Original Item: Only One Available. We have only had a few of these rare sets previously, and they are definitely hard to come by. This is an excellent U.S. M1905 bayonet dated 1918, originally made for the M1903 Springfield Rifle. It was reissued for use during WWII, most likely having been refinished with new grips fitted, and comes with a RARE M3 scabbard by Detroit Gasket.

The M1 Garand was designed to take the same blade bayonet as the M1903 Springfield rifle, so at the beginning of WWII, many were issued with bayonets originally made for those rifles. Later in 1942 to keep up with wartime production, new orders for M1905 bayonets with plastic grips were sent out, which had plastic ribbed grips. These were also sometimes fitted to M1905 bayonets made previously that had damage to their wooden grips, such as with this example. In 1943, the specification for bayonets was changed to have a 10 inch blade, and many M1905 bayonets were shortened to this length, but this example was not.

The blade ricasso is marked with SA for the Springfield Armory in Springfield Mass, the primary center for the manufacture of United States military firearms from 1777 until its closing in 1968. Below this is the Ordnance flaming bomb and date of manufacture 1917. The other side of the ricasso is marked with U.S. above serial number 736424. The parkerized finish on the bayonet is in very good condition, however the blade has definitely been sharpened at arsenal, and possibly refinished. The edge is still quite sharp, with no nicks or edge dents. The hilt has almost no oxidation that we can see, and the plastic grips are in excellent condition.

The original M3 scabbard on this example is a rare example, produced by Detroit Gasket & Manufacturing Company of Detroit, Michigan. Their contract, number 374ORD 1293 was for $251,000 and called for deliveries to be made from January 1942 to June 1943. The body of the scabbard was made of different materials than Beckwith MFG Co used, consisting of cotton tubing impregnated with a phenol-formaldehyde thermosetting resin. Scabbards made of this material have a much finer weave in the body material, and the resin is a dark brown. These were marked with a sideways "Lazy S" under the "flaming bomb" on the throat.

The scabbard bodies proved to be brittle in service, and it was recommended that a change in the type of plastic be made. Also, it proved almost impossible to find a paint that would adhere properly to the body, and most of those found today will have much of the paint missing. This example looks to have been repainted, possibly post war, after the original paint almost completely wore away. The finish on the scabbard throat is in great shape.

A great example of the 16” WWI M1905 Springfield rifle bayonet by SA, complete with rare M3 scabbard! Ready to display or fit on your Springfield 1903 or M1 Garand Rifle.

Specifications:
Blade Length: 16”
Blade Style: Single Edged with Fuller
Overall length: 20 1/2“
Crossguard: 3 1/2”
Scabbard Length: 17"