In July 2003, a listing on the Jouster Knife and Bayonet Forum referenced a display of foreign bayonets that were made for the US M1 Garand rifle. The display photos came from the Society of American Bayonet Collectors (SABC) website. I was a little surprised to see the posting and very flattered, as it was my display from the 2002 Annual meeting of SABC. Subsequent replies to the original post requested further detailed information on the various bayonets shown. I started posting photos and info to the forum but wasn’t thrilled with the format available through that forum. That’s when our good friend Frank Trzaska made the very generous offer of providing space on his fantastic website to post the photos and write ups. That's what brought us to the point we're at today.
A little about me. I've been collecting bayonets for about 35 years, starting when I was ten. My father wasn't a collector himself but very generously supported my interests, both financially and with his time. We made regular visits to every gun shop and Army-Navy store within an hour of our house. I started out collecting cheap knives and bayonets, gradually progressing into military handguns and rifles. My interests became much too diverse for my pocketbook so I narrowed my focus to the item that interested me the most, bayonets. I collect just about all types of bayonets from circa 1880 to present, except for those un-Godly socket bayonets! My main area of interest is the US M9-MPBS. I have been very fortunate over the years to have fellow collectors assist me in assembling a fairly comprehensive collection.
My intention is to post several different bayonets to this space every month, starting with the foreign M1 Garand bayonets, maybe following with the foreign M1 Carbine bayonets.. The postings will consist of photographs and brief descriptions of the identifying characteristics of the various pieces. Unfortunately, I do not posses much of the detailed technical information to accompany these pieces that you are accustomed to seeing on this site. Perhaps someone reviewing the bayonets presented will have the information and enlighten us all. Any comments, questions or requests to see specific pieces can be forwarded to me at porterkids@aol.com
Hope you enjoy.
Bill Porter
Sept. 1, 2003
First we will start off with the foreign bayonets made for the M1 Garand as promised. There are many variations on the theme with three of them being presented here this month. I look forward to anyone with specific knowledge on them to contact me and we will post that information here in follow up installments.
The Indonesian M1 Garand Bayonet
The Indonesian M1 Garand bayonet is a very crude looking piece. The blade is rather bulky and has a blunt point and a central fuller. It is poorly finished and the entire piece is blued. The grips are finely checkered black plastic secured by slotted screws and spanner type nuts.
This bayonet is very similar to the Indonesian BM59 bayonet as is often overlooked as a result of this. The M1 has a smaller diameter and lower set muzzle ring than the BM59. The blade marking on the M1 is star shaped with an interior symbol. The BM59 bayonets that I have observed have all had a gear or cogwheel symbol on the blade ricasso.
The scabbard is blued steel with a relatively small, button frog stud. It is completely unmarked.
I wouldn’t rate this as a rare bayonet, but I have only seen two of these as compared to dozens of the larger muzzle ringed BM59 model.
Overall length 354 mm
Blade length 246 mm
Blade thickness 5.7 mm
Blade width 25.6 mm
Click on the thumbnails for the full size photos.
The Iranian M1 Garand Bayonet
The Iranian M1 Garand Bayonet was manufactured in Iran and is a copy of the US M1 bayonet. It is rather crude in appearance. The entire bayonet is bright. The smooth wood grips are attached by a spanner head screw and round nut. The machining on the pommel and crossguard are very rough and have an unfinished look.
The only marks found on the bayonet are on the right ricasso. There are three marks; a sideways crown, a pair of crossed swords and a circular, cresent design. The crown and circular design are the same marks found on the Iranian Model 98/29 long Mauser bayonet.
The sheet metal scabbard is blued and resembles a US M7 scabbard. It is completely unmarked.
This is one of the scarcer M1 variations. I consider it to be rare.
Overall length 360 mm
Blade length 244 mm
Blade thickness 5.9 mm
Blade width 25.0 mm
Click on the thumbnails for the full size photos.
The South Korean M1 Garand Bayonet
The South Korean M1 Garand bayonet is actually a heavily modified US M1 bayonet. The blade has been cut down in width and length and reground into an M4 configuration. The entire bayonet was then heavily parkerized. These first seen in the US market in 1993. Many of them were still in the wrapper from the time they were modified. They were wrapped in a corrosion prohibiting paper and packed two bayonets to a canvas-like package with Korean writing on the outside. The scabbards were not in these packages with the bayonets.
These are usually found in US M8A1 scabbards. There is also a South Korean modified US M7 scabbard. The scabbard is cut down in length and the fiberglass body is covered with a sheet metal sleeve. The entire scabbard is covered with a dark green lacquer or paint. It is difficult to see, but if you hold the scabbard at the right angle under a bright light you can see the US ordnance bomb on the scabbard throat.
Overall length 287 mm
Blade length 170 mm
Blade thickness 3.8 mm
Blade width 21.7 mm
As happens with many bayonets, these were hard to come by when they were first introduced to the US market and many of us paid a premium for them. Shortly thereafter the market was flooded with them and every wholesale militaria distributor had them.
Click on the thumbnails for the full size photos.
Hope you enjoyed the bayonets, more to come next month... If you have any information on the above bayonets you can contact me at porterkids@aol.com