KA-BAR 8 inch hunting knife - old and big

zzyzzogeton

zzyzzogeton

Joined
Feb 17, 2013
Messages
6,166
Received a new to me KABAR hunting knife today and can't seem to find a model number. (Would help if I could ever snag some old reference books).

So, does anyone have a model number and time frame for this beauty?

Specs:
Blade length - 8 inches
Overall Length - 13.25 inches
Blade width - 1.5 inches at the widest point (right under where the clip starts)
Clip length - 3 inches
Blade thickness at ricasso - 0.125 inches (1/8th inch)
Pommel is nearly 1 inch thick and larger in diameter that the pommels on MK2s, apparently aluminum (non-magnetic).
Guard is brass.
The pommel is held on with a brass nut.
Sheath is in generally good condition except for the female part of keeper strap being ripped off, with KA-BAR stamped at the throat.
Handle is larger in hand than that of full sized Beckers.


No close up of stamp as my camera still refuses to take anything but fuzzy unreadable closeups. :(
Mark side stamp:
KA-BAR
Reg. U.S. Pat. Off.

Pile side stamp:
UNION CUTLERY CO.
Olean, NY

Knife in sheath
Kabar 8 inch Hunter 1.jpg

Knife beside sheath
Kabar 8 inch Hunter 2.jpg

Pommel end view
Kabar 8 inch Hunter 3.jpg

Size comparison shot-
Top down:

WW2 KABAR Guard Marked Thin Pommel USN MK2
KABAR 8 inch hunter, unknown model
KABAR BK9
Kabar 8 inch Hunter 4a.jpg
 
I believe they use the same model number in their modern hunters as they did back then....I have the newer little finn hunter and a vintage little finn hunter both basically the same, model 1226...so if this is true youd have the Hunter bowie model 1236
 
The 1236 has a 6-15/16ths inch blade and the handle is significantly slimmer than this beast.

Unfortunately, from a collector stand-point, Kabar recycles model numbers. Take the model number 1255. It has been assigned to AT LEAST 3 completely different fixed blade knives... a wharncliff bladed rigging knife, a skinner-hunter similar to the 1233 and the current version, the all black, kraton handled, tanto bladed shortie.
 
Hi zzy, your knife is a model 598-8, so listed in my circa 1938 KA-BAR Outdoor Knives brochure, and it had a model name of "TRAIL BLAZER". Model 598 was available in 5-8" blades with the 7&8" bladed ones sometimes having sheaths that say TRAIL BLAZER on the front. Oddly the brochure also lists one with a 12" blade but nobody I know has ever seen one. I don't think they started putting numbers on the blades until Cole took over the company and NO modern or even Cole numbers have anything to do with the Union Cut numbers. The Union Cut numbers have NOT been recycled. The Union knives also had model names for most of them in the old catalogs or brochures. The Union Cut mark was used until around early 1943 when the Olean, N.Y mark appeared on the MK1s&MK2s, and then on all their knives. I believe your knife was made in the late 1930s, I have noted one with the WW2 wood pommel and steel butt plate. These knives do not appear in the earlier brochures and I don't believe they were available in the 1920s or erly1930s.
 
Thanks, gunsil. I never would have guessed a 598 for this one. The 598-4, -5 and -6 I have have completely different pommel styles (flat steel discs, peened, no nut) and the handles are significantly slimmer.

I have another odd-ball Kabar coming with a 10.75 inch blade, 16 inches overall, wood handle and brass guard. Pics soon. Tracking says it's still vacationing in sunny Tampa Bay, FL.
 
I am a little puzzled about this. I have the largest collection of old KA-BAR/Union Cut hunting knife brochures in existence I believe, and would like to see pics of your different 598s. If they have wooden pommels with flat peened steel discs and leather ring handles they would be WW2 era 598s, but the 4" has me puzzled. Only the 7&8" ones have the fat pommels and handles and the 8" is the fattest. I think I once sent you a PM with my e-mail saying I would send you some brochure copies if you liked. I just paid up my gold membership again and can again receive PMs. Can you post what you are calling 598 pics here for me to see?? Are yours marked on the guard with the model number? If not how did you come to the conclusion that they are 598s? I hope you didn't buy that KKK etched "KA-BAR" off ebay recently, it's a BAD fake.
Regards, Gene
 
Now I see what you're talking about!! I don't know Orca, but I know Tooj and am surprised he would say those are 598s since he has no proof of that, meaning he has no illustrated literature showing those knives. I know this because other than one old brochure he found at the factory most of the rest of his early brochures came from me. The one like your big one, the 598 series is pictured in an old brochure, those funny little four inch knives with the steel butts are not in any literature that I know of, although the 5" was also a BSA model but the BSA literature does not call it a 598. Therefore the few of us with piles of old literature still regard the pattern number as unknown until proof in the form of company illustrated literature appears, and the 598 is a knife with an aluminum pommel and later perhaps with a wood pommel and flat steel cap. As far as I know, Brad Wood and myself (we share all our literature) still have the most Union Cut literature known and those WW2 era flat steel butt knives are not in any info yet found. If anybody has any positive ID on these I would gladly trade a copy of one of mine for a copy with those knives shown. I will buy or trade for any old KA-BAR/Union Cut brochures, price lists, and supplements if anybody knows anyone with these items. I paid my gold back up today, I see the administrators still haven't applied it to my account, I'll PM you when it is back up. I'll also try to photograph one of my 8" like yours and post it tomorrow, I do have several of them.
Regards, Gene
 
