-
The BladeForums.com 2024 Traditional Knife is ready to order! See this thread for details: https://www.bladeforums.com/threads/bladeforums-2024-traditional-knife.2003187/
Price is $300 ea (shipped within CONUS). If you live outside the US, I will contact you after your order for extra shipping charges.
Order here: https://www.bladeforums.com/help/2024-traditional/ - Order as many as you like, we have plenty.
Just purchased this "WW2 Kabar" ... how did I do??š
- Thread starter FerFAL
- Start date
- Joined
- Jul 20, 2021
- Messages
- 9,907
It looks a heckuva lot like my Dad's Ka-Bar from Korea...
If you like it: you done good!
If you like it: you done good!
Think its quarter inch with a pin that goes all the way through.
By the way, for those experts out there, whats the way to carefully clean this knife?
I know youĀ“re not supposed to clean antiques like these but IĀ“m thinking microfiber and mineral oil for some of those rust spots. No steel wool or any of that nonsense that owuld destroy the collectors value.
coolbreezy37
Gold Member
- Joined
- Aug 28, 2021
- Messages
- 3,343
The M3 is from WW2 and I want to say the Kabar is from Vietnam era. I could be wrong on the Kabar and it could be much older. Didnāt help it was buried for 10 years, until I found and ārestoredā it.
Hard to say about the kabar. What other markings does it have? I see a 3/8 pommel. Is it pinned or peened or screw?
coolbreezy37
Gold Member
- Joined
- Aug 28, 2021
- Messages
- 3,343
Itās peened, the pommel is thicker, and the knife say Kabar Oleans NY on one side and USMC on the other in fairly bold letters. I want to say itās from the 70ās.
yes, supposed to be ww2 and bought it as such. Bought it from place in France where they run both a ww2 museum and shop. Seems serious enough. IĀ“ll post more pics when I get it but Im super excited about having this very cool piece of knife hisotry.
Also, not an expert, but the large USMC letters likely means this is a modern kabar, as in 70s. Older Kabars had much smaller markings. Again, no expert but thats what Ive been reading up lately.
- Joined
- Apr 25, 2000
- Messages
- 10,829
Going to move your thread to the KA-BAR sub forum, couple of members over there that should be able to give you a definite answer.
zzyzzogeton
G gunsil
Good call, thanks.Going to move your thread to the KA-BAR sub forum, couple of members over there that should be able to give you a definite answer.
G gunsil
The knife should be arriving tomorrow. Will post more pictures once I have it.
Still not sure how much I should clean it, or not. Deffinitely some mineral oil and microfiber on that rust, but steel wool sounds like a no no.
Any experts imput would be highly appreciated in regards to conserving such vintage knives.
FerFAL,Very nice ww2 knife! Yours has 1/4 inch pommel pinned right the way through.
Looks to be '43 to mid '44.I may be wrong,but others on here will be able to pin down the date better than I.
coolbreezy37,Your Ka-bar knife looks to be a reproduction model 1217 from the mid 70's onwards.
It has thin plastic spacers at each end on the leather stack.
This was never used on any version by any maker before Kabar made this reproduction in the mid 70's.
The pommel is 3/8 thick and "blind pinned".(the pin only goes half way through the pommel)
Originally your knife would have been parkerized like the ww2 and later mil specs knives,this was changed in 1991 to powdercoating.
Hope this helps
Looks to be '43 to mid '44.I may be wrong,but others on here will be able to pin down the date better than I.
coolbreezy37,Your Ka-bar knife looks to be a reproduction model 1217 from the mid 70's onwards.
It has thin plastic spacers at each end on the leather stack.
This was never used on any version by any maker before Kabar made this reproduction in the mid 70's.
The pommel is 3/8 thick and "blind pinned".(the pin only goes half way through the pommel)
Originally your knife would have been parkerized like the ww2 and later mil specs knives,this was changed in 1991 to powdercoating.
Hope this helps
- Joined
- Feb 17, 2013
- Messages
- 6,166
WW2 era Kabar 1219C2. After the shift from thick (3/8") peened pommel to 1/4" pinned pommelo but before the shift of the stamps from the ricassos to the guard.
ANY 1219C2/USN-MK2 issued during the Korean War was WW2 production. The government had 100,000s of the knives still in inventory at the end of the war.
The first post-WW2 contracts for the production of the 20227 (the replacement nomenclature for the USMC 1219C2 and USN-MK1 394831) were issued to Utica Cutlery iin May 1961. Camillus got a contract later, about March 1962, which is when they submitted a sample w/ drawings for approval..
Do you have any pics of the Ka-Bar after you restored it?
I would like to see those please.
coolbreezy37
Gold Member
- Joined
- Aug 28, 2021
- Messages
- 3,343
Iām almost positive the Case M3 is from WW2.
coolbreezy37
Gold Member
- Joined
- Aug 28, 2021
- Messages
- 3,343
Unfortunately, I donāt have any. I donāt think I even had a camera at the time. Iām fairly certain the Kabar is late 70ās.
No worries.
Yes the Kabar would be from around the mid to late 70's going by the thin spacers.
I think they changed to the thicker type spacers in the early to mid 80's.
coolbreezy37
Gold Member
- Joined
- Aug 28, 2021
- Messages
- 3,343
It was my fatherās during his time as an army ranger. He was in the service late 70ā-early 80ās. Makes sense for the suspected age of the knife.
Guys, just got it. Its a beautiful knife in pretty nice condition. Most of the rust came of just with micorfiber and ballistol oil.
I has two questions for tohse of you that handle knives like these, WWII kabars and simialr edged weapons:
1)Should I use steel wool to clean some of the rust spots left? IĀ“ve done it before in blued guns and didnt nothice much scratching, and this kabar is deffinitely blued. What do you think?
2)Also, IĀ“d love to sharpen the edge. Its nearly there so it wouldnt change much but would sharpening it reduce its collectors value? Logic says no given that it a fighting knfie and unlike a bayonet it is expected to be shar, but Id still like to knowwhat you folks think.
Thanks,
I has two questions for tohse of you that handle knives like these, WWII kabars and simialr edged weapons:
1)Should I use steel wool to clean some of the rust spots left? IĀ“ve done it before in blued guns and didnt nothice much scratching, and this kabar is deffinitely blued. What do you think?
2)Also, IĀ“d love to sharpen the edge. Its nearly there so it wouldnt change much but would sharpening it reduce its collectors value? Logic says no given that it a fighting knfie and unlike a bayonet it is expected to be shar, but Id still like to knowwhat you folks think.
Thanks,