Let's see your good old basic fixed blades, Bowie's, Stickers, etc.

As with any thing in sales, any variations were an attempt to catch the eye of a different buyer and sell more knives.

That being said, the 36 pattern actually only had 1 blade shape through out its 70 production history, 1936 - 2006 --- a 5-1/2" clip point blade. If the blade has a length of anything other than 5-1/2" or a profile of anything other than a straight back spine with a clip point, it is NOT a 36. Broken tip re-profiles excepted :D

The 36 pattern variations were all handle material, pommel shape or guard shape related.

Stacked leather handles (L36K/L36KG/L36) 1936 to 1972

and then

Wood handles (W36) 197x to 2006.

The production specs of the 36 pattern by period are :::

1936-1940 version came as either a half guard/bird beak pommel or a S-guard/flat brass plate pommel

L36K 5-1/2” clip point blade / half-guard / bird beak pommel

and

L36 5-1/2” clip point blade – flat brass pommel plate – S’ guard SEE tongueriver's post top left group of 4 - 3rd knife down


1941 version - only 1 pommel type, but 2 guard styles

L36K -1/2” clip point blade / half-guard / bird beak pommel

and

L36KG – 5-1/2” clip point blade / bird beak pommels / s-guard See tongueriver's post above top left group of 4 4th knife down


1945 – 1958 version

L36K – 5-1/2” clip point blade / half-guard / bird beak pommel


1959 – 1972 version

L36 - 1/2” clip point blade / half-guard / bird beak pommel


1968 – 1972 version

L36 - 5-1/2” clip point blade / half-guard / bird beak pommel


1973 – 1976 version

W36 - 5-1/2” clip point blade / half-guard / bird beak pommel


1978 – 1991 version

W36 - 5-1/2” clip point blade / half-guard / calf's foot pommel


1992 – 2006 Camillus version - threaded pommel - not double pin tang

W36 - 5-1/2” clip point blade / half-guard / calf's foot pommel
But my Camillus era W-36 has a slightly raised point instead of a clip.
I always wondered if they stopped grinding mine when they saw they had the wrong color invisible pommel nut, but there are so many out there on the bay.
Might Camillus have shoved a lot of them out with finished edges and unfinished backs when the end was nigh?
 
I wonder if I can talk about my SOG Gov-Tac here. It's put together with a traditional pommel nut. Yes, it's black, but dark bluing goes back a ways.
The kydex sheath has a patent-pending belt loop that might put it out of the traditional ballpark.
I'll report myself and see what the mod on duty has to say before I post a pic.

I don't have a problem with it, particularly if the sheath isn't displayed. I've posted a number of my knives that have kydex sheaths. I leave the sheath out of the image and discussion.

I don't think I've posted my SOG Government here before (though it has a leather sheath) :thumbsup:

czXxRE2.jpg
 
That's an awesome little knife there.
I've never heard of the #28, not seeing both side by side it looks to me just like the 648b.
Maybe the pattern 28 became the pattern 48b ?.
I really have no idea I know practically nothing about Western. I know when I used googlefu sometimes it shows up as a 628k. But mine just stamped 628
 
View attachment 1032869 The 28 is itty bitty, much smaller than a 48. The earlier iterations of the pattern are desirable to collectors. A bird and trout knife, I guess, but we are talking sparrows and brookies.
Thanks for the info.
I'm sure I'll never find a 28 or even a 48b, but either would be a dandy little carry if I did.
 
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I don't know exactly when it happened, but the 28s still had a lanyard hole in 1968 and did not have one in the 1978 catalogs. I need to look through ricasso stamps carefully, but I suspect 1973 was when they were dropped, especially since Misplaced Hillbilly's looks like a 73-76 stamp. I would kill to find a 1973 catalog. Even Western did not include one in TKMWWW.

The 1973 transitions show a bunch of changes - Boulder dropped, double tang on the W66, etc, so why not the dropped hole?

The 28 had 3" blades, the 48B had 3-1/2" blades and the 48A had 4" blades. The 48 patterns are an enigma - why did Western do a 48 A/B set of knives??? No one knows. They certainly had a lot of never used numbers they could have trotted out for use. The blade shapes are similar but significantly different. Just one of these eternal mysteries.
 
Wow thanks for all the information guys! I found mine in an antique store stuck in a kitchen knife block. I don't have a sheath, however I made one from 2thin slats of wood wrapped in rough side out leather, with a belt clip. Its crude but functional, I can clip it into my front pocket that way. Once I got home I looked closer at the stamp, it reads

WESTERN
U.S.A.628
K
So there is the K on mine. I can't really tell if the grip is Delrin or jigged bone.
 
That's a beauty there.
I really like this style of sheath like mine came with, there's just something I don't like about the oak leaf sheaths with these smaller blades.

From what I've seen the blades seem to have widened a bit in the 70's.
Mine had a bit of a recurve to it which I repaired but it was always a bit on the narrow side as far as I remember and I don't think I took all that much off when I repaired it.
 
Wow thanks for all the information guys! I found mine in an antique store stuck in a kitchen knife block. I don't have a sheath, however I made one from 2thin slats of wood wrapped in rough side out leather, with a belt clip. Its crude but functional, I can clip it into my front pocket that way. Once I got home I looked closer at the stamp, it reads

WESTERN
U.S.A.628
K
So there is the K on mine. I can't really tell if the grip is Delrin or jigged bone.

K = 1987 It's Delrin. Western replaced all bone and stag with Delrin starting in 1961.
 
Thanks zzyzzogeton zzyzzogeton
Wasn't sure I thought probably delrin, but its doing a really good imitation of bone lol. Guess that was its main purpose:D:thumbsup: I got my eyes on a Big'Ol Western 932 on Craigslist, gonna try to arrange a meet this weekend. Looks real good with a grizzly bear blade etch. I think it'll make a interesting pair, the tiny fixed blade with that huge folder.
 
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