Item Description
Original Item: Only One Available. The M9 Bayonet, officially known as the M9 Phrobis III, is a multi-purpose knife and bayonet officially adopted in 1986 by the United States. It has a 7-inch (18 cm) blade and is issued with a sheath designed to double as a wire cutter.
This is a genuine USGI Government issue M9 Bayonet manufactured under first Government contract by Phrobis. It is offered in excellent condition. Features include saw tooth milled spine, molded thermoplastic nylon grip and incorporated set of wire cutters formed by the knife and scabbard combined. Don't purchase a Knock-off or other manufacturer cheaper 1095 carbon steel options, this original M9 features maintenance-free 420 stainless steel blade which is far less prone to rust.
This Phrobis 3 M9 multipurpose knife system was designed to be:
- An edged melee/combat protection weapon
- A general service and utility knife
- A wire cutter when used with the associated sheath
- A light wood / brush cutter saw
- Able to survive a drop of 5' or higher upon its point onto a hard surface without breakage.
- To withstand a dead lift of 400 lb without snapping
- To be able to take a deflection of ½” without breaking or taking a permanent set
Technical Information
- Folding or Fixed Blade: Fixed
- Blade Steel: 420 Stainless Steel with Zinc Oxide coating
- Handle Material: Thermoplastic Nylon
- Blade Shape: Clip Point with Saw Tooth Top Edge
- Carry Options: Polymer scabbard with quick-release clip and wire cutter
- Rockwell Hardness: 53 - 57 RC
- Blade Length: 7"
- Blade Thickness: 0.24"
- Overall Length: 12.25"
- Weight: 16 oz
The M9 bayonet was designed and developed by Charles A. "Mickey" Finn at his R&D company, Qual-A-Tec. It is a refined copy of the Russian AKM Type I bayonet.[4] He later produced it under the Phrobis III name, filling a military contract for 325,000 units. Buck Knives was contracted to make 300,000 units and sold a commercial version under their own name. Finn's designs proved extremely popular, and were widely counterfeited and sold illegally by other makers. In 1986, Finn received U.S. Patent 4,622,707, however they continued to flow unchecked into the United States from Asia and Mexico, cutting into legitimate sales.
After the Phrobis III bayonet contract was completed, rights to the M9 reverted to the United States Army and there were many subsequent versions from other companies. It is issued by the armed forces of the U.S. and other countries, and has ed also been sold commercially in various versions.
Some production runs of the M9 have a fuller and some do not, depending upon which contractor manufactured that batch and what the military specs were at the time. The M9 Bayonet partially replaced the older M7 Bayonet, introduced in 1964. Although it has been claimed that the M9 may be more prone to breakage than the older M7, the M9 bayonet has a 20% thicker blade and tang (0.235" vs. 0.195") and a 75% greater cross-sectional area of steel in the blade than the M7.
There have been five main makes of M9s: Phrobis, Buck (subcontracted by Phrobis III during the original Army contract), LanCay, Ontario and Tri-Technologies. Starting in 1987, Phrobis subcontracted Buck, finishing up in 1989. It was around this time that Buck sold commercial M9s as well, which it did up to 1997.
LanCay got its first contract in March 1992 (taking over production from Buck) for 30 (later 50) thousand knives (with General Cutlery as a subcontractor); in 1994, there was another contract issued for about 100,000 improved M9 models. In 1999, a contract for 25,000 knives was split between LanCay and Ontario (12,500 each).
Ontario Knife Company also participated in later contracts, and is one of the current (as of 2005) contractors for producing them. These can be identified by the blades, which are marked "M-9 / ONTARIO / KNIFE CO / USA".
In 2012, Tri-Technologies was awarded a contract for 40,000 M9s marked "M9/06MA8/USA
- This product is available for international shipping.
- Eligible for all payments - Visa, Mastercard, Discover, AMEX, Paypal & Sezzle
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