Kabar stag stockman

The KA-BAR brand originated as a trademark of the Tidioute Cutlery Company. Tidioute was later taken over & renamed the Union Cutlery Company which continued making the brand until Union eventually adopted it as the company name in 1952. Cutco Corporation later acquired the company in 1996.
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Rotten
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Kabar stag stockman

Post by Rotten »

Was surfing the auction site and ran across this Kabar stockman dressed in stag. The seller accepted my offer and the mailman dropped it off a few days ago. Other than a few pepper spots the condition is excellent.

When I first saw it I immediately thought of something Tony Bose said in a video discussing his Case Premium Stockman collaboration. He said that he based his main blade on an old Kabar blade that only Kabar used. Maybe this model, whatever it is, was the one he was talking about.

Anyone have any idea of age? Or really any other info about this model? I haven't even found a picture of another like it.
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Gunsil
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Re: Kabar stag stockman

Post by Gunsil »

Knife was made in the 1950s-1960s. Pretty knife, is it the big 4&1/4" model or the smaller one? Kabar still used some fine stag then but sadly had dropped using nice shields to cut manufacturing costs.
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Rotten
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Re: Kabar stag stockman

Post by Rotten »

Gunsil wrote:Knife was made in the 1950s-1960s. Pretty knife, is it the big 4&1/4" model or the smaller one? Kabar still used some fine stag then but sadly had dropped using nice shields to cut manufacturing costs.
Thank you Gunsil. It just under 4 1/8". I was worried that it had been re-handled because it didn't have a shield but reading the knife when it arrived made me certain it is original.

Do you know if this was a Kabar made or contract?
Trace
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Rotten
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Re: Kabar stag stockman

Post by Rotten »

Pic comparing the blade with my Case Bose premium stockman.
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Gunsil
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Re: Kabar stag stockman

Post by Gunsil »

Rotten wrote:
Gunsil wrote:Knife was made in the 1950s-1960s. Pretty knife, is it the big 4&1/4" model or the smaller one? Kabar still used some fine stag then but sadly had dropped using nice shields to cut manufacturing costs.
Thank you Gunsil. It just under 4 1/8". I was worried that it had been re-handled because it didn't have a shield but reading the knife when it arrived made me certain it is original.

Do you know if this was a Kabar made or contract?
Union Cut Co changed it's name to KA-BAR Inc in 1951-52 and the marks changed from KA-BAR to Kabar italicized. but they still made their own knives in Olean, NY until they were bought by Cole National in 1966. It is not presently known exactly how long they continued to produce knives at the Olean factory but it wasn't likely too long after Cole bought them. The knives made during WW2 and a year or two afterwards were marked KA-BAR over Olean, NY and they also do not carry shields due to wartime non-ferrous metal shortages. They used shields again on the later 40s-1951 knives marked KA-BAR over USA and many of these knives were rough black. Sometime during the Cole years shields reappeared with Kabar italicized marks. You will also find that beginning with the WW2 made pocket knives that the blade grinds (swedges to some) are not as finely ground or pronounced as the pre-war knives and sadly this old quality never returned. I usually prefer the pre-war knives but yours looks like a 50s knife and is truly quite beautiful.
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Rotten
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Re: Kabar stag stockman

Post by Rotten »

Wow, thank you Gunsil!
This kind of knowledge is why I love AAPK.
Trace
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