Wood handled Olcutt hunting knife

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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steve99f
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Wood handled Olcutt hunting knife

Post by steve99f »

Fished this one out of the 'bay and arrived today. The clip blade and wood handle put me in mind of the Union Cutlery and Kabar Bearcat. Not an exact comparison. This one has a one piece handle with a single pin through both sides, no evidence of a tang on the end of the pommel. Blade is about 4 3/4", OAL 9 1/4 in. The blade is down some so maybe 5 inches new. The guard is very similar to the Bearcat but lighter in construction. Both the bearcat and the Olcutt are shown below. Any info about the Olcutt would be appreciated. Thanks for looking.
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Olcutt
Olcutt
Bearcat
Bearcat
steve99f
Gunsil
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Re: Wood handled Olcutt hunting knife

Post by Gunsil »

Can't help you with a model name for that one Steve, I have never seen one with a name etched on it as many other Olcuts have when mint. Just wondering if yours says Union Cut under Olcut (one t) or Olean Cut. For some reason some Olcuts and an occasional KA-BAR will have Olean Cut instead of Union Cut which is not understood by anybody. It is one of their cheapest models with the wood and non-full tang construction. I think I have one that is marked Olcut on the back of the pommel in the wood rather than marked on the blade. Your Bearcat blade is quite worn down, they are really not that similar to the Olcut other than both being a flat ground clip point.
doglegg
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Re: Wood handled Olcutt hunting knife

Post by doglegg »

Totally ignorant on the subject but a fun pick up for sure. Glad you posted maybe I'll learn something. ::tu:: ::tu::
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steve99f
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Re: Wood handled Olcutt hunting knife

Post by steve99f »

Hi Gene

I don't know why I used two t's, the knife doesn't have it marked that way. I guess it just looked like it needed another. ::doh:: The marking on the ricasso is:
star OLCUT star
UNION CUT CO
No marking on the other side. Thanks for your advice on this knife Gene

Never a dull day doglegg and I hope we both learn some stuff. Thanks for looking.::tu::
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knife7knut
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Re: Wood handled Olcutt hunting knife

Post by knife7knut »

I have one of those;here is a pic of it.
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OlcutUnionCutleryCoFauxBoneHandle.JPG
OlcutUnionCutleryCoTangStamp.JPG
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Ridgegrass
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Re: Wood handled Olcutt hunting knife

Post by Ridgegrass »

Can't say the model. Here's one with a lovely Cocobolo handle and stick tang. It's a bit short but has a lot of "character" Takes a really good edge. Feels great in the hand. Good Luck.
J.O'.
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Ridgegrass
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Re: Wood handled Olcutt hunting knife

Post by Ridgegrass »

By the way, my tang has *OLCUT* and Olean Cutlery , Olean ,NY below. J.O',
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