Ka bar ? Identification please

Trvor

New Member
Hi from the UK

Can anyone ID this knife which was bought as a user by my son for camping/bushcraft etc.
It was sold to him as a "vietnam era bowie as used by the Green Berets" - hmmm?
The only marking on the knife was on the top guard on the blade side but has been etched out xxxx
and is illegible.
The overall length is 11 3/4 inches and the blade is 7 1/4 inches, the handle is green composite/plastic and there are no markings on the sheath other than a scratched on shield design. (the blade is darker than shown in the pic)
I have my doubts as to it's vietnam connection and would be grateful to hear your opinions.

Thanks for looking and a belated Happy New Year to all


Trevor


Supporting Help For Heros
 

Attachments

  • knife.jpg
    knife.jpg
    33.1 KB · Views: 41
Looks like you have a relatively recent issue K-Bar with Kraton(80's?) handle and 'nut' pommel. The nut pommel version was usually issued for civilian sale. The original service issue would have typically had a round pommel, turned leather handle, long deep clip and slightly turned back guard. Some also had 'parkerized' blades Looking at the pic, I'm almost certain the sheath may be older than the knife , maybe era issue. In the late 70's a lot of knockoffs came out of china and were real cheap. I remember getting a batch that didn't seem to be heat treated, the blades were soft and the tips would bend.lol. I'm no pro but that's what I know about them after handling a few . Look into some military knife sites on the net....must be tons of info there. Hope this helped a little. Try this out for reference.
http://www.militaryfightingknives.com/collection.html

Rudy
 
Last edited:
That's not a real Ka-bar . Look at the grinds and the blood groove - very badly done ..
 
i 2nd not reall
and the sheath is all wrong too

BTW while its the marines "issue knife" there are far better knives for field work (the biggest problem is the tang stepdown and thats the place that most end up braking )
 
Thanks for the replies guys I shall go and see the seller and have my kids money refunded.
I appreciate your time

thanks again and all the best

Trevor -
 
Back
Top