My first BUSSE (maybe)...

zzyzzogeton

zzyzzogeton

Joined
Feb 17, 2013
Messages
6,174
I recently joined bladeforums because I decided to learn how to make a knife with features I want, but can't find on production knives. Hadn't ever heard of Busse(or kin) knives, much less seen one until I started poking around the forum looking for info on whatever.

I went into a gunshop the other day (no, this is NOT the start of a joke :) ) and started looking at the fixed blades the owner had sitting out on a display case. I pulled this one out of it's sheath and it just "felt right". I saw that the knife looked like a Busse and when I examined it, sure enough it said "Busse Combat" on it. Twice. Paid more than I ever have for a knife before, but damn it felt nice.

Got it home and started trying to figure out what I had bought. The thing is, it has a "rubber" handle and nothing I have found on this forum seems to have a reference to such a thing.

So the 2 questions are ::

1) Is it a "honest-to-God" Busse or a fake?

2) If it is a real Busse, what is it?

Full knife
busse1-1.jpg

Choil, talon and name
busse1-2.jpg

Details :
OAL - 12 inches
Blade - 7 Inches
Blade width - 1 7/16 inches
Blade Thickness - 1/4 inch
Guard "height" - 1 5/8 inches
Blade width at Talon hole - 1 3/4 --- about 1/2 of the Talon hole drops below the bottom edge of the blade
Tang - not visible at all - completely "rubber encased"
"Scales" - formed "rubber"
The words "BUSSE COMBAT" are slightly raised above the surface of the handle on both sides of the "guard".

Hilt width at pommel and guard- 7/8 inch
Single lanyard hole in handle
Blade is black.
Handle is black with vestiges of desert tan remaining.
Overall shape appears to be that of a "Badger Attack"
The choil is only 1/4 inch across .... it is the same size as the Talon hole.

Edge appears to have had some sharpening work done to it. Very minor scuffing of blade coating near edge. Sheathing is 'camo Kyvex' and apparently rigged for 'handle down harness carry'.

Help and TIA.
 
Real Basics 7, congrats !

Crinkle coat


basics-7-1.jpg
 
Wish I could walk into a local gun store and find a Basic 7 for sale. I would be all over it.

Garth
 
As everyone else said nice basic 7
they were made about 10 years ago.
 
Like they say - even blind hogs find an acorn every now and then.

The thing is, I had been in that shop 4 - 5 times over the last month or so and the knife was there every time I went in. NO ONE there knew what it was. It was one of the knives that the owner had picked up years ago at a gun show. I didn't even know it was a Busse until I pulled it out of the sheath. Two reasons I think it was hanging around was that the sheath is over-crimped at the guard and that makes the knife very difficult to extract (heat gun here we come) and that the shop owner had a price tag of $230 on it. Around here, where most of the folks are "frugal, German cheapskates", that made it more than most want to spend, especially if they can't see a value in it.

As I said in my initial post, that was more than I have ever paid for a knife before in my life. ($30 for a Ka-Bar about 20 years ago). If I hadn't recently joined bladeforum and had read about Busse quality, etc, I would've bought it either.
 
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