Schrade/Imperial M-7S & Relatives ?

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kootenay joe
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Schrade/Imperial M-7S & Relatives ?

Post by kootenay joe »

I have 4 knives that i think are related but i would like to know how and if any of these were Military knives.
First up, new in box is an Imperial M-7S. Tang is marked "Imperial/Made in USA M-7S". Pictures do not show it but the tip portion of top edge has fine saw like serrations. The pouches on the camo sheath have survival items including a compass and magnesium fir starter & rod. The box is marked "Made and printed in USA 1985 I.S. Corp". Does 1985 refer to year the knife was made ?
Second is a Schrade USA "Bomb Tech/Special Edition". This i'm sure is a civilian knife but was the Bomb Tech ever offered in a version for the Military ?
Third is marked "Schrade" & "USA" on the handle at base of the blade. This blade is similar to the first knife but has a portion of the lower edge scalloped. The serations on the end of top edge are a bit deeper than in the M-7S (first knife). The hard plastic sheath has a metal belt hanger and is marked "MK 3 MOD 0/USN".
The forth knife has a blade somewhat similar to 1 & 3 but there are no serrations scalloping or saw teeth and the upper edge is only on the distal half of the blade, not full length. The guard and pommel are designed to attach to a rifle like a bayonet. The guard is marked "US M7" and what looks like "BOC" ? The metal sheath has a metal belt hanger and is marked: "U.S.M8AI".
I have owned all 4 for a number of years and have long wondered how they are related to each other in time and use: civilian vs. Military.
Thank you for any help you can provide.
kj
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kootenay joe
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Re: Schrade/Imperial M-7S & Relatives ?

Post by kootenay joe »

Final 2 pictures, knife #4.
kj
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Quick Steel
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Re: Schrade/Imperial M-7S & Relatives ?

Post by Quick Steel »

kj, the M7 was the bayonet used on the M-16 during the Vietnam era. It may still be; I don't know. BOC stands for Bauer Ordinance Corporation of Detroit. They certainly made the majority of these knives; don't know if any other manufacturer pitched in.
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Re: Schrade/Imperial M-7S & Relatives ?

Post by orvet »

KJ, I think you're right on the bomb tech knife, I do believe it is a civilian knife not military issue.


I will have to do some digging to confirm this but several years ago, (10 + years), I completed a non-magnetic prototype for LT. He had the blank, I believe it was from Imperial, and he also had the handle.
I will have to look it up on my storage drive, but I think it is the same basic knife as your #2 knife. I think it was a prototype for a non-magnetic dive knife.
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Re: Schrade/Imperial M-7S & Relatives ?

Post by edge213 »

I have an M7S, I read somewhere these were made for civilian use from blades that Imperial had left over from making M7 bayonets.
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kootenay joe
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Re: Schrade/Imperial M-7S & Relatives ?

Post by kootenay joe »

Thank you for posting. So the top 3 are all marked either Schrade USA or Imperial. The 4th one, the M7, was made by Bauer Ordinance Corporation of Detroit, so is not related to the other 3 even though blade profile and length are similar. Did 'Bauer' make other knives for the Military ? I had thought that it was the large USA knife manufacturers that received the contracts to make Military knives as was the case for the MK 1 and MK 11 knives of WW II and earlier. I was not aware that there were other manufacturers capable of turning out the large number of knives that the Military orders.
The Imperial M-7S (first knife) is clearly civilian as is shown by the box it comes in. The third knife is marked Schrade USA and the blade is essentially the same as the M-7S. This is not surprising as Schrade & Imperial were under the same ownership beginning about 1985 (?).
The Schrade comes in a hard plastic sheath marked: "MK 3 MOD 0 USN". Is "MK (Mark) 3" the Military name for this pattern ? A bit odd because it so closely resembles the M-7S. The knife is only marked with "Schrade USA" but it fits the MK 3 marked sheath perfectly so i believe they do go together.
I have collected Schrade for a long time but i never see any mention of these Schrades in the Schrade forums which is why i posted here.
I would have thought that these knives were made in large numbers and would be widely known by both Schrade collectors and collectors of Military knives. But this does not seem to be the case.
Is this "MK 3" a somewhat rare knife ?
kj
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Re: Schrade/Imperial M-7S & Relatives ?

Post by kootenay joe »

Just had a thought: The Bauer Ordinance Corp. might have received the blades from Imperial and they were responsible for the handle design & assembly so that it would fit onto the M-16 rifle ?
kj
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Re: Schrade/Imperial M-7S & Relatives ?

Post by knife7knut »

kootenay joe wrote: I had thought that it was the large USA knife manufacturers that received the contracts to make Military knives as was the case for the MK 1 and MK 11 knives of WW II and earlier. I was not aware that there were other manufacturers capable of turning out the large number of knives that the Military orders.

The Schrade comes in a hard plastic sheath marked: "MK 3 MOD 0 USN". Is "MK (Mark) 3" the Military name for this pattern ? A bit odd because it so closely resembles the M-7S. The knife is only marked with "Schrade USA" but it fits the MK 3 marked sheath perfectly so i believe they do go together.
kj
There were many manufacturers that supplied knives for the military in WWII. United in Grand Rapids Michigan made the folding raft knife as did Colonial. I have a bayonet marked AFH which stands for American Fork & Hoe. I'm sure there were many others.
Here is a picture of an actual Mk3 Mod 0 knife and sheath. As you can see it looks nothing like the posted knives.
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Re: Schrade/Imperial M-7S & Relatives ?

Post by Old Hunter »

The BOC M7 is the only military issue knife of the group - the others are based on military knives but are for private sale only. Ontario has made or is still making all the various issue US bayonets for the M16 Rifle and M4 Carbine: the M7, the M9, and the US Marine Corps unique OKC-3S bayonet. OH
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kootenay joe
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Re: Schrade/Imperial M-7S & Relatives ?

Post by kootenay joe »

Thanks guys. So my Schrade USA knife does not belong in the Mk 3 Mod 0 sheath even though the fit seems right. And the M7 BOC is the only Military knife. Good to finally understand these knives a bit better.
kj
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