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Those aren't bayonets! That's my rifle!!

What's really odd is that that particular photo was part of a post I made late l;ast night in the "I've got a new gun' topic, and which seems to have been lost in the server changeover.

What's going on here?

I do apologise for the lost few hours we saw yesterday.

I can see a picture posted by CTF - is that not correct?

@Charlotte the flyer

<Puts anorak on>
The bayonet which fits the M1 is an M5 bayonet, similarly the one for the M4 is an M9
<Anorak off>

I'd guess the M5 is genuine, plenty around and not expensive. Same blade basically as the M3 fighting knife and M4 (fits M1 Carbine) as well as others. The M9..... well it depends on the markings on the ricasso. As well as GI, many were made for the civvy market. I remember that the markings varied, plenty sites for the info.

@JS569
The P1903 was made by Enfield. Many of the blackened ones were used by India, they preferred the shorter bayonet on the SMLE apparently. Some carry Indian marks as well as British ones so get your magnifying glass out!

Cheers

Donald

MrD wrote:@Charlotte the flyer

<Puts anorak on>
The bayonet which fits the M1 is an M5 bayonet, similarly the one for the M4 is an M9
<Anorak off>

I'd guess the M5 is genuine, plenty around and not expensive. Same blade basically as the M3 fighting knife and M4 (fits M1 Carbine) as well as others. The M9..... well it depends on the markings on the ricasso. As well as GI, many were made for the civvy market. I remember that the markings varied, plenty sites for the info.

@JS569
The P1903 was made by Enfield. Many of the blackened ones were used by India, they preferred the shorter bayonet on the SMLE apparently. Some carry Indian marks as well as British ones so get your magnifying glass out!

Cheers

Donald

Hi Donald, I've had a good look at the P1903 and I can't see any markings on it that would suggest Indian service - I pretty much recognise all the other stamps on it. Is there anything I should be looking for?

I do prefer it to the 1907, it's much handier when mounted on the rifle. I have an P1888 which is essentially the same blade, just a different mounting system.

Currently I'm fabricating a 'rack' to mount them on the wall of the office, seems a shame to have them stuffed in a draw.

christel wrote:I do apologise for the lost few hours we saw yesterday.

I can see a picture posted by CTF - is that not correct?

It is correct now, but when first I spotted that post, the photo that was attached to CTFs post was not the one that is there now, it was a Remington 700 SPS Tactical in an Oryx chassis. Somehow the system switched the two photos, though I have no idea how.

Can't see the bayonet pic........

JS569 wrote: Hi Donald, I've had a good look at the P1903 and I can't see any markings on it that would suggest Indian service - I pretty much recognise all the other stamps on it. Is there anything I should be looking for?

I do prefer it to the 1907, it's much handier when mounted on the rifle. I have an P1888 which is essentially the same blade, just a different mounting system.

Currently I'm fabricating a 'rack' to mount them on the wall of the office, seems a shame to have them stuffed in a draw.

I'll dig mine out over the weekend and have a look. I seem to remember some of my Indian ones having odd replacement scales, but it's been a while. I also have several P1888s as well as a P1903 with a VR blade showing it started off as a P1888. Mine are all in plastic bins as few are attractive enough to be displayed and folk think I'm weird enough! Need to thin the herd out a bit, especially my bucket of No4 spikes!

Donald

More bayonets - British and Commonwealth I think!

Apart from the obvious non bayonet, from the top:
P1907, No4 MkII, No4 MkII*, No5, No7, No9 (could be UK or Pakistani), No9 South African, L1A1 and SA80.

Most will have a maker's mark which would allow you to discover more.

If you want help, let me know

Donald