Questions about a small Randall

The Deacon · May 5, 2003

I have a small (4" blade) Randall knife that I bought about 30 years ago, used, from a gun shop. From the illustrations in the current Randall catalog, would guess that it is a Model 5 "Small Camp and Trail Knife". One of the reasons I originally purchased this knife is that it is set up for left-hand carry and use. The stag handle has two deep finger grooves cut in it and the sheath is set up for a southpaw. It would be interesting to know how old this knife is, and if the knife and sheath came that way from Randall, or were modified later by someone else.

Overall length is 8.5". Hilt is brass and appx 1/4" thick. The 5 spacers are 2 red - appx. 1/16" thick, 2 white - appx. 1/32", and 1 that is either dark blue or black (depending on the light source) and appx 1/16" thick. The stag portion of the handle is 4" long and is very plain (which either makes it dull and uninteresting or really comfortalble to work with, depending on your point of view). Sheath is marked with the numbers 8 4 and the words:

RANDALL MADE
- * -
KNIVES
- * -
ORLANDO FLA

with the RANDALL MADE and ORLANDO FLA curving around the dashes and the work KNIVES.

Pictures can be seen here: Small Randall Knife
Any insight would be welcome.

Thanks,
Paul

Steve284 · May 6, 2003

Looks a lot like a #8 ("Trout and Bird") which had 4 inch x 3/16" thick blade, top edge sharpened. Does that match yours? The #5's were 1/4" stock, longer and the blade was a bit straighter according to my old 60's-era catalogues.

The Deacon · May 6, 2003

Hi Steve,

Thanks for your input. The blade is 5/32" thick, top and bottom, just ahead of the hilt. My first guess was a #8, but the top edge of the blade is not sharpened, just a continuous graceful taper that extends from the tip to about 1" from the hilt. Could a #8 have been ordered this way?

Regards,
Paul

Steve284 · May 6, 2003

I have a #8 Randall with the standard 3/16" x 4" blade and sheath. I also have a #23 with a stag handle, so I know what that looks like on a Randall. On the #8, the forward 2.25" of the top (from the point) angles upward in a straight line and is top-sharpened. From there the flattened top curves gently back down and the top runs essentially flat & level for the last 1" to the guard. My hunch is that you do have a #8 which has been reworked/reground. Maybe the owner wanted to remove the top-sharpened edge. The thickness you state (5/32) is about the finished thickness when they start with a 3/16 blank. A #5 would be a 1/4" thick stock knife. A stag handle on a Randall is normally a fairly large diameter and has the natural dark lines/grooves in it. I suspect someone ground down your stag handle, removing the lines , making it smaller in diameter and "bone colored" & now fitting a lefthander. Your sheath being marked 4 and 8 is consistent with the way they would stamp the sheath for a 4" #8 model/blade length. (No marking on blade itself). The standard Randall sheath for a #8 has the diagonal-running cross-guard strap/snap. I suspect your sheath has been reworked, also, adding the leather strap going straight across the handle. Maybe that was done to accomodate the thinned handle. My catalogues go back to the mid 60's and they suggest your 30+ year old Randall is a #8.

The Deacon · May 6, 2003

Thanks again Steve, still find it hard to believe that the top of the blade was reworked, it just looks so perfectly proportioned and graceful the way it is, it begins curving downward towards the tip about 1" out from the hilt and continues in a smooth curve all the way down to the tip. But, if that is the only possible explaination, then I guess it must be so, will say that whoever did it did damn fine work.

drtybiker · May 16, 2003

remember this when you get a new knife it states rite on the paper work al lines and angles may not be uniform due to the fact that each knife is hand made one off..so it could just be the way that particular employee ground it originally.......my .02

Kwaiken56 · May 22, 2003

Very nice old Randall.

Hard to make the call for me though, and I've seen and collected my share of Randalls over the years. It kind of looks like a small 5, but may very well be an old 8 also.

The Deacon · May 23, 2003

Thanks for the input drtybiker and Kwaiken, from everything that's been said here I'm leaning towards the theory that it's a "bastardized" #8, since it's easier to accout for the unsharpened top edge than for the difference in blade thickness between it and a #5. Whatever it is, I still love it, just the way it is, because of its lines, its balance, and the way it fits my left hand perfectly. Sad thing is I never used it much back when I hunted as it seemed just to pretty to carry around in the woods.