Original Item. Only One Available. This is a very good original WWI-era Imperial Russian Model 1891 Mosin-Nagant socket bayonet manufactured in the United States by Remington Arms under contract for the Russian government. The bayonet remains in its original M1891 locking-ring configuration and bears the distinctive small R inside a circle associated with Remington production. It is not serial numbered and shows honest service wear with a well-developed dark patina throughout.

During WWI, Imperial Russia placed enormous contracts with American manufacturers for Model 1891 rifles and their accompanying bayonets. In 1915, contracts were placed with both Remington Arms and New England Westinghouse for production of the 7.62mm M1891 rifle system. Imperial War Museums records that Remington completed its contracted bayonet production and that Remington-made examples bear the distinctive circled R trademark.

This example is marked with an R in a circle. The circled R identifies manufacture by Remington Arms Co. in the United States for the Imperial Russian contract. World Bayonets likewise documents Remington M1891 bayonets with this small circled-R marking and identifies them as American manufacture for the Imperial Russian government.

No serial number is visible on this example. Documented Remington bayonets are often encountered with both a serial number and circled-R trademark, but the absence of a visible serial number on this bayonet does not alter the manufacturer attribution established by the Remington mark.

The bayonet retains its original rotating locking ring, the standard attachment system of the Imperial Russian M1891 pattern. The ring rotated around the socket to secure the bayonet to the rifle barrel. This should be distinguished from the later Soviet M1891/30 bayonet, which used a spring-loaded press-button locking system rather than the original rotating ring. The M1891/30 was a later pattern and should not be regarded simply as a routine “second pattern conversion” of all surviving Imperial M1891 bayonets.

The long cruciform blade remains full length and displays scattered service wear and an attractive age-darkened patina. No major alteration is noted, leaving the bayonet in its original Imperial-era configuration.

The Russian M1891 bayonet was intended to remain closely associated with the rifle in service, and Russian doctrine placed considerable emphasis on firing the infantry rifle with the bayonet fixed. Unlike many Western bayonet systems, the M1891 was not normally issued with a conventional scabbard in Imperial Russian service.

This is an especially interesting example of the M1891 because its circled-R marking directly connects it with the enormous American wartime arms-production program undertaken for Imperial Russia. The original rotating locking ring, full-length cruciform blade, Remington manufacturer mark, absence of later-pattern alteration, and even service patina preserve the defining features of the original WWI-era configuration.

Dimensions:
Blade length: 17”
Overall length: 19 ¾”
Crossguard: 1 ½”