modified M-3 trench knife?

[1canpara]

Hi all, I found this at a local gunshow a few weeks back. It looks like it might have once been an M-3....anyone care to comment or take a guess?

It's weird because it has that EWG look about it with the ring going through the exposed part of the tang. I'm not a knife guy at all, but it looked kind of cool and in any case, the price was right...

 

Rick

 

 

 

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[1canpara]

and one more photo...

[SKIPH]

Rick- This is an interesting one. The brass guard looks original. I've always been under the impression that most of these were made by Utica from M4 bayonet blades and left over partsfrom their M3/M4 WW2 production. I think they were sold under the "Kutmaster" brand, and were so marked on the left side of the blade. Some of the other guys probably know more info. SKIP

[bayonetman]

My guess (and just a guess) is that it is a Kiffe M45 trench knife. Over the years I have seen and handled several, both marked and unmarked. They were probably made in the 1960s possibly from leftover blades from any one of the makers of the M3-M4-M5-M6 as they were all the same blade.

 

Kiffe was a fairly large "surplus" dealer especially in this time period and some of what they were selling at the time makes me wish I had spent more with them than I did. Look at some of the goodies on the second page. Both of these are from their 1967 catalog.

 

 

[SKIPH]

Gary- Thanks for reminding me! They were the good old days of collecting. That's when I started, had a little cash, and prices were great.Just didn't know about all the manufacturers and variations.

Rick-Are there any marks on the blade or guard. The pic looks like there may have been. Just curious. SKIP

[1canpara]

Gary- Thanks for reminding me! They were the good old days of collecting. That's when I started, had a little cash, and prices were great.Just didn't know about all the manufacturers and variations.

Rick-Are there any marks on the blade or guard. The pic looks like there may have been. Just curious. SKIP

 

None that I can see and I've been over it with a magnifying glass...it is an interesting piece and for $10 I couldn't resist....and seeing that old surplus store magazine makes me want to cry!....I'm only in my 40's but I remember when we could buy the British spike bayonets with scabbard and web frog for around $5 at a local surplus store...of course back then $5 was what I got as a monthly allowance from my folks for doing my chores!

 

Thanks for your input guys!

 

Rick

[bayonetman]

None that I can see and I've been over it with a magnifying glass...it is an interesting piece and for $10 I couldn't resist....and seeing that old surplus store magazine makes me want to cry!....I'm only in my 40's but I remember when we could buy the British spike bayonets with scabbard and web frog for around $5 at a local surplus store...of course back then $5 was what I got as a monthly allowance from my folks for doing my chores!

 

Thanks for your input guys!

 

Rick

 

You youngsters! A nearby surplus store (in Marietta, Ohio) back many years ago had the spike bayonets at 40 cents each or 3 for a dollar and was selling them as tent pegs! The scabbards were available at 25 cents as I recall. I bought a near new Model 1905 bayonet (SA 1906 - I still have it) from a store in Cincinnati in 1960 for $5.00 and they had a bucket full of them at that price. The good old days indeed.

[SKIPH]

Rick- I'm talking around 1967. I was 17 or 18. My first bayonet was a mint Utica M4- $5, then the m1905E1, $3.50, M1905-$3.00. M1917, mint-$4.95, and so on. Spike bayonets were .98 w/ scabbard. I still have everyone of these, and about 200 more. But, enough nostalgia. Now we hardly blink an eye when we're trying to round out a collection, and dropping serious dollars. Like we all say now, "If I only knew".Any way, for $10 you did great. SKIP

[1canpara]

Rick- I'm talking around 1967. I was 17 or 18. My first bayonet was a mint Utica M4- $5, then the m1905E1, $3.50, M1905-$3.00. M1917, mint-$4.95, and so on. Spike bayonets were .98 w/ scabbard. I still have everyone of these, and about 200 more. But, enough nostalgia. Now we hardly blink an eye when we're trying to round out a collection, and dropping serious dollars. Like we all say now, "If I only knew".Any way, for $10 you did great. SKIP

 

 

Thanks Skip, as I said earlier I'm not really a knife guy but I do watch for the occasional nice bayonet or trench knife to round out my collection and add some visuals to my helmet cabinet.

 

When I was in St Mere Eglise last June there was a store selling M-3's and 4's for hundreds and sometimes in the thousands of dollars! It was crazy! But then it was also D-Day week so their prices go up about 1000%. Now I just scour antique stores and thrift stores for stuff that no one has a clue about and hope I can pay close to what the original value would have been. Sometimes it works!

 

Cheers guys,

 

Rick

[mayralphie]

great catalog. I have one of the Kiffe knuckle knives pictured. It came from my cousin along with several other knives he had in Vietnam. Charlie

[1canpara]

well, look what I found on e-bay....almost the identical knife I was trying to ID....soooo, I guess whatever I have is something that was in production at some point and not just a one-off...anyway, I thought it was an interesting discovery on e-bay....

 

 

http://cgi.ebay.ca/WWII-US-Fighting-Knife_...=item255a272185

 

 

that is all,

 

Rick

[SKIPH]

1canpara- They are fairly common. But, the first one you had pictured , was with a very unique, oval shaped , brass guard. It looks original to the knife. That is different. SKIP

[1canpara]

1canpara- They are fairly common. But, the first one you had pictured , was with a very unique, oval shaped , brass guard. It looks original to the knife. That is different. SKIP

 

 

thanks Skip, I was just kinda intrigued to find almost the identical knife on e-bay....it pleases me that mine may be just a little bit different to make it worth the discussions we have had around it...anyway, back to my helmets now

 

thanks,

 

Rick

[fabnatcyr]

hello

here is a clone dagger of usm3

it is in a sheath U.S.M.8 well ww2

by cons no inscription (except TOM in the washers of leather)

for me this would be a KUTMASTER manufacture (often the name written on the blade part) seen the typical pommel

but I have never seen it with double guard (often keeps simple the usm4 whose socket has been cut)

CASE also made usm3 with straight guard and smooth handle but they have a classic knob

so ?????

ANY NOTICE WELCOME