Fairbairn-Sykes Commando Steel

C

CAman

Joined
Jan 5, 2000
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What kind of steel is the Fairbairn-Sykes made of? I just got one and it seems like high carbon (it has a slight rust stain) but it is nt very sharp. Any information on steel and RC would be appreciated. Thanks in advance. - CAman
 
I assume we are talking about plain old WWII vintage models--there are many later copies. Pre-WWII Fairbairn and Sykes made experimental daggers in Shanghai using old bayonet blades. Those were probably a tough carbon steel in the 1050 to 1075 range. The point is so thin on the production daggers that you would hope they wouldn't go to any less tough alloy. It is common for the tips on the knives to be broken off, so maybe they weren't too reasonable. I would guess that they ended up with something like 1075 carbon steel. I would guess that they would harden the steel to 54-56 RC for durability.
 
Jeff, my knife is a new production model that I bought from Brigade Quartermasters. It has a small stamp on the guard, but it is unreadable because it is a little too small and stained.
Are the new ones made of the same steel and heat treat? Thanks. - CAman
 
I took a look at Brigade Quartermaster. Since the knife is made by the Brittish military contractor and you indicate that the blade is not stainless I would use much the same reasoning as above. The primary need is for something tough and inexpensive (given military procurement standards). One of the original contractors was the Wilkinson Sword company. I would expect them to think of things like 1050, 1075, or 5160 steel (sword steels). The Britts often use steel a bit on the soft side by our standards so I would be surprised if you saw anything above 56 RC (54 would not surprise me). If they decided that their national pride was tied into their "commando dagger" I might see them using L6 saw blade steel at 56 or 57 RC.

[This message has been edited by Jeff Clark (edited 03-04-2000).]
 
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