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What do I have here?

Posted: Sun Jun 16, 2019 10:31 pm
by Byrd
I know that it's an M1 Garand bayonet, but it's unfinished. There's no locking mechanism to attach it to the rifle and the slot to attach it to the lug on the rifle is off center.
I got it from a bayonet box at Simpson's in Galesburg IL for $5. It was a wreck. Deeply pitted and rusted. I draw filed the blade until I was sick of it as I realized I'd never get to the deep pits so I bead blasted and parkerized it. The handles are probably bakelite and in very good condition and there's no tang stamp.
Has anyone ever seen this before? I bought two of them and the other is in much better condition than this one.

Re: What do I have here?

Posted: Sun Jun 16, 2019 11:23 pm
by samb1955
Looks good now, you did a good job on it.

Re: What do I have here?

Posted: Mon Jul 08, 2019 10:15 pm
by knife7knut
The picture you posted makes it difficult to see how long the blade is. I have a similar piece that has a 6 1/2 long blade.Supposedly made in South Korea sometime around the mid 1950's and issued as a side knife;hence the lack of an attachment lug to the handle.Here is a pic of mine.

Re: What do I have here?

Posted: Tue Jul 09, 2019 2:07 pm
by Byrd
knfe7nut, appreciate your reply. The blade on mine is 7 inches and from it's shape I wondered if it was a cut down 16 inch. I also wondered if it was a reject because of the off center lug cut. It being a side knife I hadn't thought of. The thing is a massive hunk of steel.

I actually have 3 of these. Two are unmarked with the bayonet cutouts in them and one marked Kutmaster on the tang without the bayonet cutouts.

Re: What do I have here?

Posted: Tue Jul 09, 2019 5:43 pm
by zzyzzogeton
The Kutmaster would be one made after the war from Utica spare parts left over after all contracts were canceled when Japan surrendered.

I would suspect that the unmarked ones are also from left over spare parts.

Any cut down version would have at least 1 set of stamps on it, the original manufacturer. I have a few cut-down versions that have 2 sets of stamps - the original stamps on the ricassos and a second company stamp indicating which company did the cut-down work.

Re: What do I have here?

Posted: Tue Jul 09, 2019 5:47 pm
by Byrd
That makes sense about the Kutmaster, but the other two have no markings at all. Another knife mystery!