What is your favorite military issued knife

[Sharp Steel]

I like me some FS's

That John Ek model on the far right is cool.

 

[The Whip]

The knife is displayed but not attributed to Randall because it was a secret contract and Bo would neither confirm or deny it as Randall-made. Once something is classified it remains classified unless the entity that classified it declassifies it. However both I and the owner agreed it is distinctively a Randall. I don’t remember what group got them. If it was CIA, then some may not think it military, but personally I think some parts of the CIA are functionally military.

Nothing personal, brownshoe, but that story simply doesn't wash. There were no Vietnam War units so secret that their knife procurement contracts from that era are still classified. Did some low-profile type(s) order a sterile knife from Bo Randall during the war? Sure, I can buy that. But a secret unit generating a secret contract for secret fighting knives that remain secret to this day? Sorry, no.

This question is not raised in a vacuum, however. There are valued contributors to this forum who were special operations soldiers in the Vietnam War and who would have been exposed to just about any clandestine operational unit that existed. J John A. Larsen and S Sidehill Gouger , did you gentlemen ever see any guys walking around with sterile Randalls? Do you know anything about secret Randall procurement contracts?


-Steve

 

[John A. Larsen]

I do not remember ever seeing a sterile Randall knife, then again I did not look at the blade of every Randall I saw being carried. John

 

[Steven65]

That John Ek model on the far right is cool.

Thank you Sir

 

[brownshoe]

Nothing personal, brownshoe, but that story simply doesn't wash. There were no Vietnam War units so secret that their knife procurement contracts from that era are still classified. Did some low-profile type(s) order a sterile knife from Bo Randall during the war? Sure, I can buy that. But a secret unit generating a secret contract for secret fighting knives that remain secret to this day? Sorry, no.

This question is not raised in a vacuum, however. There are valued contributors to this forum who were special operations soldiers in the Vietnam War and who would have been exposed to just about any clandestine operational unit that existed. J John A. Larsen and S Sidehill Gouger , did you gentlemen ever see any guys walking around with sterile Randalls? Do you know anything about secret Randall procurement contracts?


-Steve

Well call me a liar I don't care. Just relayed what I know and was told - sterile Randall displayed in a museum dedicated to American military edge weaponry as being Vietnam era. Owner says Bo Randall would neither confirm or deny it was a Randall but as Levine says "read the knife" ...it was a Randall. If the knife procurement was classified, others who know of it wouldn't be able to discuss it now either.

 

[tltt]

Randall would officially not leave a model sterile, but would lightly etch them , and then it could be buffed out by the buyer. Tom Clinton, who was a Randall friend and dealer had some made up years ago - https://www.sharpinvestments.net/pr...le-with-hand-written-letter-from-tom-clinton/ .

Also some of the Solingen Randalls and the the kit blades were not stamped or etched well, if at all.

Randall was accommodating during the War years, I've seen a few Ka-Bar 1207's rehandled by Randall, and even a SOG Vietnam issued blade rehandled by them, just to make soldiers happy.

That being said, these were private purchase/privately asked for knives, not official or small unit ordered.

.

 

[tltt]

Here's a Randall rehandled Kabar 1207 -

https://specialforceshistory.com/products/randall-knife/ .

There's a a couple of others out there, one with a yellow micarta handle, and I think a brown one.

I can't find the SOG rehandle, but it came with a note that they were too busy to make a custom based on it, but they did rehandle and resheath the knife as a token of their appreciation.

 

[tltt]

The Randall SOG story - http://www.knifetalkforums.com/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=135751&page=1 .

Misremembered it a little, but it's interesting none the less.

 

[John A. Larsen]

I served with James Wheeler in the 10th SFGA. He was. an outstanding soldier. John

 

[KenHash]

Is there any photograph of this sterile Vietnam Randall?

Does anyone know if there is any mention of sterile Randalls in Vietnam in " Randall Fightingh Knives in Wartime: WWII, Korea & Vietnam" by Robert E. Hunt?

​

 

[Sidehill Gouger]

Nothing personal, brownshoe, but that story simply doesn't wash. There were no Vietnam War units so secret that their knife procurement contracts from that era are still classified. Did some low-profile type(s) order a sterile knife from Bo Randall during the war? Sure, I can buy that. But a secret unit generating a secret contract for secret fighting knives that remain secret to this day? Sorry, no.

This question is not raised in a vacuum, however. There are valued contributors to this forum who were special operations soldiers in the Vietnam War and who would have been exposed to just about any clandestine operational unit that existed. J John A. Larsen and S Sidehill Gouger , did you gentlemen ever see any guys walking around with sterile Randalls? Do you know anything about secret Randall procurement contracts?


-Steve

The only Randall's in my unit were private purchase by individuals. The basic Pilot Survival knife was the issue knife with a few M-7 bayonets and kabars mixed in from time to time.