All About Pocket Knives

Here is my M1917 Plumb Bolo knife.

Two thumbs up.

Very nice old knife.

That checks all the boxes. Military history, cool maker, 100+ years old. AKA the Smatchet!

eveled wrote: ↑Fri Apr 16, 2021 10:11 pm Two thumbs up.

Very nice old knife.

That checks all the boxes. Military history, cool maker, 100+ years old. AKA the Smatchet!

Thanks! It feels very good in the hand...makes you want to start chopping things!!!

Nice! And in really good condition as well!

I ended up buying a Condor Moonshiner, as I wanted something very close to this design that I could use for heavy woods use for clearing paths and chopping around the fence lines. Originals are VERY expensive, as are most reproductions. And very few of the reproductions are actually intended to be used as tools. They're quite often not sharpened and are mostly aimed at reenactors.

Is 1917 the year it was issued ? Or, a model number ?
kj

Maybe even 4 thumbs up.

kootenay joe wrote: ↑Fri Apr 16, 2021 11:10 pm Is 1917 the year it was issued ? Or, a model number ?
kj

Roland the model is 1917 as that is when the military approved the design. The one posted has 1918 on it which is the year it was made. These were issued to machine gun crews to clear lines of fire. They were issued in WW1 and kept in store after WW1 and issued again in early WWI.

Ed, I have never heard them referred to as "smatchet" which were only ever made by Case here in the USA and although both are large knives they don't really look alike. The M1917 is more like a Phillipine bol or Indian kukri, the smatchet does not.

http://arms2armor.com/Knives/1917bolo.htm

You are of course right. But I’m not the first person to call it one.

Thank you Gene. In the OP pictures it looks like a thick & heavy blade, quite a work out swinging it for a few hours of brush clearing.
kj

Frequently, you see them with a "1917 CT" on the pile side ricasso instead of MOD 1917. The CT refers to "Civilian Tolerances".

The M1917 is the M1910 Bolo made by Plumb of St Louis and American Cutlery Company of Chicago during WW1 because the Springfield Armory was busy making other items. The shape and dimensions of the 2 are identical.

The primary purpose of the M1910/M1917 was for machine gun crews to clear firing lanes. A secondary purpose was use as anchors for the machine gun legs.

The small differences are that the 1917 is more simply finished and rougher in appearance.

The major difference is that the M1917 lacks the scabbard latch found on the M1910.

cody6268 wrote: ↑Fri Apr 16, 2021 10:54 pm Nice! And in really good condition as well!

I ended up buying a Condor Moonshiner, as I wanted something very close to this design that I could use for heavy woods use for clearing paths and chopping around the fence lines. Originals are VERY expensive, as are most reproductions. And very few of the reproductions are actually intended to be used as tools. They're quite often not sharpened and are mostly aimed at reenactors.

I bought a Condor Moonshiner, awhile back and I love it, it is a great value for the money.

zzyzzogeton wrote: ↑Sat Apr 17, 2021 2:57 am Frequently, you see them with a "1917 CT"
The small differences are that the 1917 is more simply finished and rougher in appearance. The major difference is that the M1917 lacks the scabbard latch found on the M1910.

Thanks for your input!!!

Another great "Bolo" type of chopping knife is the Tops Power Eagle. I have one and it is a BEAST!