The following was from a Randall Lore Post in November 2005. I pulled it up using the search system here.
Regards,
Rhett Randall Lore #35 Dealer Special Listing
The newsletter article had pictures of each knife. This is from the June 1995 RKS newsletter #27.
RANDALL DEALER SPECIAL KNIVES BY KENT HARRISON
Model #1 "ALL PURPOSE FIGHTER", got a picture in mind? How about the Model #14 "Attack"? Or maybe the Model #18 hollow handle "Attack-Survival" knife? Sure, most knife people will have a mental image of these particular Randalls when they are mentioned. We've all been exposed to them countless times in articles and write ups, and even by factory companies imitating them with close copy production knives. But how about a TC SPECIAL? Or a SASQUATCH Bowie or the "Poor Man's Fighter" CRIDER SPECIAL, got a picture of these? Well, don't feel alone if you're not familiar with these models. These Randalls are members of a group of knives known as "Randall Dealer Specials". Each knife is a design, which, in Gary Randall's words, is a guarded or protected model. They are made for the individual dealer and are originally sold only through that particular dealer. Also, they are not included in the Randall catalog.
The idea for the Dealer Special knives originated sometime in the 60's. During this time it was common for people, often times Randall dealers, to submit their own designs to the shop to have a few knives made using their own ideas. Also various groups had knives made up in small runs. The U.S. Border Patrol knives and the BATF knives fell into this category. But also during this time, the shop got far behind on delivery schedules and Bo and Gary decided that they must streamline to keep production costs realistic. Working to special designs would have to cease except in a controlled manner, hence the "Dealer Special" Models.
There are a small number of these knives currently available, which includes the three mentioned above. Some knives, which could be called "Dealer Specials", have been produced in the past but are no longer available. I'll not mention those due to having a handful of worms after the can has been opened!
THE SASQUATCH
SASQUATCH! Brings to mind a big hairy beast doesn't it? Well, Doug Kenefick's Sasquatch Bowie knife is the one I'd want if I was gonna face the beast with only a knife! In November of 1977, after drawings and a wood model had been produced, the first SASQUATCH models were delivered to Doug. The blade design was influenced by knives which had been made by Rod Chappel and the soon to be famous Gil Hibben. Special blade forgings provided a knife with an 11" blade, 2-1/4" wide from 3/8" stock. The long top edge was sharpened, and the blades were serial numbered.
Although this knife is a special blade forging, it belongs to the Randall Model #12 family, which is the bowie group. The top and bottom of the blade both curve down in what is called a recurve style, and it bears a resemblance to a "samba" style blade. As one expects, most of these knives have ended up stashed away in collections. However, it was brought to Doug's attention that at least one of the knives had earned it's keep by killing a wild boar! When asked about the knives ability to penetrate the hunter replied, "Up to the hilt!"
In 1978 a smaller 8" version was introduced in stainless steel only, which is in contrast to the larger model which is available only in carbon steel. The hilt, handle, and butt cap on both sizes are available with the options normally offered on the Bowies. Probably the most popular configuration is the brass lugged hilt, smooth brass collar, stag handle and brass crow beak butt cap. The sheaths are made especially for this design and feature a slight curve to accommodate the curve of the blade. As the 11" models are serial numbered we know that 201 have been produced as of June, 1995. The smaller version is produced without serial numbers and Doug estimates about 225 have been produced. These SASQUATCH models represent the oldest, currently available Randall Dealer Special design, which is still being produced. And, I might add, that a very dressed up SASQUATCH 8" model is the knife chosen to be the prize in the RANDALL KNIFE SOCIETY membership contest in 1995!
NORDIC SPECIAL
In the year of 1993, a man named Bob Gaddis made what will be remembered as a giant contribution to the legacy of Randall Knives. After many years of careful research utilizing the Randall files, he wrote the book, "Randall Made Knives, The History of the Man and the Knives". This work is must reading for any person who's interest in Randall Knives takes them back farther than what was sold last week! It cements the idea of Randalls being a result of years of knifemaking experience, rather than a few days work on the sketch pad. But if this weren't enough, he also made a significant contribution that concerns collectors of the Dealer Specials.
