SOUTH AFRICAN R1 BAYONET

[Mervyn Mitton]

This is a common bayonet - it is derived from the European FN Rifle bayonet. However, the difference is that it is made in South Africa and was for the R1 service rifle - which in turn was copied from the FN. You will see on the grip that there is a large 'U' - this is the mark for Sth. African weapons. There was a further version of the R1 - the R5 which was smaller - I am not familiar with all of the modern SA weapons - so, if I am wrong please correct me.

The markings have been over stamped - I can't quite work them out.

[Mervyn Mitton]

Picture 2

[Mervyn Mitton]

Picture 3

[Spasm]

Mervyn

The bayonet you have is from an FN FAL not an R1. The U and M stamp is for Union of SA and Military, I've seen these with SAP - South African Police - stamped as well.

Yours has been stamped over deliberately with loads of "Zeds" to remove the serial number and the UM - something done when they were "passed on" I believe.

R1 bayonets have round butts and are similarly stamped M inside a U with a serial number, you can sometimes find ARMSCOR when manufactured in SA. The R4, which came after my time, is a 5.56mm compared to the 7.62mm shoot through walls R1.

Cheers

Spaz

[Spasm]

R1 bayonet

[Spasm]

Well, it seems as though I wasn't completely correct. I went to have a nose round on the webby search and found that the FN FAL has had 3 types of bayonet - Type A, B and C. The first, Type A, was innovative due to having springs in the butt to give a sort of recoiless action, Type B, which looks like the one you have and supposedly quite rare with the thinner prongs for the slender flash suppressor, Type C, produced due to the others being difficult to manufacture and expensive, which is the same as the R1 bayonet picture I loaded.

http://worldbayonets...l_bayonets.html

So, any old end up, your bayonet and my bayonet probably could've fitted both the FN FAL and the R1. Depending on the flash suppressor. Sorry, based my comments on the cheap one I was issued with.

Always learning.

Spaz

Edited August 5, 2011 by Spasm

[Mervyn Mitton]

Thanks for the extra identification Spaz. I have boxes of R1's as you show - they are not very collectable - however, I had known they they were interchangeable. You have explained it much better ! I had wondered about the overstamping. Mervyn