Reproduction Bayonets

[Aero Denezol]

Does anyone have experience with reproduction bayonets, like the ones you can get off of Amazon for the M1 Garand and k98? Which brands are good, and which are not so good? Are reproduction bayonets functionally usable? Or are they for display purposes only?

If you use a repro bayonet to baton wood (for example) is it going to chip, bend, and rust?

I was hoping to find a WWII era bayo for my Garand, and also my Yugo capture K98. But I don't want to pay the going rate for originals. I also don't want some soft steel garbage that's only good for sitting on the mantle.

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[SIG34]

I like real deal most repops are only for display!

 

[Ura-Ki]

I have several of the really good repops, so far they work and hold up fine. They cost around $30 or so when I got them, they fit nicely on the muzzies and mounting lugs, and they hold an edge well! I don' know how strong they are compared to the real deal, but I'm not using them for deals, so they work perfectly for me. At some point I may try to break one, run some bayonet drills and see if they hold up! Certainly worth having so I don' screw up an origional!

 

[Andy54Hawken]

My experience has been the opposite of Ura-Ki's...

Some of the reproductions have stainless steel blades and needed to be worked on to fit on a rifle...
As in "opening up " the "hole" in the guard on the bayonet for the bayonet mount / barrel or widening the "channel" on the hilt for the bayonet mount....
The overall finish of the bayonets and especially the scabbards were also not quite "GI" ...so to speak...

These reproductions ( All for the M1 rifle ) were bought from BUDK , Smokey Mountain Knife Works and from a local gun show...so three bayonets...and all three needed work , while one had a stainless steel blade
Again this is just my experience and may not be true of every reproduction...

I would suggest that if you could...try to fit the bayonet on your rifle first , before buying....that said if mail ordering ...you may not be able to do so.

A somewhat less expensive option ( at times and depending on country of issue... ) , is finding a foreign issue M1 bayonet...sometimes you can see a Greek issue M1 Bayonet for the $85-$100 dollar mark , which is still expensive , but you also know that it will fit and be of the proper steel....

Also SARCO INC , has M1 bayonets at good prices...granted some come with a GI bayonet and reproduction scabbard... If it was me , I'd rather have a GI bayonet , re-working a reproduction scabbard is a bit easier , than the bayonet itself....
Andy

 

[Aero Denezol]

^^^ thank you for input @AndyinEverson

Sounds like there is no easy way out unless you plunk down some cash. That is disappointing to me being in the mfg. business, because I know they should be able to copy a knife to the very last spec, with relative ease.

 

[jordanka16]

Like Andy I have had bad luck. The repros have a few cast parts, and can take some fitting, I also feel like they aren't as strong, if you ever needed to use it for real...

Decent WW2 bayonets for an M1 are only around 80-150 for decent ones. Well worth it over a repro.

Last one I bought was a 1943 PAL cut down m1905, cost me $80. The scabbard is weird though, has some odd grease coating on the metal. But I'm pretty sure its ww2.

 

[Ura-Ki]

Like Andy recommended, Sarco has Bayonets listed pretty frequently, and usually for a fair price, and overall proper serviceble condition. Plan on a hundred dollar bill at least. Ibalso hifhly recommnd checking around the local area army/navy surplus stores, some times you can find them in decent shape, but be wary of the reproductions. For the M-98, you really don' want any thing but the real deal, but the catch is to make sure you get an actual M-98 and not something else that looks like it, particularly the Finnish!

 

[DunRanull]

I have had good experiences with (real) Yugo M98 bayonets. Generally much less cost, and while not exact copies of the German Mauser bayo, they fit and function on all K98's Ive tried them on, and havent heard anyone say they don't... Bought several and turned one into a "fighting knife" just because I could ..