"Nordic Knives," then owned by Bob Gaddis and Dave Harvey, now owned by Dave and Grace Harvey, has been a cutlery shop operated from the same location for over 22 years. For over fifteen of those years, they have been an authorized Randall dealership.
In 1980, Bob was approached by a customer to provide a companion knife for the customer's just purchased Model #21 Little Game. The man was a hunter going after large game, and the #21 with it's small trailing point design was to be used for caping and delicate skinning. But the knife he desired to back it up with was to be a heavier drop-point blade, but still on the short side. An Alaskan Skinner #11 with a 4" blade was suggested. Although the shape was acceptable, it was rejected because the blade was too long. The customer desired a 3-1/4" blade similar to a Lloyd Hale drop-point hunter, which was in Nordics's display at the time.
With this, Bob contacted Gary and arrangements were made to grind down a #11 forging to the desired size and fit it with a handle similar to that of the Little Game knife. A special sheath was designed to carry the two knives piggyback style. Bob requested a few for sale at his store and the design started to catch on with his customers. In 1982, arrangements were made for the knife to become the protected design known as the "NORDIC SPECIAL" or "Nordic Knives Drop-Point Special".
The evolution of the Nordic Special has resulted in a 3-1/4" x 3/16" drop-point blade which starts from it's own forging. It has a #6 (flat) grind with a single brass hilt and a handle of larger proportions than the #21. Handle materials are selected from the usual Randall offerings of the various woods and different colored micartas. By far the most popular is stag with a single nickel silver hilt. Currently, the sheaths are stamped NDP on the back for Nordic Drop Point. Approximately 400 of these specials have been produced to date, and Dave reports that they have stayed true to the earliest design. The exception is a little less "belly" on the cutting edge on the later knives. A fine example of this knife graces the back cover of Gaddis's book "RANDALL MADE KNIVES". It's a knife which just begs to be included on your belt when out of doors!
JACK CRIDER SPECIAL
The "Jack Crider Special," sometimes called the "Poor Man's Fighter," has at least one major distinction from the other Dealer Special knives. It is not a special blade forging as are the other specials. The blade starts out as a Model #10 Salt Fisherman knife, which in itself is one of the few Randalls not hammer forged. They are stock removal knives and all are made from stainless steel. The #10 is a full tang blade of 1/8" stock either 5" or 7" in length. The slab handles are available in micarta or wood. In its standard form the #10 is most often called a filet or bait knife. But with just a few simple modifications, it becomes a sleek fighter of sorts. And, as an aside, I think this knife clearly illustrates one of the things I find interesting about knives. Just a little bevel here and a little grind there can completely change the character of a knife! From experience, I know that it is impossible to successfully describe the appearance of a "Crider Special" while the person is looking at the catalog photo of the #10 SALT FISHERMAN knife. The two knives don't even throw the same shadow!
The #10 receives a top grind, which gives it a spear point. When I spoke with Pete Hamilton, shop foreman at Randall Made Knives, he called it a #10 with a #18 grind. Thumb notches are cut top and bottom on the blade, immediately in front of the handles. The slab handles are nicely rounded and receive a finger cutout on top and bottom. There is no guard or hilt of any kind on this design. A wrist thong is standard and a row of small sawteeth along the top edge is optional. The knife comes in a leather sheath constructed much like the older Model C sheaths. Above the Randall logo, stamped into the sheath, is a small banner, which contains the legend "Jack Crider Special".
