WW2 Case Pig Sticker Knife

bengal fan · Dec 22, 2016

In my travels today I found a pretty neat stocking stuffer for myself!

I found this vintage Case pig sticker with its original sheath at one of my favorite gun shops. When researching this knife online after I got home I noticed many of these knives are described as being used in WW2. Apparently Case wasn't contracted to make these for the military, but many soldiers bought them on their own for use in the war??(Please correct me if I'm wrong)
Everything looks good with this one. The blade is sharp with no nicks or chips on the edges & the clear plastic handles are sound with no looseness or cracks. There is some rust on the tang you can see under the grips that give them some color

My only concern is after doing some limited Google searching I'm wondering if the handle material is original because I haven't found any other images with handles like this one. They look to me like they were installed professionally because the quality of the fitment is spot on to my untrained eyes. Either way it's a really cool knife I'm glad I found!

I would love to hear any thoughts or info you may have about this knife. What's your opinion on the handle material? Also, any help with dating this knife would be much appreciated!

DocB · Dec 22, 2016

The handle looks original to me. That is a neat knife. Never seen one like it.

Inusuit · Dec 22, 2016

Very nice old Case. Yes, the scales look to be a perfect fit. I do know that it was not uncommon for soldiers/sailors/airmen in WWII to make knife handles and pistol grips of the Plexiglass from downed airplanes. In some cases they would put pictures of wives or girlfriends under the stocks. These are known as "sweetheart" grips.

da gimp · Dec 22, 2016

I'm willing to bet that Inusuit is spot on about these grips...almost certainly aftermarket/put on by a skilled military machinist having access to the scrap plexiglass. Those guys made a lil extra money making grips & handles for other members of the military. Some examples are R & X rated...as these guys were journeyman machinists/tool makers.. making grips for these or various handguns was an easy job to do...

Drm50 · Dec 22, 2016

I have seen similar knives but they had wood handles with brass
rivets. I would say handle was Govt. job. The frosted holes through the plexi glass are caused by a standard drill bit and
rivets appear to be galvanized or alumilum. I have never seen one offered with a sheath. Just my guess.

CustomChevyGuy · Dec 22, 2016

That's a very cool knife, original or not! I love the character of the rust colorization under the grips give the knife.

vonn · Dec 23, 2016

Looks like it could get the job done and is aging very well. Good find!

30-30remchester · Dec 23, 2016

From all my studies of Case knives, they did not produce these knives with clear plastic handles. As others have stated, handle modification was and is a common occurrence. It is hard if not impossible to verify when and where the change was made. My uncle would buy many surplus knives in the 1960's and install varying colored plexablass handles on them. He would give them as Christmas gifts. I lost the one he made for me.

WW2 Case Pig Sticker Knife

bengal fan

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DocB

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Inusuit

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da gimp

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Drm50

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CustomChevyGuy

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vonn

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30-30remchester

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