Folding bayonet

Interested Party · 11th January 2023, 01:14 PM

It is an interesting and apparently well item from the photographs. That said I am curious about a few things concerning this piece.

1)I find the round pin odd. Why not a deep, square cut notch like on many navajas? To me they seem stronger than the narrower round shape. Is the round pin an integral piece forged and shaped with the blade and then rounded or, I believe, more likely a pin that was soldered into a drilled hole?

2) No one has commented that this bayonet mounts with the axis of the blade 90° different than most modern bayonets. attaching to the barrel through a side ring not the proximal quillon.

3) Concerning the other examples shown what is the advantage of a folding bayonet for a military weapon? To my understanding this style of knife originated as a way to skirt regulations on the possession and carry of weapons. A military naturally isn't confined by there. Yes, it would take up less space on the belt, but the tradeoff is a slower drawing weapon that has a natural tendency to fold on the hand using it, or at the end of the barrel just when you really do not have time to fiddle with a gunked up locking mechanism. These are long blades that theoretically have large amounts of leverage placed on them (I have seen a lock fail on a friend's knife with only a 3-4" blade, and it wasn't pretty). Even for a civilian weapon a folding mechanism seems dodgy for dispatching large game such as boar if you have a better legal option.

11th January 2023, 01:14 PM	#16
Interested Party Member Join Date: Dec 2019 Location: Eastern Sierra Posts: 493	It is an interesting and apparently well item from the photographs. That said I am curious about a few things concerning this piece. 1)I find the round pin odd. Why not a deep, square cut notch like on many navajas? To me they seem stronger than the narrower round shape. Is the round pin an integral piece forged and shaped with the blade and then rounded or, I believe, more likely a pin that was soldered into a drilled hole? 2) No one has commented that this bayonet mounts with the axis of the blade 90° different than most modern bayonets. attaching to the barrel through a side ring not the proximal quillon. 3) Concerning the other examples shown what is the advantage of a folding bayonet for a military weapon? To my understanding this style of knife originated as a way to skirt regulations on the possession and carry of weapons. A military naturally isn't confined by there. Yes, it would take up less space on the belt, but the tradeoff is a slower drawing weapon that has a natural tendency to fold on the hand using it, or at the end of the barrel just when you really do not have time to fiddle with a gunked up locking mechanism. These are long blades that theoretically have large amounts of leverage placed on them (I have seen a lock fail on a friend's knife with only a 3-4" blade, and it wasn't pretty). Even for a civilian weapon a folding mechanism seems dodgy for dispatching large game such as boar if you have a better legal option.