N0.7 Mk.1/L Bayonet

[Time Bandit]

...On another note, my bayonet is marked "M47A" on the pommel with the "crows foot" WD arrow. Does this denote the manufacturer and the year?

M47A was the 'secret' wartime code for BSA (think it could of been the Small Heath site? There were also M47B and M47C for the different BSA locations).

[Peter Laidler]

On the subject of No7 bayonets, someone ought to write up the full story about them and how utterly useless they were, the attrition rate, scrappage rate, internal problems and weaknesses. The only thing I can think about that gave them any sort of kudos was that for years and years afterwards they were used on the belts of bandsmen where the brown grips, screw heads, brass mouthpieces and scabbards could all be polished. But, alas, the rotating pommel parts of the bayonets themselves were epoxied solid!

[browningautorifle]

At one point a couple of decades back a gun store here in the city had a shipment of bayonets of all descriptions come in by the case lot. There were the short 1907s, the first we'd seen and #7s with black or brown paxolin handles...1903 bayonets...all without scabbards. Then he had a case or two of just scabbards come in to mate them up. There were steel with brass mouth, and about three length of 1907 scabbards. That's along with the other types of scabbards all mixed up. The dealers will separate them and make you buy them to make more. That's how this sort of thing happens. It's like a Krag bayonet with a picket pin case, they were done by the surplus dealers because they couldn't sell them otherwise. The story they create eventually sticks like sh*t to a blanket... The short scabbards aren't an Aussie invention, they were done by all that used them...

[Flying10uk]

We had one of those lacing tools when our big parent workshop closed down

The staple legs were actually bent over the slots in the lacing tool as the staple was hammered in over the tool. Soft steel, two hits and it was there!

Does anyone actually have one of these "official staple/lacing tools" that they are able to post some pictures of please? I would be interested to see what the proper recommended tool looks like.

[browningautorifle]

"official staple/lacing tools"

We had one here for a look a few years ago...do any of you remember? Here's the same discussion almost... There was some conjecture that Brian Dick had one of the correct tools for staples. https://www.milsurps.com/showthread.php?t=41344&

[Flying10uk]

Thanks for finding that, Jim. I'll try putting a shallow indent/slot each side of the mandrel that I have made already and see if it works.

A while ago I needed to push out some dents on a really bashed up K98 scabbard and for that I made myself a hardwood mandrel, intended for a single use only and it did the job fine. Some time later I needed to remove some dents on a No5 scabbard and I still had the K98 wooden mandrel to hand and so I thought that I'd just try it for size and I may be able to modify it to suit. I was surprised to find that my K98 mandrel, that I had made, fitted inside the No5 scabbard perfectly. Obviously the No5 scabbard is not as tall as the K98 scabbard but is it just pure coincidence that the internal sizes/profile appear to be the same between the 2 scabbards or was the No5 scabbard copied largely from the K98 scabbard and just shortened with a different frog mount?

[22SqnRAE]

"OA" stands for Orange armoury, I believe, an Australian company.

Just to help out people's historical understanding, OA was Orange Annexe.

Small Arms Factory, Lithgow built the Orange Annexe in 1941 to cope with the high volume of No 1 Mk III* production required when Japan became Australia's prime threat and focus. Lithgow concentrated on Vickers and Bren production, while Orange manufactured rifles assembled mainly from parts made at Orange, Bathurst, Forbes and Wellington Annexes.

The (Lithgow and Annexes) Small Arms Factory was a Government facility, not a company.

Please don't take this as a pedantic rant, just helping share the history of Australian manufactured Lee Enfield components.

[browningautorifle]

Please don't take this as a pedantic rant

No, correct is correct. Here(in my city) we had an "Expert" telling all that would listen it was Orange Arsenal. You see? Now that one's put to bed.

[peregrinvs]

A while ago I needed to push out some dents on a really bashed up K98 scabbard and for that I made myself a hardwood mandrel, intended for a single use only and it did the job fine. Some time later I needed to remove some dents on a No5 scabbard and I still had the K98 wooden mandrel to hand and so I thought that I'd just try it for size and I may be able to modify it to suit. I was surprised to find that my K98 mandrel, that I had made, fitted inside the No5 scabbard perfectly. Obviously the No5 scabbard is not as tall as the K98 scabbard but is it just pure coincidence that the internal sizes/profile appear to be the same between the 2 scabbards or was the No5 scabbard copied largely from the K98 scabbard and just shortened with a different frog mount?

I have a couple of ground dug WWII S.84/98III (K98) bayonet scabbard mandrels. A dealer had a box of them at the War & Peace show 10-15 years ago and I bought a couple to clean up. It never occurred to me that they might work with a No.5 scabbard. That might come in handy in the future.

Attachment 85236Attachment 85237

[old-smithy]

surely a No5 scabbard is cheaper than the full length 07 scabbard?? I wouldn't cut down the leather scabbard unless the removed part was beyond help. shortening the scabbard makes you a Bubba and this question will then come up more often. Short 07 scabbards turn up often enough as it is. I have an Indian SLR long bayonet and it came in a shortened 07 scabbard, if you do it it makes finding the truth more difficult unless you mark the scabbard to show its not original.