Unboxing NO.5

In the post office parking lot. You take what you can get.

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Stainless or carbon steel?

But are you going to actually use it? or collect it?

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To be taken out and ebayed or whatever in future when i need a thousand or two for whatever. Those never get opened.

The ones i open are for personal use and i collect nothing. Cannot fathom buying a tool and keeping but never using it. Investing i understand, but not white glove collecting.

The S next to trademark denotes the stainless since mid/late 60s. Great lightweight knife with heavy duty blade.

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one of mine is virtually identical to yours, but about 20 years old.

I have a #3 with finger grip stag handle, and an unused #7 with stacked leather handle.

I have a couple of Blackjack 1-7 knives that are very similar to the Randall #1.

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Once they see the art, and once they see maybe something else might work even better for them. I am partial now to the below pictured big Buxton for any time or place which might turn into a "depend on knife for anything" situation, but for 99.9% of field knife uses, the far lighter and less bulky 5-6 or 1-7 hard to beat.

Blackjack tries to directly ape most every truly successful Randall design and makes no bones about it...EVERYbody copied Randall at one time or another. His lines are still original and fresh. Loveless started with Randall copies, Dozier, Ralph Bone etc etc and factory names such as SOG (which started as a sterile Japanese disposable Randall copy and morphed into many SF etc guys leaving Randalls safe in hooch and using the copies to trash regularly, and not because it was so good). Probably the most imitated and forged knife in world. Guy down in south FL does a brisk biz on ebay selling fake Randalls.

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I say the 5-6 is king of the woods but i believe most folk disagree and vote with their money and that the 3-5 and 3-6 lead and have led all time Randall sales in non-military knives.

And for good reason. Lucious curves, better large game skinner, otherwise can handle same chores, and only might...might be weaker out towards front in abusive situations, but Randalls vary so much even in exact same model and options, one can only compare one precise knife with another precise knife and conclusion only valid for that sample of two.

You do not mention lengths, and their knives normally scale to length, such as a 3-5 will often be thinner and shallower than a 3-7...often, but not always. Likewise the #1/#5.

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I like that, really nice knife.

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It is close to what is called a Bradford Angier model, famous 60s/70s primitive living author who called it his ideal all purpose knife.

His had an O-1 blade and compass inlet to butt of handle. Mine has neither. But same model, same teardrop black micarta handle (i requested shaped for a small hand to get flatter/trimmer), nickel silver single guard and wrist thong...those plus stainless and etch all extra cost items.

But lightweight powerhouse, has pukko feel but also ultimate kitchen knife. Blade is civilian version of #1 Fighter, minus dip in ricasso/thumb-rest and sharpened upper clip

The NO.5 personalizing is an inside joke between a guy at the shop and myself, in case you end up with this knife 20-40yrs from now.

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The slender micarta handle is a bonus. Nothing chaps my hide like a fat or squared handle/scales on a slender blade.

I like the knife, I like Angier, and I like your photos. It's a hard combo to beat.

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Many folk today have....err...large anatomies and hands to match. Sedentary collectors. Also brawny outdoors types. They prefer logs for handles.

I do not and have a very spartan concealment sheath made for the Randalls which is not much over a blade cover, and for me, the less bulky the better.

Being handmade, they vary greatly with some having the graceful arch and trim flair of some from 50 yrs ago. This one did not make that mark but is pretty durned nice. When you deal with Randalls, you get used to idea your dud is another's gem and you just get another.

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Fancy knives are a relatively new thing for me - last five years or so - and I can definitely feel a Randall in my future. The trick is in picking one.

My hands are relatively "normal" but I still like a slender grip. Longer is OK, even better than shorter, but too fat is fatiguing, especially when I am prepping fire and camp sites.

I keep looking at your photos. Is that so wrong?

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Shows difference between #1/#5/#16 class knives and #14/#18...also the little 10-5 fishin'/kitchen knife...you might want to save for reference when trying to choose a model.

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mines a 5 inch carbon steel stag with a compass in the butt.

You might as well pick someone to leave it to. It will outlive both of you in all probability. GREAT KNIFE!

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mine, which had a bit of a thumb shaped dish with horns when I got it. They were sharp enough on my thumb that I rounded them a bit. You have a beautiful knife there.

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I had forgotten the squared guard top on Angier's knife. Which has always been the default guard shape. I did not think about that until knife was 3 wks out and did not want to push as in beg Scott or Gary to do a late change as i never would have gotten past Valerie had i tried normal route. I was "lucky" it came this way. Perhaps they have changed default settings?

In any case, i have both and really do not have a problem with either but i am a scrawny old vet and plenty of room to arch thumb over and scrawny thumb with side clearance.

The 5-6 done up this way has always been tuxedo elegant while quite sealed against elements. Many have and still do copy it quite precisely. The most imitated blade shape in the world. Look at latest Marine bayonet.

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Now THAT one is a graceful if cruder knife. Have had several "psuedo-Brads" minus compass or with brass guard and etc as users and this is first stainless user.

Great feeling knife, every one, their best all around daily driver serious knife, in stainless darned near a dive knife. Dirt poor student in a Sunday school class ended up with one, i told him no matter what else, NOBODY would ever have a better knife than his. He still treasures that thing years later.

I stayed away from compass again, but this time to keep handle trim, if you notice other pics posted they would definitely have needed to fatten the back to stuff a compass in there. Notice i avoided "butt" entirely for this sentence.

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Like, your pocket or neck. I have a fine US-made matchcase that sports a compass - very nice, and less susceptible to damage compared to my knives.

Then again, Mr. Angier was particularly fond of the pocket transit anyway, and I don't see one of those fitting into the butt of your knife!

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While i note any fixed navigation aid must be certain distance from steel, even screws.

But mainly i did not wish plastic compass glued into hole in...err...pommel area, said compass not aging near as gracefully as knife, and as you noted, effectively ruining any chance of slim handle with, i will say it, a fat butt.

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Objective was heavy blade and otherwise no extra weight or bulk.

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Congrats!

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They are 12 wks behind on 4 yr backlog due to losing a couple of guys (in a 12 man shop counting owner and sons and lady answering phone), should have been April and looking like June.

It will be impractical and plain....a base Model 1-8....but with monikers of last 4 Army units (limited room so just went with last 4 just like last combat unit patch is the last one on last uniform).

It will be special to me but will not mess up next owner with some dead stranger's name on their knife. Bunches of those vanities out there....whoever ends up with it will always think it neat and wonder whose was it, and given the Army's tendency to reassign units and reactivate units names/numbers, it will always be a mystery....heck, i got stumped trying to look them up and i was THERE.

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The Frontier Sixshooter Community Message Board

It's a great knife

i have quite a few as simple investment

I have 3

most first time buyers seldom stop at one...

ah...the Model 3....

Unboxing NO.5

it is a Model 5 with 6" blade, "5-6"...

Very nice!

thank you, i tried...

Good stuff

try these....a) better pics, and b)....

Love my #5 had it since 1990

I like the rounded top on the guard on yours better than

you got me there....

same here...one from early 70s now lives with friend...

There are better places for a compass anyway

One friend noted ferrous mass that close to compass,

couple of shots showing handle dia. and blade thickness

Great using knife

one of the best....i have one overdue...