My 1896 bayonet

[Pentz]

Dang, this date is hard to come by! The blade has some staining but has not been sharpened nor dinged. The scabbard is the Type III per Brophy. Now to find the handguard to go with my replacement 1902 rear sight.

[psteinmayer]

Sweet! My bayonet is dated 1902 and I need a scabbard for it.

There are aftermarket handguards around, but originals do show up from time to time. Also, someone here on the forum may have a spare...

[Dick Hosmer]

Nice find Mike, but I'm not 100% sure about the "not sharpened" part. That is an awfully severe mill-cut on the true edge. Is it the same on both sides? Not suggesting Bubba at all, as it appears nicely done, by machine, and not recently - maybe an arsenal job? On all the bayonets I have, or have seen, that cut is in the shape of an arc, and nowhere near as pronounced. Very nice scabbard, too.

[Dan Shapiro]

The taxpayers got their money's worth out of the Krag bayonet at West Point. It fit the Krag, the Springfield '03 and the M1. Didn't have to change bayonets until the advent of the M14.

[Kragrifle]

Pentz
Hate to be the bearer of bad news. The blade on this Krag bayonet has been badly oversharpened. Note the contour of the rear of the sharpened portion of the blade and compare to another Krag bayonet. The rear area should have an approximately 45 degree taper, not the 90 taper on your 1896. This looks to be more than can be reshaped. Also, it is likely there is a sharp edge to the blade whereas originally the edges will have a small flat at all points.

[madsenshooter]

Here's a couple shots of an 1894 for comparison purposes.

[Pentz]

OK, guys, thanks for the spanking... :icon_redface: here are some more pics. I suppose it has been sharpened, altho the blade edge has a line that I can't get on my android camera. It was done a very long time ago, patina matches the rest of the blade. Well done too, not somebody's grinder in the garage.
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