Hard to find Flylock

[Sauconian]

I picked this up at a gun & knife today.
I told the man we were working on the grandchildren's Christmas money, but he took no pity on me.



Fran

[Another Knife Collector]

Wow, very cool knife! And a neat etch on it too! Nice find!

[justacowboy]

real nice find . nice shape too.

[lvaughn]

Not just a Nice find a very freakin RARE find! Gotta love it!! Yea people with knives like that have pity on no one Sauconian
Leo

[jonet143]

fran, for a pruner, you sure can pick em! great knife. is it the same as a 5" presto?

[Desktop]

fran, for a pruner, you sure can pick em! great knife. is it the same as a 5" presto?

Awesome knife!!

It's a 5" Flylock single, model # 11004.

[Sauconian]

Thanks for the kind comments guys. I won't feel so bad giving the grandkids socks for Christmas.

It's a different mechanism than a Presto Johnnie. 'Ya slide the button on this one. Made by Challenge, I think, and only for a few years.

Desktop, Thanks for the model number. As a resident expert, are the ones with an endcap less common than the bareheads ?

Fran

[ea42]

Whhoooaa, now this is getting a little out of hand, two mint Cut. Cos. AND a Flylock?!? Very nice buddy , I think you might have LT knocking at your door soon

Eric

[Desktop]

Desktop, Thanks for the model number. As a resident expert, are the ones with an endcap less common than the bareheads ?

He, he, I'm no expert - but thanks!
Yes, I do believe the one you have with folding guards is the hardest one to find - and especially with the etch still on the blade. I think this is the only version that has an "endcap". Mint condition this knife is $1000.

[lt632ret]

Flylock was part of the Challange knife company and was a G Schrade enterprise. The first company he tied up with after he was ejected from Germany when WWI broke out they were in business 1918 until 1929. here are a few of there products. The page I am posting is from George Schrade and his Accomplishments to the knife industry. it has the specs on the hunters and the styles yes the floating guard model is the only one with the bottom bolster. Congrats on your find it is nicer than my example and the etch on yours ( which is often copied and electro applied ) is original. Best of luck with it.

[Desktop]

Thanks for the information lt632ret!
Again, awesome knives!!

[justacowboy]

I was lucky enough to win this one on ebay. paid next to nothing for it.
3 #/8ths closed ,gold plated. missing (completely) the small blade.
Will most likely cut down the liners and make it into a single blade knife.
Cut down it would be around 2 7/8 - 3 inches closed. perfect size for pocket carry.

[Desktop]

That's a neat one!
Let us know how it turns out!

[muskrat man]

Fran, I think that is the nicest flylock i've ever seen, closest one was an etched hawkbill that sold on ebay sometime back for a few hundred

[4ever3]

I already told you this Fran... but I love those guards

[upnorth]

Awesome Flylock, Fran! Does not get any better!!

[knfcollector]

Desktop, Thanks for the model number. As a resident expert, are the ones with an endcap less common than the bareheads ?

He, he, I'm no expert - but thanks!
Yes, I do believe the one you have with folding guards is the hardest one to find - and especially with the etch still on the blade. I think this is the only version that has an "endcap". Mint condition this knife is $1000.

Not common knowledge but I have seen several Challenge 5 inch hunters without the folding guards but possessing the end caps. Probably quite a bit rarer than this knife but IMOP not as valuable.

[lt632ret]

Interesting but I have never seen one like that, which I recall or seen them referenced. However with anything G Schrade did there were always oddballs. What I have seen often are the bottom bolstered varietys which have lost there derby floating guards these are sometimes mistaken however I am sure you would have recognized that. By the guard rest notch and the guard hole from the missing floating derby guard. I really would like to see a picture of one of these. Over the last 50 plus years I have messed with this subject I have seen some unusual things which often get acknowledged as original . Attached is a pic of a 4,1/4" Schrade bone handled schrade Walden with bottom bolsters (amazing right) . First of all the blade is marked stainless this tells you that it is originally a Schrade Walden ( orange handled survival model which was altered. ) So it is a fake ( a really neat knife but not correct.) Sometimes over the years for various reasons knives get altered. It would not be difficult to produce a 5 inch bottom bolster model by simply changing the blade and shortening the back end of a regular set of handles still it does surprise me that you have seen this several times. OH well live and learn. LT PS the knife in the pic it was learned after the pic (was taken) was done privately by an owner at the time of the pic I was researching it and therefore it says proto with a question mark since I was not sure at the time.

[knfcollector]

Rich,

I don't suppose it would be very difficult to make a so called Proto like you pictured. Too bad we get soooo ga ga when something like this comes around that we miss important clues to its true nature. Been there...Done that. I took a quick pic of three Flylocks for comparison. All are original. The dual bolster Challenge being on the bottom. I bought this knife off of Ebay and have since seen two or three others in various conditions sell there, I believe all marked Challenge. Floored me when I found this one as I didn't know they existed.

By the way all! If anyone has any of these knives around that are broken I'm in need of lots of parts for these to complete several I picked up over the years. I need frames, handles, buttons, guards, etc Thanks

[lt632ret]

Well done and there ya go. everyone can learn and I thankyou . LT