Tune,

Great knife! How can I not comment on it?

1. Small stamps on 6" and 7" Model 3's and 4's began immediately after WWII and almost without exception reverted back to the larger stamp within a few months. Until now, I have never seen a post war Model 3-6 with a small stamp any later than mid '45 (The 5 1/2" blade length versions all carried the small stamps until they were phased out when a 5" version of the Model 7 was offered in 1948). My Dad's 3-6 knife is an example made in the 1st half of 1945 with the larger stamp.




2. The sheath with your knife "looks" to have a narrow throat (I can't tell for sure). If it does, it's very unusual because almost without exception only 6" WWII Hunters had this sheath pattern. Here is a pic of both a WWII 6" Hunter sheath with a narrow throat and an immediate postwar 6" 3-6 sheath with a wide throat:




2. Nickel silver hilts were first offered in the 1948 catalog, so yours is one of the earliest to sport this option.

4. In the "gap" between the first of the post war Model 3 sheaths with black painted metal snaps in mid '45 and your knife with brown buttons in late '47 was the "translucent" button period:




6. Your sheath has conventional small rivets at the throat. If the sheath was made in the 1st few months after the war, it would typically have oversized rivets at the throat like the one Joe posted. Steve has an example of a 5 1/2" Model 3 on his site with small throat rivets and black painted metal snaps:

http://www.sharpinvestments.net/product/randall-model-3-5-12-made-1945-1948-added-61215/



Bottom line is that your knife and sheath are very unsual!

Best,

Ron