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I just read Tooj's several replies to Orca and Tooj was definitely fishing. He talks about 598s in the 20s, yet they do not appear in brochures or price lists until the late 1930s so his talk about various spacers, etc, on 1920s and early 1930s 598s is unfounded and incorrect. Please do not take this as blasphemy, Tooj only worked for KA-BAR for a short time and the factory had almost no old hunting knife info in it's files.
 
Hey, no blasphemy taken :D, gunsil. I take the info anywhere I can get it. If you got the paper, that beats guesses any day. I just wish those old hardware and sporting goods store owners would have known that 70/80/90 years later, there would be people that would like to look at and study that worthless paper. I wonder how much of the old Kabar/Western/Case/etc literature ended up with the previous year's Sears catalog out in the old outhouse.

So, these 4/5/6 inch "598s" of mine aren't really 598s. Well, fiddlesticks. Just have to keep digging. And go change my labels. :o
 
I'm not saying they aren't 598s, just that there is no proof of their model number. When they put a stag butt on a knife they added a G to the end as in 571-5G, a leather handle model 71 with a 5"blade and a stag butt. It is entirely possible that there may be a butt designation letter for those knives such as 598-4S. It is also possible that they went to the steel butt late in the war, after they put the wood pommels with steel plates on many of their knives. The wood pommel did not change the numerical nomenclature of the knives. I just like proof. I wouldn't change your labels, perhaps just add a question mark indicating waiting confirmation. It has taken me over 20 years to find copies or originals of six hunting knife brochures and three price lists, this stuff as you said got discarded and is very hard to find. By the way Keenwel knives are listed in the 1938 and 1940 price lists but not in the 1928 price list so all the books that say Keenwel predates the KA-BAR mark are all wrong. Olcuts are listed in the 1928 price list indicating that they too were made at the same time as KA-BAR marked knives. Olcuts are not in the 1938 price list, more lists will need to be discovered to determine when that line actually ended. Still waiting for the admins to put me back to gold so I can PM and post pics directly from my computer.
 
Can you go into your profile and "force" it to gold? I vaguely remember having to do that when I first upgraded to gold. Fortunately, I remembered to renew before going blue again, so I have no experience with "flip-flopping" status.
 
Thanks for reminding me about having to do that!! I'll go try to photo a couple of knives, but there is no sun here today for good lighting.
 
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Here's an 8" and a 7" with the Trail Blazer sheath, and a rare 6" marked Hoffritz NYC. I believe the stag butt on the 7" is not original, the Hoffritz is correct, KA-BAR made knives for them under contract. I can't seem to find my mint 8" right now, I just have too many knives!! Zzy, PM me if you'd like a copy of an early hunting knife brochure, let me know about what year, early or late, you'd like and I can send you a scan copy. Gold Member always reminds me of the Mike Meyer movie, can hardly believe forums use that term!!
 
gunsil said:
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Here's an 8" and a 7" with the Trail Blazer sheath, and a rare 6" marked Hoffritz NYC. I believe the stag butt on the 7" is not original, the Hoffritz is correct, KA-BAR made knives for them under contract. I can't seem to find my mint 8" right now, I just have too many knives!! Zzy, PM me if you'd like a copy of an early hunting knife brochure, let me know about what year, early or late, you'd like and I can send you a scan copy. Gold Member always reminds me of the Mike Meyer movie, can hardly believe forums use that term!!
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You wouldn't happen to still have any of these around would ya? Would love an addition to my 8" collection
 

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Hi Knuckle, you do realize this thread is ten years old! I recently sold my 8" Kinfolks and Robeson knives and one of my 8" KA-BARs. I still have an unused KA-BAR 8" but am not willing to sell it yet. Remington made a dandy 8" also but I have sold mine.
 
gunsil said:
Hi Knuckle, you do realize this thread is ten years old! I recently sold my 8" Kinfolks and Robeson knives and one of my 8" KA-BARs. I still have an unused KA-BAR 8" but am not willing to sell it yet. Remington made a dandy 8" also but I have sold mine.
Click to expand...
Yes indeed, figured it was worth asking. Sounds like you had an awesome set of them!

I have a friend with one of these 8" Ka-bars and a 8" PAL

I've never seen a 8" Robeson!

Seen a few RH-38's for sale but have never pulled the trigger
 
I sold the Robeson to Wayne Robertson from upstate NY. I don't know if he is a member here, but he is on the other knife forum and he did buy the knife to resell. At one point I had over a thousand fixed blades, I have been collecting since about 1960. The Robeson is close to identical to the Kinfolks 8" and I am sure was made by Kinfolks. The Kinfolks ones are hard to find too.
 
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