Infanteriegewehr M1809 Bayonet - Prussia

[Brian Wolfe]

Hello Everyone,

A friend of mine purchased a small warehouse in Kitchener, Ontario, Canada a few months ago and found some interesting items left by former owners. One of the items was this bayonet that he gave me. It is Prussian and is for the Infanterie-gewehr M1809 (the "Neupreussisches Gewehr").

The dimensions are as follows:

Overall length: 568 mm

Socket length: 78 mm

Blade length: 490 mm

Shank Length: 31 mm

While I can find no markings on the blade due to condition there would have been found a letter, such as "B" on the top of the blade with I, R and K under each other on the underside of the blade. The right side of the shank is marked, in this case, with the number "48". The original condition would be "polished bright" all over.

What helped me in identifing this bayonet, along wth the diamensions is the fact that the socket has no cut out or locking ring but is secured using only a hook that is cut out of the rear re-inforcement collar. This is a rather distinctive feature of these bayonets. The socket of this baynoet is simalar to the Prussian M1839 though the blades differ.

It makes one wonder how a Prussian bayonet ended up in a warehouse in Kitcheren Ontario. Kitchener was called Berlin until 1916 when due to pressure from the public (WW I) the city was re-named "Kitchener". Still the settlers coming from Germany and/or Prussia during the early years of settlement were generally farmers and not military men. Perhaps the location of the bayonet has no connection what-so-ever to the past early pioneers. We'll never know.

Research for this post was taken from:Bayonets of the World by Paul Kiesling, Volume Two, Pg. 31, Entry Number 335, Published by Military Collectors Service - Holland.

Regards

Brian

[Brian Wolfe]

Here"s a photo of the other side.

[Brian Wolfe]

This is the view of the hook that is cut out of the locking collar.

Brian

[Brian Wolfe]

This is the view of the hook that is cut out of the locking collar.

Brian

Oops forgot the photo.

[Brian Wolfe]

This is the view of the only marking ("48") to be found on this bayonet. It's a good thing there are other indicators when idnetifying such items.

Regards

Brian