M14 Forum

E4for2

R Guns has them for 25 bucks-you get a M7 bayo with them

The Cat

Another data point: last November thereabouts I bought a "New Old Stock M6 bayo and Scabbard" from a guy on Gunbroker.

Liked it okay, until I got bored last week and took the grips off. I saw this:




I'm not a happy camper.

Bill Ricca

What do those grip area markings say? We cannot read it.

sac troop

For those who may not be sure of what they should be looking at in the above post. Here is the back of the guard on a Milpar M6.

sac troop

Bill do we know when the last Government contracts for the M6 bayonet occurred? I remember that McNamara canceled the contracts for the M14 around January of 64 allowing the companies to continue production of the parts in stock which I heard took about 6 months. I'm thinking that the bayonets blade run out maybe something for a buyer to look for in the M6.

Bill Ricca

As you know I study contracts, but do not have everything that existed. I have an M6 contract for Imperial Knife in Providence, RI for fiscal year 1967, in which delivery continued into Dec of 1968, maybe later.

sac troop

Thanks Bill. I don't have anything more that would definitely answer my question either. But what you said above at least seems consistent with what I've run across in my military knives and bayonets references. Sometimes I'm frustrated with all the documentation originally generated with these contracts and yet certain facts still allude us.

Something I noticed in one of the pictures that "The Cat" posted on his Imperial M6 got me thinking of this question. I know that the government made a change to the specifications to what they wanted in bayonet blades in 1974. This change defiantly shows up in M7 bayonets and is often used by collectors when they are looking for an M7 that would be correct for the Vietnam War.

It would be convenient for me to know if the government contracts for the M6 in fact ended before 1974. At the same time it still may add value to the question about IDing a Government contract M6 vs. a commercial reproduction of the M6. I’ll just have to choose my wording more carefully.

I’ve got some e-mails out there for a couple of people who may be able to get me to the bottom of this yet. Thanks for your quick response.

Different

According to a U. S. Army Fact Sheet dated January 1972, delivery of M6 bayonets ended in February 1969.

Paperkiller

When I turn my laptop sideways, it looks like it says "Pakistan".

Bill Ricca

Thank you. I was hoping to hear it from the owner.

I have identified several different fakes from Pakistan in the last two years, including plastic grip M4 bayonets.

Paperkiller

That just amazes me....

sac troop

Lee thanks so much for the info above. This is what I thought.

deces

I guess mine is a knock off then, It dose not say anything other than M6 but it dose seem to be made well.

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24kshooter

Eight to ten years ago you could still come by original bayonets and scabbards - they were expensive but you new what you were getting. The one thing most had in common is wood on grips was well used and scabbards were not in very good shape. Last very good conditions knives I bought were M1 Garand bayonets - German made for Danish Military. Recently dealers have been showing up at gunshows with pristine repros - some are fair and advertise them as repros but a few try to pass them off as original. I see nothing wrong with owning a nice repro as long as you did not overpay or it.