Camillus pilot survival knife

PastorK · Jan 20, 2020

I have just received a new Camillus pilot survival knife & it has a different stamp on the ricasso than the pre ‘67 knife. Instead of ‘Camillus NY’ it has ‘Camillus New York USA’. Can anyone tell me when this knife might have been made? Thanks.

GIRLYmann · Jan 20, 2020

this might help... good luck!
https://www.bladeforums.com/threads/manufacture-date-or-pattern-or-serial.1304013/

PastorK · Jan 20, 2020

Excellent, thankyou. It is a post 1985 knife. Well done!

Ironbut · Jan 20, 2020

Here's an original that I "liberated" from a REMF in Da Nang in 1967. It's been retired for years, but I still take it out & make sure it's oiled.

PastorK · Jan 22, 2020

That’s a great knife. Is that one of the original 6” ones?

Ironbut · Jan 22, 2020

PastorK said:
That’s a great knife. Is that one of the original 6” ones?

The blade on this one is 5". It was Marine Corps, and probably Navy issue for air crews during Vietnam.

PastorK · Jan 23, 2020

It looks like it has been well cared for

Ironbut · Jan 23, 2020

PastorK said:
It looks like it has been well cared for

There was a time when it was used for everything from digging in the dirt to opening cans. After the military I used it during hunting season for a few years, but it has been retired with a place of honour, in a temp controlled gun safe for about 50 years.

John A. Larsen · Jan 23, 2020

It was a USAF issued knife too. In the late 80's we were training the Thai Border Patrol's Heroin Interdiction Platoon, for the DEA. They issued these knives to the platoon, and I made the mistake of sharpening one of the knives. I had a small EZE-LAP diamond sharpener, the kind with the plastic handle and about a 2-inch diamond pad. When I started to shave hair off of my arm the rest of the platoon wanted me to sharpen their knives too, sorry got to go! John

PastorK · Jan 24, 2020

Ironbut said:
There was a time when it was used for everything from digging in the dirt to opening cans. After the military I used it during hunting season for a few years, but it has been retired with a place of honour, in a temp controlled gun safe for about 50 years.

That is some great memories there. I still have the knife from my military service too.