- Buck 110 Folding Hunter · Clip Point3.75″ blade · 0.12″ spine · 7.2 oz · ~0.85″ tall
Buck 110 Folding Hunter
The Buck 110 Folding Hunter is a 3.75" clip point folder in 420HC. The handle is Ebony + Brass, secured by a back lock. At 7.2 oz it is heavier than 85% of the 140 knives here that publish a weight.
- Blade
- 3.75″
- Weight
- 7.2 oz
- Steel
- 420HC
- Price band
- Mid
A pocketable hunting blade for one animal a season
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Specifications
Manufacturer-published figures, cross-checked against buckknives.com.
- Blade length
- 3.75″
- Spine thickness
- 0.12″
- Blade shape
- Clip Point
- Steel
- 420HC
- Overall length
- 8.625″
- Closed length
- 4.88″
- Weight
- 7.2 oz
- Lock
- Back Lock
- Deployment
- Manual
- Handle material
- Ebony + Brass
- Country of origin
- USA
Why a clip point
The front third of the spine is 'clipped' away in a concave sweep, dropping the point below the spine line and putting it out in front. That makes a finer, more controllable tip than a drop point — better for piercing, slightly weaker under load. The Buck 110 pattern is the archetype.
Every clip point here →About 420HC
Buck's Paul Bos heat treat is what makes this ordinary steel good. Dulls sooner than premium steels and takes ninety seconds to fix.
1-5 is a relative ranking drawn from published composition and hardness, not a lab measurement. Higher is better on every axis, and no steel is a 5 across the board — edge retention and toughness pull against each other. All 420HC knives
What owners say
Drawn from 1,013 owner discussions of the Buck 110 Folding Hunter since 2024. The opinions are theirs. The specifications above come from the maker.
What owners like
- Decades-old 110s are still working knives: one owner has carried their great-grandfather's 110 on the hip for four years as a blade technician, and another carries a 2018 knife daily next to a 1970s yard-sale 110 that has been sharpened well down.
- The 420HC blade is easy to keep sharp: an owner who whittles, cuts rope, opens boxes and processes firewood with it sharpens about once a week and says the edge usually holds up quite well, another owner calls it insanely easy to sharpen, and a third credits Buck's heat treat.
- Buck will rebuild a worn-out knife: one owner had a new blade fitted to their late father's early-70s 110 after it had been worn down to a toothpick, and another sent off a rough pawn-shop 110 for servicing and got it back polished and sharpened.
- Warranty repairs come back fast and fixed: a MagnaCut stealth-run 110 was re-bladed and given new scales six days after it reached Buck, and an owner who has returned four 110s says Buck always sorts them out.
- The backlock feels solid with few moving parts: one owner who prefers backlocks over every other lock type switches to the 110 on the belt for hunting, and a buyer whose knife wobbled when closed still found it locked up as strong as it can be when open.
- Hunters keep it in the kit: a sheep and elk guide lists the 110 as the old reliable folder in their backcountry gear, and another hunter cleaned their first roe deer skull for a euro mount mostly with one.
- Grip comfort is what keeps people buying it despite the weight: one owner calls the grip crazy comfy, another says it feels great in hand, and one who keeps sending 110s back for fit problems says that feel is why they keep ordering them.
What owners flag
- At 7.2 oz it wears people down as an everyday carry: one owner of more than ten years says they rarely use it because it is heavy and has no flick opener, another found it cumbersome in its holster and wants something lighter, and others call it bulky even in the sheath or simply too heavy for daily carry.
- There is no pocket clip on the classic, so some owners fit their own: one drilled and tapped their 1997 110 for a clip in about three minutes, another added a clip and thumb stud because a sheath gets in the way at work, and a third, whose 110 slipped under their phone in a pocket, is considering a clip too.
- Opening it takes two hands: one owner bought Buck's add-on thumb stud for a Buck of the Month 110, then concluded the knife is made to open two-handed and moved the stud to another knife, and a ten-year owner says the lack of a flick opener is part of why they reach for a different knife instead.
- Blade play and poor centering show up on new knives again and again: one owner says they have sent four 110s back and that they are rarely centered, a BladeHQ S45VN exclusive and a Buck of the Month S30V both arrived with side-to-side play, and two MagnaCut stealth-run buyers got blades that sat far off center.
