BK15, 16 and MK1/Ka-bar short leather sheath swap...Fit Confirmed!

NCSlice

NCSlice

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Feb 22, 2015
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I was just messin around with my MK1 and thought hmmm...



There's a little slack in the leather strap but no too much. The bottom nylon strap does not fit but may with some effort. The top nylon strap is snug.



The BK15 tip is barely visible thru the hole. Other tweeners will fit for sure since they're slightly shorter.



Overall it's a pretty nice fit both ways and would make a good option for anyone looking for leather for their tweeners.
 
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Yeah, I'm not keepin it that way, that MK1 is too purdy, she sits around and gets fondled, that's about it.
I was just putting it out there since those sheaths are relatively cheap and easy to come by.
 
SWEET!! Thanks for posting this. I would have thought since the BK's would be too large for those sheaths.This is a much better option for someone that can't really afford custom sheaths. I will probably get one of these. The leather strap doesn't look bad. As long as it keeps the knife secure, that is the important thing. I would prefer a little slack instead of it being so tight it is difficult to close one handed.
 
Awesome! I hoped someone would find it useful. I'm liking it more and more. Makes it really easy to carry casually around town or wherever when you don't want to lug around the large stock sheath. Plus it's affordable as an occasional swap if you don't want to buy a custom for part time use. The slack is very little and although the knife will slide up a bit if inverted, it will not fall out.
 
Cool option. Is the MK1 sheath the same size as the small Kabar leather sheath?
a BK17 will look badass in Kabar pants.
 
I'm not sure. I have the small tanto but it has the plastic sheath. The handle is a lot slimmer and shorter than the MK1, the blade is slimmer as well. Someone else will have to check that.
 
I remember reading something around BF that the MK1, Small Kabar and Small Tanto Kabar have the same Kydex/plastic sheath. So I'm assuming that the leather MK1 and Small Kabar sheath are a good bit identical. How does your MK1 fit the small Tanto plastic?

A BK17 is on my to-have-list and a some leather pants are my way to go. The small Kabar leather's would be a nice and easy upgrade. Maybe I'll post a new thread about this particular topic.
 
pietje said:
I remember reading something around BF that the MK1, Small Kabar and Small Tanto Kabar have the same Kydex/plastic sheath. So I'm assuming that the leather MK1 and Small Kabar sheath are a good bit identical. How does your MK1 fit the small Tanto plastic?

A BK17 is on my to-have-list and a some leather pants are my way to go. The small Kabar leather's would be a nice and easy upgrade. Maybe I'll post a new thread about this particular topic.
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Not even close...


Didnt even bother to try the 15. The leather could be a different story but after trying this I'm a bit skeptical.
 
Not even close...hahaha...misinformed again;)

Tnx for reply and taking the time to post pics!
 
I ordered the 5 1/4" sheath and it works great!



It's really snug at first. I was concerned that the 16 would cut the sheath. The 15 seemed perfect with the choil fitting at the top. The liners made the strap really right too. It may be ok without liners but I did manage to get it snapped. I wouldn't suggest putting it straight to work. Carefully pushed the 15 into place and snapped the strap then let it stretch for 48 hours before removing it.

Notice the leather has formed to the shape of the choil...


Now it's a perfect fit. Even the 16 fits great now that its stretched to fit. It's still snug but its nice. You can tell its not pulling and stretching in a bad way. If it was used a lot before properly stretching, I'd be afraid of tearing. At this point, I'm confident that its a nice fit and will last as long as these would with the short Kabars its made for. No worries.



This is identical to the MK1 sheath in all but the thickness. It's slightly thinner in the blade pocket. My MK1 has always been a little loose in its sheath but fits snug in this one. I have ordered a brown one as well and will update when it arrives to see how it's built compared to the USN sheath and this black one since the leather is the oily soft type and the black is the slick harder type. I received a USMC 7" sheath today and its the soft oily brown and is thinner than the stock MK1



This shows the difference to the MK1 sheath. Note the thickness of the spacer between the outer sheath and the back side...



So, its officially confirmed that the short Kabar sheath will work with the BK15 and 16. I don't have a 17 but I'm sure it's good too. Just be sure to give it time to stretch to fit before using it a lot and it should be fine. I'll update later this week when the brown one arrives.
 
Very clever Mr. Slice bags. Has me intrigued. Not really a leather guy because I'm so tacticool but I'm very much giving this serious consideration. And I do have a 17 that would rock it too! Onya bud..
 
BeeKayNutCase said:
Very clever Mr. Slice bags. Has me intrigued. Not really a leather guy because I'm so tacticool but I'm very much giving this serious consideration. And I do have a 17 that would rock it too! Onya bud..
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Thanks BeeKay!

I received the brown sheath and a third BK15 today. Pure stock tweener is a perfect fit for the strap. The brown and black short sheaths are completely identical in size and shape, the only difference being the texture of the leather, the fit is exactly the same. The MK1 fits in slightly more snug than its stock sheath. I haven't seen any availability on the MK1 stock sheath.

There ya have it folks, for $10 or less you can pick up some leather for your tweeners!
 
After a little thought, I'm curious if a tweener will fit an MK1 hard sheath...
Anyone, anyone...
Beuller, Beuller...
 
NCSlice said:
So, its officially confirmed that the short Kabar sheath will work with the BK15 and 16. I don't have a 17 but I'm sure it's good too.
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:thumbup:

If the 16 fits, the 17 should fit as well. They have essentially the same blade profile except for the clip. My 16 and 17 can be exchanged into the same 710 kydex sheath easily.
 
NCSlice, I believe you just answered my question on whether or not my MK-1 would fit in a black 5 1/4 #1256 sheath. Sounds like it would be good to go.
 
100% confirmed brother. The strap will be snug. A small piece of leather behind the handle and a day or 2 of stretching makes it perfect for easy one hand action.


It also fits the stock tweeter sheath if you remove the first strap or just keep it unsnapped.

 
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MK1/Kabar short sheath seem to be the best inexpensive fit for the BK15, I like it.

Here I used a 1235 marine hunter sheath, not bad but had to move the snap down and sew it on. Although I actually prefer the snap that low, the MK1/kabar short sheath is a direct fit without any modification.

 
Thanks for that info Cold one. I looked at those as well but just wasn't confident enough to buy one, and there were many sizes. Also I knew I could still use these if it didnt work out.
Good to know man, nice job on the mod too, looks great!
 
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