What kind of knife is this

[40cal]

Can anyone tell me anything about this knife. I would like to know if it is an old knife or is it home made.

 

[Ephraim]

Are there any markings on the blad or hilt? :hmm: It looks C.W to me may be home made.
Ephraim

 

[40cal]

I couldnt find any markings at all. It does have leather ring for a handle.

 

[Birdman]

can ya give us some specs on it, width of the blade, length of the blade n handle etc. Also where ya might of come by the knife

 

[40cal]

It is 16 3/4" end to end. Blade is 1 1/8 wide at the wides point. Handle is 4 3/8" long. It was my Dads and he dont remember where he got it. thanks.

 

[bucktales]

Just a guess, but it almost looks like it started it's life as a Bayonet. :hmm:

 

[jimmytheshank]

Kinda looks like a plug bayonet dont it? :hmm:

 

[dodgecity]

Either that or a dirk.

 

[Mulebrain]

I knew what it was when I first saw it, and just couldn't remember the name. Now I remembered!

When I was real young, knives were my true love!

That is a real nice looking knife and sheath!


That there is an Arkansas Toothpick! They came in many forms, but that one fits the bill!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arkansas_toothpick

Howdy Hoosier!!!

I am from Shirley Indiana!

 

[shmrck1]

Don,
Bit larger than I like but I
appreciate anything nice!
snake-eyes:hmm:

 

[pichou]

Well, it could be almost anything, but it resembles a "trench knife" more than anything else.

The blade is diamond in cross section. Not a Scottish Dirk. Not fancy enough for a Naval Dirk. Too narrow at the hilt for a toothpick. Too long for a proto-commando dagger. Not any kind of bayonet blade I know of.

It is a fighting knife. Possibly American.

Notice the sheath has a hole for a leg tie. That is a very late feature.

If it is all original, it is worth keeping that way. Whatever it is, it is going to be a fairly rare piece of history.

 

[bucktales]

I'll stick to my guns and still say reworked Bayo. :haha:
These things came in all sorts of configurations and lengths. This includes Ersatz bayos.
And before the advent of the internet and a strong Milsurp interest, these Bayonets were a dime a dozen.

Perhaps some craftsman started with one of these and ended up with the blade pictured.

Here's one from my collection that belongs on my M1894/14 Swedish Mauser Carbine.

 

[Rod Lassey]

That's a nice old fighting knife--I would NOT alter it, or the scabbard, in any way. It looks military to me, are those rivets in the scabbard brass instead of copper? If so, that would increase the chances of it being military. Just prior to D-Day, the Allies scoured the armouries of England and the US for blades to turn into fighting knives. They used old WWI French bayonets, reworked civilian knives, etc., so there was a myriad of styles---some very rare. I'd contact a reputable militaria dealer or collector for an opinion. Could be worth some $$$

Rod

 

[pichou]

OK, got it. :thumbsup:

 

[LaBonte]

Gotta agree with the idea that it's "homemade" and most likely of WW2 era - to my eye it looks like a version of the Sykes-Fairbairn fighting knife often carried by commandos.

As for Arkansas toothpicks being daggers - it's a mid-20th Century description not a period one - here are just two originals that are not daggers...

Norm Flayderman's "The Bowie Knife: Unsheathing an American Legend" has a chapter on toothpicks including primary documentation - for anyone interested in 19th Century "fighting" knives it is a fantastic resource of 520 pages chock full of beautiful color pics.....

 

[40cal]

Thanks everyone for all of the info. I think I will hang on to it for a bit.

 

[David Shaw]

While I'm not an "expert" I would be more than willing to wager a cup of coffee lol, that it is nota Sykes-Fairbern. They were not long bladed 6 or 8 inches and they were black and all metal no wood scales. Pretty sure of that. I am fairly sure it is a bayonet of some sort, as it looks like it is made to attach to a rifle. I seen lots of them for old Mausers for sale in catalogs such as Sportsmans Guide.

 

[LaBonte]

While I'm not an "expert" I would be more than willing to wager a cup of coffee lol, that it is nota Sykes-Fairbern.

Re-read my post I never said it was Sykes-Fairbairn. I said it was most likely homemade and looks like a S-F which it does to a fair degree, but as you noted the blade is longer and it is not all metal - IMO it's of WW2 era and is somebodies homemade and perhaps "improved" version of a well known model.......

 

[Russ T Frizzen]

There were lots of these made up during the trench warfare of WWI. They used captured enemy bayonets and even old spike bayonets. As you say, the same thing happened as D-Day approached. Must be a bunch of them out there. This one does look more WWII era and made from a bayonet. It does look like the maker was influenced by a Sykes-Fairbairn commando knife.