OK, I've partially identified the source of the
"ST option not offered until 1967, 18th catalog" misinformation. Gaddis of course accurately identified the the 17th as being the first catalog to list the option for the M-14, and Sheldon's book, p. 78, echoes Gaddis.
However, Hunt, writing in
Randall Military Models, p. 156, said:
"Note that saw teeth are rare on a Model 14 from this period [1964-65]
and not offered as an option until the eighteenth printing of the catalog in 1967." The same mantra has been repeated in several discussion lines dating back 10 years or more on various chat boards.
I suspected that when the old guard began discussing age estimation of Randall knives in the pre-internet era, the group just adopted the
"Model 14 ST option first offered 18th printing" and it became doctrine. I originally thought this was because the ST option in the 17th was not listed with the knife itself, but rather was in the "Extra Features" section. Furthermore, the M-14 listing in the 17th Catalog specifically said that Micarta, etching, and escutcheon plate were the only options available for the M-14. So it would be a reasonable assumption that the original old guard smply missed something.
BUT... looking further,
it seems that the shop-17th Catalog was different from the catalog sent to and used by at least some dealers. For instance the Dick Van Sickle 17th Catalog does not seem to have the sawtooth option listed at all. So, no wonder confusing, contradictory, and erroneous assumptions have been repeated through the years. Those guys could have been basing their opinions on the wrong catalog!
It is a small point, true... but it is nice to fill in blanks no matter how trivial, and to me, knowing the mysteries of the M-14 from 1955 to 1972 is fun. Anyway, another mystery solved.
Here are the relevant pages from Dick Van Sickle's 17th catalog. Also of note in the catalog, the knives do not have prices listed.
