Buck revives the grandfather of fighting knives in rare form

Directly inspired by the work of Hoyt Buck, dating back to 1902, Buck Knives is one of the most storied, long-lasting American knifemaking brands in operation.

While the brand has a wide-ranging catalog, including modern EDC folders, some of its best offerings are rugged fixed blades.

In fact, the brand just dropped its Buck 2026 Limited Collection, an assortment of six formidable fixed-blade knives, each special in its own right.

Obviously, it’s tough to pick a favorite, especially when three of them just so happen to be interpretations of the grandfather of American fighting knives itself, the legendary Bowie.

Bang for your Buck

In total, the collection encompasses six distinct knives. And all of them vary widely in their overall styling, size, materials and more. But one thing is certain: all six are rare interpretations of Buck offerings in extremely limited quantities.

In fact, one of the knives — a 116 Caper with a cherrywood handle and a 420HC drop-point blade — is already sold out. And if Buck’s claims of rarity are to be believed, it won’t be coming back anytime soon, if at all.

For now, at least, the other five are still available. However, that doesn’t mean they’re sticking around for long. As such, I’d recommend that any interested parties pull that trigger sooner rather than later.

Since three of the knives are interpretations of Bowie knives priced at $200 and up, the other two, which range from $150 to $175, seem likeliest to go the way of the dodo first.

They are a 104 Compadre Camp Knife with a Cru-Wear blade and Micarta handle and a 192 Vanguard in 154CM steel with an oak and brass handle.

Take a bow(ie)

Call me predictable all you want, but I am a sucker for a good Bowie knife. And as mentioned, three of the knives in this collection fit the bill to a T.

Two of them, both versions of the Buck 117, sit at the $200 price point. The first is a 117 Mini with a MagnaCut Blade, OD green Micarta handle and aluminum for the guard and pommel.

The other is a 117 Brahma with a D2 blade, SureTouch handle and aluminum for the guard and pommel. Both have 4.5-inch clip-point blades, but the Brahma’s handle is a bit thicker than the Mini’s. Otherwise, they’re pretty stylistically similar.

However, if I had to pick a favorite of the bunch, it would be the remaining knife, a version of the 119 Special. This beauty gets a Cerakote-finished MagnaCut steel clip-point blade, OD green Micarta handle and aluminum pommel and guard. It also has the beefiest blade of the Bowies, measuring 6.0 inches long.

Having said that, you really can’t go wrong with any of these spectacular knives, and they will each serve you beautifully, no matter the task.

Availability and pricing

The entire Buck 2026 Limited Collection is now available on the brand’s official site, ranging from $125 to $250. However, these knives are available in extremely limited quantities, so you’ll want to grab one while you can (in fact, one is already sold out).

Want to stay up to date on the latest product news and releases? Add Gear Patrol as a preferred source to ensure our independent journalism makes it to the top of your Google search results.