- Some owners think older knives were built better: one compared a vintage 110 with no gaps, no play and a smooth lock against their 2016 and 2020 knives, and another went looking for an older 110 because they believe recent quality has dropped.
- Brass bolsters tarnish: one owner was caught out by a patchy, rust-looking patina on them and asked whether the warranty would cover it.
- Years of sharpening shorten the blade enough to matter: one owner who sharpens to a coarse edge found that the tip of their closed knife can now catch a finger run along the spine.
Gifted at Christmas to an almost-twelve-year-old, a great-grandfather's knife carried on the hip for four years, picked up cheaply at a pawn shop and a swap meet: owners write about the 110 as a family knife first. They talk about its aging brass bolsters and its reputation as a workhorse, and one hunter switches to it on the belt when hunting and carries a Buck 112 and a Spyderco Native 5 otherwise.
Day to day, 7.2 oz with no clip and a nail nick is the trade owners make. Owners carry it in a belt pouch or sheath, and one who wanted it in a pocket drilled and tapped a clip. The 420HC blade sharpens easily and holds up to weekly use, while the recurring frustration is fit on new knives: blade play and off-center blades across Buck of the Month, BladeHQ, Slim and MagnaCut runs. Buck's warranty and servicing get credit for putting those right and for re-blading an early-70s knife worn down to a toothpick.
When owners move on, the knives they name are mostly modern folders: one gave their 110 away and pared down to a Benchmade 940 Osborne, another is saving up for an upgrade and likes the Osborne, and a third moved to a Spyderco Para Military 2 that felt light by comparison, while another bought a Buck 112 for the pocket. One owner stays inside the family with a clip-equipped 110 Slim and another with a custom-shop MagnaCut build, and one owner weighed the 110 against a Case Trapper because Buck will replace a blade that has been sharpened away.
Is the Buck 110 too heavy to carry every day?
It weighs 7.2 oz, and weight is the reason owners most often give for moving away from it for daily carry. One ten-year owner rarely uses it because it is heavy and has no flick opener, another finds it cumbersome in its belt holster, and both are shopping for something lighter. One owner prefers the heft, saying modern lightweight folders feel like toys after years with a solid brass and steel 110.
Can you add a pocket clip to a classic 110?
Yes, and some owners do it themselves. One drilled and tapped the frame of a 1997 110 in a vise and screwed on a clip in a few minutes, and says it works fine even if it is not pretty. Another went further with a clip, a thumb stud and contoured scales. Buck also sells 110 versions that come with a clip, such as the 110 Slim Elite Heritage, if you would rather not drill.
Is 420HC good enough steel on a 110?
Owners who use theirs hard are content with it. One sharpens about once a week after whittling, cutting rope and processing firewood and says the edge holds well, another singles out how easy it is to sharpen, and a third credits Buck's heat treat. Limited runs and custom-shop builds come in S45VN or MagnaCut, but the standard blade is 420HC.
What should I do if my new 110 has blade play or an off-center blade?
Send it to Buck under warranty, which is what owners do. One got a MagnaCut 110 back re-bladed with new scales six days after Buck received it, and an owner who has returned four knives says Buck fixes them every time. The catch is the round trip, which one owner expected to take six to eight weeks, and a European buyer worried that shipping to the US and back would cost close to a new knife.
Can Buck restore an old or worn-down 110?
Yes. One owner had a new blade fitted to their father's early-70s 110 after it had been worn down to a toothpick, and another sent in a rough pawn-shop knife for servicing and got it back polished and sharpened. A buyer of a 1980-81 110 from an antique shop asked about Buck's $7 spa treatment, which sharpens, polishes and adjusts a knife.
Should I get the 110 or the smaller 112 for pocket carry?
Two owners who have both use the 112 for everyday carry. One liked their 110 and bought a 112 for daily carry because it has a pocket clip, and another carries a 112 most days but switches to the 110 on the belt for hunting. One buyer weighing the two worried that the 110 is heavy and clipless and that the 112 is small.
Features
- Back Lock
- Made in USA
- Stainless blade
