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Camilllus USMC Knife what year manufacture?


groserm
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Still-A-Marine

Looking closer at the scabbard causes me to have concerns there also. The pictures aren't clear enough to really get a good look at the markings but the stitching seems wrong to me. On my examples of the USMC BOYT 43 scabbards the stitching looks to be smaller I count 43 stitches on the straight side. While the scabbard in question has just over 30. The rivet head that attaches the retaining strap looks to me to be smaller on the scabbard in question than on mine but that may just be the picture. And do I see the backside of a rivet at the throat of the scabbard in the last picture?

 

Bill

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We will have to wait till it arrives. It was supposed to be here today. But the tracking says it can't be delivered as a addresses and gives Lehigh Acres Florida which is not where I live.

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There have been a number of reproduction sheathes / scabbards both marked USN and USMC in the last 10 years or so. Most can be fairly easily determined, but some are quite good.

 

The photo here is of a USN marked version and is definitely different from the one in the first photo. There are other versions that I have seen and when used / aged these can look pretty good.

 

post-66-0-76145500-1476580925_thumb.jpg

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I have looked at the sheath reproduction page on Military Knives none fit this one. Plus this one is not aged. I have no idea about the knife. If it ever arrives I will get some better pictures. I paid 120 for it. It was not sold as a WW2 knife. I just thought it was off. Since it did have some WW2 characteristics. But really did not seem to be of WW2 manufacture.

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Alright I got the knife. I got some more pictures with my super cheap and old camera....Sorry Guys. Looking at the knife looks like it might be a factory reject. I know i would not pass it through QC.

 

1. Blade is not sharpened. No edge at all. Can barely cut paper. My newer Kabar will cut your finger off.

2. There is a cut mark in the tang right next to Camillus where someone cut it will something like a saw. Looks to be there from where it was manufactured.

3. Back edge of the blade has grind marks where the blade was not finished.

4. Guard and Pommel are Black in finish. Blade is parkerized.

5. Sheath who knows.

6. Handle was not finished.

 

Here are the Pictures.post-157481-0-64665000-1476746750_thumb.jpgpost-157481-0-24475800-1476746770_thumb.jpgpost-157481-0-29681400-1476746903_thumb.jpg

post-157481-0-89099500-1476746740_thumb.jpg

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Does look close. I am thinking this knife was pieces picked up from somebody at the factory that failed quality control or somebody picked it off of the junk bin at the factory. Kind of like that Johhny Cash song.

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Bill Walters says it's probably a Lunch box special from the 90s,post WWII,and based on the pics the sheath is a repro. I still like the knife myself.

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There are a lot of anomalies in what we would expect to see that makes this knife interesting and I would think likely to be rather unique. One I wouldn't mind having. It would make for some great conversations.

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Looking at the sheath again it is a repro. The buttons have been darkened.

 

Let me know if anyone has anything to trade for it. I am probably just going to put it on Ebay.

 

Rick

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My memory is bad then.

 

Thanks for keeping me straight Ron

 

 

:lol: No worry.I cant keep a lot of things straight.

 

 

I agree the scabbard isnt original WW2 period.

 

 

Here is a couple I have.I may post the others.The USMC marked ones all have the same type number 4 with open top.

 

The Navy scabbard has a closed top.

 

Im not sure if this was a change from one contract to another or if the markings were different from one plant to the other.

 

I have spoken to a current factory rep who is the pseudo historian and also a collector.They dont have a lot of information on markings orchanges as a fire destroyed most all of the earlier records at some point.The person is a weath of information.He once told me that all the holsters were stitched by hand during the war.Another collector who was with me that day was really proud of a unissied holster.Firts thing the historian said that it wasnt an piece that would have left the factory for government use.There was signs of a crows foot(material guide) that ran up the side of the holster.You could see how the guide left a lasting impression in the soft leather.He said someone ran it through a sewing machine and was most likely a lunch box piece or made by an employee at wars end to take home.

 

I know BOYT changed the small letter stamp as well on the field gear.Must have been a transition point in 1943 when they went from BoyT (small O and small Y) to BOYT.There just inst any factory records left to detail the changes.

 

From my experiance(which isnt very much) the only year the scabbards are dated is 1943.

 

You will see shoulder holsters dated from 1943 on up.

 

 

Anyway here are two I have.I may post a couple more in a seperate topic.

 

USMC...

 

THis one came from a vet who was actually in the Navy on a PT Boat.His initialed Navy MkII was in the scabbard.

 

post-342-0-08805200-1476823306_thumb.jpg

 

 

THis one came with a Navy RH37 maked knife.It had a broken and missing pommel.I bought it for the scabbard at a fleamarket.I ended up having the knife repaired.The scabbard has the large USN as well.

 

You can see the different fonts and numbers.

 

post-342-0-98824400-1476823317_thumb.jpg

 

post-342-0-83439500-1476823334.jpg

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The fastners are made by RAU Co. Scovill purchased RAU in 1996. Scovill makes most of the newer repro sheaths fastners according to the Militaryknives Web page. The sheath is well made not thin cheap leather. So I am thinking still is the 80'S or before is when it was made.

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Thanks for the sheath information.

 

I appreciate everyone's input.

 

Rick

 

Rick

 

your most welcome.

 

Thanks for posting an intrestng knife.Its a fun study and topic

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I'm not trying to throw a wrench into the middle of this, but I'm wondering if anyone here has images of the KA-BAR commemorative knife for the U.S. MARINE CORPS 200th birthday made in the mid-70's?

The reason I ask is that Camillus made both assembled knives and just blades for KA-BAR for this first run of knives at that time, and I've never seen a detailed image of the blade markings of those knives.

 

I'm not intending to imply anything here, it's just that this thread has got me wondering.

Here's some images of the S-cards from Camillus for that specific order.

 

post-17422-0-22545700-1476827065.jpgpost-17422-0-32852600-1476827099_thumb.jpg

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