Buck 110 vs 112: Which Folding Hunter to Carry

Buck 110 Folding Hunter or 112 Ranger: carry the 110 on a belt for its 3 3/4-inch blade, or the 112 in a pocket, 1.6 ounces lighter.

Originally published: October 18, 2026

The Buck 110 Folding Hunter is a lockback folding knife with a 3 3/4-inch clip point blade, brass bolsters and an ebony handle, and the 112 Ranger is the same design cut down to a 3-inch blade. Buy the 110 if it rides on your belt to deer camp. Buy the 112 if it rides in your pocket, since it is 1.6 ounces lighter and 5/8 inch shorter closed. Blade length rules differ by state, so check yours before either one leaves the house.

Every deer camp has this argument, usually around the second pot of coffee: the big Buck or the little Buck? They share a steel, a lock and a look, so the fight comes down to 3/4 inch of blade, 1.6 ounces and ten bucks (sorry, I had to).

Buck 110 vs 112 Specs Side by Side

Here are both knives on Buck’s own numbers. Read across and see how little separates them.

From Buck’s 110 and 112 product pages, read in October 2026, when both showed in stock; heat treat per Buck’s heat treating page. Buck publishes no open length for either knife on those pages or in its 2026 dealer catalog. Prices change, so check the maker before you buy.

The 110 Folding Hunter

Buck says the 110 was created in 1963, when Al Buck decided outdoorsmen needed a locking folder because they “wanted a sturdy knife but did not want to carry a long, fixed blade knife.” It went on the market in 1964, and Buck’s historian calls it “the first mass-produced locking folder able to handle the heavier-duty work usually reserved for larger fixed-blades.” Buck counts more than 15 million sold.

The lock is the whole trick. A lockback has a rocker bar (the bar you can see along the top of the handle) that locks against the blade when you open it all the way. Press down on the rocker to fold it (Buck notes a lockback takes two hands to close). That lock is why a 110 does not fold up on your fingers halfway through a job.

The 110 is a belt knife. Notice I said BELT. At 7.2 ounces and 4 7/8 inches closed, with no pocket clip, it was built to ride in the leather sheath it comes with. For the lighter, clip-carried take, see Eoin May’s review of the aluminum-framed Buck 110+.

The 112 Ranger

The 112 exists because of a blade length rule. Buck’s story is that two sailors got into a fight aboard the aircraft carrier USS Ranger, the captain banned the 110’s longer blade, and Buck answered with a smaller version named after the ship. Buck’s historian dates its announcement to a letter to dealers on October 31, 1972 (Halloween, for the record).

Everything else carried over: the same 420HC, the same 0.120-inch blade stock, the same ebony, brass and lockback. Think of it as the 110 after a pass under the shrink ray from Honey, I Shrunk the Kids. At 5.6 ounces and 4 1/4 inches closed, it rides in a jeans pocket without dragging your pants down, and it still comes with a belt sheath.

Which One Should You Carry?

Having worked behind the counter for over 20 years, I get asked the big-Buck-or-little-Buck question every fall, usually by a hunter holding one in each hand. Three questions settle it.

Where Does It Ride?

Belt sheath, buy the 110. Pocket, buy the 112. A 7.2-ounce knife with no clip is a lot of brass to sit on all day, and the 112 is 1.6 ounces lighter.

How Big Are Your Hands?

The 110 is 5/8 inch longer closed, which gives a big or gloved hand more handle to hold. If you wear a large glove in the stand, I would lean 110. Average hands, bare most of the year? The 112 fills them fine.

What Is the Main Job?

For cutting rope, opening feed sacks and slicing an apple, the 112 does everything the 110 does. If the main job is deer, the 110 gives you 3/4 inch more blade to work with. Price will not break the tie, because ten dollars should never decide a knife you will own for 30 years.

So here is my pick. One Buck for a deer hunter: the 110 on the belt. One Buck for everybody else: the 112, because the knife that rides along every day is the one that gets used.

What Steel Is a Buck 110?

Both classics use 420HC, a stainless steel Buck credits with “excellent rust resistance, ease of re-sharpening and medium edge retention.” In plain terms, it shrugs off a wet day, it comes back to sharp quickly on a stone, and it wants that stone more often than the premium steels Buck also sells.

The heat treat is where Buck earns its keep. Buck says every blade goes through the process Paul Bos set up for the company, tempered “through a heating, freezing and reheating system,” and that it holds its standard steel at Rc 58 and its higher-end steels at 59 to 62.

Want more edge life? Buck sells both knives in S35VN, and MagnaCut shows up on the Slim Heritage Elites and Auto Elites (prices in the next table). Run 420HC, S35VN and MagnaCut through our knife steel comparison tool before you spend the extra money.

Other 110 and 112 Versions Buck Sells

The 110 and 112 are platforms as much as knives. These showed in stock on Buck’s site, 110 first and 112 second. If you like a drop point better than a clip point, Buck sells both classics that way at the standard price.

From each version’s Buck page, read in October 2026; all showed in stock. Nickel silver Slim Heritage Elites are $224.99 (110) and $204.99 (112). The Slim Pro TRX, 110 LT and Crossbar Elite versions showed out of stock, so they are not listed. Prices change, so check the maker before you buy.

One warning on the Autos. A knife whose blade opens automatically “by hand pressure applied to a button or other device in the handle of the knife” is a switchblade under federal law (15 U.S.C. § 1241), and federal law bars moving switchblades across state lines outside a short list of exceptions (15 U.S.C. §§ 1242 and 1244). Buck’s Auto pages add that many states restrict them too, so check yours before you order.

