Knife Highlight: Buck Bazooka Green Momentum Spring Assisted Knife

The Buck Bazooka Green Momentum Spring Assisted Knife

A young Kansas blacksmith apprentice named Hoyt Buck was looking for a better way to temper steel so it would hold an edge longer. His unique approach produced the first Buck Knife in 1902. Hoyt made each knife by hand, suing worn out file blades as raw material. His handiwork was greatly appreciated during World War II. Hoyt’s eldest son Al had relocated from the Pacific Northwest to San Diego California after finishing a stint in the navy a decade earlier. Hoyt, and his wife Daisy, moved in with Al and his young family in 1945 and set up shop as H.H. Buck and Son.

Following the death of his father, Al kept the fledgling custom knife business going until incorporating Buck Knives, Inc. in 1961. Al introduced his son, Chuck, to the knife business at an early age and Chuck and his wife, Lori, were both involved when the company was incorporated. In 1964, the knife industry was revolutionized with the introduction of the Model 110 Folding Hunter, making Buck Knives a leader in the field. A position they proudly hold today.

Chuck worked his way up through the company serving as President and CEO for many years before handing over the reins to his son, CJ, in 1999. Chuck remained active as Chairman of the Board until his passing in 2015. Lori now serves on the Board of Directors and is actively involved with Buck promotional events throughout the US, continuing Chuck’s legacy.

CJ, the 4^th generation family member to run Buck Knives and current CEO, President and Chairman, started out with the company on the production line in 1978. He has been quoted saying, “We have been helping people thrive with reliable and trustworthy edged products for over a century. Since our own name is on the knife, our quality, focus and attention to detail is very personal.”

Hoyt and Al Buck’s ingenuity may have put the company on the map. But it is their ongoing commitment to developing innovative new products and improving what they have by third and fourth generation Buck family members that have made Buck the successful knife maker it is today. Frankly, it is what their customers expect from a Buck.

Buck has a forever warranty which means that they warranty each and every Buck knife to be free of defects in material and workmanship for the life of the knife, and they will repair or replace with a new Buck knife, at their option, any Buck knife that is defective.

Today we will be discussing the Buck Bazooka Green Momentum spring assisted knife.

The Blade:

The blade on this Buck has been made out of CPM-S30V stainless steel. This is a popular high-end steel that was actually designed specifically with cutlery in mind. This means that you are going to get the absolute best of all the qualities needed for whatever may come your way.

For starters, the steel is incredibly corrosion resistant, which is crucial for any hunting knife. You are going to be encountering a variety of different fluids and gunk, so having a blade that can take it is important. The next thing about this steel is that it is known for having a near perfect balance between hardness, toughness, and edge retention. This is quite the balance to achieve, but this steel does it perfectly. The hardness will lead to high edge retention while the toughness is going to ensure that the blade on the Momentum is durable and ready for anything.

The steel really only has one major drawback: because of how hard it is, it is known for being complicated to sharpen. This means that a beginner sharpener is not going to be able to hang and sharpening this blade in the field is most likely out of the question.

The blade on the Momentum has been coated with a graphite black Cerakote finish. This is a polymer coating that is very similar to a paint coating. This coating is surprisingly durable and stays on the handle for much longer periods of time than most coatings do. This means that unlike many coatings, it is going to take more time to scratch off. This coating also creates a blade that is even more corrosion resistant than the blade on its own. This is because of the barrier that the coating creates in between the blade and the environment. Like any coating, it is going to prolong the life of the blade. This is because it increases the wear and corrosion resistance of the blade.

Of course, while it does stay on for longer periods of time than most coatings, it is a coating, which means that it may be scratched off after time or heavy use. At this point, the blade would actually be worse off than if it never had a coating. This is because it adds in the texture of scratches, which make it harder to get some of your smoother cuts. The blade would also be subject to rusting and corroding like it hadn’t previously been. Also, to remain as quality as the blade started off, the coating would have to be reapplied.

One of the other major benefits of the coating is that it is a matte graphite black, which means that it is going to cut down on glares and reflections. This is a good thing if you are using it in the field, because none of the light reflections are going to give away your position in the field.

Even though the blade is coated, it is still important to make sure that the blade has been cleaned and dried before closing it into the handle. This will keep the coating in tip-top shape, without the quality of it breaking down earlier than it should.

