5 inch MKII (USMC)

J

JamesofArc

Joined
Apr 19, 2016
Messages
310
I love the MKII that KA-BAR produces now days but I want something a little shorter.

I want the exact same knife but I want the blade to be only 4 or 5 inches. Where can I fond something like that.

I don't want a MKI as it is full flat grind and not just a flat grind. I could go Ontario 499 survival knife but it is not exactly like the MKII and I want it to be exactly like the MKII. I could go with the Buck 119 but I want 1095 not stainless or some other steel. The little KA-Bar mini's are not want I am looking for as the handle are too small.

What is out there, stacked leather handle and all.
 
Look up the secondary market
For the discontinued
Ka-bar short or the
Ontario freedom fighter quatermaster FF17
Though nothing beats a custom made knife made to your very own specification.
Ever heard of the desert storm era Navy SEAL CUK (Combat utility knife)
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https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Gwx5WZK-f48
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=-zT6XAClGCg
 
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JamesofArc said:
I can not believe I have stumped the group. I need a prize or something for this.
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By asking about a knife that probably only exists as a custom, then, yes, you have "stumped" everybody.

Your prize is a Kabar Short USMC. :thumbup:

By the way..."now days"? :confused: Union Cutlery/Kabar has been making the 1219C2 since WWII.
 
Like Marcinek, I don't know of anything "just" like the USMC, but with a 5in blade, but with the same size handle. There are knives that are fairly close, but none that I can think of that are "exact".

The closest I can think of, other than those mentioned above, are all Blackjack models. All of them are saber ground, with a clip point and some sort of a guard. None of them have fullers though.

Blackjack model 4 (no stacked leather option though).

Blackjack Model 13 is close as well, but again, no stacked leather option.

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Blackjack Model 5
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Blackjack Model 15/16

Only Model 15 is available in stacked leather, but it has the teeth on the spine like a pilots knife. Model 16 has a standard spine, but isn't available in stacked leather.

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Blackjack Model 125
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What you can do is go over to tomarskabars.com (authorized BF dealer) at this link

http://www.tomarskabars.com/3_Quarter-KA-BAR_P1.html

and select from the 4 leather handled 3/4 Kabars. 1 each stamped USMC and USA, with plain or combo edge options.

The lengths are 5-1/4", a little longer than the OP's stated desired length, but that's what you get with a 3/4 (0.75) sized reduction. 5" would have made them 0.7142857 of a full-sized one. Marketing would have pitched a fit.

"3/4 sized sounds better than 7/10 size. Go back to the drawing board." :D

Page 2 of the 3/4 sized Kabars are the black coated/black Kraton handled versions - 2 tanto blade and 2 traditional clip blades, with either plain or combo edged,

The 3rd page has the same black knives, but with plastic sheaths rather than black leather sheaths on page 2. The leather handled versions will also fit in the plastic sheaths.

Page 4 has the leather and Kraton handled MK1s.
 
I think the OP does not want the 3/4 KaBar as he said the handle is too short, and the blade is all around smaller, not just shorter. I had one and it felt funny, like a shrunken full size, as opposed to just having a shorter blade.

I agree with the OP, I like a full sized knife with a shorter blade, this is why the Randall 15 is my favorite knife.

AL MAR made a version of the Grunt with a 5 1/8" blade, but they are probably more than you want to pay. How about having a full size shortened and reground?
Or KaBar Marine Hunterhttps://www.kabar.com/knives/detail/54 unfortunatly is is almost 6"
 
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Oops. I missed that line.:o I just saw that he didn't want the Mk1.

OP -Ares the 3/4 Kabar handles too small in diameter or too short in length?
 
zzyzzogeton said:
What you can do is go over to tomarskabars.com (authorized BF dealer) at this link

http://www.tomarskabars.com/3_Quarter-KA-BAR_P1.html

and select from the 4 leather handled 3/4 Kabars. 1 each stamped USMC and USA, with plain or combo edge options.

The lengths are 5-1/4", a little longer than the OP's stated desired length, but that's what you get with a 3/4 (0.75) sized reduction. 5" would have made them 0.7142857 of a full-sized one. Marketing would have pitched a fit.

"3/4 sized sounds better than 7/10 size. Go back to the drawing board." :D

Page 2 of the 3/4 sized Kabars are the black coated/black Kraton handled versions - 2 tanto blade and 2 traditional clip blades, with either plain or combo edged,

The 3rd page has the same black knives, but with plastic sheaths rather than black leather sheaths on page 2. The leather handled versions will also fit in the plastic sheaths.

Page 4 has the leather and Kraton handled MK1s.
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I just received one of the kraton handled version from him yesterday, very solid field knife!
 
If I can find an older new in box Marbles Ideal I may go that direction but I will probably just ask a good knife maker to shorten a MKII for me.
 
Pick yourself up a Buck 119 Brahma. You won't pay an arm and a leg for it and it's a very capable knife.

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JamesofArc said:
I don't want a MKI as it is full flat grind and not just a flat grind.
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A flat grind, and a "full flat grind" are the same thing. The grind starts at the spine.
I think, if I'm interpreting this correctly, you're actually looking for a saber grind, which is what the USMC Kabar is.
 
19-3ben said:
A flat grind, and a "full flat grind" are the same thing. The grind starts at the spine.
I think, if I'm interpreting this correctly, you're actually looking for a saber grind, which is what the USMC Kabar is.
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Not really. You can have flat saber grinds, or hollow saber grinds, or flat scandies or convex scandies, etc.

The USMC is certainly a saber...not sure if its a flat saber or hollow one though.
 
Ontario 499 Pilot Survival Knife. 5" blade, stacked lather handle, saber ground, 1095 and very affordable.
 
marcinek said:
Not really. You can have flat saber grinds, or hollow saber grinds, or flat scandies or convex scandies, etc.

The USMC is certainly a saber...not sure if its a flat saber or hollow one though.
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Quite right, and pedantic though it may be, these are important distinctions. I will still contend though, that if someone describes a knife as "flat grind" that is implied to be a "full flat grind" unless otherwise qualified.

USMC is a flat/saber as it comes from the factory- although I convexed mine a bit.
 
19-3ben said:
Quite right, and pedantic though it may be, these are important distinctions. I will still contend though, that if someone describes a knife as "flat grind" that is implied to be a "full flat grind" unless otherwise qualified.

USMC is a flat/saber as it comes from the factory- although I convexed mine a bit.
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Ehhh.....I dunno. But you are right that people may think "full flat" when they hear "flat." No doubt.

And thanks for the info on the USMC. So you have a sabervex!?!? :D I'm sure it cuts great...I do the same thing.
 
Rupestris said:
Hmm... How'd I miss that? :confused:

In that case. Custom is the way to go. ;)
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I think we, or at least I, assumed that he only way he would be looking a smaller "production" Kabar USMC was if he was unaware of the Kabar short or the Pilot Survival knife. Like, if one was aware of those two knives, and didn't like them, the glaringly obvious answer would be "custom" making the question almost not worth asking.

But I guess it was worth a shot.

Custom.
 
OcnLogan mentioned the Blackjack #5. I have a #7 which is pretty much the same knife with a 7" blade, comparable to a full size kabar. I like it so much more than my kabar it isn't even a comparison, ymmv. You might think of the knife it's an homage to (the Randall 1-7, I believe) as being a more refined and sorted out kabar. I'd have to believe the Blackjack #5 would be similar to my #7, just smaller.
 
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