Gunner Quinn
An Eye For Patterns
A.G. Russell had an eye for unique pocketknife patterns that he knew traditionalists would like, and often, he would make slightly larger versions to make them bigger than life. He always overbuilt them to last a lifetime and more. His Sowbelly Trapper is one such knife. Big and bold at 41/4″ closed, it’s built like a tank with a long stainless-steel Barlow-style top bolster for added strength. This is a slipjoint sporting 33/8″ Clip Point and 31/2″ Wharncliffe blades in 8Cr13MoV stainless steel. The handle scales on the version shown are of dense Cocobolo wood with a shield escutcheon and lanyard hole, with lanyard, in the bottom bolster. The Sowbelly Trapper tips the scales at 5.7 oz., and you can also have it in Brown Rucarta or Yellow Delrin covers. Warning: A beast lurks here.
The Gunstock pattern — designed with firearms aficionados in mind — is well over a hundred years old and A.G. Russell’s addition of a lockback mechanism adds an added level of safety. Once again, A.G.’s Gunstock Lockback leans to the large side — the folder is 4¼” closed and stretches out to 75/8″ in the open position. The 33/8 blade is a full-bellied, recurved 8Cr13MoV stainless steel Clip Point with a swedge grind for improved penetration. The handle has durable Yellow Delrin scales capped off with a lengthened stainless steel top bolster and a bottom bolster fitted with a braided leather lanyard. The blade release is located just above the bottom bolster.
A.G. Russell’s Wharncliffe Lockback is a svelte, light carry EDC 313/16″ closed and a mere 3.0 oz. in weight. The satin-finished 8Cr13MoV stainless steel blade is a 31/8″ Wharncliffe — known as the workhorse of blade styles. The blade spine has a lengthy swedge grind with an oversized long pull for easy opening. The tapered handle has front and rear 410 stainless steel bolsters, a shield escutcheon, and a blade lock at the lower rear — all satin finished to match the blade. We’ve pictured the White Bone version here, but you can also get the Wharncliffe Lockback in Deer Stag or Black G10 scales.
The Swayback Jack is an A.G. Russell Gents folder design at its finest. The way the 27/8″ Wharncliffe blade flows off of its gently curved slip-joint handle is pure poetry. Don’t let its artistry, however, fool you — it has some tough guy traits built in. The 27/8″ Wharncliffe has a premium Austrian-made Bohler Uddeholm M390 stainless steel blade that will cut like a house afire and a lengthy Barlow-esque bolster on the handle to give it strength. The handle bolsters, as well as the bullet escutcheon, are Nickel Silver just like the old-time pocketknives and the dense Desert Ironwood scales are built to last. You can also get the Swayback Jack in Deer Stag, or White bone covers.
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