Help with bayonet ID's

M

m&p45acp10+1

New member
My dad is retired a year ago, and started dealing in vintage, and collectable knives, as well as some antiques. He aquired theese bayonetes the other day. The newer ones I am guessing are more modern I forgot what the nubers on the scabbards were. Two had smaller holes than one. I am not sure which rifles they were for. The oldest one has what feels, and appers to be leather in the grip. It is not wood that is for sure. It has no roll marks, or identification marks on it. It is about 9 inches long.

Here are some pictures.

All 4 together.





A few of the oder one.




 
The bayonet with the leather handle and round ball shaped pommel was originally a M1 garand bayonet. It looks like they made this now "fighting knife" from the top portion of the blade. I say this because the fuller goes all the way down to the crossguard, which was not how those bayonets were originally. There is a chance the blade is from another bayonet, and it simply has a M1 garand crossguard, but I think it is an M1 garand bayonet blade.

As for the other bayonets, the small ring bayonets are 1950s era M4 bayonets for the M1 carbine. Leather, rubber and wood handle M4 bayonets are from WWII. After the war, newly produced M4 bayonets had plastic/bakelite handles. The larger ring bakelite handle bayonet is probably a M7 for the M16/AR-15. If you point the plastic handle bayonets straight up, they should be marked on the crossguard. The M1 garand bayonet would have been marked on the ricasso, aka the portion of the blade which is flat and without edge, directly above the crossguard. Since the bayonet does not even have a ricasso, it has been altered.
 
kind of hard to tell from the pictures. If they are not reproductions they should have the Model Number on the guard, or the blade just a head of the guard.

I have never heard of or saw a Garand or Springfield bayonet with a leather handle, your's looks odd, first I though it was the M-4 but its not unless its been highly modified.

The Krag bayonet has a wooden hand or at least most versions, as does the M1917.

The rest (excluding the leather handle on the M-4) have hard rubber or plastic grips.

There were several versions of the bayonet for the Springfield. The one pictured (M1943) is a later version that was also used on the Garand up to and including the Korean war.

I'm not a bayonet expert by a long shot, I just like to have a period or correct bayonet for each of my US surplus rifles.

If you go to the CMP forums, those guys will tell you everything you need to know about bayonets and parts of bayonets.

Below is a picture of some US Bayonets, maybe it'll give you an idea of what you have.


From lest to right,

M-9 for the M16a2
M-7 for the M16a1
M-6 for the M14
M-4 for the M1 Carbine
M-5a1 Post War M-1 Garand
M-1943 for the Springfield 1903-Garand
M-1917 for the M1917 (Enfield)
Model 1901 for the Krag

DSCN0071.JPG
 
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