{"product_id":"original-u-s-post-vietnam-war-unissued-condition-gerber-mkii-fighting-survival-knife-with-scabbard-serial-044835-made-in-1976","title":"Original U.S. Post Vietnam War “Unissued” Condition Gerber MkII Fighting Survival Knife with Scabbard - Serial 044835 Made in 1976","description":"\u003cp\u003eOriginal Item: Only One Available. As far as legendary fighting knives go, there are a few that stand the test of time. The Ka-Bar, the Bowie knife, the Fairbairn-Sykes, and the often forgotten Gerber Mark II Combat Knife are all famed fighting knives. The Mark II was designed in 1966 and quickly became a popular choice with soldiers and Marines headed overseas. Particularly, the Mark II became a favorite with the MACV SOG teams that were the premier special operations unit in Vietnam.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eA former Army Captain designed the Gerber Mark II. And he designed it not just to be a tool but a weapon. The Mark II has a 6.5-inch blade. That length allows the blade to strike something vital in the torso from almost any angle. The Mark II uses a dagger type design making it less of a slasher and more of a stabber. This dual-edged blade, with its dagger point, will penetrate deep and with ease.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eDuring the Vietnam War, the first production run of this knife had a five degree offset between the blade and the grip in order to ride in the sheath more comfortably, and give the user a grip similar to that of a fencing foil. This design feature led to a significant number of knives being returned by users for having a \"bent blade\", so Gerber discontinued that element on subsequent production runs.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAt 12.75 inches (32.39 cm) long it has a 6.5 inch (16.5 cm) 420 HHC stainless steel double edged spear point wasp-waisted blade, weighs 8 ounces, and has a die cast aluminum handle. It has a distinctive look similar to that of the Fairbairn-Sykes Fighting Knife developed during World War II for the British Commandos.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIn the 1970s, the military's base\/post exchanges discontinued selling these knives, reasoning that they were \"not in good taste\" or \"too brutal\". Al Mar, then working for Gerber as a knife designer, added the 14 teeth per inch sawtooth serrations toward the hilt, marketing the knife as a \"survival aid\", making it more appealing to the PX System, which resumed selling the Mark II as a survival knife, rather than a fighting knife. It was also reduced in size somewhat down to 12 inches, with a 6 inch blade.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis very nice example is in very good condition, complete with the original scabbard, which is fully intact. The knife is marked with serial number \u003cstrong\u003e#044835\u003c\/strong\u003e, one of approximately 10,419 made in 1976, so it was made just after the end of the Vietnam war. It features a gray \"Armorhide\" type handle, and ha the correct Gerber trademark logo and address marking on the ricasso:\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e(Logo)\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eGERBER\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ePORTLAND ORE USA\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe scabbard is also marked with the correct Gerber stamping:\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eGERBER\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ePORTLAND, ORE.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e07223 U.S.A.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eA very nice example of a legendary Vietnam War fighting survival knife, complete with scabbard and ready to display!\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eDimensions:\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eBlade length: 7”\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eBlade Style: Spear Point Knife with Serrated Area\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eOverall length: 12”\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eCrossguard: 2”\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eScabbard length: 8 1\/2\" with belt loop - 14\" overall\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Original Items","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":40583019593797,"sku":"ONSV23PCS118","price":995.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1524\/1342\/files\/ONSV23PCS118__02.jpg?v=1685566642","url":"https:\/\/www.ima-usa.com\/products\/original-u-s-post-vietnam-war-unissued-condition-gerber-mkii-fighting-survival-knife-with-scabbard-serial-044835-made-in-1976","provider":"International Military Antiques","version":"1.0","type":"link"}