The blade has been carved into a drop point blade shape, which is the ideal blade shape for hunting. One of the top qualities of the drop point for a hunting knife is that it has a dropped, or lowered, point. This is going to give you more control, which in turn, will allow you to better dress the game you are working with. With better control, you are less likely to slip and ruin the meat or accidentally pierce an organ. The other major characteristic of the drop point blade that really lends itself well to hunting is the large belly. The extra surface area will easily help you excel at slicing, which is crucial to field dressing.

All in all, with a drop point blade shape, it’s impossible to go wrong when it comes to hunting.

The Handle:

The handle is made out of 6061-T6 aluminum, which is the alloy of aluminum that offers the highest yield resistance, meaning this aluminum is going to be stronger and more durable than your other aluminums. The aluminum has been finished in a Bazooka green.

The handle is rather simple, with a long groove going down the face of the handle and three ridges that cross diagonally toward the butt of the handle. These different textures will add in the grip that you need to feel secure while suing the handle.

The Pocket Clip:

The pocket clip on this knife is a deep carry pocket clip that has been statically designed for tip up carry only on the traditional side of the handle.

The deep carry aspect of this does mean that it is going to stay securely in your pocket. This is the perfect characteristic on an outdoor sports knife such as the Bazooka Green Momentum, because you are going to be moving around throughout the day. This Buck knife also makes a great hunting knife, so the deep carry aspect will keep it deep inside of your pocket as you move through the landscape until the time that you do need to use it. There is no need to worry about constantly checking to make sure that it is still securely in your pocket; it will be. This is a single position clip, so the Momentum is not going to be ambidextrous friendly.

The clip is black, which matches the blade. The clip is slightly skeletonized, so you can see the two silver screws that do keep the clip in place. The rest of the hardware on the Momentum is silver. The clip is uniquely shaped, with a larger curve, because the top of the clip is attached at the curve of the butt. The top of the clip is much wider, but it does taper down significantly by the time you get about 1/3 of the way up the clip.

The Mechanism:

This is a spring assisted knife that has been equipped with a thumb window as well as a small flipper.

A spring assisted knife is a type of folding pocket knife that uses an internal mechanism (the spring) to finish the opening of the blade, only after the user has partially opened it. This means that it is going to be a little bit easier and smoother to open compared to a manual folding knife, but it also won’t fall under the strict set of laws that a fully automatic knife does. Of course, always know your local knife laws even though this is not an automatic.

There are two different ways to start the spring assisted opening mechanism. The first is the thumb window. The thumb window sits in the same place that you would normally find a thumb stud. Instead of a stud that extends off the blade though, there is a window that has been carved into the blade. Some of the benefits of this are that it is not going to get in the way like a thumb stud would. And, it is ambidextrous because you can access it from either side of the blade. That being said, it is in the same position and requires the same movement as a thumb stud, so it may put your fingers in the path of the blade during the opening process.

The flipper is a squatter flipper than the typical one you would see. It is wider and flatter and not as triangular. The flipper mechanism is harder to get the hang of, however, it does add some elements of safety. For starters, when the blade is opened, the flipper enhances the finger guard, further protecting you from accidentally getting sliced. The second measure of safety is that when opening the knife, you do not put yoru fingers in the path of the blade.

The Specs:

The blade on this knife measures in at 3.125 inches long with a handle that measures in at 4.5 inches long. The overall length of the knife when the blade has been deployed measures in at 7.625 inches long, which is a pretty standard length. Since this is a pretty average or even larger knife, it weighs in at 4.3 ounces. This knife was made in the United States of America.

Conclusion:

2019 promises to bring us new and improved models across the board with Buck and the Momentum is no exception--sporting Cerakote® finished all-aluminum handles and additional colorways. The new Momentum is one of several spring assisted models that utilizes Buck's patented ASAP Technology® and models upon the chassis of the popular Buck Impact automatic. Each liner lock designed model features a premium stainless-steel blade that is deployed with the use of the spine flipper function and the incorporated slide safety on the spine of the handle helps to prevent accidental firing while in the closed position. This model features a bazooka green aircraft-grade aluminum handle, stainless steel liners, a drop point style blade in a graphite black Cerakote® finish and the deep carry pocket clip is statically designed for tip up carry only on the traditional side of the handle.

This Buck is currently in stock at BladeOps, but quantities are going quickly. If you want to get your hands on this, you’re going to want to hurry. Go here to purchase this outstanding knife.