There were of course Marines stationed on the base. If the Marines had a Para knife A Short History of the U. S. Army M-1950 Lensatic Compass Major Hykr, Knife Survival System: The Ka-Bar Becker Champion BK2 Major Hykr, 3 Outstanding Survival Knives For Backpackers Major Hykr, Air Force S u r v i v a l K n i f e | norsedefense, Top 10 U.S. Military Gear For Backpackers Major Hykr, The Stories Behind 7 Infamous U.S. Military Knives | Fishing, https://prc68.com/I/OneManLifeRaft.html#Knife, Best Survival Knife of 2022: Dont Hit The Trail Without It! WW2 CAMILLUS *Air Force* Folding Machete Survival Knife w/Guard $79.00 20 bids $12.50 shipping Ended USMC US M3 Case 1943 Fixed Blade Fighting Knife Stacked Leather Handle & Sheath $314.00 14 bids $15.49 shipping 3d 5h U.S. M-1 GARAND / HANDLE SCALES and PARTS ( See Discription ) $17.50 2 bids $13.17 shipping Ended Among the "bright" finished knives you will find a variance. So far I have not found the S card for 5684 L77A: Camillus tried to talk Naval Ordnance into using factory reference collection. With areas like Germany, Italy, China, and the rest of the world getting the praises for coming up with truly timeless knives, the USA takes the glory for this one. In the testing Western won the contract hunting knife. Many people think this was when Adolph founded the Camillus knife company, but that is not so. Never knew that opinions could be this varied. It has two blades; one is a standard 2.5-inch cutting blade and the other is a locking. But there are clever reproductions that can fool you into thinking its the real thing. 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I've seen and/or handled eight bright finished examples besides the one I own and your pictures are the first examples of the parkerized ones. In all other ways, it totally resembles the pilots survival knife distributed to the military in the 1950s. this one, it should be a fantastic story to be uncovered one day. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Currently, the military-grade Air Force Survival Knife is only manufactured and sold by the Ontario Knife Company. Adolph Kastor, the founder of the Camillus cutlery company, came to the U.S.A at the age of 14. See Picture for identification. Not all Ka-bar knives will have a serial number, but checking this fine detail would make sense where possible. knife with Rosewood plain grips and brass pins. Did your Camillus knife go to the war? You have a very scarce Camillus MARK 1. Most of the information that I have collected about the knife comes from blogs and knife forums on the internet. Hello, It was used to open C-rations, cutting vines, skinning game and fish. the font is a bit off but hard to tell apart if you do not have the two together at the same time. I have several good photos of the knife which Id be happy to forward but there doesnt seem to be a way to send them to you on this site. Camillus used different sized stamps on their MK1s, believe there were 3 distinct sizes. By 1876, after his uncles company had to close shop due to poor sales figures, Adolph charted out a new path for himself. Thus, this knife became obsolete for its original intended use when the majority of military aircraft incorporated composite materials. spacer arrangements. We were rightfully concerned with losing our knife if we had to ditch over water. Example would be you have crashed landed and might be on your side up in the air. Today, heres all you need to know about dating your ka-bar knife as effectively as possible. The one on the left there is a bevel at the top of the grip. The knives will be sold as a group only. You ought to take part in a contest for one of the best sites on the net. Unbelievable piece. I appreciate the vote of confidence . Very creative, one of the nicer sites I have seen today. There were a few more hand changes of the business over the years but by then, we had entered the modern era of the knives. I cant glean a date of manufacture from the stamp. I have a one of the knives that came out of a survival kit. Each manufacturer would like to put its spin on things. The tang stamp on this knife is post Government contract era. Additionally, OKC is the only company selling this knife commercially. J5 Forest King etched with prototype J-5 on the blade. It was in a jungle behind Officers housing on a Navy base, sealed inside an ammo can with some other items. Bright blade (no property mark) initial production referred to as a 5-inch hunting knife, bright blade USN now referred to as the Mark 1, USN ricasso stamped with parked blade (corrosion resistant treatment compliance), late procurements with applied MARK 1 ricasso stampings. The bit telltale difference is the sharpened false If you are interested in the Camillus M4 But your saying the WW2 knives dont have pins at all?, just peened? I dont believe they were pinned in that era. Heavily used Camillus hunter, possible returned to the J-7 marked Kent with Sportsman etching and stagged What are the unique features of the Air Force Survival Knife, as outlined in the U.S. Government specifications? down, risers and lines. You might get lucky and pick the right thing, but you could just as well get scammed of your money. These knives should be professionally serviced by a Hi Wilfredo, I may be wrong but it may have been produced between 1970-1990, maybe in Asia. A similar issue occurs when dating the Kinfolks knife, but the chances of that error are slim. As such, this knife was not intended as a frontiersman or bushcraft knife, per se. So Ive read that one way to tell a WW2 Kabar is the pommel will be pinned from both sides as well as peened. and it's variations check out Gary Cunningham's Bayonet Points # 8 right here Bayo Points 8 Both are Camillus but one has a 1" longer blade. blade and solid spun rivets for the military. Do you think your Camillus is older than your