Comparison of buck 303 & 301 needed

S

Stareagle

Joined
May 28, 2014
Messages
42
Hi guy's

I've recently started a new job in the retail sector, the store's uniform consists of dress trousers and a polo shirt, besides the usual shop floor duties I'm also helping out in the stockroom unpacking the stock.

Some of the packaging comes tied together with those plastic straps which my smaller knives struggle with, and my larger knives can be uncomfortable in the pocket of my trousers and they tend to scare my co-workers.

As a result I started looking looking for other choices for a small discreet but robust knife and settled on the medium stockman pattern and like the look of the buck 303 & 301.

Now where I live in the UK there aren't any true knife shops but there is an old fashioned tobacconist that had a buck 301 in stock that I was able to handle. Unfortunately it was to large for my hands but I liked how robustly made it was made and was wondering if the buck 303 was as well built?

Side by side pics would be great and any suggestions for something similar in size and budget would be gratefully received.

Thanks in advance.
 
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Don't have any side-by-side pics but they are basically the same knife, with the 303 being a little smaller. Also, the third blade on the 303 is more of pen knife with a nice point to it, rather than a true spey blade like on the 301.

I have both, and the 303 is a great knife. Sturdy, 3-springs, good steel, very sharply pointed clip blade (same as the bigger 301).
 
Buck 301, 701, newer 303, older 303. Don't have a newer 301 but I think the blade setup is like the newer 303. But check to be sure.

 
Buck 301 blade layout. This was a relatively recent purchase, right before they discontinued the yellow Delrin.

 
Yellow Delrin Buck 303 for comparison.

image2253.jpg
 
jc57, joe58

Thanks for the quick replies, it seems that the 303 would be just what I'm after. One last question, are the blades the same thickness on the 301 & 303?
 
Seems like the 303 blades are proportionally thinner than the 301. But still nice sturdy blades at the spine, where the flat part is. Then hollow ground down to a nice edge. I would definitely not call the blades on either knife "thin."
 
A family shot of yellow Buck knives/
In order:
309
303
301
302
The 302 and 301 are the same length. The 302 is a single bladed 301.
100_3148.jpg
 
John, Joe, OH, and Frank, thanks for posting the very helpful photos! :thumbup::thumbup: I'm in the market for a classic Buck folder, and I'm pretty much down to the "usual suspects": 301 (probably bigger than I tend to carry), 303 (liking what I'm seeing in this thread, kind of medium stockman), Lancer, and Companion (don't remember the model numbers of the latter two, but the smaller pen knives certainly have their own appeal). Thanks for starting this thread, Stareagle!! :D

- GT
 
I carried a 303 as my daily carry for over 10 years. During that time I worked in construction, worked as a truck driver, worked in a retail paint store, worked in several labs as a development chemist and development engineer. No matter what I was doing, I never felt I didn't have enough knife with me for whatever job I was doing.
 
Frank's picture reminded me that I have recently obtained a Buck 302 Solitaire - it was in the glass display case of a gunshop for several years. I just saw this past week, but didn't buy, a Buck 302 Solitaire with brass ends and brown dymondwood scales at another gunshop - I'm thinking on that one. The Buck 302 is an easy carry for a longer knife (same length as a 301) due to it's thinness - thinner than the Buck 303. OH

Buck_302_Solitaire_-_MFG_-_2010.JPG
 
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Finally had a chance to take some comparison shots for you.







303 in hand:


301 in hand:
 
Great comparison photo's John - the Buck 303 doesn't "feel" as much smaller than the Buck 301 as it looks in the side by side photos! OH
 
Thanks again for the photos guys, they've really helped settled any doubts I had about getting a 303 or 373.

5K Qs, I'm glad this thread has been of help to you, but the real thanks should go to the great members of this forum for posting all the pictures.

John, Thank you VERY much, I was just about to ask if anyone would mind posting a top down photo. The in hand photos are just the icing on the cake.
 
Glad to help out. You do know the official Bladeforums answer to all such questions is "get both!" :D

With those Bucks that's actually pretty good advice. If someone were to say to me "I don't want to get into collecting, I just want a good sturdy versatile slipjoint for daily carry" and if they didn't want the extra tools in a SAK, then the Buck 301 or 303 would be pretty much my top suggestions.
 
Yes, I do know the correct answer should be "get both", unfortunately so does my wallet.:rolleyes: It was was last seen running down the road screaming like a banshee after yelling "no @%$!& way!!!".:D

So with my finances being only whatever cash I had laying around I'm currently only able to get one of them.:grumpy:
 
They are both great knives and to say they are rugged is an understatement. I have both and when i expect to do more carrying than cutting i choose the 303. If i am expecting to do a lot of cutting i grab the 301. The 303 is really just as capable i just like the 301's extra handle for extended use.
 
Grateful

I understand where you're coming from, though for me the 301 goes through to the other side of "big enough to be comfortable". When I had a chance to handle one the bolsters were hanging ether side of my palm, from what I can see from the side by side photos the 303 should be small enough to fit in my hand with out being too small.
 
I've quite a few of both the 301 and 303 models and do enjoy them both. But for me, my hands are kinda on the small skinny side, so that's one reason I added that 701 in my picture. At 3 3/4" closed, I found it perfect for me. And it feels a little thicker in my hand which helps on days when my joints are complaining. But that model is a little harder to find and kind of expensive when you do as compared to the 300 series models.

I've just gotten back two 301's that Leroy Remer reground the spey into a pen and he really did a super job. Plus full detail and sharpen. Can't recommend him enough. I find a pen much more useful than the spey and he put a very nice point onto them. Looks factory.
 
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