Bucking Billy Ray Sent Me a Wood Bullet… I Wasn’t Ready

Added: 2026-04-29

[00:00:03]Beloved, if I told you I was soaking in anticipation, that would be the greatest understatement of the 15 years, 16 years I've been on YouTube. In that time, I have done a lot of unboxings of some really incredible products. And I cannot remember one that I've been more excited about than this.

[00:00:24]Many of you know that I have uh been a big fan of Buck and Billy Ray and he has uh taught me how to split firewood in a way that I never really understood. It's changed the way that I split firewood in that I'm doing everything by hand now and that would have been unthinkable back in the day. I've always use hydraulic splitters. We go through anywhere from seven to eight to nine cords a year. And this year will be the first year where almost all of that will be split by hand with what's inside this box. This here is the Buck and Billy Ray wood bullet.

[00:01:03]It is a design that was inspired by axe heads at the turn of the century, maybe even the 1800s, and brought to fruition through one of the most notable blacksmiths in the United States, Mr. Liam Hoffman of Tennessee. This is a collaboration, and when Buck and Billy Ray saw me stumbling around with my f foolish malls and splitting axes, he put this into my hands and we're going to get to see it for the first time today.

[00:01:31]I have been sitting on this for 24 hours no longer.

[00:01:38]Shall we have a look see this splitting axe takes about four to six weeks to produce. In that process, it goes through 10 sets of hands to be where it is today. 100% made in the US. Better cut away for myself.

[00:02:05]100% probably one of the finest things, one of the finest tools that you can own today.

[00:02:44]Let's take a close-up look. We have a lot to talk about handling this for the first time. And it's just so rare to have this experience of something that is so beautiful.

[00:03:05]This is Buckan's inspiration, but my goodness, shout out to Liam Hoffman.

[00:03:12]This level of axe making and craftsmanship, from the leather to the forging to probably the most beautiful handle I have ever seen, is next level.

[00:03:32]My first impression, it's heavy.

[00:03:38]Having looked at the blade.

[00:03:52]It has that look of many of the old splitting axes. This is not a splitting mall, gentlemen. This is a splitting axe. My old neighbor Henry, some of you remember him from the old days. He was a logger from the old school and he never would use a mall to tested them. He said that wood should be splitted split with a splitting axe. And he had many of the old patterns that were very, very similar to this, heavy and more narrow tapered. and watching the way what I've been learning from bucking about splitting, especially the Doug fur. He's very active when splitting. He's not only using this for splitting, but he's using it as a pickeroon, as a tool. And having a a taper on there.

[00:04:37]You can see that fine taper gives the axe ability to bite into the wood so you can move it around.

[00:04:47]And also, like I've seen on some of the vintage axes, this is a this is con convex. So, if you put a straight edge on here, it's going to rock. That means less surface material to stick. It's going to penetrate and bite deeper.

[00:05:02]But dang, the craftsmanship on this.

[00:05:05]Look at the makaker mark.

[00:05:08]That's Liam's makaker mark. And this is Buckan the wood bullet.

[00:05:20]Shout out to whoever's making these handles, too.

[00:05:24]From what I understand, these handles, they're not. This starts from seven quarter hickory.

[00:05:31]And these are This is This looks like, from what I understand, number one grade A, the best hickory you can get. This is split in billets instead of saw like on a band saw. When you split wood, it follows its natural grain. and that we don't have runoff because if a log is caned or crooked anyway when it runs to the mill you can have weaknesses in there and look at the grain orientation.

[00:05:53]I mean of course focus absolutely perfect man I got the fizz running all up and down my neck. It hasn't stopped since I opened it. Look at the wedging.

[00:06:25]That is beautiful. Liam, look at the chamers on the back.

[00:06:33]10 men.

[00:06:36]10 men their hands on this to make it.

[00:06:42]We do a whole video on the leather alone.

[00:06:50]Oh, what an unusual palm swell.

[00:06:54]But boy, that feels good.

[00:06:57]And I love the narrowness of the handle.

[00:06:59]So many of these are too fat.

[00:07:02]It's why I've been drawn to a lot of the Swedish axis because they have more of a petite a thinner hand a handle. I feel like I can get I can be strong on it. I can get my hands around it. And this unique palm swell on there. Oh, look at that. Look how it fits the natural bend of your hand right there. Just lays right up against it and it is beautiful.

[00:07:32]This is one of the most beautiful things I've ever seen.

[00:07:44]Look at this leather work.

[00:07:59]That is a like a delron or a very hard rubber insert. So it protects the leather from the blade but won't but won't allow it to destroy the sheath. I've never seen that. But that is that is so beautiful.

[00:08:24]Man, gentlemen, you know, I'm not one to be at a loss for words, but it really is something.

[00:08:36]Shout out to you, Liam.

[00:08:42]That is absolutely beautiful.

[00:08:47]Look at the nice paperwork right here.

[00:08:52]We got Buck and Billy Ray's picture in there. That's a good picture of him.

[00:08:56]Little bit about the wood bullet.

[00:09:00]So beautiful.

[00:09:05]Hoffman blacksmithing. Look at that.

[00:09:07]They've got a wax press mark just like in the old days.

[00:09:12]Hammer made by hand.

