Bayonet I.D.

[3154tm]

i've been offered an M4 bayonet said to be in excellent condition marked T.M.N. for Case Cutlery Co.
i can't find any info to verify this. i'd ask the seller but he's in alaska and doesn't have an internet connection so everything is snail mail. the only thing i've turned up is for TMN to be post war of a different manufacturer. i've found these links but they weren't definitive:
U.S. M4 thru M7 Series Bayonets and Foreign Copies
Bayonet Points
'though i could easily have missed it.

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.

[JimF4M1s (Deceased)]

I am getting my information from the M.H. Cole books. He has passed but was highly regarded in Military knives.

I'm not sure where you got the information that TMN was marked for Case Cutlery Co. In Cole's book number III it says TMN was Turner MFG. Company from Statesville, N.C.

There were various makers of the M-4 bayonet that was standardized in May 1944.
During WW2:
A.C.C.
Aerial
Camillus
Case
Imperial
K.I.
PAL
Utica

There were also variations. Some made with an M-3 blade. Some had rotted leather handles replaced with Wood, Rubber.

Later settling on plastic which has been used on all succeeding bayonets. The plastic handled bayonets were parkerized, except for the TMN which was either parkerized or left bright. They also had a bit different design in the shape of the guard.These makers were:
Bren-Dan
Case ...........was a regular M-4 with plastic handles added
Conetta
Imperial .......was a regular M-4 with plastic handles added
Pal
TMN

Some from my collection


Early thinner guard, later version




Rubber and Wood handles



M-4 using M-3 blade



The scabbard also changed. M-8 short and long frogs. M-8 with wire. M-8A1




Germany made one later on



As did Kiffe in Japan

[phillydude]

jim, the wooden handled bayonet you have, is it one piece wood ?

[JimF4M1s (Deceased)]

Yes, it is one piece.

jim, the wooden handled bayonet you have, is it one piece wood ?

[gsimmons]

Weren't the early frogs in two colours as well? OD #3 and OD #7.

---------- Post added at 03:35 PM ---------- Previous post was at 03:34 PM ----------

Nice collection

[JimF4M1s (Deceased)]

Weren't the early frogs in two colours as well? OD #3 and OD #7.

---------- Post added at 03:35 PM ---------- Previous post was at 03:34 PM ----------

Nice collection

I've read that too. These are some I have that are BN1 to BN5 marked.

[3154tm]

jim, i was given that info by the seller. doing a little research i couldn't find any association between that marking and Case. that's why i posted here. i'm a newbie to carbines but i also know the seller is a good guy so i wanted to be sure before i said anything to him. i was hoping it was an early leather grip version, oh well.
thanks for all the very helpfull info.
frank
p.s. that's an amazing collection of bayonets!

[browningautorifle]

Sellers aren't always trying to screw you. I know an ex-law enforcement officer that does the rounds and carries bayonets as a matter of fact. He had one or two mis marked and came to ask me about them. The one I immediately identified and it was not what he thought so he changed it. The other I had to look into and later informed him it wasn't what he had marked. He withdrew it until he could re-mark and price it. This man could simply be relating what he was told or researched himself. No harm meant.

[mar53]

Gary Cunningham's book lists TMN as Turner Mfg - Statesville NC. He says "Turner rec'd a contract for 298,691 Bayonets in 1954, believed to be the first contract in the second production period". Not sure if his book is considered "accurate" or not.

[jimb16]

Gary is correct. The TMN is a second production period contract.