Is this a Sterling SMG bayonet rather than for a L1A1, please? Thanks
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Is this a Sterling SMG bayonet rather than for a L1A1, please? Thanks
It looks like a commercial Sterling bayonet made by Sterling to fit their SMG ... Not a British military issue item
I agree, looks like a commercial Sterling with plastic grips. Mortise slot in back of pommel should be round for a Sterling.
Talking of which....... come a bit closer as I don't want the rest of the bayonet collectors in the world to know this but a little birdie has made it known to me that someone has a little stash of No5 and/or L1A1 cross-pieces from one of the last UK Military contracts. It has just been confirmed - and there are just a few No5 types. Come back if you're interested and I'll put you in touch. But when they're gone, that's it......... And in a years time, when you've bought a cheap hard-to resist-at-the-price broken No5 bayonet you'll be reminding yourself about how you should have bought one when they were cheap!
That bayonet could just do with a easily made wood grips plus the grip screws and nuts and you'll have yourself the correct No5 bayonet that we all know. BUT........
It might be that when you get the grips off, the tang/blade is cast to take the steel grips from the L1A1 bayonet. The grip rivet centres suggest that it'll be a No5 type blade.
I have a set of those plastic grip scales myself. I have yet to handle a 'Correct' Bayonet with them affixed!
I THINK this particular specimen, MIGHT be a foreign contract version? The OFFICIAL Sterling COMMERCIAL No.5 Bayonet
Had Metal grips as we all know. AND, the Etched word 'STERLING' in a rectangular box on the Blade.
I would be interested to know for sure. Which Country Made/ obtained the plastic gripped variants?....
I was a bit mystified/curious about those plastic grips which I haven't seen before, hence why I posted the picture in Post 1.
They are commercial models. I have examples with plastic grips affixed by rivets and by screws.
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...?Quote:
Originally Posted by Flying10uk
By rivets, do you mean the plastic rivets illustrated in thread 1 or the usual L1A1 type rivets that we used to call 'RIVETS, Tubular, Awful' due to their failure rate when inserting them!
I can't speak to the rivets on the pictured bayonet, but the rivets on my example are steel? (or some other metallic alloy) cutlers rivets.
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.
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...Quote:
Originally Posted by Peter Laidler
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.
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. :)Quote:
Originally Posted by browningautorifle
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.
That makes sense.Quote:
Originally Posted by tankhunter