What exactly do I have?

[Saleen]

Hey guys, I'm new to this forum and I have to admit that just perusing through here at first I had no idea how many variences there are to M9s. I currently own two the first of which is a Buck that I purchased around 1988 at an AAFES store in Germany. I carried it thoughout my service which included two tours to the sandbox so she's far from mint. She's a keeper for sure that I will some day drag out and give to my son.

My second M9 is the one I have the most questions about. It is a previously issued example in mint condition because it was placed in a bag and forgotten about for quite some time. I have cleaned the cosmoline from the blade with CLP, but that's it. It is, from what I gather, a late first contract LanCay because of the following features:


No hyphen on LanCay
No blood groove
Non marked hilt
Jan. 1993 fastex


http://images.kodakgallery.com/photos1833/1/41/89/63/28/4/428638941107_0_ALB.jpg
http://images.kodakgallery.com/photos1833/1/41/89/53/46/4/446538941107_0_ALB.jpg
http://images.kodakgallery.com/photos1833/1/41/89/73/67/2/267738941107_0_ALB.jpg
http://images.kodakgallery.com/photos1833/1/41/89/52/98/4/498528941107_0_ALB.jpg
http://images.kodakgallery.com/photos1833/1/41/89/63/13/4/413638941107_0_ALB.jpg


Am I correct or is there something else that I need to check before I determine what it is?

I'm going to try and dig the old Buck out and maybe take a few pictures of them for the forum. Probably nothing you haven't seen before, but I gotta show off what meager examples I have :grin:

Thanks for any input and for this forum.


Saleen

[Quarterbore]

Compare your LanCay to the three knives in this photo:

http://www.quarterbore.net/forums/photopost/showphoto.php/photo/118/cat/503

If you look close, you will notice that the M on the two on the left is further to the left then the on eon the right... I have seen knives dated 1992, 1993 and 1994 with this type of markings while I have owned a number of the knives marked like the one on the right. The ones I have owned like the one on the right were all marked 1994... From that I would assume that in 1994 LanCay changed the equipment they marked their knives with.

Look at the photos in the LanCay directory and compare them...

I believe you are correct in your dewscription that this is likely a first contract knife...

[Saleen]

Yep, it looks like the first two (further to the left). Thanks for the assistance and the website!


Saleen