By Joe Berk
One of the more interesting folding hunter knives I own is a Smith and Wesson Model 6060.
The Smith and Wesson 6060 entered production in 1974. It’s been out of production for decades. An interesting fact is that it was never manufactured by Smith and Wesson (more on that in a minute).
I’ve been a bad influence most of my life, and one of the guys I influenced most was my father. As a kid and as a young man, I’d get an interest in something and then Dad would, too. The list is long: Slot cars, Lionel trains, archery, motorcycles, handguns, VW Beetles, CB radios, and probably a few other things. Don’t get me wrong; the influence thing was not a one-way street. Marty Berk influenced me a lot, too, and in many different areas (if you doubt this, take a look at the 1,800+ blogs that preceded this one).
In the summer of 1974 I was in the U.S. Army and I had orders to Korea. I was on a Smith and Wesson kick, and my brand loyalty more or less drifted over to my father. Dad had friends in high places in the gun world (he was a world class trapshooter), and one of those friends included a firearms distributor. That gave us access to a lot of the hard-to-obtain Smith and Wessons, such as uber-cool Model 29s (in the wake of Dirty Harry, they were just about impossible to get; we bought three of them). The Smith and Wesson magic dust fell upon us, and in addition to those big revolvers, we picked up a lot of Smith and Wesson branded merchandise. Dad bought a Smith and Wesson folding knife (their Model 6060), and he gave it to me before I shipped out for Korea. It was a nice knife. It came with an embossed leather sheath. I think I still have the original Smith and Wesson box and papers, too (they are around here somewhere, although it would probably take me a day to find them).
Smith and Wesson’s Model 6060 Folding Hunter knife was designed by Blackie Collins in 1972. Walter Wells “Blackie” Collins (1939 – July 20, 2011) was a prolific knife designer who was killed in a single-vehicle North Carolina motorcycle accident. He was an icon in the knife world.
Smith and Wesson wasn’t set up to make knives and they had no intention of ever doing so (in fact, they couldn’t keep up with demand for their revolvers), so they contracted with three different knife manufacturers to make the Model 6060: Alcas, Bowen, and the Carolina Knife Company. Most of the Model 6060s were made by Alcas, a knife company formed by Alcoa and Case (hence the name, Alcas). I believe my knife was most likely manufactured by Alcas, as the Carolina Knife Company produced only 35 custom knives (with special scale materials, like ivory and such). A few of the standard Model 6060s were made by Bowen, but it would take an expert to determine if mine was (there were differences in the finish of some internal components between Bowen-manufactured knives versus Alcas knives). Bowen didn’t make nearly as many Model 6060s as did Alcas, so I’m sticking with my conclusion that Alcas made my knife.
The Model 6060 went out of production in 1979, after a production run of approximately 35,000 knives. To put that in perspective, Buck has manufactured approximately 15 million Buck 110 knives since it started making them in 1964.
The Model 6060 retailed for a surprisingly high $200 when new, and in the 1970s that was the price was for an N-frame Smith and Wesson revolver (in other words, it was a lot of money). Smith was cruising on their Dirty Harry exclusivity and brand recognition. You can still buy a used Model 6060 on Ebay and from other outlets, with prices starting at $95. I saw a new one listed with the original box and all the papers for $149 while researching the Model 6060 for this blog. Even though I already have a Model 6060, that was too tempting to let go by. Yep, I bought it, and now I have two.
My Model 6060, as explained above, was a gift from Dad. I wore it during most of my tour in Korea. I have an emotional attachment to my Model 6060 and I’ll never part with it.
The Smith and Wesson Model 6060 knives are good; I think every bit as good as a Buck 110 used to be, and better than what is coming off the Buck line today. Owning the Model 6060 has a certain coolness associated with it, but most folks probably don’t know that. I sure do, and now you do, too.