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This M4 was donated to the Rocky Mountain Museum of Military History. It has a molded rubber handle and no markings!!!! So what is it??????
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sigpic"Give Me A Fast Ship And I Will Sail In Harms Way" John Paul Jones, U.S. NAVY -
From: http://www.usmilitaryknives.com/bayo_points_17.htm
It has long been stated that the M4 with a molded rubber grip was an attempt by the US military to provide a replacement grip for those M4 bayonets whose leather handles had deteriorated due to being exposed to damp conditions such as found in the Philippines...
So who did it and when it was done is still a mystery. I don't feel these were made for the collector/surplus market as they certainly pre-date 1968 when there was little interest or value in the M4. Also, they seem to have been imported in recent years by more than one surplus dealer. I think it is more likely that it was done by another country (possibly in the Southeast Asia area) for use in their military service as the leather grips deteriorated, but have no facts to support that. More research is called for, and if anyone has any information about this, please pass it on.
Northridge has rubber grip M4 bayonets listed as Korean.
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Thanks much for the info. I had never seen one before!!!!!sigpic"Give Me A Fast Ship And I Will Sail In Harms Way" John Paul Jones, U.S. NAVYComment
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M4 Rubber Handle Bayonet
My father carried a rubber handled M4 Camillus (originally WWII manufacture) in Korea in 1952-1953. The rubber handle does not look like yours, here is a picture:
What markings are on your bayonet?Comment
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