ka bar Posted July 5, 2014 Share #1 Posted July 5, 2014 Did all WW2 issue MK2 pommels that were pinned have a FULL pin. Could there be a possibility that some may have been half/blind pinned? I understand that repros are half pinned Is there any evidence that some manufacturers may have half pinned the pommels during WW2? Many Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Still-A-Marine Posted July 5, 2014 Share #2 Posted July 5, 2014 My understanding is they were all "full pin". What is the dilemma? Bill Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ka bar Posted July 5, 2014 Author Share #3 Posted July 5, 2014 Hi Bill. My dilemma is on eBay, there seems to be many MK2s that claim to be genuine WW2 era but are only blind pinned. Yet they have heaps of bids. I thought I may be behind in my knowledge about pinned pommels. I have the same thoughts about the pin as you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Still-A-Marine Posted July 5, 2014 Share #4 Posted July 5, 2014 Now I understand. The good news is that since so many bid on the mislabeled MK2s it helps to lessen the competition for the real WWII versions. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
doyler Posted July 5, 2014 Share #5 Posted July 5, 2014 Hi Bill. My dilemma is on eBay, there seems to be many MK2s that claim to be genuine WW2 era but are only blind pinned. Yet they have heaps of bids. I thought I may be behind in my knowledge about pinned pommels. I have the same thoughts about the pin as you. I agree with Bill.Full pin on WW2 models as far as I know. You see a lot of the more modern USMC marked ka bars being touted as "original" or WW2.Often these are in the scabbards that are embossed with the EGA.Some have a lot of actual use and wear as guys carried them.I have a buddy who carried one in the Army when he was in.He bought it in a surplus store in Colorado and carried it and used it heavily. One other thing with the newer ones is the font of the lettering is to thick compared to originals.Stamping is different too.But it seems these often sell for period WW2 knives. On another note I have seen WW2 ones paired with the modern scabbards as well.SOmetimes it pays to look at the auctions really close as there can be a WW2 one in the mix. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SKIPH Posted July 5, 2014 Share #6 Posted July 5, 2014 I totally agree with RON. You have to look at everything. SKIP Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sactroop Posted July 5, 2014 Share #7 Posted July 5, 2014 If you want to wonder about the possible chance that a "blind pinned" U.S.M.C. KA-BAR knife could just be a WW2 knife, look closely at the handle and see if there's a black spacer behind the pommel and one behind the guard. If so that's another indication that it's one of the post war repro's. If you think the KA-BAR's are tough, look at the Camillus U.S.M.C's made starting in the 1990's. I've seen a couple that the only way to tell the difference was a very close comparison look at the lettering. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ka bar Posted July 5, 2014 Author Share #8 Posted July 5, 2014 These are some real chestnuts of advice. Thank you all. Regards, Ben. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SKIPH Posted July 5, 2014 Share #9 Posted July 5, 2014 I regret not buying a repro Camillus MK2 in the 90s, just to have for comparison. Bought the M3s (blade & guard), and the M4. If I ever see another at a good price I'll buy it. SKIP Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DRE66 Posted July 6, 2014 Share #10 Posted July 6, 2014 The repro is pretty good but the major differences are the straight guard and slightly wider width of the blade. What kept me from picking one up was the horrendous top grind. I realize it makes for a stronger tip but visually was VERY unappealing. Right before the end of the Mark 2 production, they did "correct" the funky grind but then Camillus shut their doors for good. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sactroop Posted July 6, 2014 Share #11 Posted July 6, 2014 I was wondering about the time of the reappearance of the tradition type of top grind on the repro U.S.M.C.'s. That change makes IDing them trickier, especially after they receive a little wear. Here's a picture of one of the later made U.S./CAMILLUS knives with the small radius top grind. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ka bar Posted July 6, 2014 Author Share #12 Posted July 6, 2014 I think the best thing for me to do is only bid when there is irrefutable evidence that it is genuine.... In instances where there is a shadow of a doubt, I best leave it alone... The only problem with that ideology is I may miss out on a real genuine oddity But, shipping to Oz and the time it takes to get here makes taking risks more of a gamble... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
knifelover Posted April 12 Share #13 Posted April 12 I have a USMC Ka-Bar that is blind pinned with a 1/4" pommel. Does that mean it is a reproduction or a knock off? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mdk0911 Posted April 12 Share #14 Posted April 12 knifelover - any pictures? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sactroop Posted April 12 Share #15 Posted April 12 The blind pommel pin is a sure sign of a 1976 to present day knife made by Ka-Bar. There is some talk of the possibility of some small purchases via direct unit purchase, however it could be hard to come up with much in the way of provenance to go along with such knives. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
knifelover Posted Friday at 04:27 PM Share #16 Posted Friday at 04:27 PM On 4/12/2024 at 10:23 AM, mdk0911 said: knifelover - any pictures? mdk0911, i just saw this message. i pulled the knife out to take some pics, and i realized i incorrectly labelled it. The knife has a 1/4" pommel that is THROUGH pinned with thinner and shallower tang stamps. One side says "KA-BAR", the other side says "USMC". Flipping through Cole's book 'A Collection of US Military Knives' this description matches variation #11. If I had to wager, I would bet this is the real deal from WWII post 1945? Here are some pics.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
knifelover Posted Friday at 04:28 PM Share #17 Posted Friday at 04:28 PM you have to look very closely at the second picture, but there is definitely a pin just below the ding in the pommel. hard to see which is why i might have mislabeled it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sactroop Posted Friday at 07:58 PM Share #18 Posted Friday at 07:58 PM knifelover, your knife is definitely a WW2 version. Union Cutlery didn't make any more of these knives after WW2 until long after they changed their company name to Ka-Bar and reintroduced the knife for the 200th anniversary of the United States Marine Corps. The blind pin they use in the re-introduced knives was done on purpose to show the difference from the originals. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mdk0911 Posted Friday at 08:29 PM Share #19 Posted Friday at 08:29 PM Union Cutlery made 2 version of the blade stamping like yours - with KA-BAR stamped on the one side and larger font USMC, and another with a smaller font usmc stamped on the reverse. Do you have the leather scabbard? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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