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Brown Gripped Colt M7 Bayonet


porterkids
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More photos and information from our resident M7 guru Bill Humes:

 

 

The pics show a very rare brown handle Colt/Armalite M7 compared with an issued green handle Colt/Armalite. The brown handle version was produced in 1961 and came from the estate of a Colt employee. The blade is still pakerised and has never been in a scabbard. The interesting difference in the prototype and the issued version is the placement of the spring and the hole on the side of the pommel. Obviously it was determined that the placement of that spring on the prototype would lead to jamming of the handle catches on the pommel and it was relocated on the issued versions. The color of the brown of the handle leads me to believe it was manufactured when the AR-15 still had brown furniture since the brown painted under the green handle M7s is a much darker brown. This is the only M7 I have ever seen with the hole and spring placed as it is on the pommel. Has anyone ever seen one of these versions?

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Once again Bill Porter was kind enough to post pics for me. This brown handle Colt/Armalite M7 is one of my favorite bayonets in my collection. I have never seen another one of these and it is in pristine condition. Blade has never been in a scabbard and a scabbard did not even come with it when I purchased it from an estate sale of a long time Colt employee. Other then the color of the brown on the handle and the unique configuration of the pommel it is identical to a green handle Colt/Armalite M7.

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Marv.....I don't think you could find a more pristine early M7 as the brown handle one is. It is like it was just made.

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I was hoping to get more feedback on the brown handle Colt/Armalite M7. I believe it to be a prototype...any thoughts on it?

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You brought up an interesting point in your email Bill. But which Colt stampings first appeared on the early green handled M7? Was it "COLT'S 62082 ARMALITE HARTFORD CONN USA PATENTS PENDING" or was it the one line "COLT'S PTFA MFG CO HARTFORD CT USA". I know when Colt first took over the AR-15 from Armalite there was a patent dispute. I had always thought the one liner stamping was the first, but I now have serious doubts about that because the early AR15s I have seen are stamped COLT/ARMALITE. I can't find any records to verify it either way.

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