Item Description
Original Item: Only One Available. This is an excellent condition U.S. M1905 bayonet dated 1910, originally made during the Pre WWI period for the M1903 Springfield Rifle, which was then reissued in WWII for the M1 Garand Rifle.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the same blade bayonet as the M1903 Springfield rifle, so at the beginning of the war they were issued with bayonets originally made for those rifles.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 one of 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 configuration, which is rare to find on the market today. It still has the WWI era blued finish on the handle and blade, applied in 1917 during WWI deployment to mask the original "bright" finished blade.
Unlike almost all examples we have seen, the blade ricasso is marked with RIA, and not "SA". This indicates manufacture at Rock Island Arsenal in Illinois, currently one of the largest U.S. Government weapons manufacturers. Below this is the Ordnance flaming bomb and date of manufacture 1909. The other side of the ricasso is marked with U.S. above serial number 162251. The blade is in great shape with a nice edge, with almost no wear since it was arsenal sharpened and refinished. Both grip scales are in great shape, with no cracks, and lots of the original "ribbed" texture present.
The original M3 scabbard is marked U.S. on the parkerized steel throat over the "Flaming Bomb", and is in good used 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 and body of this scabbard are in very good condition, with minimal wear, and just a few scrapes and scratches from storage. We rarely see M3 scabbards this nice.
A very nice clean 16” WWI M1905 Springfield rifle bayonet by Rock Island Arsenal, 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"
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