No4 MkII Bayonet marks

[timeout]

Below are a few pics of a No4MkII bayonet. My understanding is that it was forged by Singer Manufacturing Co. As of the mark "SN". It was assembled by Prince-Smith & Stells Ltd as of their mark No4MKII above P.S.K. note that the mark does not have the star/astrixik after the MkII. (why is that?) As for the scabbard the only mark I can find on it is on the stud and but cant make it out and have not seen anything like it before. The scabbard has the countersink screws like the Royal Small Arms Factory No4MkI scabbard. Fixed ball tip with the large drain hole. The mouthpiece is zinc without any marks. If anyone can help ID which MK or who made the scabbard is that would be a great help. Thanks......paul.

Information

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[gsimmons]

Can we see a phot of the whole bayonet and the blade/socket area?

[gew8805]

It is a standard MkII* bayonet made by Prince-Smith & Stells Co. The "*" is missing but that is likely due to light pressure by a worn die.

As far as the "SN" marking, according to Graham Priest in his The Spirit of the Pike: British Socket Bayonets of the Twentieth Century it may be a marking by Singer indicating that they forged the socket.

Also, for the scabbard, it may be a scabbard made in the USA or Canada.

[Time Bandit]

Yep I agree with the above, it's a MKII* with the '*' worn away or mis-stamped, made by Prince-Smith & Stells of Keighly, Yorkshire, one of the various maker marks they have used.

As for the SN or is it NS...? Over the years there has been speculation that this might be SN for Singer or it's a Viners VNS with the V missing (damaged stamp or worn away). I tend to agree with what Graham Priest has in his book and go with the SN for Singer camp. I've a few SN marked MKII* bayonets and when you see the shape of the S it 'looks right' when it's being used as a SN rather than NS (if that makes sense!).

If you scroll down this page here... you can see some more SN marked sockets.

[Flying10uk]

You can just make out, in the first picture, a very feint upside down "V" next to the N indicating that the socket was made by Viners. It's a job to see but it is there.

I wonder if the marking on the scabbard is a South African ownership/acceptance marking slightly miss stamped.

[timeout]

Flying10uk Can you copy the pic and overlay mark the V on the pic and repost it. I have looked at it under a microscope and for the life of me I cant see it.

To the others many thanks, I am happy that it is Singer forged and P.S.K. assembled, What would the South African mark look like.

paul

[Flying10uk]

timeout, I have very limited I.T. skills and what you are asking I wouldn't have a clue where to start. I am looking on macbook pro retina Lap Top which may show up what other Lap Tops don't because of the screen. The upside down V may not be visible to the naked eye as it is very feint. Looking again the V appears horizontally level with the N but is also touching the N. Put it another way the VNS letters are not evenly spaced. Using too much magnification can sometimes obscure feint markings. At most I will use a powerful magnifying glass but sometimes it is better to use no magnification. What does help is tilting the object in light from a window to find the best position with or without a magnifying glass.

The South African Ownership mark is a arrow within a U but in this case looks like it is a bit mis stamped/wrong/wonky.

[Time Bandit]

I've looked as best I can on this screen and no matter how much I look I can't see a 'V' either in the picture. I know it's hard to judge when everyone is looking on differing quality screens etc but on mine there's definitely no trace of a 'V'?

[timeout]

hi all..... I have looked and looked twisted it in sunlight, shadows and shined lights across the surface, and I have to say that I still can not see the "V"......However that said there are some other marks "circles" ..... to the left of the S and below the right leg of the N. This i think might be from the bunter. the same mark is on the other side above the MK of No4MkII...thanks to everyone......paul.