Jump to content

XM9 Trials Bayonets; Phrobis, Royal Ordnance, S-Tron, Imperial, Marto, Eickhorn, Ontario; Post related photos, information, and documents here, please!


Casca174
 Share

Recommended Posts

Hello everybody! I'm somewhat new to collecting military bayonets, much less rare XM9 bayonets. An opportunity opened up and as I dove into this category of collecting. Surprisingly, what I discovered is that there is minimal information and very few detailed photos available online about XM9’s. Most of what you can find is related to the Phrobis XM9 but 'nadda' on the other the submissions (Royal Ordnance, Imperial, S-Tron, Ontario, Marto, Eickhorn, etc.). Anyway, I thought it would be nice to have a pool of everything XM9 related for military enthusiasts and collectors to come to extrapolate info! 

 

I'm sure there are probably some books that reference these early XM9 bayonet submissions in detail; however, other than Homer Brett’s, ‘The Military Knife & Bayonet’ book, I haven’t discovered them yet (please post any/all references). Most of what I see online are grainy photos posted by the late Bill Porter or blog posts that provide minimal information. So, post what you have to preserve the history of these rare bayonets! Not too many XM9's in circulation because collectors sit on them for a lifetime; you collectors out there, share the XM9 legacy and get some photos of your XM9's on the thread. 

 

The following photos of the Imperial XM9 and Eickhorn XM9 I was fortunate enough to procure from Frank Trzaska which originated from Bill Porter’s collection. Some folks may have seen the Imperial XM9 marked “E1” posted on Bill Porter's social media. The Imperial XM9 still bears the residue and battle scarring from testing but completely intact! The Eickhorn XM9 was new in the wrapper/box when I got it; it's perfect! Frank Trzaska described it as the finest Eickhorn XM9 on the planet.

 

I’m also working on securing a Phrobis XM9 and a Royal Ordnance XM9 and will post photos when I have them in my possession.

 

Enjoy!

 

Imperial XM9 a..jpg

Imperial XM9 b..jpg

Imperial XM9 c..jpg

Imperial XM9 d..jpg

Imperial XM9 e..jpg

Imperial XM9 f..jpg

Imperial XM9 h..jpg

Imperial XM9 i..jpg

Eickhorn XM9 a..jpg

Eickhorn XM9 b..jpg

Eickhorn XM9 c..jpg

Eickhorn XM9 d..jpg

Eickhorn XM9 e..jpg

Eickhorn XM9 f..jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Those are amazing!  Since they are so rare, I suspect that between Frank and Bill, you probably have, though incomplete, most of the information that's out there.  Thanks for showing these great bayonets.

Marv

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thanks Marv,

 

I'm so surprised how little info is found online considering the mystique of the Phrobis XM9; hopefully, people will consolidate a good source of info here for the whole community. Behind the scenes I'm trying to nudge a few folks to post their XM9's or get permission to use their pics; hopefully, we see some photos posted soon. I think there are so few of these in US collector's hands it's nice to preserve a photo history; I understand many XM9's may have found their way overseas and are in the hands of power collectors ... lol.

-Drew

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Casca174- WOW! Very impressive! Don't always see what was submitted as a working prototype from the various designers. Thanks for the photos, and information.  SKIP

Link to comment
Share on other sites

14 hours ago, Casca174 said:

Thanks Marv,

 

I'm so surprised how little info is found online considering the mystique of the Phrobis XM9; hopefully, people will consolidate a good source of info here for the whole community. Behind the scenes I'm trying to nudge a few folks to post their XM9's or get permission to use their pics; hopefully, we see some photos posted soon. I think there are so few of these in US collector's hands it's nice to preserve a photo history; I understand many XM9's may have found their way overseas and are in the hands of power collectors ... lol.