Field Dressing a Deer With a Folder

Buck says the 110 “was designed for hunting but is perfect for any task requiring a large folding knife.” The catch is cleanup. Our hunting knife guide notes that a folder’s blade channel collects blood and tissue, which is why it puts a fixed blade first for field dressing and keeps a folder as the backup.

If the folder is what you have, clean it before it rides home: wipe it, swab out the channel and lock, dry it and oil the pivot the way our pocket knife maintenance page shows. Then mind the meat, because Popular Outdoorsman’s venison guide covers how fast to field dress and cool a carcass.

Where Are Buck Knives Made?

Buck lists both the 110 and the 112 as “Knife made in the USA,” and its factory is in Post Falls, Idaho. Buck moved there from California in February 2005 and says the move came out of “a firm decision to continue manufacturing in the United States.”

Both classic sheaths are listed as imported, while the Auto versions ship with a sheath Buck lists as made in the USA. And not every Buck is American-made: the 698 Ferrox and 373 Trio pages list their origin as “Imported,” so read the origin line on the exact model before you buy.

Want to see the factory? Buck runs free tours Monday through Thursday at 10:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m., about 45 minutes long. Space is limited, so reserve a spot, and wear closed-toe shoes.

Buck’s Forever Warranty

Buck’s promise is short: “We warrant each and every Buck knife to be free of defects in material and workmanship for the life of the knife.” Buck will repair or replace a defective knife at its discretion.

The fine print is where people get burned. Normal wear, misuse and modifications are not covered, and using the knife as a hammer, chisel, pry bar or screwdriver voids the warranty (Buck may still fix it for a fee). Rust, coating wear and dishwasher damage are out. Taking the knife apart voids it too, and Buck charges $10 to reassemble one. The sheath gets one year, not forever.

Snap a blade on a 110 or 112 folder and Buck lists a replacement at $10 for 420HC or $15 for other steels, though the Autos are not eligible. You pay postage in, Buck pays the return on warranty work, and it needs the knife, not a photo. Repairs run 10 to 12 weeks, so do not mail your only deer knife in the middle of deer season. Remember, “forever” covers defects, not abuse.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is the Buck 112 big enough for deer?

Yes. Buck’s 2026 catalog pitches the 112 as a compact folder for “hunters, hikers, and outdoor enthusiasts,” and its blade is cut from the same thickness of steel as the 110’s. A shorter blade is easier to steer around the guts of a whitetail, so I would not leave the 112 home on account of size.

Is the Buck 110 legal to carry?

Check before you carry, because blade length limits differ by state. Rhode Island, for example, bars carrying any knife concealed with a blade of more than three inches (R.I. Gen. Laws § 11-47-42), and Buck lists the 110’s blade at 3 3/4 inches. Our knife laws by state page covers all 50 states and D.C.; check your city too.

Does Buck still sharpen knives under warranty?

Not as a warranty claim; sharpening is a paid service. Buck’s SPA service is $6.95 per Buck-branded knife, and Buck says that covers sharpening, polish, slight adjustments and return shipping, with a 4- to 5-week turnaround. To do it yourself, Buck says it tends to grind to 13 to 16 degrees per side, and our how to sharpen a knife guide shows how to hold that angle.

Is the Buck 110 too big for a pocket?

The classic is, for most pockets, since it has no clip and carries a lot of brass. Buck’s answer is the Slim line: the 110 Slim Select keeps the 3 3/4-inch blade, adds a clip and opens with one hand, and Buck’s 2026 catalog says the 110 Slim Heritage Elite is 0.25 inch thinner than the original 110.

Can I fly with a Buck 110?

Not in your carry-on. TSA bars knives from carry-on bags, apart from round-bladed butter knives and plastic cutlery, and allows them in checked bags, where it says sharp objects should be sheathed or securely wrapped. Pack the knife in its leather sheath, and see our TSA rules for EDC gear for the rest of your kit.

Belt, 110. Pocket, 112. Whichever you pick, get your name on it before deer camp (Buck laser-engraves blades starting at $9), because a Buck left on a tailgate has a funny way of finding a new owner.

Sources: Buck Knives product pages: 110, 112, 110 Slim Select, 112 Slim Select, 110 drop point, 112 drop point, 110 S35VN, 112 nickel silver, 110 Hunter Sport, 112 Ranger Sport, 110 Heritage Elite, 112 Heritage Elite, 110 Auto, 112 Auto, 110 Auto Elite, 112 Auto Elite, 698 Ferrox, 373 Trio; Buck Knives, “2026 Dealer Catalog”; Buck Knives, “Heat Treating”; Buck Knives, “Choosing the Right Knife”; Buck Knives, “FAQ”; Buck Knives, “Buck’s Forever Warranty”; Buck Knives, “Knife Sharpening Services”; Buck Knives, “How to Sharpen Your Knife”; Buck Knives, “The History of Buck Knives”; Buck Knives, “60 Years of the Knife Industry’s Most Iconic Model”; Buck Knives, “The History of the 112 Ranger”; Buck Knives, “The 50th Anniversary of the 112 Ranger Knife”; Buck Knives, “Celebrating 15 Years in Idaho”; Buck Knives, “Factory Tour Information”; Cornell LII, federal switchblade law: 15 U.S.C. § 1241, § 1242, § 1244; Rhode Island General Assembly, R.I. Gen. Laws § 11-47-42; TSA, “What Can I Bring? Knives”.

James Nicholas

NFA Firearms Manufacturer & Professional Gunsmith The XDMAN has a talent for taking complex firearms subject matter and breaking it down into an easy-to-understand format that all experience levels can relate to. James is an 07/02 NFA Firearms Manufacturer, a Professional Gunsmith with over 20 years of experience, and a Firearms Writer, Photographer and Firearms Expert. Connect with him on Instagram, X, and Facebook as @therealxdman.

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