Interesting thought

Over at a mate's place recently and he uncased a nifty little carbine.

NOT a Lee Enfield, but a Swedish M-94 Mauser.

The cute part was the nose-cap. It extended back under the fore-end about six inches and was adorned with a round bayonet boss below the barrel and a suitability located sword bar.

Could this have been the "inspiration" for that very distinctive feature of the SMLE series?

I did not have a camera with me that day, so I swiped the attached (hopefully) image from somewhere on the web.

I believe the Swedish carbine nose-cap and bayonet weren't added until 1914. Which came first? (Chicken, egg, or SMLE?) The Norwegians next door adopted a similar scheme in 1912.

Before the 20th century with its widespread Maxims, barbed wire, and trenches, most cavalrymen would have said "Bayonets? We don't need no stinkin' bayonets; we have sabers!":madsmile:

That might explain the existence of other M-94 carbines with "slick" nose-caps; as noted, cavalry carbines rarely accommodated bayonets. "Artillery' carbines are a different thing in many cases.

Thus, with the SMLE being issued as a "universal" rifle, it had a bayonet from the start; the Patt '03. Cavalry types tended to carry swords for their gentlemanly pursuits. Thus, when the '07 bayonet, derived from the Japanese Type 30 bayonet, appeared, it was designated "SWORD, bayonet, Pattern 1907".

And of course members of Rifle regiments receive the command “Fix Swords” rather than "Fix Bayonets". This originates from the sword bayonet which was fixed to the Baker Rifle.