Case XX Folding Hunter.

JM2 · Jan 8, 2023

I have always enjoyed the look of the 65 pattern folding hunter. I got one about 6 months ago and have had a hard time getting it off my belt ever since.

I’m interested in when this pattern began being manufactured.

Also interested in hearing from others that are fans of this large folding beauty.

https://imgur.com/4dr6XZ0

Scott Everett · Jan 8, 2023

Just picked up the same model this past Friday. Only complaint is the clip point blade has a weird grind mark towards the tip that runs along the spine about 1/4”. Adds character though I suppose.

Arathol · Jan 8, 2023

A couple 65 pattern XX USA folding hunters from the 1960s-

Rsmith_77 · Jan 8, 2023

Arathol said:
A couple 65 pattern XX USA folding hunters from the 1960s-

Well oiled?
Or were they making them in stainless back in the 60s?

Arathol · Jan 8, 2023

Rsmith_77 said:
Well oiled?
Or were they making them in stainless back in the 60s?

Just well preserved.....

Bastler · Jan 8, 2023

I've always had a soft spot for that pattern. Forty-some years ago, my only knife was a Buck 317 and I used it for everything. Now, I admire knives like yours from afar and think about when I only needed one knife.

afishhunter · Jan 9, 2023

I have a pair, but not by Case.
(so as not to offend/insult, I won't post a photo of them. Both of mine are recent offshore manufacture "old name" brands.)
A great pattern. TBH, I'm not sure why the single blade Buck 110 took over that market segment in 1964. Having two blade profiles is ever so much more versatile.

JM2 · Jan 9, 2023

afishhunter said:
I have a pair, but not by Case.
(so as not to offend/insult, I won't post a photo of them. Both of mine are recent offshore manufacture "old name" brands.)
A great pattern. TBH, I'm not sure why the single blade Buck 110 took over that market segment in 1964. Having two blade profiles is ever so much more versatile.

It won’t hurt my feelings to see competitors of the same pattern...uh, for reference ya know.

Yeah I was thinking the same thing. I can’t understand why the buck is preferred. I carried a buck 110 for 4-5 years and was carrying one when the 65 uprooted it. Not that the buck is not a good knife but the 65 is more svelte.

Arathol · Jan 9, 2023

afishhunter said:
A great pattern. TBH, I'm not sure why the single blade Buck 110 took over that market segment in 1964. Having two blade profiles is ever so much more versatile.

Well, I'd guess a couple thing made the 110 more preferable....One, it had a locking blade, so the perception of safety was inferred, and two, a 65 from that time can be a bear to open........especially if your hands are cold and wet......

JM2 · Jan 9, 2023

So no one has yet answered my question of when the 65 was brought out? Did it evolve from another pattern or was it newly designed?

Was there ever a variation with a saw? Seems natural.

Arathol · Jan 9, 2023

The folding hunter 65 frame was first made sometime after 1940. There was an earlier smaller pattern with that number that was discontinued in the 1930s.
No saw, but there was one with a wire stripper blade like the TL29 has and a can opener. These were made in the 1940s and 50s.
The Schrade 225OT however......

lithicus · Jan 9, 2023

JM2 said:
I have always enjoyed the look of the 65 pattern folding hunter. I got one about 6 months ago and have had a hard time getting it off my belt ever since.

I’m interested in when this pattern began being manufactured.

Also interested in hearing from others that are fans of this large folding beauty.

https://imgur.com/4dr6XZ0

I'll let someone more knowledgeable answer the manufacturer date questions. But this is essentially one of my grail knives!

I've told this story a few times. But apparently my grandmother gifted for Christmas a case knife to my grandfather. He used it to process all of his game while hunting. One year while cleaning a deer, he must've accidentally rolled it up in a newspaper and thrown it away. Boy was he upset! This was all before I was born so I never saw it. Never even knew about it until after he passed.

My grandma has told me she bought it brand new, mid to late 60s, was a single blade, and it had fat stag. She also said it kind of looked like the Uncle Henry 127UH he bought to replace it. So, I believe it was a 65-69 5165 case folding hunter. I haven't shelled out the money for one yet and it'll never be my grandfather's. But boy I'd sure love to have one!

Arathol said:
A couple 65 pattern XX USA folding hunters from the 1960s-

What absolutely stunning knives... Thanks for sharing!

afishhunter · Jan 9, 2023

JM2 said:
So no one has yet answered my question of when the 65 was brought out? Did it evolve from another pattern or was it newly designed?

Was there ever a variation with a saw? Seems natural.

I am not 100% sure, but I think the two blade slipjoint folding hunter was introduced sometime between 1880 and 1900, possibly as early as the 1870's. (It has been a "few" years since I saw the photos of the Arabica's (spelling?) cargo. However, I seem to recall a few knives that could possibly have been a two blade folding hunter. There weren't any close-ups of the knives. Difficult to tell what was on the tables.)
I am 99.9% certain it is a pre-World War 1 design. I don't know what company introduced the 2 blade slipjoint folding hunter pattern, or if it is/was a North American or European invention.

afishhunter · Jan 9, 2023

JM2 said:
It won’t hurt my feelings to see competitors of the same pattern...uh, for reference ya know.

Well ... if you insist ...
(SMKW) Marbles MR417 with genuine faux stag covers.
I don't know if the direction the rifle is pointing (towards the user) is an "oops" or a "subliminal" message.

View attachment 2040310

(BTI) Schrade Old Timer 25OT
View attachment 2040313
Both are 5.25" closed, and are equipped with 4" blades.
Sorry, the light isn't the greatest.

Both have been carried and used ... though not used for their "intended" purpose.

The last time I was able to go hunting (gosh ... I hope it wasn't THE Last Time!) was way back in 1995.

Side O'Beef · Jan 9, 2023

The bottom one is the Case. Hand scrimshawed on smooth bone (and with the etched bolsters). Single blade.
Top one is the Shrade. Heat-stamped scrimshaw on synthetic (delrin?). Not single blade.
Both from 1977.

Don W · Jan 9, 2023

Case began producing these sometime between 1905 and 1920. They did make a single bladed lock back version in the 1970's.

hornetguy · Jan 9, 2023

Arathol said:
A couple 65 pattern XX USA folding hunters from the 1960s-

That stag is wonderful....

hornetguy · Jan 9, 2023

this is the only one I have... I wondered aloud on this forum about how I would like to try one out some day, and one of the generous porch members sent me this one.... still have the knife, but not the remembrance of the brother that sent it to me... old age can really suck.

These are big knives.... pic of it next to a GEC 23 for comparison....

RLB0414 · Jan 9, 2023

afishhunter said:
I have a pair, but not by Case.
(so as not to offend/insult, I won't post a photo of them. Both of mine are recent offshore manufacture "old name" brands.)
A great pattern. TBH, I'm not sure why the single blade Buck 110 took over that market segment in 1964. Having two blade profiles is ever so much more versatile.

JM2 said:
It won’t hurt my feelings to see competitors of the same pattern...uh, for reference ya know.

Yeah I was thinking the same thing. I can’t understand why the buck is preferred. I carried a buck 110 for 4-5 years and was carrying one when the 65 uprooted it. Not that the buck is not a good knife but the 65 is more svelte.

Not to hijack thread but since the 317 was mentioned, I have often wondered why Buck did not produce a single blade model based on the 317

black mamba · Jan 9, 2023

As I prefer stainless steel and Staglon I have both of the USA made Uncle Henry folding hunters. The single blade is a locker.