Original Item: Only One Available. This is a very nice U.S. M1905 bayonet dated 1920, originally made after the end of WWI for the M1903 Springfield Rifle. It is fitted with a WWII Issue M3 scabbard. The Garand was designed to take the same blade bayonet as the M1903 Springfield rifle, so at the beginning of the war they were issued with bayonets originally made for those rifles. Later in 1942 to keep up with wartime production, new orders for M1905 bayonets with plastic grips were sent out, which had plastic ribbed grips. These were also sometimes fitted to M1905 bayonets made previously that had damage to their wooden grips. This bayonet however still has its original wooden grips.

In 1943, the specification for bayonets was changed to have a 10 inch blade, and many M1905 bayonets were shortened to this length. This bayonet however is still in the original 16 inch configuration, which is rare to find on the market today.

The blade ricasso is marked with SA for the Springfield Armory in Springfield Mass, the primary center for the manufacture of United States military firearms from 1777 until its closing in 1968. Below this is the Ordnance flaming bomb and date of manufacture 1920. The other side of the ricasso is marked with U.S. above serial number 1167483. The blade is in very good shape, with a nice finish and the factory grind marks still visible in areas. It was likely re-blacked for WWII service, and now has heavy wear on the edge, with some of the blacking having worn away. The hilt is in good shape, with just a bit of peppering. The wooden "ribbed" grips are in great shape, still retaining a lot of the original texture on the surface, but are a small bit loose. There are no cracks or major dents, and they have a lovely red brown color.

The original M3 scabbard is faintly marked U.S. on the steel throat over the "Flaming Bomb", and is in very good condition. The B N marking on the underside of the metal throat lip indicates manufacture by Beckwith Manufacturing, who produced a variety of thermoplastic impregnated cotton fabric scabbards during the war. The N is for New England Pressed Steel, who made the steel throats under contract with Beckwith. The throat of the scabbard is missing some of the original finish, with past oxidation showing, now partly removed. The scabbard body has no cracks or major chips, though the paint does show a good amount of wear, exposing the underlying fabric texture.

A 16” WWI M1905 Springfield rifle bayonet by SA, reissued for use in WWII! Ready to display or fit on your Garand or Springfield Rifle.

Specifications:
Blade Length: 16"
Blade Style: Single Edged with Fuller
Overall length: 20 1/2“
Crossguard: 3 1/2”
Scabbard Length: 17"

A bayonet is a knife, dagger, sword, or spike-shaped weapon designed to fit on the end of the muzzle of a rifle, musket or similar firearm, allowing it to be used as a spear-like weapon. From the 17th century to World War I, it was considered a primary weapon for infantry attacks. Today, it is considered an ancillary weapon or a weapon of last resort.

The popular image of World War I combat is of a wave of soldiers with bayonets fixed, "going over the top" and charging across no man's land into a hail of enemy fire. Although this was the standard method of fighting early in the war, it was rarely successful. British casualties on the first day of the Battle of the Somme were the worst in the history of the British army, with 57,470 British casualties, 19,240 of whom were killed.

During World War I, no man's land was often hundreds of yards across. The area was usually devastated by the warfare and riddled with craters from artillery and mortar shells, and sometimes contaminated by chemical weapons. Heavily defended by machine guns, mortars, artillery and riflemen on both sides, it was often covered with barbed wire and land mines, and littered with the rotting corpses of those who were not able to make it across the sea of bullets, explosions and flames. A bayonet charge through no man's land often resulted in the total annihilation of entire battalions.