-Drew

There was a few year period that I noticed the vast majority of rare M9's on ebay were being bought by out of country buyers, including the few XM9's that came on the market. I do not have any proof, but in my opinion, the majority of the XM9's are no longer in the USA. Which is why they are so seldom seen now. They were much more visible in the marketplace 12-15 years ago.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Jim Maddox's book "Collecting Bayonets" (out of print) has a number of XM9 trials submissions pictured with brief commentary about them. Regarding the Eickhorn XM9, their bayonet had the highest number of failures during the testing. This was primarily due to both blade and cutter-plate breakages. After the trials Homer Brett contacted Eickhorn, basically acquired the entire lot, imported them into the U.S. and made the bayonets  available to collectors.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thanks for the injects Gents!

 

SKIPH ... Just trying to reenergize interest into the XM9's. I think collectors have held on to them for so long, there really isn't any discussion about them anymore. 

 

Slufstuff ... I think you're right about most XM9's being bought by out of country buyers. Before I ditched Facebook last year I had quite a few collectors friends that were outside the US. It appeared most of the XM9's that did surface were from overseas folks. I had one friend from Taiwan that had ALL the XM9's to include  some presentation pieces on plaques I have yet to see anywhere else. I should have copied the photos but I wasn't focusing on XM9's back then; never thought I would have the opportunity to secure one. 

 

pwcosol ... I have Maddox's "Collecting Bayonets" in the eBay queue now. It was recommended previously, but your post has made me decide to pull the trigger on a copy. As a novice military knife/bayonet collector I've got to start building up a library. I've collected custom knives in the past but with advent of the COVID quarantine and retiring from the military after 30+ years, military knives/bayonets have really piqued my interest more so than any of the custom stuff.

 

Regarding the S-Tron XM9 photos below, they come directly from Frank Trzaska! I think the S-Tron XM9 is the coolest looking of the XM9 crop of bayonets; that wire cutter mechanism is completely different from the other XM9 entries. Hopefully, I can track one down someday! Unlikely!

 

Additionally, I just followed up with Frank again and asked if I could post his various XM9 photos; he gave me permission! Whoo hoo! I screen shot some of his XM9's he's had listed in the past. It's cool to see these when they pop up on the radar and since very few photos are available online, I'll be sure to get the pics out soon.

 

BTW ... Anyone not familiar with Frank's site: http://www.usmilitaryknives.com/

 

 

S-Tron 001[30160].jpg

S-Tron 002[30161].jpg

S-Tron 003[30159].jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

What a great topic. I agree so little has been captured about these bayonets. The development and testing took place during our lifetime and when many of you were still in uniform. I have spoken with many folks involved in the tests and adoption over the years and it seemed insignificant to most of them, just a tool. Funny how with time past they are now hard to find, collectable and expensive! Bravo, post what you got!

 

All the best

Frank Trzaska

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Not sure if this will fit on the page. In 1972 I was a Buck Sergeant in the 82nd ABN, and submitted a design for a replacement bayonet for the M7. This is the rough drawing of what I submitted at the time. To my knowledge it went nowhere. But looking at the prototypes brought back memories. Keep in mind I was 22 years old and knew nothing. This is the first time this has been seen since then.  The narrative is in cursive, and not included. The paper I drew on was some old training schedule of the day, and the old ink has come through.  SKIP

Scan_20210927.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Based the handle on the M7, saw teeth were planned to be on the idea of a JPK. Blade shape was based on a Spanish Bolo bayonet. The scabbard I had in mind was to be on the idea of a USN MK2.  My squad leader, who eventually became Regiment CSM asked me every time we ran into each other for over 30 years if I had ever heard anything on the design. Good grief hard to believe it's been almost 50 years.  SKIP

Link to comment
Share on other sites

SKIPH, you should do a search for "WILKINSON Sword CSK185 DARTMOOR - Made in 2003".  Put a muzzle ring on it and it looks a lot like your drawing. Maybe they waited 30 years to keep you from claiming the design.😃

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Alright SKIPH! A fellow All American in the house! When I first enlisted in the early 80's I was an Infantry nug in the 82nd.

 

Hey, you ought to find a custom knifemaker and bring your design to reality and post your narrative to preserve in on digits forever. Thank for sharing!