Jack related that actually the Crider Special has progressed through five generations of development. It first appeared as simply a #10 with a top bevel grind. Later, the knives appeared with top and bottom finger notches on the handles. Thumb notches on the blade and a wrist thong hole appeared next, followed by smoothly rounded handles. Finally, sawteeth were made available as an option. What's next? Who knows? There's still room on this sleek little knife for future developments. As of June, 1995, 600 Crider Specials have been made.
Since being introduced in 1983, these specials are probably the most widely seen due to both the number of years they have been available, and also to the fact that they are priced at the lower end of the range for Randall knives, hence the nickname, "POOR MAN'S FIGHTER". However, many of the Criders I've sold actually get used simply because they are a handy little knife. That is the highest compliment you can heap upon a knife!
TOM CLINTON SPECIAL
If Tom Clinton had to limit himself to one knife, it might very well be an ivory handled Fairbairn-Sykes, if such a critter were available. In his military knife collection, as with most others, you'll find a large number of these stiletto knives. The Randalls, Gary and Bo, were also fond of this design, and I remember Gary telling about a time when he and his father passed a surplus store, which had a barrel of these fighters for sale. They promptly bought the whole barrel and made them available through the shop.
Residing in the Randall Museum is a knife which served as one of several prototype knives made in the shop during the development work on the Survival knife for the Mercury Space Program Astronauts. It has a long spear point blade, unlike the knife which finally resulted as the #17 "Astro" knife, yet still had the hollowed out tang. Shop foreman Pete Hamilton and Tom used this blade design to work up a few prototypes. Between this and his fondness for the Fairbairn style, perhaps that is why the TC Special is a long double edged design. It could be a natural outgrowth of the #2 "Fighting Stiletto" and some have even accused it of being a Model #2 on steroids! Or even a Roman short sword!
The blade length is 7" with a width of approximate 1-1/2" and only available in stainless steel. It is a true double edge blade, except it's wider than most stiletto style blades. Hilts are forward curved with a smooth collar and a choice of handle material, much of which is supplied by Tom. Many of these have concave shaped handles finished off with a coolie cap. A small but noticeable difference between the "Tom Clinton Special" and the #2 is that the grind line on the TC Special comes almost all the way back to the ricasso of the blade, leaving only a small flat for the tang stamp. A feature unique to the TC, this tang stamp is put on the knife crossways instead of lengthways as on all the other Randalls.
The first TC Specials were sold in 1988, and approximately 270 have been sold to date. In the past, the sheaths were a special design, but contained no special markings. However, early in 1994, Sullivan's Holster Shop started stamping the sheaths "TOM CLINTON SPECIAL". Also, some of the sheaths are coming through in black leather.
STANABACK SPECIAL
Despite all of the controversy over big knife versus little knife one thing will always remain. When you break your big knife there's usually enough left to make a small knife! It is reported that from these beginnings came the 'Stanaback Special". In mid 1987, Jeff McCartney, one of the Randall craftsmen, was working on a broken Randall blade, attempting to reshape it into a useful knife. The blade stock was 1/4" and the end result was a short, heavy duty knife blade.
Also about this time, Captain Chris Stanaback of Sportsman's Services of Florida (largest Randall Dealer in the South), was entertaining ideas for his Dealer Special. He leaned toward the "Little Bear Bowie" style but also wanted a blade shorter than the Bear's 6" length. Chris looked at the knife McCartney had shaped from the broken blade and realized the basis for his special had been formed.
The final result was a forged stainless steel blade 4" in length from 1/4" stock. The blade has the long upper bevel, at least long for a short blade, and gives the appearance of a knife which would really shine through a torture test. Thumb notches in front of the single hilt are standard and the handles are all of leather washer construction with a thru tang and butt cap. These knives are serial numbered and exactly 100 were produced. For a short period prior to this, approximately 100 Stanaback Specials were produced with the same blade but finished with handles of micarta, wood, or stag. None of these were serial numbered. The sheaths for all of the Stanaback Specials are stamped "SSP" on the back.
