Sidearms & Scatterguns Show me your Gerber Mk II

[Slo cat]

I got my Gerber Mk II at the Ft. Rucker PX while I was in flight school in 1968, the second year of the Mk II manufacture. I thought it looked cool and also thought it would make a good extraction tool to get out of a crashed Huey.

I carried it on my web belt, with my issue 1911A1, for my first tour in RVN in 1969 and again in 1971-72. I wore it every time I flew over there. I didn't then notice that there was a 5 degree offset between the grip and the blade.

Some day I will pass on this Gerber to my son, who is a Navy helicopter pilot.

 

[diverdon]

I Have a late eighties. I doubt I could find it in a week. It's still lost one of the boxes we never got unpacked after we remodeled nine years ago. I don't recall an offset, the blade is bead blasted and the sheath is something like kydex.

 

[pmclaine]

Nicely cared for piece of history.

I believe the offset was an intended design feature.

Thought I remember reading it somewhere but dont recall the reason.

 

[sirhrmechanic]

I have to dig out that and my Guardian. Both bought near ft Bragg in late 1980s.

Good knives!

My latest obsession is with Half Face Blades.

Some great knives!!

Cheers,

Sirhr

Ps. Love your leather sheath!!!!

 

[Quarter Horse]

Slo cat, your MKII does not have the canted blade. The canted blades are angled from the guard at five degrees and it is very pronounced. Here is a link showing this.

Mine is from '68 also and has the appearance of a cant. It appears in the belly of the blade and I'm sure it's from grinding the flats on the blade. RVN '68, '69 and '70. This link will help anyone date a MKII http://www.knifecollector.net/Gerber-MkII-Production-Chart.html

Let me know if the picture loads. It's of the MKII and some other period stuff. BTW, Slo cat welcome home.

 

[Slo cat]

My Gerber does not have a pronounced cant, and per the production chart should have no cant. But in holding it vertically in your hand, then reversing the edge, one can see a definite sight cant. I tried to photo views showing this, but couldn't get pic to clearly show it.

I also have a Buck folder like your pic.

 

[Quarter Horse]

Slo cat, as I said mine is the same in terms of seeing a pronounced "bend" in the blade. These early MKIIs are essentially a benchmade knife. L-6 was a perfect choice. It is an extremely tough steel that is designed to be hardened to about 58RC. At that hardness a steel will dress these to a razor edge. I have a Gerber Trout and Bird from 1978 that is the same way. A couple of passes on a steel and it will lift the breasts off a pheasant like a scalpel. As a benchmade knife, these were handground and I believe a jig was used to grind the flats. Thus the "bend" that both your's and mine exhibit.

Over the intervening years I developed a interest in custom knives. I own quite a few and appreciate their characteristics. The early MKIIs were built for a time and a place and they were close to perfect for their use. From a design standpoint they are extremely elegant and comparing them to later iterations make the successors look clumsy. If you look at the narrow wasp knives the only change I would make would be to make the blade and inch shorter.

If you pass yours to your son as you plan I have a recommendation. Accompany this with a note of your service in RVN and it's accompaniment during your tours. Over five or six generations it's possible no progenitor will know who the hell Slo cat was. Your post caused me to dig out a silver chalice. It was presented to a Sgt. Dunphey on his departure from China. I know the side of the family it is from but little else. First Opium War or Second I have no idea. Give your MKII some context.

Should you be inclined to part with you MKII, the early knives like yours are being offered at money well into four figures. As always the real value is only determined when the buyer and seller agree on a price.

My apologies, I realize this is probably too much info.