Fake British No4 MK1 cruciform Bayonet?

[LesterH]

Aragorn243 If you have an ED51 stamping. The other stampings will be RSAF Enfield Lock inspection stamps. Just for interest I was at the open day at Enfield Island Village last summer
( that is what the Enfield Lock factory site is called now). The bayonet factory is now apartments.

X was the old flex test stamping, but I have never seen it on a No9. I thought the last use was on the 1907 and P13 bayonets. If you have two Crows feet , heel to heel ><. This was the old strike off charge stamp.

I have just cleaned the grease of my mint ED-54 No9 Mk1. Stampings on the side are ED/137 (ED over 137) followed by a broad arrow/crows foot. Blade is broad arrow. Where the blade joins the socket ,stamping is 89 or 68 depends which way you hold it! Stamping on push button is Small crows foot,ED 87. I got this bayonet from Arundle, who had some unissued No4 rifles re imported from the USA. It might be from the cancelled Irish Army contract.

Kind regards, Lester

[Aragorn243]

Lester,

I'll get a photo of the X and post it later. Could simply be a machining mark. I wouldn't think a blade that short would be given a flex test.

[Aragorn243]

Here's the side view with the same style marking as the cruciform bayonet on it's side.



The top down view:



And the "X":



Sorry for the fuzz and cat hair, that stuff really shows up under magnification.

[nzl1a1collector]

Any marking such as
D
166

or

D
54

etc are inspection stamps, the presents of a marking indicates a critical dimension/tolerance that has been checked and passed by that inspector. In some cases some parts could end up having 2, 3 or 4 D-over-XXX markings.

Just some useless information for you.

[LesterH]

Thank you for the photographs. The stampings are in the style of my Enfield No9 bayonet. I am fairly sure they are RSAF Enfield inpection stamps.

No information is useless, some one some where needs it! Education is wealth. Not every one has room for reference books and other old toot.

I still think the RSAF Poole (P)1949 , No9 bayonets are the best!!!

Kind regards, Lester

[Peter Laidler]

NZL1A1 coll. These are/were called 'stage inspection' marks. You'll occasionally see where a part has been inspected by a stage inspector and during a subsequent operation, half or part of the previous mark has been skimmed away by the next or or later machining op.

Our book of marks just names these as stage inspectors marks but I'll ask the old Apprentices if theycan identify any as these are the skilled blokes who all went up the ladder to these jobs and beyond............. ever onwards and upwards!

[njn]

i bought a no4 mk1 bayonet with the same markings as this one today for 50p at a flea market
i will try and post some photos

[njn]

exactly the same mark as the bayonet that started the thread

[Aragorn243]

A few more have turned up since I found mine but they remain pretty rare.

[armourer]

I'm envious of your purchases!

Though I do have a No.4 MK.I in my collection, I paid about £150 for it a couple of years ago, and I was pleased with that!
I have about 20 odd spikes in my small collection and am always hoping to pick up a SMC marked MK.I, but the chances of that are about 1:67. Still I did find a couple of Korean War Canadian MK.II's with the CA mark, and these are actually much rarer 1.1000 chance of finding one, so anything is possible.
It just shows, it pays to be on the lookout!

Nice finds gents!

I also have a NO.9 with a number and letter K under the broad arrow mark. This is on an Enfield 1950 dated bayonet. I haven't as yet gotten round to asking Graham the meaning of it. The whole mark is itself under another broad arrow (WD) stamp.