Vintage Ka-Bar help

[otis24]

Can anyone date this Ka-Bar? General time frame? I believe it to be WW2, but not certain. Is this considered a red spacer Ka-Bar? Is this an original sheath that has been customized or an entirely different sheath that has been custom made for the knife? The stitching looks like sinew and the leather ties look to have antler accents.

 

[walnutred]

It's not an issue sheath. Why to you think the knife is a Ka-Bar?

 

[otis24]

It’s marked Ka-Bar, Olean NY on the guard. Just couldn’t get a good picture of it.

 

[30-30remchester]

Jet pilots knife from the early 1950's. Weren't made but a couple years before replace by the Jet pilot knife common today.

 

[80sgyrene]

Not a jet pilots knife. A Mark 1 style, used extensively by the navy in WWII.
Nothing original about the sheath. Handle has also been modified.

Eta- the red spacer knives had thin red fiber spacers.
This might be a commercial post war knife. Any other markings?

 

[otis24]

On another forum, it was ID’d as a Ka-Bar Commando.

 

[80sgyrene]

Here you go OP. I think we have a match.
Looks like handle might be original.

Just a Generic Kabar manufactured knife. The government bought thousands during the war. M.H.Cole does refer to it as “Commando” in the index of his book, but there are quite a few knives with that name attached.

 

[otis24]

Thanks for the chart. Hit the nail on the head! I own the top knife as well! It is my favorite!

 

[30-30remchester]

Not a jet pilots knife. A Mark 1 style, used extensively by the navy in WWII.
Nothing original about the sheath. Handle has also been modified.

Eta- the red spacer knives had thin red fiber spacers.
This might be a commercial post war knife. Any other markings?

You are correct. i missed the large round pommel and thick spacers. The early Jet pilot knives had flat pommels and thin spacers. As good as Howard Cole was, he miss identified a few. The early Jet pilot knives he had identified as Mark 1's. I have several of these "commando" knives and according to Kabar literature they sold this model to the government during WW2.

 

[30-30remchester]

I regularly look over the internet to view vintage photos of US personal actually wearing belt knives. I have only seen a few photos of the 225's being worn, However Cole list many 6" utility knives like the above Kabar commando, but I have never seen a photo of one being worn. I have a number of these 6" utility knives made by several different manufactures but again I have never seen one being worn. If anyone has such a photo I would appreciate seeing it. If you will check old ads from Outdoor Life and Field and Stream from the 1950's and 1960's there are many ads for these type knives for sale. Apparently surplus from the factory as they are listed as new. yet the factories stopped producing them after tyhe war. One interesting brand EGW, is listed as a WW2 knife and I have never seen a photo of one being worn, though I have one that has an inscription, "SGT. TAYLOR" etched into the sheath.

P.S. On my above incorrect identification of an early get pilot knife, as far as I know only 2 companies manufactered these early knives. Imperial and Schrade Walden.