Hello all, can anyone please tell me what steel is used to cast L3A1 Bayonets?
Many Thanks, Chris
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Hello all, can anyone please tell me what steel is used to cast L3A1 Bayonets?
Many Thanks, Chris
Are they not drop forged? A drop forging can have the appearance of a casting because of how it's forged, i.e. an upper and lower former to forge the steel.
They were Investment cast made on a tree of about 6 or 8 at a time.
They were made at the Vickers Factory called Trucast, in Ryde, on the Isle of Wight.
The factory also made the Spirit of Ecstasy bonnet mascots used on Rolls Royce vehicles and Turbo Hot End wheels. amongst other things.
The factory is now closed and built on for housing.
The bayonets were first made in green wax, joined to the trees, ceramic coated, the wax melted out, then the metal melted into the mould in a vacuum chamber.
I used to work there.
I can't tell you what the metal was though, I am afraid, just long round bars of steel.
Steel, or aluminum? Seems like I saw one made from aluminum at the SOS a few years ago.
Thank you Roy, I thought that I remembered reading that they were made of some level of Stainless, but can not verify that....Quote:
Originally Posted by Roy W
cj
[IMG]https://i.imgur.com/N03Ly5al.jpg[/IMG]
it probably was stainless. Most everything that we cast was stainless of some grade
That would make more sense than anything else, they can be subjected to muzzle heat and stainless might survive better.Quote:
Originally Posted by crayj
The actual steel was always a problem because this particular bayonet had many demands placed on it. It was a knife and therefore had to bend. But in bending, the tips were always snapping off. It was also a cutter so the shearing side had to retain its edge. It had to be all things to all men and for many years there wasn't one steel that could do all things. Throw stainless into the mix adds a new dimension. At one time certain regiments wanted them to be suitable for chroming - that was a non runner after several attempts. But Nickel plating worked.
All this......., as cheaply as possible. Mind you, whatever sort you came across, they were extremely tough material and drilling/tapping them for presentation pieces was a xxxxxxx nightmare
That aside, everyone wanted their finger in the bayonet pie. Bottle openers, tin openers, letter openers, daggers, duck-board chopper uppers, hot and cold running water......... One report I read, from a plain speaker who has just passed away suggested just leave it as a means of stabbing people. It would be as cheap to and give everyone a Leatherman to do everything else
Does anyone remember the early ones with serial numbers engraved in the groove. Very hard but the breaking tips made them useless!
That's what they finally did with us. That eliminated the useless clasp knives.Quote:
Originally Posted by Peter Laidler
Peter, are SA80 bayonets now being made in Germany or somewhere other than the UK as, presumably, the MOD still needs to procure new bayonets to replace lost/damaged ones?
Germany - or anywhere....... I don't understand that......... I recall that when I left, due to different L85 configuurations or the add-=on bits, such as 'swirl' flash eliminators (a frill if not a total fruad....) different handguards and UGL fittings, torches, kettles, red-dots etc etc etc, only one member of an Infantry fighting section had a rifle capable of accepting a bayonet.
I did say "Germany or somewhere other than the UK"Quote:
Originally Posted by Peter Laidler
I was asking where the SA80 bayonets are made today because the UK factory where they were originally made no longer exists (post 3). Since H&K in Germany have the contract to service the rifles it would seem logical that the bayonets are now made there too. If the SA80 bayonets are not currently made in Germany or the UK presumably they are made somewhere?
I think they may be on the "first " batch of bayonets. something like 350,000 (total numbers apparently are not known!!) SA80's were made. and as the Army now stands at some 80,000 it leaves a lot in storage to be used as replacement spares.
even the newer SA80 A2 used older original A1 trigger Mech housings (TMH), I never saw a new made replacement trigger mech housing (not seen the new A3 but believe they are just modified A1 TMH)
Not really connected with this bayonet thread but just to elaborate on Skippt;s response above. If the moderators feel that our two responses ought to be within another section, pllease feel free........
He's right. According to the court papers during a recently celebrated court case, the all-up GSRequirement for the SA80 rifles was eventually to be circa 350,000 units of all types. The highest number I recall seeing was in the UN-330,000 region. That 350,000 figure included rifles, LSW's and Cadet GP's. These included conversions of a quantity to DP spec and possibly 200 to be welded up for use as 'back-packers. So far, so good.
The design authority for the UPPER part of the rifle was transferred to H&K as part of the deal to upgrade the rifle to A2 spec. The design authority for the lower, the TMH - or the master component - remains the UK MoD. Quite why this quite innocuous part was deemed to be the master component was a mystery because the MoD authority stated in open court that as a stand alone item, it couldn't even be classified as a fiirearm. The TMH was not proofed or even fixed to the rifle - or ANY rifle - when the rifle was proofed! The assembled upper was though, together with the barrel and breech block. Be that as it may.....
It was like pulling teeth, even with documentary, and photographic evidence that had already been accepted by another Court but the prosecution, acting for the MoD, refused to accept that the rifles were available to non MoD buyers. There's nothing quite like having the advertisments in the popular shooting magazines of the time for the sale of the rifles - to the authorised members of the public - thrust under their noses.
Anyway..... Onwards and upwards