Trench Knife

Historical ones are $$ now if they go back to the World Wars.

Cold Steel makes one, may be made in China but will be usable;
http://www.coldsteel.com/Product/80NT/Chaos_Tanto.aspx
Will be cheaper than the list price if you look around.

After that I think you'll have to get into custom makers and the prices will go up a lot.

Here is the real deal, made in the USA, WWI Trench Knife.

http://www.gunbroker.com/Auction/ViewItem.aspx?Item=527733481

rc

I have an L. F & C. that was issued to my father during the Battle of the Bulge. The little tabs on the back of the sheath are gone on almost all of them that saw combat.

The last of them were made during WWI.

So it is little surprise the pistol belt hanger wires were gone by WWII.

It was a very poor design from the get go in 1918.

Another point is that many of them used in combat had the round hand-guard ground off, at least on one side, so they could be carried flat against the body.

The round hand-guard flange made the knife impossible to carry without getting hung on web gear, and every vine or sapling that came along.

Besides that, they weighed about 1/2 pound more then a Kay-Bar, or M-3 fighting knife that replaced them.

The other thing is, I have fairly small hands.
And the brass knuckles are tight on my fingers.

I could see myself getting all my fingers broke off at the hand if the 'victim' happened to put up a violent struggle.
(As most are likely to do.)

The whole thing was actually a bad idea then for a fighting knife.
And it still is.

rc

Busse Combat has a couple of similar designs, you can find them occasionally on their forum, like this one:

skmo said:

Busse Combat has a couple of similar designs, you can find them occasionally on their forum, like this one:

Click to expand...

I have absolutely no need for a knuckle knife. But this one is a looker. Give it a good leather sheath and it'd be a darned near perfect example of the breed. Being a Busse sure doesn't hurt either. How's the balance? And where is the balance point?

Look at I.M.A. They do replica military items that are good quality. Any knife you find other than that will be a cheap import or higher end custom. The other place I hate to mention is ebay.

Cheers,

ts

Plowshare Forge has a bunch of knuckle knife reproductions, just look down the left sidebar. I've often thought of purchasing one of the Middle Eastern Knuckle Knives he makes, I always liked the look of those.

Its been my experience that Chinese stainless steel is much better than large bowies made in Pakistan.

TR

Piraticalbob said:

Plowshare Forge has a bunch of knuckle knife reproductions, just look down the left sidebar. I've often thought of purchasing one of the Middle Eastern Knuckle Knives he makes, I always liked the look of those.

Click to expand...

I am having Plowshare Forge make me a custom U.S. Civil War Confederate D-Guard Bowie knife. It's almost done!! GOD I can't wait to get that knife!!

OP, you might want to contact him. He seems to get really good reviews, and you can't beat a handmade knife from a real blacksmith!!

Carol's knife is cool looking but not very practical. If you are close enough to punch you are close enough to stab, or slash.
Also check state and local laws, knuckles in any form are illegal here and listed in the prohibited section that defines a deadly weapon.

Maybe for something as non-critical as knife steel the Chinese stuff is acceptable to you. But I've had some serious (including an injured employee) problems with Chinese steels in general and stainless in particular.

Just because it has an ISO number and the type of steel on it, it means nothing. And, if you use Chinese metals and they fail all you can do is go to you supplier. They in turn send you to the importer who directs you to the manufacturer. And there any hope of redress will end.

When I specify stainless piping for a project, I now require it be US made. Oh, and you still have to check because there are a couple three US outlets that will tell you their material is US made when it is in fact of Chinese origin.

I require that the people installing and supplying the material provide the appropriate documentation. It still won't stop the complete idiots from supplying fraudulent materials, but it helps with the civil and criminal cases that might result.

That, and I know who the reliable suppliers in the US are. Try and slip in someone I don't know and I will be looking very long and hard at the material. In one case a sample was sent to a lab for analysis. It wasn't what it was supposed to be and the installer had to rip it all out and replace it. They lost a good deal of money trying to save a little bit.

Oh, and I won't use them again, and I let people know who they were and what they tried. Reputation is important in business. A poor one can cost you your business.

"Trench knife" to me means the M-3 from WWII. I've never liked those knuckle knives from WWI.

Doesn't someone make a good replica of the M-3?

The Cutlery Shoppe's M-30A-1 Gryphon is an evolved, terrific version of what the M-3 can become. Designer Robt. Terzuola told me that he started with the M-3 and refined it considerably.