Bayonet Cleaning
Bayonet Cleaning
How far should you go when cleaning your most prized possession? What is this most prized possession, well if your asking that question your in the wrong place! When it comes to bayonets cleaning them is a very touchy subject among collectors all across the globe. Each person has their own opinion, which they are entitled to. Below is my opinion based on what I do and what others close to me do.
In no means should you ever plan on cleaning your bayonet to perfect cosmetic condition. If these are your plans you should look at purchasing bayonet replicas. Bringing military bayonets back to this “new” condition destroys the once historic item. Your idea of cleaning to me is to remove old grease, dirt, rust, etc. (nothing major). Many collectors come unglued if bayonets are cleaned beyond a simple wipe of a cloth.
To start cleaning your bayonet you can use a soft cotton cloth with some light gun oil. The gun oil is used to prevent the progression of rust. One may also use a very fine steel wool to remove light rust. (keep in mind though this could ruin any blueing or patina) You can wipe down your bayonets every couple of months or so, to remove things like dust.
As I stated before this is just my opinion on how to care for your military bayonets. If you have any doubts, comments, questions, or concerns contact your local dealers for help. Bringing in the bayonet and showing them what you want to do will help greatly.
Bayonet History
Bayonet History
The history of the bayonet is full of adventure and mystery. The origination of the bayonet has many theories. For instance, Cotgrave’s 1611 Dictionarie, portrays the bayonet to be a small, flat pocket dagger. However, Pierre Borel expressed in 1655 the ‘bayonette’ was created in Bayonne(a French City). There is a myth that the peasants of Bayonne ran out of ammo, and in desperation, jammed their hunting knives into their muskets using them as spears. Another story for the birth of the bayonet comes from hunting. In the 1600′s, rifles did not load the quickest, so hunters needed a way to quickly defend themselves. A knife would be a safe bet, but if it was attached the to end of their gun; it would be an even better one. Whatever the origination, it became very popular and was seen in nearly every European army by the 1660s.
The bayonet was perfect for warfare in the 17th century. There were two main branches of the army at this time. The cavalry, which were armed with pistols and sabers; and the infantry, which were armed with muskets. The infantry also included men with spear like weapons to guard the musketeers. They were needed because the muskets took so long to load the enemy could advance and the musketeers be defenseless. With the introduction of the bayonet, these spear man were no longer needed. The musketeers could simply attach their bayonet to their gun and defend themselves.
With time the bayonet has evolved through many stages. It began with the “plug” type. These bayonets plugged directly into the barrel of the gun and prevented them from being fired. This posed an obvious problem and in 1678 the ring bayonet was invented. This allowed for the gun to be fired. The “socket” bayonet was next in line and made it possible for the bayonet to be offset from the muzzle of the gun.
As you can see bayonet history is something that is pretty interesting. The bayonet has been used in many wars since its creation and has evolved with each century. In today’s time, the bayonet is still in use. The bayonets you see today are known as knife bayonets. These bayonets can be used as utility knives or for fighting.
Rare Bayonet
The above video shows the infamous Chainsaw bayonet. I must say that this is a pretty rare bayonet. I cannot say I’ve ever heard of this idea, but as you can see it does seem like a cool one. If the motor was stronger I think it would be even cooler. Maybe he could just add a full on chainsaw to the rifle. The guy was offering to make this bayonet for other people so if your interested here’s the link: Rare Bayonet Info.
WW1 Bayonets
World War 1 will be the next war we look at. The war was roughly 4 years long starting in 1914 and ending in 1918. Just like World War 2, there were millions of casualties. To be exact there were nearly 20 million killed, 7 million of which were civilians. These figures make World War 1, another one of the most deadliest wars. The length of the war combined with the many people involved made for some very collectible military artifacts.
With this vast collection of memorabilia, comes huge amounts of WW1 bayonets. There is a good amount of military bayonets from WW1 that collectors are after. These bayonets come from several different countries, but many people are after the U.S. bayonets and the WW1 German bayonets.
One of the most collectible bayonets from the Germans is the German M-1898/02 Sawback Bayonet. This bayonet is very rare for a couple reasons. The German’s created this sawback bayonet for the great uses the sawback had. With it, you could cut through items like wood. In 1917, these type of bayonets were banned. The allies felt that the sawbacks were inhumane, so they decided to no longer allow them. If a German was found with this type of bayonet they were typically tortured or killed. This ban is what makes this bayonet, and many other German sawbacks so rare.
The M1905 Springfield bayonet is also a nice find. This WW1 bayonet is not only a nice find, but a very rare find. This bayonet was used on the Springfield M1903 rifle and later chopped down and used on the M1 Garand. These bayonets were made very well, being all steel with wooden grips. They also had fiberglass scabbards.
Check out our selection of these particular bayonets by clicking the links or using the sidebar to the right.
WW2 Bayonets
World War 2 will be the first war we look at. The war was 6 years and 1 day long starting September 1, 1939 and ending September 2, 1945. Sadly, nearly 73 million people were killed including over 47 million civilians. These figures make World War 2 the deadliest war to date. The length of the war combined with the amount of countries and people involved made for a ton of military memorabilia.
With this large collection of memorabilia, comes large amounts of WW2 Bayonets. There are many different military bayonets from this war that collectors are after. These include the German K98 bayonet and the U.S. M1 bayonet, specifically the M1 Garand bayonet.
The K98 bayonet is formally known as the Mauser Karbiner 98 Kurz bayonet. The name was shortened to K98 bayonet. The K98K rifle was made to be used with the S84/98 III bayonet. Later during the war the K98K was remade and did not include a bayonet lug. So these bayonets are from the early part of the war, making them so collectible.
The M1 bayonet is so sought after because of the rifles popularity in the war. Many M1 Garand bayonets aren’t collected for their rarity, but rather to have a bayonet from such a staple and popular rifle. Even without their rarity, these bayonets can fetch prices just as high as the K98 bayonet.
Check out our selection of these particular bayonets by clicking the links or using the sidebar to the right.