A feature the Stanaback shares with the Sasquatch is the fact that it has been offered in two blade lengths. However, the difference is the short blade will be discontinued and the longer blade will take over, whereas the Sasquatch is offered in two blade lengths. Beginning in 1993, the Stanaback Special blade length will be 4-5/8". It will be stainless steel and of the same grind. These knives will not be serial numbered with the possible exception of a special run of 100 to be produced at a latter date and offered to the purchasers of the original 100 serial numbered knives.
One of the most exciting features of the new knife will be the redesigned sheath. This innovative design was provided by Chris Stanaback and submitted to Greg Gutcher of Sullivan's Holster Shop, the sole supplier of all of the leather sheaths for Randall Made Knives. "Master Leather Craftsmen" best describes the work turned out by the Sullivan Shop. Greg has one of the most innovative minds when it comes to sewing up leather sheaths. Piggyback, ankle, exotic skins, the sky's the limit if you want a custom sheath for a Randall knife. The sheath for the new Stanaback Special will have a round diamond EZE-LAP sharpening steel instead of the stone we're so familiar with. And the sheaths will be made of oxblood colored leather with black stitching instead of the usual brown leather. With the exception of the first few 4-5/8" models sold in 1993, the sheaths will be marked with the "Capt. Chris Stanaback" logo around the familiar Randall logo stamp.
STODDARD'S SPECIAL: SERGEANT'S MODEL
As I've traveled around the country I've always been struck by the fact that different regions always have their "own flavor" as it is often called. I get an inner feeling that's not unlike my taste buds reacting when a certain kind of food is mentioned. This could be due to things I've read about different areas or merely due to pictures I've seen on postcards and calendars. Whatever the reason, the fact remains that when I think of the Eastern Seaboard I think of things that are old. Fields where Revolutionary War battles were fought, factory sites beside waterways where the pocketknife industry flourished and later perished, and people who maintain and live in the old family "home places" all come to mind. Perhaps that is why it came as no surprise to find out that the oldest cutlery shop in America is located in Boston. Stoddard's Inc., a full line cutlery store, has been in business since 1800! It was originally known as Bradford and Anthony, but has been owned and operated by the Marks family for 61 years. It seems only fitting that they would also be a Randall Knife dealer.
In 1991 Steve Weinograd, assistant manager of Stoddard's, and Tim Leival, also an employee, worked on the original design of the "Stoddard Special", which was submitted to Gary Randall. At the time, Tim was a reserve Lieutenant in the 11th Special Forces Group based at Fort Devons. It was their goal to come up with a design which would make a "carry" knife that would fill the needs of the noncommissioned officer in our armed forces. Besides actually providing a knife that would do the job, they also wanted to honor the personnel so vital to the continuing success of our military, the Non-Commissioned Officers Corps. This effort resulted in the knife, which has come to be known as Stoddard's Sergeant's Model.
The Randall Shop worked up the prototype on the basis of the #19-5" Bushmaster blade. This is a wide, heavy duty type blade designed to be a big game skinning knife. As the original design made its way through the prototype stage it evolved into a 5-1/2" blade with a 1-1/2" width of 1/4" 01 Swedish Tool Steel. The upper bevel was left unsharpened due to a section of the Massachusetts law concerning double edged knives. The resulting blade looks more like the #25 Trapper model than the Bushmaster due to the slightly clipped point and the large flat grind. To go along with the "useful tool" aspect of this model is the single hilt and the single finger grip handle.
Up to the present date, handle material is a choice of Desert Ironwood or Sunburst Briar, both of which are beautiful materials. The Sergeant's model is stamped "Stoddard's, Inc/Boston, MA-SN. #----" on the blade on the opposite side of the Randall logo. As of June, 1995, 118 of these knives have been produced. It seems only fitting for Randall Made Knives to 'oldest tool, the knife.
BOWLES SPECIAL
"That's not a Randall is it?" is one of the comments I hear most about the "Bowles Special," followed by, "Well what model is it? It's not in my catalog"!