friends, but neither is sure? While researching this knife I discovered that Camillus, the same manufacturer as the iconic Kabar fighting knife, was the main producer of these knives. The new design that was adopted was the 6 inch JPK. I viewed the ransacked show room The Air Force Survival Knife will be around for a very long time. Price $15,000.00, #5665 L66: This is the prototype for the WW II Army Air I have not Enjoy! that when Camillus got the bid for the Jet Pilot Knife Marbles made a deal in the handle grip from the looks of it. Did you recently find a Camillus knife, and youd like to know what era it came from? it's nice to finely see actual examples of the parkerized knives with no branch of service. I believe before it made its way into the survival kit it went on the ALSE vest. If possible, seek the opinion of multiple experts before making a solid decision. Stagged Rosewood, CR guard The Camillus Cutlery company also produced: Their production capacity was expanded during the second world war when they had to manufacture a lot of high-quality knives to meet the needs of the soldiers shipping off to war. USMC Raider reproduction with fine pewter handle. That is surely a lot of information to keep track of. The rarest USMC knife in Paranitrophenol was first registered in the United States in 1963 as a fungicide incorporated into leather products and hides as a preservative. Im pretty sure the 80 doesnt mean 1980 since Ive possessed it at least a couple years prior. This is the knife as adopted, kept for the Relevant!! Well I got my first one from and Army Helicopter pilot in Germany 1963. Some companies marked them and some did not. After the completion of testing and bidding competition between Marble, Camillus Cutlery, and the Ontario Knife Company (OKC), Camillus was awarded the contract to supply the new Jet Pilot Survival Knife (JPSK) to the Department of Defense instead of Marble. USMC next to the current repro which graphically shows the difference. if it was in Vietnam it must have been with some other folks not the US Second, procurements came first before the acceptance of the Mark 1 drawings. The Camillus Cutlery Company was one of the oldest knife manufacturers in the United States with roots dating back to 1876. Phil, They did not adopt this knife, as we know the M3 was There is a mix of lower and uppercase letters; Short and curved false edge (as opposed to the long sweeping false edge of the WWII knife), Scabbards are marked with Eagle, Globe and Anchor. The cutting blade is to be 5 1/8 inches long and 3/16 inches thick. Thus, it took special care and attention to identify which company made which one, before going deeper to ascertain the date period around when the knife was made. The TL-29 electrician's knife was originally an issue item manufactured by the Camillus Cutlery Company. I dont know if it has any markings that would help determine where and when manufactured. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. I find no marks on it but it was well used with rust stains. 2023 Cuts & Carves - Designed by O. Christopher, How to Date a Camillus Knife Effectively (1902 2007), How to Date Klein Knives to A Specific Year or Era (5 Methods), How to Date A Case Kodiak Knife by Yourself (Expert Advice), How to Date a Cattaraugus Knife (5 Methods Explained), How to Tell If A 1918 Trench Knife Is Real (5+ Unique Methods), How to Date a Kissing Crane Knife (Both Old and New), How to Tell the Age of a Marbles Knife by Yourself (5 Methods). The pilots, survival, sheathed, hunting knife shall consist of a metal blade with a leather grip, riveted butt plate, guard, guard and end plates, leather sheath with a pocket for containing the sharpening stone, nylon laces, and a metal sheath protector to prevent the tip of the knife from penetrating the bottom or underside of the sheath. This is an early Marbles design with a The M3 was originally designated for issue to soldiers not otherwise equipped with a bayonet. Held off rust well, and it is pretty solid. At the time of sale, the business was profitable but the new buyer ran it into the ground once again. Speechless Q31: An almost twin to item number two above but this one Don't know how durable or even if it is any good. It appears that in 2006, Ontario Knife Company became the current vendor to the DoD of the Jet Pilot Survival Knife under the National Stock Number (NSN): 7340-00-098-4327. Although it would appear that their presence in the theater of operations was mostly due to them being part of certain aircraft survival kits. Required fields are marked *. Contact the Ontario Knife Company. Im working on making one of these for a friend who is currently at the Air Force Academy and this article was incredibly helpful, thank you! Must have forgotten to take it out when I updated the piece with the second bullet point, Your email address will not be published. silver. Your email address will not be published. The table below shows you different tang stamp designs and when they were circulated.Tang StampDescriptionYear/ Era3-line arch stamp1902-19154-line straight stamp with yearFeatures year of manufacture3-line straight stamp1916 the 1930s4-line straight stampThe 1930s mid-19453-line; non-italic fonts; short underline1946 19503-line; non-italic, full underline; no dots (USA., not U.S.A.)1960 the 1970s3-line stamp; full underline; dotted U.S.A.; italicsThe 1970s 1980s3-line stamp; dotted U.S.A.; mixed caps1989 2007Camillus Knife Tang Stamps and their Eras. I got my first one from an electricians mate on the CG Cutter I was serving aboard back in the 70s. The business was profitable but the chances of that error are slim knife commercially the 1950s nicer sites I collected! All other ways, it totally resembles the pilots survival knife is only manufactured and sold by the Cutlery... 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