MK2 USN Ka-Bar

[Dunc5]

Hello , I’ve just joined and this is my first post. I was searching for ka-Bar information and found a really good topic on here with loads of really great information so I joined up

I have a MK2 USN with leather sheath which has no markings at all on it ( apart from someone’s name ). Would anyone be able to tell me anything about it please ? I’m hoping it’s the correct sheath. I’m not looking to sell it or anything.

[Gunsil]

Your nice MK2 is in it's proper sheath. Knife is an early guard marked one with thick pommel, the earliest were blade marked. Your "fat" pommel is indicative of earlier production, they went to a thinner pommel shortly after the marked guards were introduced. They made a million of these between 1943 and 1945, many survivors are not as nice a condition as yours.

[doglegg]

Welcome and thanks for the post and pictures. Congratulations on such a knice knife.

[eveled]

That is a really nice example of a very desirable knife. The staples on the sheath are to conserve materials for the war effort. Plus they were probably faster.

When people look at a military knife with its scars and stains and damage, they often say “I wish this knife could talk the stories it could tell”.

I think yours would say “I spent 70 years in a sock drawer”. It’s that nice.

[Dunc5]

Your nice MK2 is in it's proper sheath. Knife is an early guard marked one with thick pommel, the earliest were blade marked. Your "fat" pommel is indicative of earlier production, they went to a thinner pommel shortly after the marked guards were introduced. They made a million of these between 1943 and 1945, many survivors are not as nice a condition as yours.

Thank you for the information , that’s really interesting. Am I right in saying the leather sheath was prior to the hard fibreglass type ones being issued ?

[Dunc5]

Welcome and thanks for the post and pictures. Congratulations on such a knice knife.

Thank you , it is a lovely knife and I’m lucky to own it.

[Dunc5]

That is a really nice example of a very desirable knife. The staples on the sheath are to conserve materials for the war effort. Plus they were probably faster.

When people look at a military knife with its scars and stains and damage, they often say “I wish this knife could talk the stories it could tell”.

I think yours would say “I spent 70 years in a sock drawer”. It’s that nice.

Thank you very much , I did a bit of research on the name on the sheath and William H Bisbing joined USS Manchester in 1946. I couldn’t find out any records of him before that so I don’t know if he served during the War or if the knife was issued to him after it.

[Gunsil]

Your nice MK2 is in it's proper sheath. Knife is an early guard marked one with thick pommel, the earliest were blade marked. Your "fat" pommel is indicative of earlier production, they went to a thinner pommel shortly after the marked guards were introduced. They made a million of these between 1943 and 1945, many survivors are not as nice a condition as yours.

Thank you for the information , that’s really interesting. Am I right in saying the leather sheath was prior to the hard fiberglass type ones being issued ?

Yes, Navy got the fiberglass sheaths, USMC only got the leather ones. They had millions of MK2s and they were still new in stock and issued during the Korean conflict. Original owner could have been issued knife in 1945 and not been sent to sea until 1946. It could also have been given to him by somebody else who was in earlier or possibly he spent a couple years in the navy before 1946 without having been on a ship. These were also issued to Seabees. I'd suspect if he had not been issued it before 1946 that it would have the later sheath.

[Dunc5]

Your nice MK2 is in it's proper sheath. Knife is an early guard marked one with thick pommel, the earliest were blade marked. Your "fat" pommel is indicative of earlier production, they went to a thinner pommel shortly after the marked guards were introduced. They made a million of these between 1943 and 1945, many survivors are not as nice a condition as yours.

Thank you for the information , that’s really interesting. Am I right in saying the leather sheath was prior to the hard fiberglass type ones being issued ?

Yes, Navy got the fiberglass sheaths, USMC only got the leather ones. They had millions of MK2s and they were still new in stock and issued during the Korean conflict. Original owner could have been issued knife in 1945 and not been sent to sea until 1946. It could also have been given to him by somebody else who was in earlier or possibly he spent a couple years in the navy before 1946 without having been on a ship. These were also issued to Seabees. I'd suspect if he had not been issued it before 1946 that it would have the later sheath.

Thanks that’s really helpful

[1tnemec]

Your nice MK2 is in it's proper sheath. Knife is an early guard marked one with thick pommel, the earliest were blade marked. Your "fat" pommel is indicative of earlier production, they went to a thinner pommel shortly after the marked guards were introduced. They made a million of these between 1943 and 1945, many survivors are not as nice a condition as yours.

What is the thickness difference between the “fat” and “thinner” pommel?

[Gunsil]

I believe the difference is 1/8". The easy way to tell is that the early fat pommels are screwed or peened on while the thin pommels are pinned on. This is also one way to tell the difference between the originals and the re-issues by KA-BAR since those have a fat pommel pinned on from only one side. No originals had pinned on fat pommels and the thin pommel later versions had a pin that went all the way through the pommel.

[1tnemec]

Thanx for the info