Rick Bowles, professional scrimshander and habitual fisherman, is the owner of the Randall Green River Skinner. Rick's special has a wide 5-1/2" blade with the upturned point much like the famous buffalo skinning knives of the 1800's. The blade is forged from 1/4" stock and they are etched with "RBS" and a serial number. I have found that it is one of those models which collectors either like or dislike. Without a doubt, it is a radical departure from what most people think of when a Randall knife is mentioned.
Rick produced scrimshaw work for the Randall shop for many years before becoming an official Randall dealer in 1988. He had designed the knife, which has become known as the "Gambler" model, a non-catalog knife, which is basically a single edge Guardian when ordered with a 4" blade. Gary wanted to retain the Gambler design as it was and suggested that Rick layout a new design when they began to discuss the idea of Rick's Dealer Special. No problem for a man with the artistic ability of Rick Bowles!
When the first knives were delivered in April of 1991 it coincided with Rick's 10th anniversary of executing work for the Randall shop. As a result, knives numbered 1-10 were a special edition. All the handles received an ivory inlay which was scrimmed by Rick. Greg Gutcher of Sullivan's Holster Shop provided special basketweave sheaths with a pocket for a Mini-Leatherman Tool instead of the customary stone pocket.
Currently, Rick is the only official scrimshaw artist directly connected to the Randall Shop. The work he performs on Randall knives is available only through the Randall shop. As a result, about 2 dozen total of the approximately 100 Bowles Specials have been scrimmed by Rick, and a few of these have also been engraved. Rick's scrimmed scenes containing buffalo have been selected by more owners than any other single design. A buffalo scene was also chosen to illustrate his work in the latest printing of the Randall catalog.
The sheaths for the Bowles' Specials had the letters "RBS" stamped on back until late 1993. At this time a new stamp was put into use with "Rick Bowles Special" arranged in a banner around the Randall logo. Always the artist, the upcoming numbers of 101 thru 110 will be done up in some special fashion. The only mystery about it all is figuring out how a man from the flats and marshes of the Chesapeake Bay became smitten by a buffalo skinners knife!
BUXTON FIGHTER
These are the knives which are currently offered as DEALER SPECIALS, except one. You will be quick to notice that not all Randall dealers have a special. This leaves us something to look forward to in the future. As projects are completed at the shop, new designs crop up from time to time. Occasionally one of these new projects will evolve into a new dealer special. A perfect example of this is the Buxton Fighter, the most recently released model from the Randall Shop.
The model #14 Attack has become a mainstay in the Randall lineup. The 7-1/2" full tang knife was designed with military usage in mind from the start. After the design was submitted to the military boards, the Air Force requested the same knife, only with a 5-1/2" blade. Although neither knife was adopted as a military issue knife, they both have become enormously popular styles. In years past, when time allowed, a few of these 414 and 415 blades were made in the 6.5" length. When the time came to provide Wayne Buxton, Texas Randall dealer for 20 years, a special, this is the blade that was suggested.
In 1954 when the Model 14 Attack knife was designed and produced, it contained a novel design feature. The full tang extended through the handle and protruded about 1" past the end of the knife. The end was radiused and drilled with a hole for the wrist thong. This feature was intended to allow a pilot to smash his way through a plexiglass canopy. Or it could be used as a "skull crusher" in hand to hand combat. After several years, this feature was dropped, leaving the tang flush with the end of the handle and the thong hole drilled in the micarta handle. This idea has reappeared on the "Buxton Fighter". Another idea used from the Randall bag of options is a "bowie grind" on the clip point of the blade. The top grind on the end of the blade is deeper, giving it the appearance of a Bowie style blade. The actual measured difference between the standard point and the bowie clip point would be very small, but the eye picks up on these small variances and they directly contribute to the appearance of the knife.
