The Ka-Bar Is America’s Most Well-known Preventing Knife

Other than the Bowie knife, there’s possible not a extra well-known American knife than the Ka-Bar. The extremely lauded blade grew to become synonymous with the USA Marine Corps and fight within the Pacific Theater throughout World Struggle II, but it surely’s one in every of few items of drugs that’s simply as helpful right now because it was 80 years in the past. Marines, sailors, troopers, and civilians have embraced the Ka-Bar knife for many years, however most don’t know the fascinating historical past of the knife or the corporate that has turn out to be Ka-Bar.

Historical past of the Ka-Bar Knife

What grew to become identified merely as a “Ka-Bar” was a blade that Union Cutlery president Danforth Brown helped undergo the U.S. Marine Corps. It was designated because the 1219C2 USMC preventing and utility knife in 1942, and was shortly put into manufacturing by Union Cutlery and a number of other different corporations. Wartime manufacturing of weapons and gear usually concerned quite a lot of producers constructing the identical product. For instance, Winchester and Inland Manufacturing constructed the lion’s share of M1 Carbines throughout the warfare, however different corporations equivalent to IBM made them too. The M1 Garand was a Springfield Armory product, however was additionally produced by Winchester, Worldwide Harvester, and Harrington and Richardson.

Union Cutlery, which might later turn out to be Ka-Bar, didn’t really produce the best quantity of the 1219C2 knives. Camillus Cutlery produced essentially the most, but it surely and different producers usually stamped the corporate title and metropolis on the blades that have been shipped. As an alternative of that, Union Cutlery stamped theirs with “KA-BAR.” Because the knives gained reputation with servicemen, the 1219C2 USMC preventing and utility knife grew to become broadly known as a Ka-Bar knife. 

Throughout World Struggle II, there have been so many Ka-Bar knives manufactured that manufacturing ceased after 1945. There have been sufficient surplus blades that they have been issued all through the Korean and Vietnam wars. There wasn’t a brand new Ka-Bar USMC preventing and utility knife made till the Nineteen Seventies. 

Following the popularity of their trademark Ka-Bar-stamped wartime knives, Union Cutlery modified its title to Ka-Bar in 1952. Because the Nineteen Seventies reintroduction, they’ve continued to provide the well-known USMC knife, and the blades have been utilized by navy forces all over the world.

As Vietnam vet Steven Dick wrote for Outside Life the knife sample grew to become customary challenge for the Vietnam Struggle: “When the Vietnam Struggle began, the navy made the clever choice to make the ka-bar sample knife a service-wide customary challenge merchandise. The “USMC” and “USN” stamps have been dropped and the knives have been merely marked “US” with the maker’s title beneath. Outdoors of the Marines, the demand for the knives at all times exceeded the availability reaching the true troops on the bottom. In my very own Ranger Firm about the one groups outfitted with ka-bars have been those who had hung out cross-training with Marine Recon items. The restricted variety of the Camillus knives that did attain our personal provide system at all times appeared to finish up within the palms of officers and senior NCOs. Particular Forces groups did handle to search out higher portions than we did, and the knife was accessible on the civilian market in the event you have been prepared to take the time to mail-order one. Nonetheless, this was the one mannequin knife that the majority odd floor pounders wished, however had a tough time acquiring all through the lengthy warfare.“

The Legendary Ka-Bar Title Has a Legendary Story

Anybody aware of knives is aware of a Ka-Bar for the USMC preventing and utility knife, however most don’t know the place the title got here from, or that the roots of the title come from Union Cutlery’s in style looking knives within the early 1900s. The story, which was lengthy thought of delusion however lately verified by outdated firm paperwork, begins with a Kodiak brown bear pores and skin that was despatched to Union Cutlery president Wallace Brown with a notice. The notice was from a hunter or trapper in Alaska who had his rifle knocked from his palms by a wounded brown bear. He reported that he killed the bear together with his looking knife made by Union Cutlery. The conceal was a token of his gratitude to the knife maker.

Some variations of the story hyperlink “Ka-Bar” to the phrase kill a bear, typically pronounced “kill a bar.” A seasoned outdated sourdough may conceivably pronounce “kill a bear” in a mountain man shorthand “Ka-Bar.” Although the corporate discovered proof to confirm the letter and bear conceal despatched to Wallace Brown, they are saying that “Ka-Bar” is a by-product of “Kodiak bear.” In a advertising transfer that wouldn’t actually take maintain for one more 20 years, they trademarked the time period Ka-Bar as a brag on the toughness of their knives in 1924. In any case, one had been used to kill the most important and hardest of all bear species. Lengthy earlier than the USMC knife, Union Cutlery was stamping “Ka-Bar” on the blades of numerous their looking knives.

