Camillus-Era BK9 Kydex Sheath?

winterveil · May 3, 2015

Hey Beckerheads, hope y'all have had fun at the recent Becker West/East gatherings!

So, I have yet another custom sheath related question. I recently acquired a Camillus-era BK9 (thank you Bill Siegle!!) and would like to get a custom sheath to go with it.

I've checked in with the three kydex makers that I know about (710, azwelke, and northeast) but they're not set up for a Camillus BK9 right now (the blade thickness is .21 vs .188 on the Ka-bar). I know they're all great, and I could send the knife in to one of them, but I'd prefer not to have to deal with shipping it back and forth.

Does anyone know of a sheath maker who is set up for the Camillus BK9?

Thanks!

wolf-man-12 · May 3, 2015

I know of a good Leatherman that doe's all of my Sheaths for my BK's and they are built like a tank and you would be proud to
carry your Knife in it.!**
Email me.
J

TravisH · May 3, 2015

Which version of the Cam9 do you have? The early ones did not have a swedged clip while the later ones did (like the Kabar).

I have both and tried them in a 710 Kabar9 kydex sheath. The Cam9 with no swedge would not go all the way in. But the swedged Cam9 could.

The problem with the swedged Cam9 is that the thicker Cam9 blade makes the handles just a bit too wide for the kydex to snap over and secure it. I would imagine that if you used a heat gun to soften the end of the kydex and then push in the Cam9 and reform the kydex to the wider handle.

Otherwise, you'll need to send the knife in for a custom fitting.

winterveil · May 3, 2015

Email sent wolf-man! Thanks!

Travis, it's the swedge model. Do you think swapping out the scales for the Ka-bar grivory would make any difference? I know they're a bit more contoured as compared to the Camillus scales, but am unclear if they're at all slimmer.

Thanks!

winterveil · May 3, 2015

Duh, I just realized I can answer my own question there. I have other Ka-bar era "large" Beckers that I can compare scales with. [emoji13]

TravisH · May 3, 2015

I just tried it with mine.

I put my Kabar9 scales on the swedged Cam9 and it snaps into the 710 kydex but its tight, very tight.

Also tried it with Kabar Micarta scales on the Cam9 and the fit is better but still snug.

Again, using a hairdryer to soften up the Kydex to adjust the fit should be enough.
Here's a YT adjusting a Mora's kydex sheath - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VU4G8atxNs4
There are several others on adjusting retention on kydex. As always, go slow, take your time.

Update:
The more I play with this, the more I think the whole fit is a bit too tight and the sheath needs to be reformed.

winterveil · May 11, 2015

Hey Travis,

Thanks for testing that out for me! I kinda figured it'd be a bit too tight to work properly as-is. I may end up sending it in to someone for a custom fit, but in the meantime, I found a leather sheath on e-bay that is tight, but does seem to fit. It's not exactly what I wanted, and the retaining strap is a bear to secure, but it's better than nothing for sure, and I'm hoping it'll loosen up a bit over time.

Will post some photos tonight!

Thanks everyone!

cschol · May 12, 2015

winterveil said:
Hey Travis,

Thanks for testing that out for me! I kinda figured it'd be a bit too tight to work properly as-is. I may end up sending it in to someone for a custom fit, but in the meantime, I found a leather sheath on e-bay that is tight, but does seem to fit. It's not exactly what I wanted, and the retaining strap is a bear to secure, but it's better than nothing for sure, and I'm hoping it'll loosen up a bit over time.

Will post some photos tonight!

Thanks everyone!

If it aint tight, it aint right.
The leather should stretch some giving a nice solid fit.

winterveil · May 12, 2015

cschol said:
If it aint tight, it aint right.

That's what she said [emoji6]
Unless anyone finds that offensive in which case it is most definitely NOT what she said.

So, as promised here are a few photos of the BK9 and sheath. I'd like to apologize for the crappy lighting.

...sorry for the crappy lighting...

Here's a side-by-side:

And from behind:

Was really more interested in a kydex sheath, but so far I'm pretty pleased with this pair of pants. [emoji106]