[00:09:15]Certified Tennessee.

[00:09:18]Lifetime warranty.

[00:09:22]That is nicely done, gentlemen. That is absolutely what a what a special thing. There are scarce few things in the world that can give this feeling. This sort of craftsmanship.

[00:09:37]I mean, this this is true artistry.

[00:09:42]What a collaboration.

[00:09:44]Also in the box, look at this.

[00:09:49]I'm guessing this looks like a a belt loop, an axe holder.

[00:09:56]And look at that leather work.

[00:10:06]I've never seen I've never seen this before. And look how it's it's got a natural bend in it to fit the bend in the body.

[00:10:16]I mean, that is beautiful.

[00:10:20]That's something I'm going to start using. I never thought about using something like that. Also, I don't know what this is. This was in the box.

[00:10:36]Oh, yeah. So, so this is this is stuff that Jason he sent me some of this. This is a uh wicked wax. So, this is a protectant. This high carbon steel. You want to make sure you put that on there.

[00:10:47]something to keep that from rusting. And uh Liam's got uh a two-sided double grit stone. That's a very nice stone, too. We got a fine and a coarse know. Is that for holding that? That's That's nice.

[00:11:10]Goodness, gentlemen.

[00:11:13]Take a close look at this. I was telling you how that fits the hand. This would be your natural grip. See that angle?

[00:11:21]Look how Look how it perfectly lines up.

[00:11:27]You know, I've been learning to do the flick method and having all that meat down there, that nice big swell is going to give you a real good purchase to flick that. And the heft of it, that's the thing I keep noticing. This is heavy. That's got to be all all of five pounds, maybe six.

[00:11:49]Wood bullet bucket special double makaker mark and Liam's this is this is the second axe that Liam has forged that I have I he sent this to me years ago. This here is my this is my uh campsite. This is the one I keep by my wood stove right here. I have used this and enjoyed this. This has been and it's it's one of the few axes that's never chipped.

[00:12:21]And that's a real fine line to get that thin layer, that thin profile on there.

[00:12:26]And the hardening corrects so that it's tough and stays sharp, holds an edge.

[00:12:30]And I actually have over struck this one time and chewed up the handle.

[00:12:37]But you can see makaker marks there.

[00:12:43]My goodness. It's It I don't know what to say.

[00:12:56]The thing speaks for itself.

[00:13:00]I don't know that I can really add too much.

[00:13:06]I know many of you were probably looking forward to me giving some sort of review on this, but in all honesty, I don't know what I have to offer uh at something like this. I mean, Buck and Billy Ray, I mean, like myself, is a a student of history and understands that tools don't just come into existence on a drawing board. tools come into existence, good tools through hundreds and thousands years of multiple m of the minds of men working with them to till they finally distill down distill down into what is perfection, what works perfectly with the human body. And you know, how can a man who uses axes occasionally sit in judgment of something like that? So for him to go back, for Billy to go back to the masters, to what men were using and and what they have developed over thousands of years and not try to reinvent the wheel, but to build on top of that is is the way. Billy is, unlike myself, is a real logger. He's a treeman, as he calls himself. He's a woodsman, and he knows wood and he knows axes and he appreciates the form and function of it.

[00:14:25]And you take that knowledge and combined with Liam and his ability to bring that into existence. I mean, this truly is a special thing that is very, very, very rare and it's hard to even put a price on it.

[00:14:47]Thank you, Liam, for what you do and building this and keeping these skills alive. Thank you, Billy, for one of the kindest things anyone's ever done for me. A very, very generous thing. I am I'm very grateful.

[00:15:10]I'm very grateful.

[00:15:12]It's a great kindness for you to send this to me. You put me on the back foot though. I uh would like to repay a kindness for a kindness and I will be setting about this week to see what I can offer to you of hard to get greater value but something that comes close to it and I'll do my best.

[00:15:32]But give me a week or so and uh I'd like to make that happen.

[00:15:40]So, you want one, do you? Well, you better get in line. I just checked Liam's website. There's a six to eight month, six to eight month waiting list to get a Buck and Billy special.

[00:15:53]I mean, I've been a big fan of the Grand Force Brooks axis. I got a dozen of them here. And this is on a whole another level.

[00:16:02]A whole another level.

[00:16:06]You want to talk about heirloom? You think you're going to leave this one outside?

[00:16:12]Goodness.

[00:16:14]Might put that sheath on it. Sleep with it tonight. Mrs. Deb, you think I'm crazy.

[00:16:24]There it is.

[00:16:26]Next video, Lord willing, we're going to take this out. I've got a whole bunch of real nice dug fur that I cut up on the mountain. Some rounds that I've been waiting for this moment. and we're gonna go out there and we're going to use this. I'm kind of new to the flick method. I've been learning. I've split myself this year two cords by myself.

[00:16:47]I've got stacked up in the firewood shed and uh I plan on doing another three or four and the rest of it I'll be using the the wood bullet.

[00:17:03]Great job, gentlemen. I really am without words. Liam, congratulations. This is a masterpiece.

[00:17:11]And Bucken, same to you. Thank you for watching, gentlemen. May God bless you and your families. Please keep us in your prayers, and we'll see you guys on the next video.