives on the auction site. Giving ya some options. Have fun!
 
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