So what we have is a special blade forging of a full tang, 6-1/2" #14 blade with bowie clip point and exposed tang extension. The blades will be stainless steel, the hilts will be nickel silver #1 shaped, and the handles will be black micarta Border Patrol. All blades are serial numbered following the initials BF on the opposite side of the blade from the trademark. Sheaths are the standard c-style initialed under the Randall logo with the letters "BS".
This knife isn't going to be remembered as a graceful or beautiful knife. When you hold it in your hands, it doesn't make you yearn for the mountains or head for your fishing pole. This is a warriors' knife. This knife wants to be tied to combat suspenders! It's looking for its place in a high tech Attack Helicopter. At a time when many in this world shim the fact that wars are fought and won with hand held weapons, here's a knife that says "Take me along, you'll need me"!
The knife marked PROTO #1 was retained by Gary for the shop museum. Wayne reserved PROTO #2 and #1 thin 410 for his children and personal use. The first knives to be sold to the public were delivered during the second week of February 1994.
As I mentioned earlier, there exists some Dealer Specials, which for one reason or another, are no longer available. Besides these discontinued models, a collector may also stumble onto other models which bear no resemblance to catalog knives. Some of these may be the one of designs which were submitted and produced a few at a time. The fact remains that there are many exciting discoveries still to be made concerning Randall Knives. The shop has turned out a large number of knives and they have been scattered to the far comers of the world by soldiers, sportsmen, and plain old people like ourselves! Hardly a show weekend goes by that I don't hear a story about a unique old Randall surfacing. Brand loyalty says it all when a father tells you his favorite knife is the knife that saved his son's life in a far off jungle. Or what about the son who desired only his father's Randall after the elder passed away? Whatever the mystique, Randall Knives have certainly earned their place in the cutlery world. The popularity and uniqueness of the Dealer Specials plays an important part in the history of Randall Made Knives.
The author would like to thank the following people for their contributions: Gary Randall and Pete Hamilton of the Randall Shop. They insured factual information and dates; Doug Kenefick, info on the SASQUATCH; Dave Harvey and Bob Gaddis of Nordic Knives; Jack Crider, CRIDER SPECIAL; Tom Clinton, TOM CLINTON SPECIAL; Nancy and Chris Stanaback, STANABACK SPECIAL; Steve Weinograd and Tim Leival, STODDARD SPECIAL; Rick Bowies, BOWLES SPECIAL; -Wayne Buxton, BUXTON SPECIAL; and Rhett Stidham for the Randall Knife Society Newsletter.
Portions of this article appeared in the April and May 1995 issues of "Blade" magazine. A big thank you to Krause Publications for permission to present this article to the RKS membership.
YOUR DEALER SPECIAL ADDRESSES ARE:
BOWLES SPECIAL: Rick Bowles, 2417 Hay Bale Lane, Virginia Beach, Va 23456 ph: 757-233-0038
BUXTON FIGHTER: Wayne Buxton, Silver Dollar Gun and Pawn Shop, 2608-10 W. Walnut St., Garland, TX 75042. ph. 214-272-7215
CLINTON SPECIAL: Tom Clinton, POB 2545, Love's Park, IL 61132. ph. 815-885-3396
CRIDER SPECIAL: Jack & Betty Crider, 79 S. Southampton, Columbus, OH 43204 ph. 614-276-6060
NORDIC SPECIAL: Nordic Knives, Dave and Grace Harvey, 1634 C Copengagen Drive, Solvang, CA 93463. Ph. 800-992-6574
SASQUATCH: Doug Kenefick, 29 Leander St., Danielson, CT 06239 ph: 203-774-8929
STANABACK SPECIAL: Capt. Chris Stanaback, P.O. Box 100, Kenansville, Fl, 34739 ph. 407-436-1113, FAX 1115
STODDARD'S SERGEANT'S SPECIAL: Stoddard's Inc., attn, Matt Hoff, Copley Pl., No. 25, Boston, MA 02116 ph. 617-536-8688
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