Hey I just wanted to say I really enjoy your content. I am a bayonet collector. Started collecting is Australia but I’m now back home in NZ collecting. I have a nice 05 bayonet plus many more others. I’d love to catch up with you!
I was very lucky to find a very nice condition 1906 bayonet that’s within 1k of my 1903 produced in 1906 also. The rifle is just at the first 150k initial production Was able to purchase the bayonet at a very low price someone through the scabbards life had painted it like a sword sheath and I think no one wanted it because of this I gently removed the paint to find a very early production rare scabbard
My great great uncle fought in ww1 with one, and my grandpa fought the Japanese with one decades later in the Philippines, the full 16" length ones being issued due to similarly long japanese bayonets. So of course I had to find an original to display with their pictures, mine is a Springfield with ribbed wood grips and the raw hide and canvas scabbard. I also got a modern replica, which has a few flaws in the shape but isn't bad at all and cost 9 times less than my real original. My grandpa never mentioned seeing anyone fight with them, but he did numerous times mention a fatal accident where a GI jumped in a fox hole and got stabbed by one that was mounted on a Garand. As far as I know the battle of Luzon was the last conflict the full 16" version was used in. And for good reason in my opinion, they are ludicrously long.
I just looked at the year on the ricasso on my SA built one, and it's a 1920 build. I recall the life long career expert guy at the military antique dealer saying the year made it rather rare, but whatever the numbers were, suffice it to say they made them at least one year past 1919.
