Timeless elegance of the Buck Model 119

Every now and then, a manufacturer gets it right. Really right. Winchester did it with the legendary Model 70, Leupold did it with the original VX series of scopes and Ruger did it by reviving the single shot for the 20th Century. These manufacturers saw a niche market for a solid performing, affordable and functional model which would have mass appeal. They were right. These offerings in various guises have remained consistently popular since their introduction. Buck knives likewise got it very right when they introduced the Model 119.

This was a simple fixed blade brought forth from wartime necessity which eventually achieved legendary status throughout the hunting community. Let us examine the reasons for its introduction, why it constitutes such a great knife and conclude with what it’s good for. Much of the early history of Buck was covered in my previous article in when I spoke about the Model 110. The