Item Description
Original Item: Only One Available. This is not something that we have had in quite some time! This is a very good condition U.S. M1905 bayonet dated 1906, originally made before WWI for the M1903 Springfield Rifle. It is fitted with an original M1905 leather covered scabbard, dated 1910, with the rare Type 1 modification to add a belt hanger. These are very rarely seen on today's market, especially with the hanger intact.
The M1 Garand was designed to take the same blade bayonet as the M1903 Springfield rifle, so at the beginning of WWII, many were issued with bayonets originally made for those rifles.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, and does not appear to have been reissued for WWII use.
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 configuration, which is rare to find on the market today. It was however painted at some point, so it no longer has the original issue "bright" blade.
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 1906. The other side of the ricasso is marked with U.S. above serial number 173283. The blade is in great shape with a nice edge, without any major nicks we can see, though it has been post arsenal sharpening. The wooden grip scales are also in very nice condition, with a great color, and most of the original factory ribbed texture remaining on one of the scales.
The original M1905 Type 1 Modified Scabbard is faintly marked R.I.A. / 1910 / F.P.B. on the leather, just below the throat on the rear of the scabbard. This indicates modification at Rock Island Arsenal in 1910. The “F.P.B.” marking identifies leather goods inspector, F.P. Baumbach, whom records indicate began employment at the Arsenal in 1899. This first type modification of the M1905 scabbard involved removing the metal hanger, and installing a leather frog with a belt clip. These are hard to find intact, as usually the hanger is gone or partially torn away. This example is missing some leather at the tip, but is otherwise solid.
A very nice clean 16” WWI M1905 Springfield rifle bayonet by Springfield Armory, complete with an original M1905 Type 1 Modified scabbard from RIA. Ready to display with your WWI Issue Springfield M1903 Rifle!
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