this belongs to my nephew who got it from the estate of a late Vietnam Veteran. and info as to age, etc will be helpful. thanks in advance. lee

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VFW, NRA, VVA, S&WCA 1758

I would really like to have one of those. Sorry I can't help with any info though

That MIGHT be the one they call K8. (??)

If so, I think it's the one I need to match my mid-70s Colt SP-1.

To the best of my knowledge Cutco manufactured the K-Bars. They still have a K-Bar CUTCO(R)/KA-BAR(R) Explorer | Sporting Knives by Cutco.

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U.S. Coast Guard, retired CPO

I can’t date that exactly, but not too long ago I read some historical material on Bladeforums. I believe CutCo was the company name when they first started making the Marine utility/fighting knife. Camillus made the first version, and ultimately, a number of companies had contracts to make the knife for the military.
At some point, Ka-Bar became the name of the parent company in order to take advantage of the trademark value of the name. That is the best I can do off the top of my head. Your best bet would be to search out the history on Bladeforums. There is a lot of info there. My only knife of that genre is a partially serrated USMC knife I received as a gift about ten years ago.

Ka-Bar also manufactures Ethan Becker’s excellent designs. I have three of those, including a couple of the BK62 Kephart replicas. I will probably buy at least one more Becker. They are some really excellent, reasonably priced utility, survival and camping knives that have an avid following.

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Not in jail.

Try one of the Forums:

KA-BAR Knives | BladeForums.com

My son had a WWII and I have 4 from 1970 to 1990 and once in used condition there is no telling them apart without CSI checking the atomic structure of the steel.

IN 1990 I paid $30-35 retail for brand new. My son early enlisted in the Army in Summer of 97. That winter we picked up a "Nice" but very used WWII Ka-bar with old dried out sheath for $35. Walking around the the show, old guys were offering up to $80 to buy his knife. That knife saw action in WWII, Korea, and Vietnam according to the man we bought it from, and saw action (but no blood) in Iraq with my son as Blackhawk crew chief in 2004-5!

Ivan

youtube has a good video on the history of Ka-Bar,

thanks folks, i will pass this info on to my nephew. lee

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VFW, NRA, VVA, S&WCA 1758

AFAIK. The ww2 KA-BAR Knives were either stamped on the guard or faintly (thin line font) on the Ricasso. Because of the big bold thick lined USMC stamp on the Ricasso I think this knife is from 1978 or later.

I have a WWII USN MkII KaBar with the fiberglass sheath. It is marked on the guard.

Nice KaBar - Doesn't look like the blade was messed up with improper sharpening.

That's a nice keepsake and it's in good shape. I kind of think that the stamped in USMC on it might make it an aftermarket knife and not an issue knife, but that's just a guess on my part as I spent my career in the Army.

I still have my Dad's K-Bar from WWII somewhere around here. I also carried a K-Bar for much of my career, although I carried an aviator's survival knife in VN and didn't get the K-Bar until the mid 70s. I also still have my Camillus demo knife and jumpmaster's switchblade knife.

My K-Bar as made by Camillus knife company. I wore out two leather sheaths for it and finally found this US Navy fiberglass sheath for it.

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Keep your powder dry.

Per my previous post. Here is my USN MKII from WWII. Had always wanted one and finally pick this one up at a Militaria and Gun Auction. It was in a box with an old rusty bayonet and a 1978 Air Force Survival knife. Think it was overlooked by other bidders as it wasn't listed as a KaBar and was lot #300 something toward end of auction. It was a live auction and I think I waited 3+ hours until it came up.

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