FN FAL Type B Bayonet Identification

[Sapper00]

Good evening all. I recently picked up an FN FAL Type B Bayonet and was hoping someone could help me identify which country or contract (trial) it was produced for.
I was hoping it was a T48 one but it has no markings at all.
It also has a scabbard with a side standoff and US M1910 wire hangers.
I exchanged emails with Jim / browningautorifle and we aren't really further ahead on figuring out who it was made for.
I believe it was for some sort of trial that didn't go far as having a bayonet hanging from a belt in this configuration would be a pain (literally) if you rolled on it and feel it would be riding high and flopping around a lot.
I know thaht there are a few other threads on the forum on the FN FAL bayonet variants but none had the answers I was hoping for and most are quite old.
Thoughts anyone?
Also, yes I noticed that someone has tried to sharpen it (which was why I was figuring US T48 because Canadians, Brits and Aussies weren't sharpening our bayonets at that time) but the shapening was probably done by a later owner with bad habits.

Information

Warning: This is a relatively older thread This discussion is older than 360 days. Some information contained in it may no longer be current.

[Daan Kemp]

Hanger like that tells me ceremonial, so it stands out and looks good. If not, it is part of other equipment that is between the scabbard and body.

[browningautorifle]

ceremonial, so it stands out and looks good

That's a normal M1910 wire hanger for the US equipment. Their stuff is all go, not ceremonial.

[Daan Kemp]

Was it supposed to stick out like that? Looks like it will be about 20mm from the body?

[browningautorifle]

Was it supposed to stick out

They all do, more or less. Thing is Dan as you know...there were lots of countries had grommets in their webbing that could take these. Canada used the M'51 pattern for instance, French had them, UK P'44, Germany had what we evolved to...

Any ways, what I was hoping is there are a couple of FN collectors here that may have insight to be able to sort this? These T48 rifles didn't make it far past trials, I had one in our small arms collection at our Small Arms School. I know we just published a pic of a US soldier carrying one with that little personal helicopter just posted. I know someone here has one of these... I can find sales of these touted to be "The scabbard has the rare wire hooked hanger for U.S. type web belts instead of the common European hook for the bayonet frog." Meaning the button holding the scabbard in a frog.

Here's a link to show several of the other scabbard with the wire M1910 hooks for Africa. FN-FAL Bayonets - Additional FN-FAL Type C Bayonets

[Sapper00]

Daan, good eye, it does make it stick out 2cm or 3/4" ish from the frog to the hanger. You know that would leave a mark when rolling onto your back (or hip) and looking at the stars during a smoke break on an ambush
It doesn't seem like a practical setup, which is probably why you don't see many of them.

[Lee Enfield]

Canada had some for Trials (whatever we bought with the US pattern barrel mounted flash hider[not discussed in any of the books]), Cuba I believe and South Africa used the same bayo with plastic grips.

Also shipped with the commercial FN-FAL "match" rifles from the 1960s thru the 1980s.

And UZI smgs.

Seeing you in Lloyd this weekend?

I would pull the grips and look for the FN date code.

[browningautorifle]

Canada had some for Trials (whatever we bought with the US pattern barrel mounted flash hider

That was the type I had in Gagetown NB, in the SAIC collection. It had come from the R22er regimental museum and they didn't want it there. It had the Springfield flash eliminator.

[Sapper00]

I would pull the grips and look for the FN date code.[/QUOTE]

The only marking under the grips is a solitary "9" or a "6" depending on orientation. I was wondering about the possibility of it coming with a Commercial FN-FAL but nothing I have seen shows them having this style of scabbard.
As a note, the "Additional FN-FAL Type C Bayonet" link states that
"The throatpiece is oriented so that the socket faces inwards when carried. This orientation is generally associated with South African scabbards"
which makes sense as the standoff depth would keep the socket closer o the body and not stick out as much. Maybe this is a SA Type 2 that was trialed on the same scabbard platform but foulnd to be too awkward?

[RCS]

The USMC Museum in Quantico has about two dozen HRA T-48 rifles in complete working condition, there could
be other T48 rifles from others that were manufactured too. There should be bayonets for these rifles