Feedback on the Buck 124?

JD Mandrell

JD Mandrell

Joined
Apr 20, 2001
Messages
18,423
Just can't seem to lose the urge to get one, anyone put one through much outdoor use? How'd you like it?
 
I've not put one to the test, so to speak but that doesn't keep it from being my favorite Buck fixed blade. I've got a current model, a burgundy micarta, a cocobolo a BCCI lucite version and an early phenolic model. The early one is my favorite followed by the burgundy micarta. You can never have just one, 124.
 
I would suggest handling one, I have a newer limited edition version and while it is a sweet knife I find the handle very blocky (that said, will sell it if you "need" a LE version) so I bought an older one with a more trim handle. Great knife, but with the variation in grip over the years I would handle them first.
 
does pretty well from my uses. one of my favorites, but handle is a bit blocky and i prefer the feel of the 120 handle thickness. so im a bit biased, but the 124 is still my favorite current production buck larger fixed blade.
 
I've been testing one out for the past 4 months. It's become one of my favorite knives! I've batoned, feather-sticked, and chopped with it and it's held up perfectly. I've also started a number of fires using only the 90 degree spine and a fire steel.

I would say it's one of the sturdiest knives on the market (see the post about the silver soldering of the handle), and I do agree that the handle is "blocky," but I find if I choke up on the grip it fits my medium/large hands perfectly. I'm pretty sure they're currently $103 on Amazon, so pick one up!

Also, my father purchased one earlier in the year and it came with a mexican sheath. I just ordered another and it said in large letters on the back of the sheath "proudly made in the USA." Can't beat it.
 
Damned thing is perfect for killing pit bulls and other large vermin.

Still waiting for one to actually complete the attack. So far they've stopped when confronted with the big blade and a fearless gaze.

Owners hostile, but equally unwilling to actually engage.
 
How come when the new guys write about 'testing a knife' it tends to center around beating the crud out of it. Never about slicing or meat cutting,--real knife work. Just axe work. And berggren already broke a Mesa while malleting.
I used my 124 to cut up a mule deer some time back. It is a 1993 model w/ wood laminate handle and 425M steel blade. So, it has the fuller
hollow grind. I thought it worked well. The handle felt fine. I wish it had a lanyard hole and the guard being large tends to get in the way of
cutting. Like when doing steaks on a cutting board. The guard acts as a stop on downward slicing. The guard encounters the cutting board and stops the slice. As a skinning, quartering & field dressing knife it works better. And it would work for bush craft. I would never mallet mine because I carry an axe. DM
 
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David Martin said:
How come when the new guys write about 'testing a knife' it tends to center around beating the crud out of it. Never about slicing or meat cutting,--real knife work. Just axe work. And berggren already broke a Mesa while malleting.
DM
Click to expand...

I suspect there's a simple explanation.

Many of the "new guys" rarely hunt. Many spend most of their time in town. But they can beat the crap out of knives in their back yards or on the annual camping trip.

Many never will hunt. America is changing. Our population is more centered in cities. Our old rural hunting and fishing culture is fading away slowly.

But people still love knives.......just have fewer practical applications.

The 124 is a knife that seems built to do tough jobs (and fighting off grizzlies). The real hunter who processes his own kills would have little use for it--he'd use more specialized and handier knives for the various field dressing and meat cutting tasks.

A really BIG knife like the 124 CAN be used, but there are better options.
 
I have many 124s from the white teflon spacers to special additions. I carry it in the woods mostly camping, don't hunt that much anymore and can't ask for a better knife. Don't baton with it, got a thing called an axe and never been in a real survival situation. Besides a 110 and 317 (personal pref) the 124 is a mainstay.
 
David Martin said:
How come when the new guys write about 'testing a knife' it tends to center around beating the crud out of it. DM
Click to expand...

1. Because batoning is a legitimate use for a knife.
2. Because Buck recommends this knife for batoning. "Our 420HC steel is definitely strong enough. However if you are looking for a knife to use a baton with we would suggest a larger model like the 119, 120 or 124. A true wood chopping blade is our Compadre Series Model 108.
Buck Knives, Inc. MANUFACTURER answered on May 12, 2017 on Amazon.com "105 Pathfinder" question"
3. Because Bear Claw Chris Lappe asked about "outdoor use" for this knife. Every modern "outdoor use" knife review covers batoning. He didn't ask about "hunting use."

You're not doing Buck any favors being an anti-batoning referee on this forum. Every other knife maker has embraced batoning and Buck has done the same. It is a valid test of a knife's durability and reliability. Discussions about it should be welcome on any Buck discussion board. "New guys" don't need to be singled out, either. We all have a shared passion for Buck knives.
 
Whether anyone tells me it’s okay or not; if I have only one knife with me and I’m trapped in the woods, the absolute last thing I’m going to consider doing is risk destroying what might be the only tool I have. There are few expendable luxuries if you’re in a survival situation. Risking destroying one of them because ___________ said to or showed it being done on the internet is foolish.
I don’t own a 124. I’ve handled them though and they’re great blades for sure!
 
i dont get the baton deal. its not the best or most efficient way to split wood. im lazy so i like to use easier tools like an axe or hatchet myself. too each their own......
 
I'm not being a referee. I am contributing to 'outdoor use'. Which was what he ask for. At least I don't pound on blades until they break then ask Buck to give me a new one. But have at it, it's in vogue. DM
 
I split some kindling once when I was younger with a 119. I forgot my hatchet. (I think it was before there was a blade forum.) I used the tool I had to carefully perform the task I needed it to. The knife was completely unharmed. I remembered my hatchet next time though.

I do have a 124 now and it is a great knife though I don't use it much; it's pretty big. Size aside, if it was the only tool I had and I needed to baton some kindling, cut some potatoes or clean some fish, I'm sure I could make it work.
 
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VorpalRain said:
I suspect there's a simple explanation.

Many of the "new guys" rarely hunt. Many spend most of their time in town. But they can beat the crap out of knives in their back yards or on the annual camping trip.

Many never will hunt. America is changing. Our population is more centered in cities. Our old rural hunting and fishing culture is fading away slowly.

But people still love knives.......just have fewer practical applications.

The 124 is a knife that seems built to do tough jobs (and fighting off grizzlies). The real hunter who processes his own kills would have little use for it--he'd use more specialized and handier knives for the various field dressing and meat cutting tasks.

A really BIG knife like the 124 CAN be used, but there are better options.
Click to expand...
West coast is alive and well In the hunting department.:thumbsup:
 
David Martin said:
I'm not being a referee. I am contributing to 'outdoor use'. Which was what he ask for. At least I don't pound on blades until they break then ask Buck to give me a new one. But have at it, it's in vogue. DM
Click to expand...
I agree David. Beat it until it breaks, then bitch about it loud enough until someone gives you a new one.
 
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