Hi
I have a Enfield produced 1903 pattern bayonet in very nice condition, but the grips have been grooved, and wonder if any one as seen this before or know why it was done ?
Thanks Terry
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Hi
I have a Enfield produced 1903 pattern bayonet in very nice condition, but the grips have been grooved, and wonder if any one as seen this before or know why it was done ?
Thanks Terry
That's just done my an individual for his own twisted sadistic reasons. The armorers would have replaced them as soon as they saw them and charged the individual for the replacement. May even have been done since release by the Gov't...
Thanks Jim
I nearly passed on buying the bayonet due to the the grips, as I had a feeling it was not a sanctioned job. But the price was to good to pass as the rest of the bayonet is so nice. My next question is where do I find a set of 1903 grips ?
Regards Terry
I guess that they are going to be a different size to 1907 grips? I've seen plenty of 1907 grips for sale but don't recall ever seeing any 1903 grips being offered. I suspect that you may have to make a set or get them made for you?
Pulled out my 1903 and 1907 bayonets and most definitely could not use the 1907's. They are too long which isn't the problem, the problem is the screw holes also being further apart. I am a constant ebay searcher and 1903 bayonets don't even come up very often. So rarely in fact that I think I've only ever come across two of them in the past year, one of which is now the one I have here to compare. They should be relatively easy to make, I think that's the direction I'd go. You have a good example for the correct contour. You just need to get some appropriate wood.
that is a really really nice '03.
to me the '03 is the perfect looking bayonet. i need to follow your (aragorn's) lead and start properly hunting for one that fits my budget.
I'd use a nice flat piece of clean walnut and make a set. I've done all sorts like 1905 SA, Arisaka, Mauser 98, Eddystone 14/17...and so forth. Not too bad to make.
Mine isn't anywhere near that condition. It is a reworked 1888 bayonet. Blade has the usual staining, a small bit of pitting. Handle shows it's age. Then again, I didn't pay that much for it either. It seemed to be one of the rare ones that escaped everyone's attention.
If I was making the grips I would start by selecting the wood "blanks" larger than the grip profile and slightly thicker. I would then drill the holes to the correct pitch and diameter then I would counter-bore the holes to the correct depth for the screws. I would then reduce the size of the grips to the correct profile required.
Those grips are an absolute doddle to make. It's L1A1 grips from wood that are difficult! I had to make 12 pairs from Meranti once for SLR bayonets being used by the quarter guard and used No5 grip screws to secure them to the bayonet handle.
Terry,
They are very easy to make and I'm a metal man myself..... a few pics, I,ve used the original as a template on this one but in the past, I found it easier to get the right lengh first then once its a nice snug fit clamp it on the bayonet, use the holes on the bayonet as a guide to drill through or mark the wood, mark around for the shape and cut etc, I only used a a small drill size at first as I counter sunk the holes then drilled the correct size for the screw,if you need to make the counterbore deeper then its lot easier having it allready started.
https://www.milsurps.com/images/impo...78f0a15c-1.jpg
https://www.milsurps.com/images/impo...3ce1abee-1.jpg
https://www.milsurps.com/images/impo...6ea882f6-1.jpg
https://www.milsurps.com/images/impo...3673e13b-1.jpg
You have the most difficult thing to obtain which is the screws. The rest is just as these guys have suggested...show us when you finish, no secrets now...even if the first ones don't work out.
I made new grips for a repro No 5 bayonet once and they have the type that the wood wraps all the way around the metal. I did mess up the first one but it was a learning curve and the next two came out pretty nice. I second getting the length/fit right first and then drilling the holes.
Thanks bigduke6 for the advice and the pictures, I have a few other jobs on the go at the moment, have never tried making grips before but will hopefully get around to trying to make them sometime in the summer. I will post some pictures of the end result
Terry
Aragon I have a couple of 03's on Ebay at the moment as well as some other rare commonwealth blades look for oldsmithytwo
Guess we better go have a look at your stuff then? Never know what I can afford...Quote:
Originally Posted by old-smithy
those loook like someone cut and fitted a set of reproduction P1913 scales to fit to me , nice job of fitting ????
I don't think so...just a file edge.Quote:
Originally Posted by A square 10
Peter, the L1A1 grips you mention, would the Indian wooden grips fit to the British SLR bayonet that the Indians fitted to their version of the SLR bayonet which I believe were wood???
It was in 1968 in Malaya for the quarter guard and a high ranking dignitary who probably didn't even know I existed!!!!! I didn't know about Indian grips then. I did get some wood Sterling grips and screws from my mate Dave Dee in Singapore but couldn't drill through the handle (I wouldn't have dared to either!") to fit the different hole configuration between L1A1 and No5. And when the RSM (I think his name was 'sir') says they've got to be done in a couple of weeks, then a couple of weeks it is! The pioneer platoon in Support Company had a small carpenters shop which did most of the cutting and slotting. I wonder where Jakey Smith and Sandy Sam are now?
Sorry to go off at a tangent again
Sounds familiar...
Is there any Forum members who actually own an Indian version of the SLR bayonet with wood grips, please? I have only ever seen pictures never seen an example.
Yep, I have a long variant of the Indian L1A1 one with wood grips. It came to me cheap as chips because it was as rough as guts and with a broken crosspiece. So I picked it apart replaced the crosspiece, assembled it and had it refinished. Don't know why really. You'd have thought that I'd seen and handled enough bloody bayonets to last a lifetime!!!!!
From memory, the crosspiece, catch, screw stay and spring are fully interchangeable with the UK/Can/Aust version BUT the scabbard mouthpiece and spring are different as the mouthpiece screw is positioned slightly further down the scabbard. So if you fit a UK spring, screw and mouthpiece you'll have to drill through the hard spring. The screw is still 6BA though. Don't ask me how I remember all this stuff........
I've got one too but still need to fit the grips. It's complete with scabbard and I gave it the FTR treatment so it looks pretty good.
How did the Indians mark their L1A1 bayonets, please; was it, in English, R.F.I. similar to how they marked the SMLE bayonets that they produced shortly before independence? Thanks
Mine's marked R.F.I.65 on the left side of the blade just below the guard/cross piece. It's got the SA ownership mark on the other side in the same place.
Here are some photos of my long Indian L1A3. The ricasso is stamped R.F.I.66 (looks like it might be 56 but it's not).
Attachment 73019
Attachment 73020
Attachment 73021
Attachment 73022
Attachment 73023
The spacing for the grip screws (and the grips) LOOKS like they're from the No5. Mine are definately spaced further apart as per the L1A1 bayonet grip rivets. Seems like there are TWO types of grips available. No5 type grips with short screw spacing and L1A1 type grips with wood or steel more distant screw/rivet spacing.
The plot thickens........
I have one or two other examples but they were not easily accessible last night. I will have to dig them out and check the spacing. I've never seen these Indian L1 bayonets with anything but wooden grips. But it could be that the spacing is different.
Dug the others out. I have one short model and two long ones. The short model lacks the RFI marking found on the long ones. Bolt spacing appears to be the same on all three examples.
Attachment 73093
Attachment 73094
Attachment 73095
Attachment 73096
The 66 dated example appears to have an L1A3 pommel while the 67 dated one clearly has the L1A4 style pinned pommel.