Ka-Bar Leverlock Value & Repair Info

[watchman]

I am new to the forum and stumbled upon it while I was looking up info on the Ka-Bar knife I just purchased. After seeing one in the forum that is in excellent condition, I now realize that I may be in over my head on this one. I am posting pictures for everyone to see (I hope I don't overkill with the pics, but I wanted to get a good assessment of the damage). First of all, I now see the Tang is broken. I was wondering why I had a hard time pulling out the blade. That is probably the worst of it, along with the chip in the handle and general grooming. I think the guy I bought it from is smiling all the way to the bank.

Now recognizing the problems, I was wondering if buying it was a mistake. I am trying to get a feel for it's value now, how much do I have to drop to get it nice and what would the value be after I invest in it? Any input is appreciated. Thanks in advance.

[wiseguy]

Thats not all that bad ,,,,its the spring thats in need of replacement and it can be done ....it would most likely be custom made and the knife would have to be taken apart[at least partially] , but do-able . there are professional repairmen that will hopefully chime in on this , if you gave less than 400.00 on it you`de probably come out o.k. Great knife and chin up !

[watchman]

Thanks for the encouragement. Hopefully, the cost to fix will not outweigh the value and in this case, lesson learned. Next time I will be more aware of what I am doing before I part with my money.