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camillus mk-2 question in numbers


Costa
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guys, I have a question about Camillus knives. have you ever noticed that there are a lot of these (mk-2's) on the market in a minty condition. why? did Camillus make an overwhelming number of these knives that were never issued??

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Camillus and Union Cutlery were the major manufactures of that pattern during WW2. Costa are you referring to Camillus Navy MK-2's or the Camillus knives in general?

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MK-2

Camillus and Union Cutlery were the major manufactures of that pattern during WW2. Costa are you referring to Camillus Navy MK-2's or the Camillus knives in general?

 

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I would agree you see lots of nice Camillus/USN MKII's around but on the other hand the blade marked Camillus/USMC does not surface very often In good condition from my experience . Kabar/USN MKII knives are very common In nice condition also . I would guess the Navy guys didn't actually use them like the Marines did and Im not sure why they were Issued these In the first place .

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I believe there was about 2.5 million MK2s produced in WW2, but don;t quote me on that figure. Camillus made the most. Here's a thought. By 1945 the USN had around 3,405,525 in uniform, where as the USMC had around 485,000. I'm sure the USN had to purchase more knives just based on the amount of personnel, and ships. Not every sailor's duties required him to be issued a knife, ie anyone not assigned to sea duty. So a lot of knives ended up not being issued, and eventually ended up in storage. It wouldn't surprised me at all if a large number were still being stored. I also know from first hand knowledge that US Army Special Forces units were issued USN MK2s into the 70s, and 80s. There were a lot around. Also, think about the numbers of USN MK1s floating around in mint condition. Lots on nice collectibles. SKIP

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