 

'sactroop' is right about your design being reminiscent of a WS Dartmoore; coincidentally, I was looking at one posted on Etsy not too long ago, so that design is fresh in the memory banks; it has similar aggressive saw teeth. Frank Trzaska has an EDMF with a Schrade XTimer Blade on his site now that has a similar profile as well. 

 

-Drew

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Gents,

 

Here's the Ontario XM9 version I screened grabbed off Facebook last year. Unfortunately, it was not an official XM9 entrant due to Ontario Knife Company being late with their submission; the Homer Brett letter gives some insight as to what happened. 

 

My apologies to the owner of these but after all this time I am unsure who posted originally; since they were on FB, they're likely open source.

 

-Drew

 

 

Ontario XM9 a..jpg

Ontario XM9 b..jpg

Ontario XM9 c..jpg

Ontario XM9 d..jpg

Ontario XM9 e..jpg

Ontario XM9 right and Mk3 Mod 0 left.jpg

Ontario XM9_Homer Brett Letter.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The Ontario XM9 "looks right" IMO. By that, I think it would have given the Phrobis a run for the money if it had been in the trials. If the build quality was up to snuff, the Ontario looks to my eye like it would have been a bit cheaper to make in quantity and it seems to be a little lighter. The weight of the Phrobis was always a complaint after it was fielded.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

14 hours ago, mdk0911 said:

cool drawing Skip - reminds me of a german sawback bayo

Reminds me of both a bolo and a sawback

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Slufstuf ... You probably know this already but for the masses, part of the problem and complaints with the old Ontario Navy Mk3 Mod 0 dive knife was the tip was prone to breaking because of the narrow upswept design. It looks like their XM9 addressed that issue. I'm familiar with the Mk3 Mod 0 knife too; I was on a scout swim team and we had them attached to our BC's. I liked it; it was light weight and no frills and Ontario's version of the XM9 looks like it didn't take on too much added weight. Their XM9 looks basically like their same dive knife but with a few mods to transform it into a bayonet. It might have given the Phrobis XM9 a 'run for the money.' 

 

OKC's Mk3 Mod 0 nowadays has a similar front end design/swedge as their XM9. It's not quite the same but looks like it took some inspiration from the XM9. I wonder if the redesign for the dive knife came about from OKC's XM9 trials variant with the reinforced point for cutting wire.

 

More uncredited photos from files, apologies ... In the first photo you can see the newer OKC Mk3 Mod 0 tip design (top) in comparison to the old design (bottom) and all three profiles side by side (newest Mk3 Mod 0; XM9; oldest Mk3 Mod 0.

OKC Mk3 Mod 0 redesign.jpg

XM9 comparison to Mk3 Mod 0's.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

This seems to be the most common photo that pop's up in searches for XM9 bayonets; there really isn't a lot that out there that comes up on the radar except low information yield threads, Old-Smithy pics, and a few pics of sold XM9's from Worthpoint. The photo seems to have originated from Bill Porter's XM9 thread on the defunct Quarterbore site. I think Bill had obtained to the rights to the site threads after it dwindled. I flipped the photo around so may look different but I think it's a better perspective.

 

From Bill's original description (from left to right): "Phrobis wire-cutter scabbard (not evaluated during trial); Ontario XM9 (not evaluated during the trial): Imperial-Schrade XM9s; (2) different types of Royal Ordnance XM9s; Eickhorn XM9; Marto XM9; S-Tron XM9; (2) Phrobis XM9's."

 

Does anyone have good photos of the Marto XM9 submission? I can't find one anywhere. I can pull a photo from a book but I'd rather not take a photo of a small photo from a book; it'll probably be grainy with no detail.

 

Quarterbore_Bill Porter b..png

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Here's a Homer Brett letter I came across outlining some of the differences between the U.S. Army Trials XM9 bayonet and the U.S. Army Phrobis/Buck production M9 bayonet.

 

Differences Phrobis XM9 vs M9 pg1.jpg

Differences Phrobis XM9 vs M9 pg2.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I had to follow up the previous Homer Brett letter with photos of a Phrobis designed XM9. These photos are from Frank Trzaska who recently had A24 up on his website. These don't come up on the radar too often. 

