Camilllus USMC Knife what year manufacture?

[groserm]

Can anyone tell me when this Camillus knife was made? It looks fairly current maybe 90s. Is it a recent production knife? I have looked but have not found anything on the internet.

 

[stealthytyler]

The scabbard is WWII era yeah?

[jw517]

It has nine staples so yes,WWII. The knife looks like Vietnam era but the smooth handle suggests it might be a composit made later?

[jw517]

It's missing the U.S. above Camillus so it must be newer however the long grind on the false edge is not like the remakes they made. Hmmmmmm.

It must be my medication talking. It's got to be WWII . The handle is special!

[groserm]

I am thinking it has to be something they put together in recent history. Maybe a special run of knives for a year or two to commemorate the war or something. I have no idea. I am waiting on it to arrive so I can get a look at it these were just some pictures from the seller. I figure someone on here has seen one. I have some newer Kabar's, Gerber and Ek knives but have not seen that handle before. The false edge is longer than the newer remakes like you said.

 

Hopefully someone has one laying around.

[jw517]

The bend in the guard,long grind,1940s writing points to WWII. I don't see a edge on the blade,that's odd. I'm feeling dumb tonight though!

[doyler]

Im thinking its either rebuilt/rehandled or built from left over post war parts.

 

No edge grind may be possibly due to it being reparkerized.I have seen a few redone

 

The cross guard looks unfinnished but the blade parkerizing looks new.

[Catfishcraig]

I always understood that the font with the middle of the M not dropping down to match the ends was another sign of a reproduction.

 

Craig

[groserm]

Here is the last picture I have. It is of the pommel. No that is not my hand.

[groserm]

http://www.usmilitaryknives.com/camillus.htm

 

 

Looking at US Military Knives Repro page shows the original without the middle of the M not touching the bottom on the original. But the original has the USMC written as U.S.M.C which this knife does not. So...hmm

[jw517]

Yours has the wide U which means it's WWII. It might be a collection of parts but they are nice parts!

[groserm]

Wow that's why I bought it. It just didn't fit. How did they cut the grooves in the knives after they were put together. I was reading on a page about red spacer knives and that was initially supposedly to show the production people where to start cutting the grooves before it became automated.

[Still-A-Marine]

This is most definitely a reproduction knife made by Camillus starting in the 80's. I have never seen one with a smooth handle. So it may have been reworked. But the blade is not WWII.

 

Bill

[Still-A-Marine]

Here is one of mine with the correct WWII markings.

 

 

[Still-A-Marine]

Here is another with a lighter strike. This knife also has rope work on the handle.

 

[Still-A-Marine]

[jw517]

Ya,it just has too many anomalies. That color parkerizing is not normal either. Camillus park is black looking.

[sactroop]

Definitely an interesting curiosity. I'm also sure it's a rather recent blade. Camillus was marketing some high finished, (blued blades), commemorative military knives by 1990. 1219C2 pattern knives marked U.S.N. and U.S.M.C. Starting in the 1994 catalog you see a Camillus stock number 5685 knife, made with the U.S.M.C. markings and a parkerized blade. Most of those do have that peculiar scalloped swage, but I've seen several examples that have the more traditional swage of the earlier knives. Rumor that I've run across is that those knives were made towards the end of the production (???).

Still the markings on this knife seem to be they're own.

 

 

[Still-A-Marine]

The markings on the knife in question is the give away for me. On the Camillus WWII marked blades the M goes all the way down and the comma is placed higher. On the reproductions the center of the M is high and the comma is lower. And indeed the U is wider on the WWII marking.

 

Bill

[doyler]

The markings on the knife in question is the give away for me. On the Camillus WWII marked blades the M goes all the way down and the comma is placed higher. On the reproductions the center of the M is high and the comma is lower. And indeed the U is wider on the WWII marking.

 

Bill

 

 

agree the fonts of the letterng are very different

[sactroop]

Just my humble opinion now, the individual letters in the WW2 era knives give me the impression of having been cut by hand for the stamp, where the later examples from the 60's and on look much more uniform.

[groserm]

The original specification 12/9/42 on the false edge was a much shorter and almost blunt tip. It differed from the first samples and from the hunting knife made by Kabar it was patterned after to provide added strength to the point and the end of the knife in prying and general abuse. The sacrifice was in penetrating ability. Very few of these first knives were made before the specification was changed on 01/19/43. You can see a somewhat exaggerated drawing of one in Cole IV Pg. 78. Those were the first productions of any manufacturer.

Jump ahead to the post WW II knives you listed and we find the common long sweeping clip on the Issue type Camillus with the US marking. This knife was made to the military specification between 1974 and 1989. The shorter clip is a Camillus commercial piece made post 1990 that did not have to obey the specifications. The shorter clip in this case provides greater strength when being abused but has the lower point so still effective in penetration. A trade off which is actually a better point but not within the military specifications.

All the best
Frank Trzaska

[sactroop]

 

Only one I've seen with the U.S./ CAMILLUS tang stamp so I saved the image.

[groserm]

The knife doesn't look to be 1990's since it seems like Camillus changed to the shorter clip. They also changed their logo around then but could have made them both ways. Maybe something from in the 1980's . Have not been able to find one yet. So probably might not have sold a bunch. I doubt the handle was redone and parts were re-parkarized that would cost too much for a new knife. Unless the person was a leather smith, Probably look a little longer and see if I can find one. Too bad all of the old Camillus documentation is not available on line.The new company just bought the rights to the name and some of the knife patterns.

[jw517]

I know it does not really matter but the sheath is correct to the WWII period. Just another piece of evidence.