ITALY

 

Bersaglieri volunteer unit  bayonet, only 6000 of these blades were made

 

Looks like the French 1842 with Yataghan blade and steel cross guard

 

 

1854 date

Original 1870 with hooked cross guard, missing the press stud, but a very uncommon item with the brass guard
 

1871 same as the 1870 but with horn grips, this one does not have the notch on the crossguard
comparison of the 1870 and the 1871 
Italy M1870 Vettereli shortened.jpg (52794 bytes)

M1870 Vettereli shortened
ITALY_M1891_Carcano.jpg (86841 bytes)

M1891 Carcano 

Vettereli shortened and bushed for an unknown rifle thought to be possibly UK Home guard

Italy TA bayonet with distinctive "cruciform" blade (thanks to Roberto for correcting the mis nomenclature here, I had identified it as a TS - Truppe Special - as most texts say, actual identification is TA - Truppe African - this blade was made specifically for colonial troops pre 1900)

 

Horn grips, also can be found with brass grips and several other variations

 

 

Distinctive blade shape and makers marks

 

Throat is shaped to accept blade

 

 

Original frog

A variation of the M1917 that I have not been able to find in the books, this one appears to have a blade from an Austrian 1895 rather than the end of the Vertelli bayonet normally used for this type.
 
Total length = mm                  Blade length = mm              Blade width =  mm              MRD =  mm                           
The TS model is not a common bayonet and the brass hilted version more so. The 1913 scabbard is for the TS but the blade woudl be newer than the 1913 date
 
Total length = mm                  Blade length = mm              Blade width =  mm              MRD =  mm                           
1871-87-16, WWI emergency bayonet looks liek the 91 sytle bit is for the Veterelli Vitale rifle

M1895 Dress variation captured
A walking out/dress bayonet that was not made to be attached to a rifle, or were fitted with Hilt decoration and plating
Total length = 360 mm                  Blade length =248 mm              Blade width = 22.5 mm              MRD = 15.2 mm                           

Dress 1895

 

Hilt has VE under an Italian crown brass insert. (Vittorio Emanuel III, the Italian King during the WW1). Probably a captured piece from long running Austrian Italian campaigns (Italy was allied against Austria and Germany in WWI)

OEWG made

 

thanks to Marco for identification

On of various fixed folding bayonets used by the Italians between 1916 and WWII, this one with the lever lock  is apparently one of the rarer types. The small hole in the ring that goes around the barrel is for a rivet to fix the bayonet on the barrel.

Berretta folding bayonet

 

Blade once fixed to the rifle could be folded under the rifle, removing the need to remove it from the rifle

 

 

Blade slides forward and back to lock

 

Berretta and Latch lock bayonets, note the difference in the scabbards, with the latch lock needing a frog the Berretta having a belt loop attached directly
Italy Mannlicher Carcano with replaced grips.jpg (68779 bytes)

Mannlicher Carcano M38, handles have been crudely replaced I have learned that an American company carried out refurbishment of these bayonets fixing gluing on new grips, this is not one of these, the grips being only semi finished soft pine

Latch Lock Fixing to rifle is via a latch lock at the rear of the pommel as opposed to the stud as seen on the normal 38 folder

 

All folders fold under the rifle to guard the blade

 

 

Makers marks and serial on the spine of the bayonet

 

Slot allowing the blade to move for and aft to lock is clearly visible in the half folded position

Vettereli shortened and with replaced grips, in ivory, bone or a pale composite material. The original spring has been cut and re fitted to fill groove.

M38 folding bayonet with interesting red finish to the blade

 

1891 TS, with unusual transverse lock arrangement on pommel. Bayonet is mounted on barrel and then rotated to lock on stud

 

A rather poor example of an uncommon blade, it shows a lot of damage to the wooden grips

 

Locking mechanism uses press button on pommel end to release lock

 

 

Made by Brescia

TS bayonet

Bayonet for the US M1 Garand rifle, made in Italy

 

 

 

 

Can also be found with a 56 stamp - date(?)

 

 

 

 

 

M1 Garand bayonet made in Italy

 

 

Makers marks on Ricasso

 

Fixed webbing frog on US style scabbard
M! from Carcano
Total length = mm                 Blade length = mm             Blade width =  mm             MRD =  mm                           
Scabbard for M1 or BM59 Made from converted Carcano scabbard
M1891 Carcano.jpg (55847 bytes)

M1891 Carcano

M1938 Fixed folding made by utilizing the blade from the 38 folding bayonet but locking it into position

 

Tang serial numbers

 

 

Knurled end of folding blade can be clearly seen in the slot

 

The original nature of the blade can be clearly seen

Bayonet made using Carcano blade hilted to suit the SMLE rifles supplied to Italy after WWII, scabbard is UK scabbard with M44 makers marks that has been cut down and an Italian Carcano throat fitted.

 

 

Hilt modified to fit onto the SMLE rifle

Italian BM59, also used on the AR70 based on the US M4 but with plastic handle
Extreme Ratio commercial bayonet, beautiful bayonet but very expensive and not used as far as I am aware

Italian made commercial bayonet based loosely on the extreme ratio bayonet. This was being sold in France as for the Foreign Legion and the blade was marked with their marking but this is spurious. Scabbard is amazingly complicated with an attachment system which tied the blade down around the lower thigh and allowed the scabbard (and hence wire cutter) to be removed from the webbing without taking this off