gunbarrel Posted December 20, 2009 Share #1 Posted December 20, 2009 When 18" machetes issued during the Vietnam War come up in the conversation, it is usually the Ontario that it's talked about. That makes sense, as it is the most plentiful and inexpensive; however, let's not forget the Collins M-1942 (i.e. Collins No. 37) and the M-1942 made by Clyde. Regarding the Collins, the order placed in 1965 was the final order from the U.S. Army for Collins & Co. after a relationship that lasted over a century between the company and the U.S. Armed forces. The Clyde, to my knowledge, is the only other machete supplied by Clyde to the U.S. military besides the U.S.M.C. round tip in WWII. Below you will find some photos of the three subject examples in my collection. Please, forgive my poor photographic skills. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gunbarrel Posted December 20, 2009 Author Share #2 Posted December 20, 2009 As you can see, it's very hard to tell the difference between the three when they are in a scabbard. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gunbarrel Posted December 20, 2009 Author Share #3 Posted December 20, 2009 Even outside the scabbard you have to take a close look. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gunbarrel Posted December 20, 2009 Author Share #4 Posted December 20, 2009 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gunbarrel Posted December 20, 2009 Author Share #5 Posted December 20, 2009 Close-up of the Ontario. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gunbarrel Posted December 20, 2009 Author Share #6 Posted December 20, 2009 Close-up of the Ontario markings. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gunbarrel Posted December 20, 2009 Author Share #7 Posted December 20, 2009 Next, the Collins. Notice the natural blade finish and BRASS rivets. Also, NO DATE. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gunbarrel Posted December 20, 2009 Author Share #8 Posted December 20, 2009 Close-up of the Collins' mark. Compare with a WWII M-1942 Collins. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gunbarrel Posted December 20, 2009 Author Share #9 Posted December 20, 2009 Last one is the Clyde. It's finished nicely. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gunbarrel Posted December 20, 2009 Author Share #10 Posted December 20, 2009 A close-up of the Clyde markings. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cherokee tj Posted December 20, 2009 Share #11 Posted December 20, 2009 Good pictures, I have several WWII machetes but i'd need to look for one of the VN era ones. Didn't know about the Clyde machetes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charlie Flick Posted December 20, 2009 Share #12 Posted December 20, 2009 Rey: Excellent blades and a valuable commentary on the VN era M1942 machetes, a subject that few collectors have much information on. Those Clyde machetes are very scarce. Good stuff! Regards, Charlie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keith Posted November 2, 2010 Share #13 Posted November 2, 2010 Found this one Sunday. Don't know much about them and from reading this thread it must be Vietnam era since it is undated. Plastic handle is solid with no cracks. Blade length is 17-7/8" It was covered with a thin to medium layer of rust. Some penetrating oil and a brass scraper took off the loose rust leaving a blade that doesn't look too bad for $5.00! Thanks for looking..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gunbarrel Posted November 2, 2010 Author Share #14 Posted November 2, 2010 Keith, Congrats, that is a Vietnam era Ontario. Not just because it's undated, but because of the orientation of the markings. Current ones are also undated, but the markings are stamped in a different direction: http://www.usmilitariaforum.com/forums/ind...showtopic=81014 You can go one step further with that blade using WD-40 and 0000 steel wool. It will clean up nicely. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keith Posted November 2, 2010 Share #15 Posted November 2, 2010 Thanks for the wd-40 tip on cleaning the blade...I will try it. And thanks too for the further education on the markings on current production blades as I was unaware of those. It seems that the scabbards are the hard items to find? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
noworky Posted November 2, 2010 Share #16 Posted November 2, 2010 Another good and interesting lesson by GB Thanks, :thumbsup: Chris Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gunbarrel Posted November 2, 2010 Author Share #17 Posted November 2, 2010 Chris, my pleasure! Just passing on what I've learned from the real experts like Frank Trzaska and from books. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tsellati Posted November 4, 2010 Share #18 Posted November 4, 2010 Found this one Sunday. Don't know much about them and from reading this thread it must be Vietnam era since it is undated. Plastic handle is solid with no cracks. Blade length is 17-7/8" It was covered with a thin to medium layer of rust. Some penetrating oil and a brass scraper took off the loose rust leaving a blade that doesn't look too bad for $5.00! Thanks for looking..... Very nice find indeed :thumbsup: . I am envious. Tim Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tsellati Posted November 4, 2010 Share #19 Posted November 4, 2010 It seems that the scabbards are the hard items to find? Not as hard as you might think. Actually, they do show up occasionally on eBay. Tim Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
papalei Posted April 9, 2012 Share #20 Posted April 9, 2012 Thanks for sharing Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gunbarrel Posted April 9, 2012 Author Share #21 Posted April 9, 2012 Glad you found it helpful. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
urbanminer Posted November 2, 2014 Share #22 Posted November 2, 2014 I recently found this sawback Ontario machete with the older stampings that have been described as correct for Vietnam era. It has also been stated that the sawback design was introduced later. I wonder if anyone knows when this marking was discontinued and/or when the sawback was introduced. I emailed Ontario a couple of weeks ago but they have not replied. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SKIPH Posted November 2, 2014 Share #23 Posted November 2, 2014 I knew troops that said they were issued WW2 dated machetes in their engineer, "Pioneer Kits". Have actually seen them. They also had the WW2 dated Beckwith Molded scabbards. Also had those still being issued in the late 70s as part of our team gear. SKIP Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gunbarrel Posted November 2, 2014 Author Share #24 Posted November 2, 2014 I knew troops that said they were issued WW2 dated machetes in their engineer, "Pioneer Kits". Have actually seen them. They also had the WW2 dated Beckwith Molded scabbards. Also had those still being issued in the late 70s as part of our team gear. SKIP Skip, Urbanminer's machete is Vietnam era marked. The question here is the saw back. Did any of the machetes you talk about have saw backs? Thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SKIPH Posted November 3, 2014 Share #25 Posted November 3, 2014 GB- Was just adding general info that WW2 machetes & scabbards were still issued in the 60s & 70s. As far as "sawback" Ontarios, only saw them sold commercially, never issued. They can still be found. Thanks for keeping me straight. SKIP Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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