A Sterling bayonet?

BAR raises a very interesting point in thread 8. I mean........, what is a commercial bayonet? The UK Military spec is well known as it is fully described in the EMER and the parts list. BUT Sterling weren't asked to nor did they ever supply bayonets to the UK Military. We were knee deep in them! (Nor did they supply them to the NZ Military or Malayan military either, for the same reason.....). They supplied guns and accessories to whoever wanted them. If someone wanted bayonets, they'd supply them at the cheapest cost to themselves at the greatest profit from the purchaser. Sterling manufactured the pommel, bolt, nut and spring plus the grip screws and nuts and (relatively expensive for some reason) grips which were cut by the same people who made the Mk5/L34 tool boxes and front hand grip.

Maybe it was the cost of the wood grips, screws and nuts was the reason why they got Helix to make the later plastic grips that are described as 'commercial.

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Originally Posted by Peter Laidler

they got Helix to make the later plastic grips

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So, these aren't the "Paxolin" grips? Actually a polymer or plastic? Why, and for whom? Sad thing is I'm sure we've discussed this...

Yes, those plastic grip thinggies were made from a cheap nylon type material by Helix Plastics (the letters Hx are embossed inside) and I think that they are one-way-trip nylon stud clips used in the motor industry to retain them. That MAY be why porterkids bayonet has had them replace with the usual tubular rivets (the usual screws and nuts will sort-of fit too.....). I don't know how the plastic grips would fare against mossie repellent - especially the basxxxxs we had up in Rockhampton/Shoalwater Bay.

Sad we're discussing this minutae here.

I mentioned that Sterling made parts for the No5 bayonet but these parts were supplied on an as and when needed basis to whoever supplied them the bayonets of course. While Sterling did purchase old scrap/worn-out/twisted etc casings as 'classified scrap' under an agreement with the MoD I'm not sure whether they did the same with bayonets. Not enough money in it for them against the simplicity of making the parts in-house.

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Originally Posted by browningautorifle

We talked about those here some time back...but I don't remember what reason Peter gave us for Sterling to actually produce and market a "Commercial model"...like it's target is the civilian populace...?

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Jim, I feel by what Sterling Termed 'Commercial'. They meant ANY approved 'Customer/ end user' OTHER then the British M.O.D. Or as it was Termed back then, The War Office. :)

The Sterling Commercial bayonet is illustrated and noted in Ian Skennerton's book, British and Commonwealth Bayonets, pages 252 to 254 which I noticed while looking up something else. It does state that the Sterling commercial bayonet has been noted with wood, plastic and steel grips but doesn't get into specifics of who may have purchased the bayonets with plastic grips.

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Originally Posted by tankhunter

ANY approved 'Customer/ end user' OTHER than The War Office.

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That makes sense.