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.

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 17^th 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.

]]> http://www.militarybayonetsforsale.com/bayonet-history/feed/ 0 http://www.militarybayonetsforsale.com/rare-bayonet/ http://www.militarybayonetsforsale.com/rare-bayonet/#comments Tue, 13 Jan 2009 05:01:40 +0000 nederhoe http://www.militarybayonetsforsale.com/?p=55

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.

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.

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.

]]> http://www.militarybayonetsforsale.com/ww2-bayonets/feed/ 0 http://www.militarybayonetsforsale.com/top-military-bayonets-from-past-wars/ http://www.militarybayonetsforsale.com/top-military-bayonets-from-past-wars/#comments Thu, 01 Jan 2009 23:50:14 +0000 nederhoe http://www.militarybayonetsforsale.com/?p=36 Over the next couple of days we’re going to take a look at the some of the top wars in the past in which military bayonets were involved in. We’re going to look at the most popular bayonets in those wars. We’ll focus not only on the bayonets of these wars, but will also look at countries and guns from these time frames. Here’s a small sample of what we’ll look at: several WW1 bayonets, a specific WW2 bayonet, and many others. Some of the countries we’ll look at will be Germany and the U.S. Check back over the next couple of days to see some very interesting things.

Attachment Groove- A groove, typically in the rear of the bayonets hilt, that allows for the bayonet to attach to the attachment bar or attachment lug of the rifle.

Attachment Bar- A small bar fixed to the barrel of the rifle that the bayonet attaches to.

Attachment Lug- A small lug typically t-shaped that is fixed to the barrel of the rifle near the muzzle. Just like the bar, it allows for the bayonet to become attached to the rifle.

Belt loop- A loop on the frog in which the soldiers belt goes through. This allows for the soldier to carry his bayonet on his hip.

Blueing- A bluish-blackish finish that is used to prevent rust on bayonets. The finish is treasured by many collectors.

Catch Release- A button that typically protrudes from the pommel. This allows for the bayonet to be released from the rifle.

Catch Mechanism- The mechanism in which the bayonet is locked into position.

Crossguard- A part of the hilt that is used to protect ones hand when using the bayonet.

Edge- The sharpened part of the blade on the bayonet.

Frog- The leather attachment that carries the bayonet’s scabbard.

Fuller- A groove in the bayonet used to lighten and strengthen the bayonet.

Hilt- The part of the bayonet that is held in your hand.

Knife bayonet- A bayonet with a shorter blade. These types of bayonets are often seen in today’s time.

Muzzle Ring- A secondary means of attachment for the bayonet.

Pommel- The end of the hilt that houses the catch mechanism.

Sawback- A blade with small teeth along the back edge of the blade.

Scabbard- The bayonet’s sheath.

Tang- An extension of the blade that forms the hilt, where the pommel and crossguard are fixed.

Hopefully this brief guide helps you out. Happy Collecting!

The above video demonstrates many of the training tactics used for military bayonet warfare. This seems to be a simple training mission. The soldiers begin by attaching their bayonets to their rifles and proceed over a wall. The use the bayonets on a couple tire dummies, as well as, ground targets. One can see these soldiers also using the “butt” of the gun on these targets. The soldiers also crawl through various trenches and tunnels. The main reason for this is because bayonets are obviously used in trench warfare. With trench warfare comes trenches and tunnels, and so the soldiers train with them. There are also various gun shots and explosions to simulate actual combat. This video was filmed in1997 and the men you see are in the Army and this is their basic training.

For those of you who are new to the art of collecting bayonets you have also come to the right place. Here at Military Bayonets we try and promote the hobby. We have all sorts of tips and advice for you to check out. We also have a resources page with other great websites on bayonet collecting.

We have an easy to navigate tool bar to the right to help you in finding what your looking for. We have grouped our bayonets into three separate categories: country, war, and gun make/model. For instance, all of our bayonets from the Civil war era are on our Civil War Bayonets page. If you can’t find exactly what your looking for, use the search bar at the top and you will surely find what you need.

Since we do sell highly sought after collectibles our inventory is constantly being updated throughout the day. So be sure and bookmark us and check back later to stay updated on all our military bayonets for sale.