Original Item: Only One Available. The originator of the KA-BAR trademark, Union Cutlery Co, began using the name in 1923, having received a letter from a fur trapper who had used the knife to kill a wounded bear which attacked him when his rifle jammed. According to company records, the letter was only partially legible; "ka bar" could be read, as fragments of the phrase "kill a bear". In 1923, the company adopted the name Ka-Bar from the "bear story" as its trademark. From 1923, the KA-BAR trademark was used as a ricasso stamp by Union Cutlery Co. on its line of automatic switchblade pocket knives, including the KA-BAR Grizzly, KA-BAR Baby Grizzly, and KA-BAR Model 6110 Lever Release knives. The company produced about 1 million knives with the trademark on the ricasso.

This is a great serviced used example of the legendary WWII Production U.S.M.C marked Mark 2 "Ka-Bar" fighting knife with an incorrect USN Mk2 Scabbard. Marine Corps issue knives are much harder to find on the market than the U.S.N. marked variety. Overall length of this Mark 2 knife is 12 inches, with a 7 inch clip-point blade. The markings on the ricasso are as follows:

USMC

On the right, and on the left is:

KA-BAR

There is no address under the "KA-BAR", and the "USMC" is relatively large, which is correct for the earlier war made USMC marked knives by Union Cutlery, the third pattern recognized. It has the correct larger rectangular tang with a 1/4" thick pommel that is cross pinned to the tang. It also has the correct stacked polished leather handle. The handle does show signs of wear but it’s overall great.

The Mk2 Knife was developed as an improvement over the Mk1 design, which had issues with blade snapping due to the thinner design. Working with Union Cutlery, USMC Colonel John M. Davis and Major Howard E. America contributed several important changes, including a longer, stronger blade, the introduction of a small fuller to lighten the blade, a peened pommel (later replaced by a pinned pommel), a straight (later, slightly curved) steel crossguard, and a stacked leather handle for better grip. The knife was officially known as the 1219C2, but it was commonly called the "Ka-Bar" after the trademark of Union Cutlery that was on the blades of early examples. The first production order went out to Camillus Cutlery Company, who produced the largest number of knives during WWII. The design was subsequently adopted by the Navy as the US Navy Utility Knife, Mark 2, and the USMC adopted it as the USMC Mark 2 Combat Knife, or simply the Knife, Fighting Utility.

In 1944, the US Navy put through a change order to have the markings moved from the blade to the cross guard, however the last pattern of the "KA-BAR" marked knives kept the blade markings, as on this example. It has the later war slightly "swept back" cross guard. The knife features original polished leather washer grip, which is in excellent condition, with no cracks or splitting, and it has a 1/4" steel pommel with cross pinned tang. The grip is quite shiny, as it still has most of the original factory "buffed" finish. The blade retains virtually all of the original blackened finish, with the original factory ground edge almost completely retained. There is just a bit of oxidation preventing it from being truly "mint".

The scabbard is the USN Mk2 version, which is incorrect for a USMC marked knife, but it still works for display. The scabbard has very similar in construction to the M8 scabbard for the M3 fighting knife, with a thermoplastic impregnated cotton fabric body, metal throat, and canvas frog and securing strap. Scabbard is in fair condition, and definitely shows wear on the frog and heavy oxidation on the throat.

An excellent example of an exceptionally hard to find USMC-marked "KA-BAR" knife, field used with an incorrect Navy scabbard. No collection is complete without one! Ready to display!

Specifications:
Blade Length: 7"
Blade Style: Clip-point "Bowie" Style
Overall length: 12“
Crossguard: 2 7/16”
Scabbard Length: 8" with Belt Loop