Original Item: Only One Available. This is a true very good Condition 16” WWI M1905 Springfield rifle bayonet by Springfield Armory, complete with an original M1906 Leather-Covered Scabbard. It is dated 1909, 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, and wooden grip scales. However, at some point it was converted for "parade" use, and was entirely nickel plated, and the wooden grips were varnished. It does not appear to have been reissued for WWII, so it was not modified any further.

The blade ricasso is marked with RIA for 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. It was put into operation somewhat to compensate for the loss of Harpers Ferry. Below the maker marking is the Ordnance flaming bomb and date of manufacture 1909. The other side of the ricasso is marked with U.S. above serial number 142731. The blade is in very good condition, with the expected stained patina from being 114 years old!

The scabbard included is an original WWI issue M1910 scabbard, which has a raw-hide clad wooden inner scabbard, with a steel throat. The scabbard still has the canvas and leather "sleeve", which is so often missing. The scabbard overall is quite clean with the leather still supple with minimal staining present.

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

The Springfield M1905 Bayonet
The M1905 bayonet was produced from 1906 to 1922 by Springfield Armory and Rock Island Arsenal. The blade and handle frame were forged as a single piece with a wide, square-shaped fuller, and the crossguard was pinned to this assembly through two holes with cone-shaped steel pins. The ribbed hand grips were made of walnut wood and attached to the handle with a screw. The screw also held the catch mechanism, manipulated with a button under the crossguard, that was used to fix the bayonet to the rifle's bayonet lug. In mid-1941, it was decided to restart production of the M1905 bayonet.

To simplify production, these later bayonets had handles with black or dark red ribbed grips, made of phenol formaldehyde resin, the earliest type of synthetic plastic. Production was scheduled to begin in January 1942, but the first bayonets were not delivered until April, with quantity deliveries not beginning until the summer of 1942. Despite initial setbacks, the M1905 bayonet was manufactured in sufficient numbers to keep up with the widespread introduction of the new M1 Garand rifle in 1942. By the end of 1942, all six manufacturers had changed the shape of their fullers to a narrower, round-bottomed shape. The later version of the M1905 bayonet with plastic grips is sometimes referred to as the "M1942" by collectors and historians, but this designation was never used by the Army.