How to Identify an Army Rifle Scabbard
- 1). Find out everything you can about the scabbard and make a list of the facts. What is it made of, what color is it, how is it held together (rivets, stitching, wire, etc.) and what identifying marks are there on it? Make note of the colors of any markings or stamps, and the language that's written on the scabbard as well as any unit or corps symbols.
- 2). Research the scabbard to see if the history bears out what you see. For instance, if you find a Marine Corps symbol stamped on the scabbard, then check to see if Marine scabbards have stamps and if they do, what other characteristics they have. If you see a brass plate with a number on it, then you need to find out which militaries did this, such as Dutch naval scabbards.
- 3). Check the information that you find against the actual rifle scabbard, and against what the owner tells you the scabbard is. For instance, if you're told that a scabbard was for an American manufactured Confederate Civil War rifle, then you need to check to make sure that the scabbard meshes with those used by the Confederacy, and that it is the American manufacture rather than the scabbards imported from Britain with all of the rifles that were sold during the war.
- 4). Seek out other, knowledgeable people who would be able to tell you if the rifle scabbard is genuine, and to help give you its history. Military historians and those who work at military museums might be able to give you some helpful information. Military antique dealers and specialists are also a knowledgeable source. Firearm experts and gun collectors too fall into this category, and might be able to help you identify the origin of your army rifle scabbard.
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