 

 

 

 

Trials XM9_A24 a..jpg

Trials XM9_A24 b..jpg

Trials XM9_A24 c..jpg

Trials XM9_A24 d..png

Trials XM9_A24 e..png

Trials XM9_A24 f..png

Trials XM9_A24 g..png

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Couple of thoughts. The Ontario XM9 looks reasonably strong. My concern would be that long false edge.  I have some of the test wire used in the Army trials. It is heavier than a barb-wire strand.  A sharp edge used against that wire would be problematic. The idea was having a solid fulcrum point and robust enough blade to shear the wire...not cut it. I always thought the British XM9 and scabbards utilizing a replaceable, tri-corner milling machine cutter nested in the cutter plate was brilliant! The cutter was sharp, durable, and could be rotated or replaced if all three edges became dull. The blade seemed quite sturdy and able to take the punishment.  Concerning the XM9 submissions, the most difficult to find is the MARTO. Note the similarity between it's blade and that of the Phrobis XM9. I understand it may have been the second-best of the lot. The D-guard was not a bad idea, but not requested in the trials submission (but easily omitted). Unfortunately, it appears all those bayonets returned to Spain. What happened afterwards is unknown. I recall Bill Porter was ecstatic when he was able to track one down in Spain and acquire it. Have never heard of or seen another for sale...

 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

pwcosol ... Hey, I got 'Maddox - Collecting Bayonets' in yesterday! Nice call; thanks for the nudge! It's very nice and has some good photos/info on all the XM9's and makes for a good coffee table book!

 

Don't quote me on this but understand the Phrobis XM9's front end is a little thinner than the production Phrobis M9 version; I believe the cutting edge was made beefier on the production version due to the same issue you mentioned previously. Maybe if Ontario was chosen they would have redesigned the front end to be more durable as well. 

 

Nevertheless, even with the beefier production version Phrobis M9, we can see plenty of examples that were in circulation that had deep divots in the false edge from cutting wire! So, I think you're right about the Royal Ordnance XM9; the first time I saw the replaceable cutter plate I thought it was a great idea ... as you said "brilliant." crayj has some awesome Royal Ordnance XM9 examples that I can't wait to see him show off!

 

I was going to trickle these photos out later but since you brought up the Mart-Brewer XM9 bayonet I think it's a perfect time to post! Once again Frank Trzaska came through ... "Thanks, Frank!" I asked if Frank if he had legacy file photo's of a Marto XM9 since none are found online and Voilà! I believe this to be Bill Porter's Marto-Brewer XM9 you referenced previously based on the pile photo of various XM9's Bill Porter has posted on social media. If you cross-reference those markings, it looks very familiar! Love the D-Handle look ... reminds me of the old Marto Explorer survival knife!

 

Marto XM9 a..jpg

Marto XM9 b..jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...

The following information covers Phrobis and the production M9 bayonet but the XM9 is referenced as well ... all good stuff! Courtesy of 'MOCITYMAN,' check out his website sometime! The excerpts are from the Society of the American Bayonet Collectors (S.A.B.C.) Newsletter No. 10, Summer 1992; Newsletter No. 14, Fall 1993, The S.A.B.C. Journal, Volume 21, Fall 1997 ... all authored by the late Homer M. Brett (R.I.P). 

 

 

 

SABC Homer Brett  M9 and XM9 a.jpg

SABC Homer Brett M9 and XM9 b.jpg

SABC Homer Brett M9 and XM9 c.jpg

SABC Homer Brett M9 and XM9 d.jpg

SABC Homer Brett M9 and XM9 e.jpg

SABC Homer Brett M9 and XM9 f.jpg

SABC Homer Brett M9 and XM9 g.jpg

SABC Homer Brett M9 and XM9 h.jpg

SABC Homer Brett M9 and XM9 i.jpg

SABC Homer Brett M9 and XM9 j.jpg

SABC Homer Brett M9 and XM9 k.jpg

SABC Homer Brett M9 and XM9 l.jpg

SABC Homer Brett M9 and XM9 m.jpg

SABC Homer Brett M9 and XM9 n.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
 Share

×
×
  • Create New...