Armoury storage of bayonets?

I was wondering about the manner in which "in service" bayonets are/were stored in an armoury, normally, and does anyone have any pictures which they would like to share, please? I am not talking about bayonets greased up and in long term storage :nono: but rather what is in issue use with rifles etc. :thup: Surely they are not just all thrown into a large box together? I have in mind that they would be stored in/on some sort of special racking or shelving but I don't really know. Thanks for any information. Pictures would be great. Thanks. :super:

Stored in a steel locker like you'd use to hang clothing in. Just piled on a shelf with scabbard on, frog off and by the dozen. They had a steel bar securing setup across the doors of the lockers with padlocks. Next locker would be mags, next would be bolts, breech blocks and pistol barrels...

Or thrown together in milk crates and kicked into the corner of the weapons vault. It really depended on who was CQ and how he ran his cages.

Just like that above............. So much for those with those No9 bayonets supposedly matched/numbered at the factory for their 'Irish' Mk2 rifles. But you just can't tell 'em!

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Sentryduty

the weapons vault

---

We didn't have those then. I forgot about the new barracks in Wainwright...and their weapons vault on the same floor the troops lived on. Handy everything could go into a wheelbarrow and be stuffed into a safe storage.

We didn't have bayonets so no clue. Our rifles were kept in locked M-16 racks placed inside a large vault whose doors were opened maybe twice a year for weapons training and qualification. I was in the Reserves for 9 years, spent 4 months in Saudi during Desert Storm and had three years of ROTC prior to all that and I don't recall ever having a bayonet. First one I saw was being sharpened by a new transfer from active duty infantry.

At the moment my current doctrine is a milk crate locked in a steel cabinet in the vault. Other nations likely did it differently though.

For example I suspect Mosin Nagant Rifles had the bayonet stored upside down on the rifle they were serialized to (similar to how they came out of the grease) when in the vault. Many nations took serialized parts of the firearm very seriously and the bayonet was issued as a serialized part as well for some countries. I suspect they kept the rifles and bayonets together in storage. It all depends on the nation and how they did things. Switzerland kept the serialized bayonets with the rifles on the soldiers! If the rifles were turned in after service the bayonets were placed with the rifles. The reason the vast majority of the Swiss rifles are now mismatched for bayonets is because the bayonets were sold off separately from the rifles.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Eaglelord17

I suspect Mosin Nagant Rifles had the bayonet stored upside down on the rifle

---

I believe you're right there, as I don't think a scabbard exists. They kept it attached to the rifle as if they intended to use it.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by browningautorifle

I believe you're right there, as I don't think a scabbard exists. They kept it attached to the rifle as if they intended to use it.

---

Jim, The Ivan's certainly never had scabbards. but they do exist for other nations. I have a couple in my collection, I think they were Rumanian or some similar country that used the Moisin.
The Russian Cossacks had a sword Called a Shashka, this had 2 brass bands with loops on them. These loops held a Moisin Nagant Bayonet.

The Reason that Russia never issued / had scabbards was. It encouraged the 'user' to keep in on the rifle barrel. so it was ready for 'Use', at all times!....

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by tankhunter

The Russian Cossacks had a sword Called a Shashka, this had 2 brass bands with loops on them. These loops held a Moisin Nagant Bayonet.

---

I take it that was for a bare bayonet as well. I'm familiar with them and had a chance to buy one not long ago. I've always seen the rifles with bayonet fixed.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by browningautorifle

We didn't have those then. I forgot about the new barracks in Wainwright...and their weapons vault on the same floor the troops lived on. Handy everything could go into a wheelbarrow and be stuffed into a safe storage.

---

During the time when I first hit Wainwright, they had 10 lbs of s... soldiers stuffed into a 5lb bag, so while waiting course loading a number of us lived in the old, black moldy H-huts. Those still had the plywood lockers with the single rack and short chain for bedside securement of the C1 you describe.

By my time, weapons were not permitted to reside outside the vault overnight unless in the field of course.

Every morning right after PT was weapons draw, and every night just before lights out was weapons return.

Circling back to bayonets for F10's notes, the bayonet was on individual issue to the soldier, issued at Company stores and held personally with the rest of his webbing (or FFO) until posting to another company.

Spares awaiting issue generally got the milk crate storage treatment.

I've never thought of using a milk crate for bayonet storage and it's not often you see a milk crate nowadays.

I have seen a period photograph of Russian soldiers during WW2 with a bayonet reverse fitted to their Mosin Nagant rifle. I wonder if the Russian soldier had to keep the bayonet attached to the rifle at all times but it was acceptable for it to be reverse fitted to the rifle when not required?

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Flying10uk

I wonder if the Russian soldier had to keep the bayonet attached to the rifle at all times but it was acceptable for it to be reverse fitted to the rifle when not required?

---

Exactly what we've been saying. No scabbards...

It was the bit about reverse fitting the bayonet to the rifle that I was questioning, Jim. I've seen a period photo of Russian soldiers doing it as I mentioned in post 12 but I don't know if this practice was officially sanctioned by the Russian military (reverse fitting of bayonet to rifle). I have heard it stated that the bayonet had to remain attached to the rifle at all times except while travelling by transport, trains?/lorries? No mention was made of which way round the bayonet was to be attached to the rifle and so I assume the normal way round.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Flying10uk

reverse fitting the bayonet to the rifle

---

I think they were issued that way.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by browningautorifle

I take it that was for a bare bayonet as well. I'm familiar with them and had a chance to buy one not long ago. I've always seen the rifles with bayonet fixed.

---

That is correct Jim. a 'Bare' bayonet. Held on the scabbard, simply by two loops.