M6 Bayonet Help

[tk1976]

Hi y'all, I recently got this M6 bayonet and I didn't realize till I got it in the mail that it was missing the parts that would allow it to stick on the M14. Although it has the outline for where the holes for those parts are supposed to be. Is this some kind of repro or reject?

[tk1976]

I seemed to have accidentally posted it in the references. Could a mod or someone move it?

[SKIPH]

tk1976- This is pretty much what I expected when you described it. It's an M6 knife assembled from parts. Is there a makers stamp on the front of the guard? Unfortunately I have no clue how to move this thread into the main forum. Will see if I can get some help. SKIP

[SKIPH]

Thank you, to whom ever moved this for me. SKIP

[tk1976]

tk1976- This is pretty much what I expected when you described it. It's an M6 knife assembled from parts.  Is there a makers stamp on the front of the guard?  Unfortunately I have no clue how to move this thread into the main forum. Will see if I can get some help.  SKIP

Yes the maker is Milpal Col. Plus here's some more pictures.

[sactroop]

I would recommend that whatever you decide to do, please don't modify those grips. Save them as they are and if you decide to get the rest of the parts to assemble it as a bayonet use a replacement set of grips.

It's possible that this is a piece assembled from surplus parts that MILPAR sold off when they decided to stop making blades.

Myself I'd leave it as it is.

[sactroop]

Oh, one more thing. If this blade is an original MILPAR, it's for an M5 bayonet and not an M6. The tang on this knife doesn't have the recoil stop stamped out of the blank.

[SKIPH]

The M5 Combat Knife I've had for 40+ years has those same grips (uncut), but w/ an M5 guard w/ the gas tube ball removed. The hand guards are a cheaper grade than the originals, which make one think they were seconds. Also the pommel on mine was an incomplete reject that would not attach to an M1. Suspect this M6 would be about the same in dealing w/ an M14. Hang on to it, you never know what it might be worth in a trade some day. SKIP

[sactroop]

SKIPH, offhand would you remember if the part numbers appear on the insides of your grips. I remember you bringing up the M5 picture in Gary's book with him, which led to Gary posting an addendum for that page here.

[SKIPH]

sactroop- Sorry for the late reply, had a busy work week. Anyway, just took the grips off the M5 combat knife. Same numbers, 7267652, & 726753. Keep in mind the grips on the M5s, & the M6s were basically the same, and I believe were interchangeable. SKIP

[sactroop]

No worries. I guess at the end of the day the presence of the part number molded into the grips won't prove anything one way or the other. I have noticed thou that on at least some of the copies of M5's and M6's made oversea's the grips are not interchangeable with genuine U.S. made bayonets. That doesn't seem to be the case here if the final milling of the grips occurred.

[tankerman]

I believe those are correct "later" grips for the M5A1 and also used on the M6. Nice set of grips; I would keep them as is for a later restoration project.