Camillus mk2 date query

Z

zanussi01

Joined
Jan 3, 2012
Messages
624
Hi Everyone,
I have a Camillus Mk2 that I would like some info on.

The blade is marked "Camillus N.Y." on one side,"U.S.M.C." on the other.

It has a Parkerized blade,guard and pommel.The leather handle is brown like the sheath.

The Sheath has the EGA and USMC stamping on it.

This all came in a red cardboard box with "Camillus" on it.

Is this a military issue piece or commercial?

What time frame would these have been produced?

Is it made to Military specs?

Any and all help is much appreciated,thankyou.

Jay
 
A picture would be necessary to be sure. But the description of the sheath and the presence of the box make me think that this is one of the U.S.M.C. repro knives that Camillus made starting in the early 90’s until 2006. These knives were made for the commercial market.
The link below will show you the differences between the WW2 made knife and the reproduction.
http://usmilitaryknives.com/camillus.htm
I believe that the reproduction knife was made at least up to the standards required by the Government.

OBTW, this knife would have the #5685 attached to it rather than the #5684 used on the more standard versions of this knife.
 
Last edited:
Hi sac troop,Thankyou for the reply and the link to that info.

The knife I have is just like the one featured except mine has the long ground tip like the old knives,not the short one as seen in the pictures.

The seller had a short tip version for sale as well but I didnt like the look of it,so I left it alone.

I read somewhere that Camillus made these to make the tips stronger but they didnt sell well because people didnt like the "look".I agree.

There are no numbers I could see on the box or paperwork in it,but will check again.

Thankyou again for the info,very much appreciated.-Jay
 
The number 5685 was a number that Camillus used in IDing their products mostly for in house purposes. I'm not sure if they were in the practice of putting these on the boxes the knives came in. I think they used them mostly in the catalogs and price sheets outside the factory. As far as I can see from the catalog evidence the change to the geometry of the blade grind didn't happen until just before Camillus started producing this reproduction of the U.S.M.C. knife. The last catalog from 2006 still shows both 5684 and this 5685 knife with the shorter sweep to the false edge. I've never seen an example of this knife pattern made with this shorter false edge angle prior to that time period of the 90's to the end of their production.
Still a picture or more showing different features of your knife would be helpful. If we are talking about the same feature than I would think your knife would be a WW2 version.
 
sac troop said:
The number 5685 was a number that Camillus used in IDing their products mostly for in house purposes. I'm not sure if they were in the practice of putting these on the boxes the knives came in.
Click to expand...
My Pilot Survival Knife #5733B has a number on the box

09.jpg
 
Hi Sac Troop,There is no way that this knife is ww2.Its brand new in a red box!I feel it is a modern repo from 90's onward,and im happy with that.

Although the markings on the blade are similar to those on my ww2 version,the font style is different once you put them side by side to compare.

The ww2 version has the bent guard,I read somewhere this feature was milspec only to 1962,then the guard was straight.Mine is straight.

The sheath markings are not ww2,and the red box,like in the picture above,to me says repo.

BTW i had one of the pilot knives like in the picture but have sold it.As far as i am aware,this is a commercial piece,not military.(No steel washers in handle stack,and no date stamping on pommel)

Thankyou very much for your help,much appreciated.-Jay
 
Jay, thanks for clearing up the era of your knife. Here are a couple of pictures that Camco sent me awhile back from the Camillus documents that he has. Shows the earlier spec for the bent guard and another drawing with the change. I’am also of the opinion that it was officially changed by 1962.

file_zps1d6b2ee9.jpg
file_zps3a124052.jpg


The short angle for the false edge of these reproduction knives have been the main tell in separating these knives from the WW2 originals. I’m really interested in seeing a picture of your knife if it’s at all possible. If Camillus did change the geometry of the blades it would be good to be able to see if they left it in a way that would still separate them from the originals.

51a69434-5066-40fe-8bad-5ca0ffa09381_zpsa7d21949.jpg


As regards the Jet Pilots Survival Knife, I agree that knives made after the mid-80’s wouldn’t have been provided via Government contract to the military. It should be pointed out that Camillus continued to supply the 5733 pattern knife for sale thru AAFES (Army & Air Force Exchange Service), the PX and BX system.

file-18.jpg


Just saying that sometimes confusion can enter in to a conversation regarding what is an “issued item” and what is a “personal purchase item”. Especially if said item was actually purchased on a U.S. military base.

Vit, thanks for the information.
 
Hi sactroop,I've been looking on the web for a knife just like mine and I cant even find a picture!All the ones I've seen have the short grinds.

It is not the one with the comparison knife above,mine has the same blade with long grind as on the top knife.

I also noticed the ricasso is longer on the repo knife,mine has a short one like the top knife.

If you took the blade from the top knife and put it on the handle from the bottom knife(with the straight guard,long grind and short ricasso)that's what mine looks like.I have three others mint in box the same.
My apologies for no photos,getting a new camera soon.

Thankyou for the reply,much appreciated.

-Jay
 
Jay, I look forward to seeing your knife down the road. Rather than speculate further on what amounts to supposition I think it's best for me to wait and lay eyes on it's image.
 
Hi Everyone,my apologies for the poor photos and also if I have posted them wrong.I am still learning to find my way around and doing a lot of trial and error.

This is my Camillus as I've tried to describe in previous posts.As you can see it has a long grind,similar to my old guard marked version.(may post pics of if another time.)

All the new reproduction Mk2's I've seen have short grinds.

What if anything can anyone tell me about this piece?
 
Thanks for posting these pictures.
Camillus did change the grind for the relief to the shorter length by the early 90’s as is shown in the picture I posted earlier. This occurred with the Camillus model #5684 knives that would have different markings on the blade as well as the #5685 you have.

Now with this picture we can see that not all the #5685 reproduction U.S.M.C. marked knives were made with the shorter bevel relief grind.
This is going to require a collector to pay close attention to the actual markings on the knife. The specific style of the letters. The placement of the comma between the CAMILLUS and NY.
The specific shape of letters, such as C, M, and Y. A knife like this would be very easy to pass off as a WW2 original with a little wear and mating it up with an original sheath.

I’m wondering if any of the former employee’s of Camillus who belong to this forum might have some insight into how, ( what I now assume to be some), #5685 knives came to be made with the earlier style relief grind.
Tom, Irv, Phil, anyone?
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top