Hirshfanger bayonet

[Ron Anderson]

No comments?

I'd be surprised if no-one here has ever seen this sword-bayonet.

Yes, it is scarce but with the collective experience in this forum surely someone's got some idea of what it is.

The only clue I can offer is that I saw the exact piece for sale without a scabbard on Ebay - and it sold for a whopping sum. And sadly the seller had no idea what it was other than that it was a hirshfanger bayonet. This I had already concluded, so that was little help.

And I have seen that marking on one other sword on eBay - which appeared to be a gothic-style hunting sword, 19th century. Another unusual piece with quite an elaborate gothic scabbard.

I have spotted hirshfanger bayonets used in the Danish army too. I'm not sure how much further afield they extended.

Any insights at all will be appreciated.

[Bryan.H]

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[Ron Anderson]

Bryan

Thanks for your response. It was very illuminating.

However, there is a mechanism to attach to a firearm barrel. It is simply missing a spring, so that may be difficult to detect in the photo. In the eBay one I saw, the spring was still there.

The shaft you see on the side fits onto a firearm. Forgive me, I don't know much about guns or bayonets and don't really know the terminology used. However, it is a strange sliding mechanism that fits onto a barrel.

It is unusual to say the least, but it conforms to the mechanisms on other hirshfanger bayonets I've seen. It's not in the least like your standard military bayonet. This may not be military at all. It may have been used in civilian hunting for all I know - a hirshfanger that could clip onto a hunting rifle.

This is a sword-bayonet, by that definition, not just a sidearm.

You may well be right. This may well be English. It does look a bit like a band sword. But it also looks like a hunting sword. And it resembles other Hirshfanger bayonets I've seen.

Your post was very informed. Thanks. You've given me a bit to think about.

[Ron Anderson]

Here is an example of another Hirshfanger bayonet – Danish. It has almost exactly the same locking mechanism as my bayonet. The steel piece on this mechanism should be on mine but it is missing. You'll see the similarities with my bayonet in its style - both look like classic hunting swords, though this one with its odd shaped crown or crest still looks a bit like a hirshfanger. Mine has lost that shape, however the similarities are still clear. At least they're clear to me.

http://www.holmback.se/bayonets/Notes/Dan.htm

[Ron Anderson]

[Ron Anderson]

Sorry, I've been having difficulty pasting the exact link to the photo. Hopefully this works.

http://www.holmback.se/bayonets/pics...rk/m1848_3.jpg

[Ron Anderson]

Here is the other side of the Danish hirshfanger bayonet.

http://www.holmback.se/bayonets/pics...rk/m1848_2.jpg