Vietnam era M1917 bayonet and scabbard questions?

Will a 1960s Vietnam era Model 1917 bayonet fit into a plastic scabbard marked "USN MK1" that is said to be intended for the long Gerand bayonet, please? While I'm fully aware that a M1917 bayonet will fit into a British 1907 scabbard I'm not very familiar with the interchangeability between the various U.S. scabbards. My current understanding is that the "officially correct" scabbard for this bayonet should be marked with M1917 and be of green plastic construction. I'm sort of under the impression that some of the U.S. scabbards are interchangeable even if this results in the scabbard markings being wrong but I'm unclear which are and which are not. Obviously I do not wish to purchase a scabbard that will not fit a M1917 bayonet. Thanks for any information. :thup:

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Originally Posted by Flying10uk

Will a 1960s Vietnam era Model 1917 bayonet fit into a plastic scabbard marked "USN MK1"

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You have the locking tabs at the mouth so the blade won't fit flush...anyway... I think it's wide enough to take the blade though.

M1905 bayonet had ... These were 16″ blades and which included .... Blade lengths are 15 3/4 inches long, 1 inch wide and 15/64 inch thick.

You have bayonets to compare measurement I think...should be able to decide from there...

Thanks for the information Jim. Is the scabbard I mentioned that is marked "USN MK1" defiantly intended for the Gerand, as the dealer claims?

a 1917 bayonet will not fit a 1903 scabbard but a 1903 bayonet with fit a 1917 scabbard

The plastic M1917 scabbard has no locking tabs on the throat, but is longer than the plastic M1907 and USN MkI scabbards. As rice 123 stated, you can put a M1907 bayonet in a plastic M1917 scabbard, but a M1917 bayonet will not fit a plastic M1907 scabbard.

The scabbard marked "USN MK1" was part of a set that included a plastic M1905 training bayonet used by the US Navy in WW2, however a standard M1905 bayonet would fit the scabbard. The standard M1905 bayonet scabbard during WW2 was an "M3" and was identical to the "USN MK1" except for the throat stamp.

The scabbard used by the M1917 bayonet during Vietnam was stamped "US M1917" and looked almost identical to the "M3/ USN MK1" but had different internal measurements.

The M1917 will not fit in the M3/ USN MK1 or the earlier M1910 scabbards.

Here"s a picture of my M1917 bayonet not fitting into my "M1910" scabbard. I am pretty certain the the result will be the same for "M3/USN MK1" scabbards.
Attachment 85303

BEAR

Just to muddy the water a bit more, in Bruce Canfield's book U.S. INFANTRY WEAPONS OF WORLD WAR II, he states that prior to WW2 the M1910 scabbards were in short supply due to the increased production of M1905 bayonets. The original leather M1917 scabbards were classified as "LIMITED STANDARD" to supplement the M1910 scabbards until the M3 scabbard production got up to speed.

BEAR

That's a fact, we've seen the picture of Joe Lewis the fighter and his 1903 at the shoulder and his 1905 bayonet in a US made 1917 type scabbard...

You two are referring to the 1905 scabbard? For the 1905 bayonet? That's what F10 is asking. Will the 1917 bayonet fit the 1905 scabbard. The later made Mk1 fiberglass type...and they have the locking tabs at the mouth. The 1917 bayonet will fit a 1903 scabbard of course.

You two go back and read his first question again.

So there, Bear has it.

Thanks for the information chaps. The situation that I have is a M1917 bayonet of the Vietnam era manufacture that has no scabbard which I have recently purchased and should be on it's way to me. There doesn't seem to be that many options available for the longer U.S. style plastic scabbards, even reproductions, over here. The one option that I did find was the used original U.S.N. MK1 which the dealer says is 17" long but it does have locking lugs, as Jim pointed out. The consensus here seems to be that it won't fit due to the internal dimensions of the scabbard. The locking lugs wouldn't be too much of a problem because they could either be ground off or more likely I would just leave the bayonet sitting slightly proud in the scabbard.

Are there many of these 1960s Vietnam era M1917 bayonets around in the U.S. or elsewhere?

Thanks again for the information.

I'm in the same boat. I have the bayonet but not the scabbard. A 1905 scabbard would be completely inappropriate for a Vietnam era 1917 but the scabbards for them are almost impossible to find and close to $100 when you do find them.

The bayonets aren't common but aren't what I would call rare either, just expensive, probably because a lot of Vietnam era men are looking for them and buying them up for nostalgia reasons. This is an age group that now has lots of disposable cash so the high prices don't scare them off. I only acquired mine a few months ago. Now thinking I should have waited for one with the scabbard.