BEC No 4 Mk. II Bayonet

[AFJon]

I picked this up in an antique store. Looking for an opinion on the Frog and its "correctness" for the bayo.

http://i1161.photobucket.com/albums/...o/IMG_7974.jpg

http://i1161.photobucket.com/albums/...o/IMG_7975.jpg

Thanks,

Jon

[Aragorn243]

Looks correct to me. Can you see any markings on it?

[AFJon]

There's some very light and unreadable markings on the back of the frog.

[Aragorn243]

The markings usually both date and indicate the manufacturer plus an acceptance mark. Your example looks to have seen plenty of service but as for dating it, without the marks, not easy.

Both the bayonets and the frogs are pretty common.

[AFJon]

Thanks. I figure for less than $25 all in I did better (cost wise) than a random sample from the various places that sell them on-line, and it's a less common manufacturer.

[A square 10]

you did just fine , mostly they come without the frog

[gbalke]

If you look closely at the bayonet where it connects to the rifle, there should be stampings which indicate the maker and date of manufacture. If you dig a little deeper into the "spike" bayonets, you will find many different makers and several variations, same with the scabbards. There was one particular scabbard made from a plastic material. Enjoy your find, it could be the start to a new collection.

[RCEMERalf]

Here is info on a BEC that I sold recently on Ebay.
Lee Enfield Spike Bayonet BEC No. 4 Mark ll*
Rare BEC made Mark ll* bayonet in a less common Variation No. 4 Mk 1 scabbard with crimped tip. The Baird Engineering Company (BEC) of Belfast, Northern Ireland was set up in August 1941. All BEC bayonets were made with the spike and socket held together by a through pin rather than the usual brazing. This bayonet is marked as shown on pg. 101, The Spirit of the Pike by Graham Priest. It is stamped MARK ll, though it is a MARK ll * by nature of the separate spike and socket. Also from pg. 101, " The view mark of inspector 147 is clearly shown, although the meaning of the "IG" is still unknown". The scabbard is by Sheffield Steel Products (S.S.P.). with a Mazak mouthpiece of the 1942 style shown on pg. 122 of The Spirit of the Pike. The bayonet has a greenish phosphated finish showing minor wear on the edges and more significant loss of finish on the spike from movement in and out of the scabbard. The release functions as it should. The socket is numbered 364. The scabbard is finished with a greenish, paint-like material showing scrapes, though no dents.

[AFJon]

Thanks

[gew8805]

Good basic information on the No.4 bayonet here:

Britain - No. 4 Spike Bayonet



The Spirit of the Pike by Graham Priest is the book and is available at very reasonable prices from the online used book sellers.