Mystery folding hunter.........

knife7knut · Post by **knife7knut** » Fri Jul 13, 2018 9:36 pm

Got this today at the antique shop. Only marking is the # 1407 and USA on the master blade. Looks like it might be a Kabar but the black smooth handles look like Buck. Anyone know if Buck made a folding hunter(possibly contracted)with smooth black handles? Went through all my folding hunters and the closest I come to it is an Uncle Henry(front bolsters look close) but the rear bolsters are completely different. Any suggestions welcomed.
BTW I paid $31.50 for it. Don't normally spend a lot for an unknown knife but I liked it.

XX Case XX · Post by **XX Case XX** » Sat Jul 14, 2018 1:33 pm

Hard to tell from the angle of the photos. The basic shape and blades look like Case but the black handles say Buck. I've seen knives like that on eBay that were listed as "USA" Made and nothing else but closed length.

Well, I guess you wouldn't have bought it unless it felt "solid", and you know more than most. Plus, you have every knife known to man so I'd say you made the right call.

_________
Mike

knife7knut · Post by **knife7knut** » Sat Jul 14, 2018 5:08 pm

XX Case XX wrote:Hard to tell from the angle of the photos. The basic shape and blades look like Case but the black handles say Buck. I've seen knives like that on eBay that were listed as "USA" Made and nothing else but closed length.

Well, I guess you wouldn't have bought it unless it felt "solid", and you know more than most. Plus, you have every knife known to man so I'd say you made the right call.
The mystery is solved! When I was comparing the knife to other folding hunters I had I was looking not only for the shape of the front bolster but the way the rear bolster looked angled (even though it is at 90 degrees to the handle)when the knife was laid on it's spine. When I looked at the KA-BAR models I neglected to check the later style(Kabar on a slant stamp).When I re-checked them this morning I pulled out a model 1184 and it was a match!
I'm not sure when(or why)Kabar changed the style.Even more I'm not sure why the name wasn't stamped on this knife unless it was a contract knife. The black handles did suggest Buck to me but those are usually saw cut rather than smooth and I thought Schrade made all of the Buck folders.The blade doesn't look as though it ever had any type of etch so I am still at a loss to figure out why it is like this.
Here is a comparison shot of a Kabar 1184 and the mystery guest.
_________
Mike

XX Case XX · Post by **XX Case XX** » Sat Jul 14, 2018 7:38 pm

Looks like you got yourself a good knife at a good price. Just like the Knight says in "Indiana Jones & The Last Crusade": You chose wisely...

___________
Mike

just bob · Post by **just bob** » Sun Jul 15, 2018 1:01 pm

I don't know anything about the knife in the op, but if you like it there is one in here you can buy for much less. May need tuned up?

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Vintage-lot-of ... itleDesc=0

just bob · Post by **just bob** » Sun Jul 15, 2018 1:24 pm

Does this ID the knife? Is there an Ideal knife maker? Maybe a contract knife?

https://www.worthpoint.com/worthopedia/ ... -127621986

knife7knut · Post by **knife7knut** » Sun Jul 15, 2018 3:25 pm

just bob wrote:Does this ID the knife? Is there an Ideal knife maker? Maybe a contract knife?

https://www.worthpoint.com/worthopedia/ ... -127621986

Ideal was located in Providence Rhode Island and the only knives I have seen by them are inexpensive key chain knives. This knife is much higher quality than that. I will have to do some further research. Thanks for posting that info!

tongueriver · Post by **tongueriver** » Sun Jul 15, 2018 3:33 pm

knife7knut wrote: ...and I thought Schrade made all of the Buck folders....
_________
Mike

[/quote]
Schrade made a few in the beginning, then Camillus, and then Buck started making their own. This is at least true for the stockmans, but I am not so sure about the folding hunters.

tongueriver · Post by **tongueriver** » Sun Jul 15, 2018 3:43 pm

I found these notes which I made some years ago:
"317 Trailblazer (2 blade Hunter)(Camillus started them in 1972)(they quit in 86 and somebody else made them for 3 more years?)( The 317 Trailblazer was introduced in 1972. It was a Camillus contract knife made for Buck. The first version had a mark side tang stamp of Buck-Made in-U.S.A. on three lines on the main blade. The model number, 317, was stamped on the pile side. The first version also had the main blade nail nick positioned close to the blade tip. From 1973 on, 317's had a main blade tang stamp reading Buck-317-U.S.A. on three lines with no other blade markings and the nail nick was moved closer to the center of the blade. The 317 was discontinued in 1989.) "

knifeaholic · Post by **knifeaholic** » Mon Jul 16, 2018 3:10 am

Looks like a Queen made knife to me. Definitely not a Case. Possibly a Camillus - compare it to the folding hunter that Camillus made in the "India Stag" line.

Not the same as a Buck though - compare it to a Buck trailblazer and you will see a lot of differences.

knife7knut · Post by **knife7knut** » Mon Jul 16, 2018 4:27 am

Thanks to all who replied to this post. I still think it was made by Kabar as it it is a dead ringer for the 1184 model. Here are some comparison pictures I just took.The half flat grind on the master blade;the positioning of the nail marks;the shape of the front bolsters;and particularly the rear bolsters. What I meant by angled is if you lay the knife flat on the spine the edge of the rear bolster appears to be on an angle relative to the vertical axis. Look at virtually every other folding hunter by various makers and you will see that this edge is dead vertical.Here are some pictures.