Sterling SMG No.5 Bayonet

[peregrinvs]

Hi,

Pics attached of a Sterling No.5 a friend of mine has just picked up at a very reasonable price. Could m'learned bayonet friends confirm it's a real one? I think it is, but I told him I'd pass it on for a second opinion.

Thanks,
Mark
Attachment 42768Attachment 42769

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.

[old-smithy]

looks like a nice one to me, but Peter is the expert

[porterkids]

I believe the plastic gripped ones are commercial models.

[Aragorn243]

I believe it's the real thing but it is a commercially produced Sterling. All with that marking are commercially produced. Not sure what that means, whether it was used by the military or civilians, I don't know. They are mentioned but not explained in my one bayonet book.

They may have been produced for export to other nations using the Sterling or the No5.

[peregrinvs]

I'm aware they were made for commercial sale. (My bad - should have phrased my question slightly better) I just wanted to double check it's not something 'cooked up' to snare the unwary. For the price paid, I assume it probably isn't.

Cheers,
Mark

[Peter Laidler]

If I was your pal, I would get rid of those awful plastic grips and make myself a set of wood grips. I say this because what he's got is HALF a commercial bayonet so to speak......... The STERLING marked bayonet and fugly* plastic grips identify it as commercial but underneath that, it is a No5 blade. The shorter distance between the screw centres identify it as a No5 blade so could do with a set of correct No5 grips and screws. Do that (easily made from a slab of beech or birch), remove the STERLING wording, then have it beadblasted, phosphated, painted and baked. That's how to double your money!

*FUGLY. Antipodean technical word learned while in Australia. Indicates to those who don't want to waste their breath that the item - or in my case my many current girlfriends - is/are fu......... er........., let me elaborate here......... Ah, yes....... Not very pretty or attractive

[peregrinvs]

Thanks for that. Do you mean it started life as a Royal Ordnance made No.5 bayonet, then it was later modified by Sterling with the new grips and engraving?

Cheers,
Mark

[Peter Laidler]

Noooooooooo. It was made at Hopkinsons for the Sterling Company to sell with their SMG's. I would imagine that they got the press tools from Wilkinson and just started banging them out. Just my thoughts incidentally......... The wood grips were made at Enfield but alas, were probably expensive so they just used cheapy abysmally fitting plastic and rivetted them on.

You'll also notice that SOME of these late commercial Hopkinson Sterling SMG bayonets use pressed steel L1A1 rifle grips, rivetted on. This is because these bayonets are made from L1 rifle blades and the rivet hole centres differ from the screw hole centres of the No5 bayonets. So, you get a zillion SLR rifle bayonet blades, put No5 crosspieces and pommels on, steel grips and call them............, well, whatever you like! But No5 bayonets, they ain't and never will be

[porterkids]

So, you get a zillion SLR rifle bayonet blades, put No5 crosspieces and pommels on, steel grips and call them............, well, whatever you like! But No5 bayonets, they ain't and never will be

What you get is what collectors like to refer to as a variation!

[Time Bandit]

What you get is what collectors like to refer to as a variation!

Ahhh...the 'variation'...the thing that ends up costing you even more money...even though it's 'nearly' like the thing you already have...but just ever so different!!