M1892 US Krag–Jørgensen knife bayonet (produced in 1902) mated with an M1912 picket pin leather sheath

[ColonelKlink1942]

Hey gang,

 

Next is this M1892 Krag-Jørgensen knife bayonet that I picked up back in June 2023.

 

Initially, I did not really know what it was since there was nothing listed on the tag and only a "US" and "1902" stamp on the base of the Ricasso to go off of. Did some searching on the net, and where I first thought it was an M1903 Springfield bayonet, I was pleasantly surprised that it was older than that. The design and shape of this bayonet were based on the Swiss Model 1889 knife bayonet, and this bayonet was made for the .30-40 Krag–Jørgensen, which was the first bolt-action rifle that the US Army adopted near the end of the nineteenth century, and was the rifle that was eventually phased out by the M1903 Springfield in 1906. Production for this bayonet started in 1894 and ran until about 1903 (though I've heard that some bayonets dated 1905 exist). I also hear tell that this bayonet could be used on the M1903 Springfield as well as the M1 Garand, but I have no concrete evidence (or proper knowledge) to support that.

 

Following the photos I will share, I have since done a bit of preservation work cleaning some of the surface rust off of the bayonet, and I'm pleased with how it turned out. The "post-preservation" photos are at the tail end.

 

Photos below: