US M6 Imperial Bayonette gift

[Beeps in my sleep]

My metal detecting friend was detecting at an older camp in the mountains and found this US M6 Imperial Bayonette. He spent an hour cleaning it up and gave it to me as a gift for getting him into different places. Its got nicks from being dug up but cleaned up nice. This is one of the nicest gestures ever! Check it out.

 

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[Papa Bear]

That is in amazing condition. Good karma is coming your buddies way...

 

[CoinHunterAZ]

Wow, he did a great job of cleaning it because it looks like it never spent a single day in the dirt!

 

[pippinwhitepaws]

Wow, he did a great job of cleaning it because it looks like it never spent a single day in the dirt!

must have been in the infantry...

 

[Beeps in my sleep]

There is still dirt falling out and a few spots its caked in but he is in his 70s and very very careful cleaning his finds. I am trying to take notes from him so I don't ruin mine. I want to get the dirt out of the push spring thing near the blade its very hard to push down.

 

[Hookedondetecting]

Things were made to last back then!

 

[pippinwhitepaws]

nice fine tipped screwdriver...take the scales off an GI that puppy...nice gift.

 

[CoinHunterAZ]

The M6 was made for the US M14 rifle used in the early 60's. It is still in use today by certain special ops teams, DMR & Navy Seals. I have an un-issued M5 Bayonet that was made for the M1 Garand rifle, also made by Imperial probably some time in the early to mid 50's.

 

[pippinwhitepaws]

I shot expert with a M-14...loved that heavy beast.

 

[jewelerguy]

cool that did clean up nice

 

[Sawyer]

I used one in the late 60's exactly the way it was meant to be used. I still have it and would never sell it! You get kind of attached to a knife that saved your life!

 

[Pointman]

We used one like it or similar when I went through training almost 25 years ago. I recently bought one. The prices are going up. Years ago you could get one for $25 and now they are $40 or more. I know that it isn't the price that counts, but if my friend gave it to me I would probably mount it and it would be priceless to me.

 

[vpnavy]

 

[BosnMate]

I had an old bayonet for a digging tool. Not suggesting you do that, just saying mine worked great, but someone stole it, and now any bayonet costs too much money to mess it up digging with it. We are putting together some displays at the American Legion Post in town, and a WWII Garand bayonet now days costs $75 and up.

 

[huntsman53]

Congrats on the nice gift! It was probably lost during the 1960's or 1970's by an U.S. Army Officer attending the U.S. Army War College in Carlisle while out on training maneuvers. They had just phased out the M14 and phased in the M16 when I joined the U.S. Army in 1972 but I believe that the War College, West Point and some other Military Colleges continued to use the M14 for training well into the 1970's.


Frank

 

[birdman]

Very nice and a good friend.

 

[Beeps in my sleep]

We used one like it or similar when I went through training almost 25 years ago. I recently bought one. The prices are going up. Years ago you could get one for $25 and now they are $40 or more. I know that it isn't the price that counts, but if my friend gave it to me I would probably mount it and it would be priceless to me.

Thanks man! I plan on mounting it on my wall. Its special as it was a gesture and his first bayonet ever. I don't plan to sell it but rather display it proudly

 

[Pointman]

I had an old bayonet for a digging tool. Not suggesting you do that, just saying mine worked great, but someone stole it, and now any bayonet costs too much money to mess it up digging with it. We are putting together some displays at the American Legion Post in town, and a WWII Garand bayonet now days costs $75 and up.

I just recently left the service and had to manage arms. Now the military uses the M-9 bayonet which is made of composite materials and has a wire cutter. The Army survival knife (It is called the ASEK) is no longer leather on the handle but is also made of some type of composite. The military price for the bayonet is well over $100 and I think that the $39 Army Survival knife is now around $120 or more in the new style.

I am sure that the "old style" can still hurt you the same as the newer ones if you were on the receiving end of it!

You could still get a sheath for it if you wanted to display them together. I think they run about $20 used.

As an afterthought, I remember when WWII stuff was dirt cheap to acquire, but now you cannot hardly get anything WWII related. A lot of it now is either "style" or reproductions. If you run across any WWII, 60s-80s military items, especially weapons or gear related jump on it.