Original U.S. WWI M1905 Springfield 16-inch Rifle Bayonet by S.A. with Rare 1st Pattern M1906 Scabbard by R.I.A. - Dated 1911
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Original Item: Only One Available. This is a very good service-worn 16” WWI M1905 Springfield rifle bayonet made by Springfield Arsenal, complete with an original 1st Pattern M1906 Leather-Covered Scabbard. It is dated 1911, being made during the pre-WWI period for the M1903 Springfield rifle. It is still in the original issued configuration, with a steel 16 inch blade, blued handle and cross guard, and wooden grip scales. Upon U.S. entry into WWI in 1917, the specification was changed to a fully blued bayonet, and bright bayonets on hand were blued to match. Many of these were also reissued for use in WWII, and were parkerized and even cut down, but this one was not. It is still in the original production configuration. The scabbard is the extremely rare very first pattern, with the swivel belt hook seen on the Krag bayonets. These are very difficult to find, as the vast majority of these scabbards were updated to use the standard Belt Hook found on M1905 bayonets going forward.
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 1911. The other side of the ricasso is marked with U.S. above serial number 500315. The blade is in good moderately used condition, showing some sharpening along the edge. There is a bit of surface oxidation staining, but no major rust. The handle and cross guard are heavily oxidized, and the original wooden grip scales are in good condition with some scuffing.
The included scabbard is an original Pre-WWI issue M1906 first pattern scabbard, which is VERY hard to find. Most were discarded or converted to use standard belt hooks. The design was based partly on the Springfield-Krag bayonet scabbard, with a somewhat hard to use belt clip. It is marked on the back with R.I.A. / 1906 / E.H.S., for manufacture at the Rock Island Arsenal in Illinois, one of the major producers of U.S. Arms and Ordnance from after the Civil War until present day.
The retaining hooks are still intact, so the bayonet locks securely into the scabbard. The scabbard overall is very nice with the leather still somewhat supple, though the stitching along the edge is heavily splitting with leather loss near the tip. The leather is rubbing a bit, with some heavy scuffing marks, but it is well-retained overall. The throat has been repainted and the hanger is a bit dented.
A great example of the 16” WWI M1905 Springfield rifle bayonet by SA, complete with rare early issue scabbard! Ready to display or fit on your Springfield 1903 Rifle.
Specifications:
Blade Length: 16"
Blade Style: Single Edged with Fuller
Overall length: 20 1/2“
Crossguard: 3 1/2”
Scabbard Length: 17"
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