Bayonet era

[Hitch1]

Anyone know by looks what era this bayonet may be from? I don't have measurements yet. Just seeing if somebody more knowledgable than me can tell. Thank you.

 

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[Red James Cash]

I was going to post a pic of my 1857 enfield bayonet so you could compare the two but,my cam seems to be having problems.It refuses to work.On the flat portion of the blade at the base nearest the rifle muzzle is there a V stamped into the blade?

 

[NHBandit]

I was going to post a pic of my 1857 enfield bayonet so you could compare the two but,my cam seems to be having problems.It refuses to work.On the flat portion of the blade at the base nearest the rifle muzzle is there a V stamped into the blade?

^^^ This. I also have an Enfield bayonet but there were lots of very similar bayonets used for several years. Look for a "US" marking if you can see anything of that sort through the rust. I used to have a Trapdoor Springfield that used a bayonet that looked like that as well but I sold the rifle & the bayo went with it. Can you get an accurate measurement of the ID of the hole and also the overall length of the whole thing ? Bring it to East Tennessee. We'll try it on and see if it fits.. First pic.. 1857 Enfield Second pic is the 1873 Trapdoor Springfield bayonet but that one is gone so I can't measure it. Interesting story. I used to also have a British L1A1 .308 semi auto made in 1957 at RSAF Enfield exactly 100 years after my Civil War Enfield was made. What a difference 100 years makes..

 

[NHBandit]

Looking at your pics again and comparing to my Enfield bayonet it is not a match. The solid round part that comes off the tubular section makes a 90 degree turn and becomes the blade is much longer on yours and looks closer to the US Springfield bayonet I used to have. How does it compare to yours in that area RJC ? My Enfield is much different than whatever his is for. Without any markings and measurements I'm just not sure. It dosn't help either that the back end of it is rusted away.

 

[Red James Cash]

Mines doesnt have that big of a band thats in the middle of the socket,I take it that its a locking ring of some sort.Mine has a band,but its not moveble,its part of the socket.The blade is 16 inches.The socket on yours NHB looks longer too,mine measures 2 5/8 inches.

 

[TheCannonballGuy]

Hitch1 wrote:
> Anyone know by looks what era this bayonet may be from?

That form of bayonet is called a "socket" type of bayonet, because it has a tube-shaped sleeve which fits over the end of the rifle/musket's gunbarrel. Socket-bayonets date from the 1700s through late-1800s. More specifically, the sleeve on your bayonet has a "locking-ring" around its sleeve/socket, which dates it from approximately the 1830s through the late-1800s.

A "rule of thumb" for telling whether a socket-bayonet is pre-1870 is to see if a US penny will fit into the socket's round opening. If it won't, the socket-bayonet is from later than the civil war era. Caution-note: the term rule-of-thumb is just a generalized rule -- there are always a few exceptions to it.

 

[NHBandit]

Mines doesnt have that big of a band thats in the middle of the socket,I take it that its a locking ring of some sort.Mine has a band,but its not moveble,its part of the socket.The blade is 16 inches.The socket on yours NHB looks longer too,mine measures 2 5/8 inches.

RJC the first bayonet I pictured prior to this post is from an 1873 Trapdoor Springfield rifle. Here is a pic of my 1857 Enfield bayonet. The lock ring turns on the tube. That's what holds it on the barrel. The blade itself only measuring the triangular part is 12 1/4" long. Overall length is 15 5/8". I am fairly sure that mine is an Enfield bayonet that has been cut down shorter. Possibly broken at one time. Yours dosn't sound like any Enfield bayonet I can find poking around on Google. The socket on yours is too short, the blade is too short and the method of locking is wrong. Here's a couple pics of my Enfield bayonet. One with it mounted to the rifle. I've also atteched the specs for Civil War SSpringfield and Enfield bayonets. Also a link to a great reference for most all common socket type bayonets complete with measurements and pictures. M1855 Springfield socket bayonet:

Blade length: 18
Socket length: 3
Blade width: 25/32
Shank length: 1 1/4
Socket front OD: 29/32
Socket front ID: 25/32

P1853 Enfield socket bayonet:

Nominal

Blade length: 18
Socket length: 3
Blade width: 13/16
Shank length: 1
Socket front OD: 15/16
Socket front ID: 25/32
Socket Bayonets

 

[Red James Cash]

Maybe it isnt one then lol.Mine doesnt have a locking ring.From the tip to where the triangle of the blade ends is 15 3/4" the widest point is 13/16".The blade is similar in that it has 3 distinct edges,not just a triangle.It is stamped with a big V and a smaller v.It also has two c's stamped into it.I done think my cam passed on.I tried reinstalling it but all I get is a white box where the images should be

 

[Hitch1]

Thanks for all the info. I'll be back home soon and will be able to post measurements. Maybe that will help get closer to an id

 

[NHBandit]

Maybe it isnt one then lol.Mine doesnt have a locking ring.From the tip to where the triangle of the blade ends is 15 3/4" the widest point is 13/16".The blade is similar in that it has 3 distinct edges,not just a triangle.It is stamped with a big V and a smaller v.It also has two c's stamped into it.I done think my cam passed on.I tried reinstalling it but all I get is a white box where the images should be

RJC hard to say without pics. The lock ring is removable and held together with a screw so it's possible yours had one and it's missing. Also the tips got broken off and were resharpened rather than thrown away sometimes as I believe mine was so you're could still be an Enfield. But.. the comment about 3 distinct edges makes me wonder. Does it look like this pic ? This is for a Russian Mosin Nagant.

 

[Red James Cash]

I dont think the tip was broke and the bayonet resharpened.The way the blade attaches to the socket is the same as your bayonet pic you took with swords.The blade style is the same as the mosin bayonet with the exception of point,mine has a point not a chisel tip.The inside diameter of the socket is 15/16ths of an inch.