M5 BAYONET PROTOTYPE ? FULLERED BLADE

[INIMICUS]

 

[Misfit 45]

Very interesting.  Take off the grips and see if everything looks OK ..... no welds...has all the parts etc.

Marv

[INIMICUS]

Thanks Marv maybe I'll break it down. Came from estate of an ordnance officer who worked on the M14 and M16 and 90mm AA gun.  Anyone else chime in if you have ideas...

[SKIPH]

WOW! This is interesting!  SKIP

[INIMICUS]

Thanks SKIP -- this officer prep'd an entire 'book' of engineering blueprints on pretty much every aspect of the 90mm cannon, so possibly had a hand in the M5 development.

Wonder what kind of value this item holds.... 

[Aydensnake]

Yeah, given where you got this I'd say its probably a developmental piece.. Real nice bayonet ya got here

[Frank Trzaska]

Very cool looking piece but I have my doubts on it being a prototype. The actual M5 prototype bayonets are documented fairly well. Before the M5 was created the Army was debating eliminating the bayonet altogether. Springfield created a few fighting knife designs and had  the tests run on them. None of the designs featured a fullered blade. After the test the military decided to retain the bayonet and stay with the Bayonet / Knife design along the M3, M4 lines, again without fuller. When Mirando designed and patented the M5 it did not have a fuller in the design drawings nor the tool room copies. There is no document trail on any fullered pieces. But as we all know, absence of proof is not proof it never happened. 

 

Again cool piece and I would like to own it as well but do not see where it fits in to the puzzle.

 

All the best

Frank Trzaska