Specs

• Weight: 11 ounces (measured)
• General size: 11.875 inches
• Blade size: 7 inches
• Blade width: 1.230 inches
• Blade thickness (at backbone): .172 inches
• Blade form: Clip level
• Edge angle: 20 levels
• Blade materials: 1095 Cro-Van carbon metal
• Deal with materials: Stacked leather-based washers
• Pommel: Business-grade carbon metal
• End: Epoxy powder coating, black

Anatomy of a Ka-Bar USMC Preventing and Utility Knife

The 1219C2 C2 USMC Ka-Bar Knife is an easy software that excelled at quite a lot of duties. As manufactured by quite a lot of corporations throughout World Struggle II, there was definitely some variability in supplies and high quality, however the fundamentals of the knives have been the identical. The knife had an total size of just below 12 inches, with a 7-inch-long blade. The heavy-duty blade had a thick clip level and fullers alongside either side of the blade. These are also known as blood grooves, however their objective was to lighten the blade whereas sustaining stiffness (they weren’t designed to forestall the blade from sticking in a stab wound).

The Ka-Bar knife’s guard is barely rounded, with the factors tipping again towards the deal with. The deal with is roofed with tightly-compressed, stacked leather-based washers. The leather-based is turned all the way down to a cushty grip, with gripping grooves floor into it. This gives a really sturdy deal with that the consumer can hold onto in quite a lot of circumstances. The again finish is completed with a spherical pommel that’s pinned to the deal with.

Unique Ka-Bar knives got a Parkerized end—widespread for a lot of metal instruments and weapons of that period. Right now, the USMC preventing and utility knife is given a black epoxy powder coating. The blade itself is now produced from 1095 Cro-Van metal, which is 1095 carbon metal with added Chromium and Vanadium to assist edge retention and sturdiness. This carbon metal is hard, holds an edge properly, and is comparatively simple to resharpen.

The Ka-Bar knife was designed and issued in-part as a software for hand-to-hand fight, however its major perform was utilitarian. In the best way that I’d pores and skin a black bear with the Leatherman Skeletool I carry in my pocket daily, it will get most of its use by tightening screws, clipping wire, and opening packing containers or paint cans. A Ka-Bar knife was a serviceman’s fixed companion. Certain, it was a worthwhile preventing software, and a few memoirs recount Marines ghoulishly extracting gold enamel from fallen enemy troopers with them, however most Ka-Bars have been used just for opening rations and ammunition crates, digging, chopping brush, and absolutely anything else a giant knife can be helpful for. In a guide I learn as a youngster—I can’t recall the title—a Marine in Vietnam recounted utilizing his Ka-Bar for every little thing, and famous how properly it labored to dig within the clay and enhance preventing positions. 

The Ka-Bar knife nonetheless makes a wonderful utility software or bushcraft knife. The heavy-duty clip level is extremely immune to breakage, and the straight edge is simple to resharpen. The backbone of the knife is thick sufficient that it really works properly to baton and cut up kindling. It’s too large to be a devoted looking and dressing knife, however it could fill the position in a pinch.

Learn Subsequent: The Greatest Skinning Knives

FAQs

Ultimate Ideas on Ka-Bar

As of late, Ka-Bar has expanded to many different fashions in the identical fashion as the unique knife—and lots of different types, too. They produce fixed-blades and folders, obligation and defensive knives, looking knives, pocket knives, and a few actually cool novelty objects like Ka-Bar chopsticks and pizza cutters.

Becker Knife and Device

Ka-Bar has performed numerous collaborations with knife makers over time, and their present line designed by Ethan Becker options some nice blades. One in all their latest is the BK19 Becker Nessmuk which, in a approach, is a superb trendy illustration of the kind of utilitarian knife the USMC Ka-Bar was and is. It’s shorter at a hair over 9 inches lengthy. The BK19 is stout, has sturdy grip scales, an important rounded stomach to the blade, and the blade is thick. It’s thought of one of many finest survival knives, however is nimble sufficient to be an important possibility for skinning and breaking down large recreation, too. Although I hope they by no means cease making the Ka-Bar knife the corporate is thought for, however selection and innovation will assist be certain that Ka-Bar stays a reliable model lengthy into the long run.