Swiss Bayonet Comparison

[Aragorn243]

This is not all of them but it is most of the main bladed versions:

From top down:

1889 Schmidt Bayonet - This is the bayonet the US Krag bayonet is patterned after.

1889/1918 Schmidt Bayonet - These are 1889 bayonets with a stud added to keep the bayonet more securely in the scabbard. Note in the second photo, the stud is not on both sides. The bayonet was drilled through, the stud welded in place and the fuller on the reverse side ground smooth. You can see the round "hole" if you look carefully.

1899 Schmidt Bayonet - A ridge was added to the fuller to keep the bayonet more securely in the scabbard

These three bayonets are essentially the same and will fit the same rifles, the 1889 through 1911 rifles. Scabbards are interchangeable.

1918 bayonet - not interchangeable with above bayonets. Roughly the same size but muzzle rings are different, for K11 and K31. Scabbard is NOT interchangeable even though Joe Poyer's book says they are. This bayonet will not fit in the earlier scabbard.









The next photo adds three bayonets. The top two are:

1887 Sword bayonet with saw back - This bayonet is for the Vetterli 1878 and 1881 rifles. This is a side mount bayonet and very impressive when mounted to the rifle which alone is very long. This is a modified 1878 saw back bayonet with a cutout on the muzzle ring to fit around the front sight. This particular bayonet has a metal scabbard similar to the later 1911 Schmidt bayonet with sawback. Most appear with a metal tipped leather scabbard. The 1914 bayonet will not fit in the 1887 scabbard.

1914 Schmidt bayonet with sawback - This is the slightly modified original bayonet for the K-11 rifle which was originally designed for engineers. This blade adds the bulge to the end of the blade With most nations moving towards carbines, these rifles were later issued with the 1918 bayonet. This bayonet was also issued in small numbers with K-31's, again with engineer units and a few other support troops.

Contrary to popular belief, these bayonets were not designed to terrorize the enemy or create worse wounds. They were designed for use, cutting timber, posts, etc. And in this, they are incredibly effective. I can saw through a 2x4 in less than a minute with either of these.









The bottom bayonet in the photo is:

1957 Pattern Bayonet - Issued with the stgw 57. Scabbard is plastic.

Information

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