Peter, OT question on odd STEN bayonet w/pics

Peter did you find a copy of this bayonet for the T stocked STEN in your prep for the book? I have temporary custody of an apparent copy/replica.

In 1942, HomeGuard Capt. A. White developed this bayonet to snap on the T buttstock STEN. The back tube fits in a hole in the butt plate the the spring clip fits around the tube. Unfortunately the book, Priest's Spirit of the Pike, mentions that there was no known method of locking the bayonet on tlhe sten barrel. Have you seen a real model in a museum in England? Are they marked? This one is a better copy than the fake example in the book. I wonder if any were made up other than the one in the picture in the book. Is this being made up somewhere?

I saw many offerings/suggestions for Sten bayonets but most fell by the wayside at the first hurdle, even before any further discussion. The first point with that bayonet would be what do you do with it when you have a skeleton butt Sten gun? That would reject it straight away. The second poiint always pointed out by the committee and one that reserachers seem to miss. It is that these Sten spike bayonets are all (?) top or socket-end heavy. As soon as they're in the scabbard they tend to roll over and drop out of the scabbard.

Not being secured to the muzzle of the Sten would count as a drawback too

I understand that these are being made in the UK.

Thank you for the comments. It did not seem to pass the common sense test other than being a way for an operator to make a buck.

Repro Sten bayonets:

Bayonets, PIAT, toggle rope, sten gun, experimental sten spike bayonet, glasgow home guard,

Quote:

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Originally Posted by breakeyp

Thank you for the comments. It did not seem to pass the common sense test other than being a way for an operator to make a buck.

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Paul: Would not your expertise in welds cast some light on the time period it was made? I know we had a good time with the launching cups a long time ago. I totally agree with your analysis on the function with the bayonet as well, with the different stocks. Still, all in all, and interesting item and one to tax the grey matter. However as we used to say about odd ball kit: "It does not have to make sense, it's just government policy".
Cheers,
Warren

That last sentence made me chuckle Warren. Chuckle - but SOOOOOO true! The other comment when dealing with 'procurement' people (I'll leave it at that........) was '.........ah!, yes, but we see the whole picture Capt Laidler while you only see the technical REME/Infantry/user/ dark/maintenance/alternative/cost (or add words to suit here...) side of things'. I just used to say - under my breath of course - '...but that surely IS the whole fxxxxxg picture'

Okay, so I'm a bit naive; but who, in their right mind, would want to put a bayonet like that(or any other design) on a Sten? I'd think that, if you ran out of ammo, you'd be better off w/a good combat knife than a very short carbine w/a goofy little stabber on it. But then, I could never figure out why the US military insisted on adding a bayo to the M1/M2 .30 carbine, either. JMHO, of course.

A bayonet exists for the Thompson SMG and India did play with a blade bayonet for the STEN. I have the listing and picture of it in an Indian Vocabulary.... here..... somewhere. Problem is...getting confirmed info out of India is like eating a street meal in India and NOT getting the trots......It just ain't gonna happen.

We have a saying in the Infantry that '.......if you need a bayonet on a sub machine gun, then you REALLY do need a bayonet' The very last means of mechanical defiance

Warren, the welds are poorly done arc. Peregrinvs nailed it exactly with his address to the British seller. This bayonet seems to be an exact match. Thanks all for the help. I will tell the happy owner to buy some pepper to give some flavor to it when he eats it. Blades are necessary, consider Marine General Chesty Puller who was not enamoured with the flame thrower demonstration that he watched in WWII. He felt it should have a bayonet!