Jessie: Thanks!
Mike: Both knife and sheath are recent acquisitions (From two different gents). As luck would have it they are a perfect match in terms of era, condition and fit).
Tony: Much appreciated!
Warren: I believe I first heard the term "inferior brass" from Bob Hunt describing an old Fighter guard. During the war Bo had to scrounge for just about everything he needed. As I understand it, any composition of copper with 15-38% Zn is considered "brass" (Typical ratio is 70/30). I suspect most of the brass available to Bo wouldn't have met Mil specs for cartridges, etc.: Either the ratio was off or there were too many impurities as a lot of that stuff had been remelted from scrap. Joe's right for once
on both counts: (1) It's a Hunter and not a Model 4 and (2) A composition less than 15% Zn was typically referred to as "bronze" (Even though bronze is Cu / Sn).
Larry: Would love to see a photo of your Scagel if you can oblige.
Great knife, Bernie!
Best,