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Government issue ballpoint pens


avigo
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I am not in the military.
Maybe a stupid question, but I want to get a bunch of the Skillcraft US Government ballpoint pens. They come in both medium and fine.

 

My question:

What would the actual, "standard issue" pens be? Medium, or fine? Black or blue?

Here are links:

 

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0055KSO3A?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=ox_sc_act_title_2&smid=A3K3TVBMTCRGHA

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0055KSNYK?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=ox_sc_sfl_title_1&smid=A3K3TVBMTCRGHA

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Speaking for the Marine Corps from my experience black and black only. Heaven forbid you ever did anything in any other color. Don't remember any fine tips so I'd say medium. The ones made before those on the amazon site had a solid silver ring between the top and bottom pieces

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The green memoranda books that are listed on Amazon along with the skill craft pens sure bring back found memories!

 

Mason

 

 

Which notebooks were/are standard issue? the side bound ones, or the top bound ones?

 

Thanks guys!

 

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Funny, I remember the side bound ones pretty much only. I've seen a few of the top bound ones over the years but it seems like we always had the side bound ones.

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Those are the right kind of pens. Issue pens were never blue, always black. The earlier pens had a solid silver band as mentioned, I believe the style with the alternating black and silver bands came out probably around 2000. You can use a finger nail to scrap off the black band and get a silver band. As part of the RFI gear after 9/11 we did get a shipment of the Rite in the Rain top bound khaki notebooks as well as the Rite in the Rain pens. They worked better than the Skillcraft pens but also more expensive.

 

As for the green memo pads, sometimes supply would get the top bound and sometimes the side bound so either one is correct to fill a utility pocket. We typically used a rubberband to index the next available page in the notebook, but rubber bands don't survive very long in the desert heat. If you search Amazon for 'The Green Journal', the cloth bound large format notebook was also commonly used in offices as log books. We basically used which ever size was available and depending on it purpose.

 

Enjoy!

 

Peter

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Should also have mentioned that I believe the Skillcraft pens were introduced in the early 1960s so they have been around for a while. I also believe the green cloth bound, larger format notebooks date back to the 1940s although the markings would have been different since NSN was adopted in 1974.

 

Peter

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Who knew pens and notebooks could generate such discussion and bring back so many memories!? This is one of the few times where I feel like I'm holding my own on the forum to boot.

 

We all used to fold down the page when we moved to another in a triangle fashion. You're absolutely right in that the rubber bands really didn't hold up. I finally found oversized paper clips that I used. Folding down the page (s) made the book thicker and of course all us grunts had to stay thinner, lighter. Let's not even get started about grease pencils and acetate.

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Those are the right kind of pens. Issue pens were never blue, always black. The earlier pens had a solid silver band as mentioned, I believe the style with the alternating black and silver bands came out probably around 2000. You can use a finger nail to scrap off the black band and get a silver band. As part of the RFI gear after 9/11 we did get a shipment of the Rite in the Rain top bound khaki notebooks as well as the Rite in the Rain pens. They worked better than the Skillcraft pens but also more expensive.

 

As for the green memo pads, sometimes supply would get the top bound and sometimes the side bound so either one is correct to fill a utility pocket. We typically used a rubberband to index the next available page in the notebook, but rubber bands don't survive very long in the desert heat. If you search Amazon for 'The Green Journal', the cloth bound large format notebook was also commonly used in offices as log books. We basically used which ever size was available and depending on it purpose.

 

Enjoy!

 

Peter

 

 

Thanks so much! Exactly what I was looking for.

I really appreciate it.

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Would these be the current US military issue version of the mechanical pencil?

 

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B008UARLDQ?ref_=cm_cd_al_qh_dp_t

 

That's a mechanical grease pencil (crayon style marker). Normally used on acetated map sheets. I have a US Government mechanical pencil somewhere in my stash but it will take me a while to find it.

I've seen the style that Texas36th showed but never used them.

 

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Manchu Warrior

Not to get to far off track. With that said, I have been out of the Army for almost twelve years and as of yet I use nothing but black ink pens. If there isn't one around I will find one before I write anything.

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Here are two pens I have left from the supply room...

Black ink. I Don't know if they are "medium" or "fine", we only had one choice.

2000-2009 timeframe. Also shown is the popular "green book"!

 

post-122639-0-85582500-1456681198.jpg

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