M1942 bayonet
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| M1942 bayonet | |
|---|---|
| Production history | |
| Produced | 1942-1943 |
| Number built | 1,505,000 |
| Specifications | |
| Length | 20 inches (49.8 cm) |
| Blade length | 16 inches (40.6 cm) |
The M1942 Bayonet was designed to be used with the .30 caliber U.S. Rifle M1, or M1 Garand. The blade is 16 inches (40.6 cm) long and the handle is 4 inches (10.1 cm) long.
The M1942 is an exact copy of the M1905 Bayonet, which was made for the .30 caliber U.S. Rifle Model 1903. Variants of the M1903 rifle were produced during World War I and World War II by Springfield Armory, Remington Arms, Rock Island Arsenal, and Smith-Corona Typewriter.
Interchangeability allowed the M1942 bayonet to be used on any of these M1903 rifles, as well as mounting the earlier M1905 bayonet on WWII M1 Garand rifles. More M1905/M1942s were manufactured to keep up with wartime production of the M1 Garand.
In 1943, the U.S. Army decided a shorter bayonet would be better, so as many of the M1905/1942s as possible were recalled, had their blades cut down to 10 inches, and were reissued. These shortened bayonets, along with the newly made 10-inch bayonets, are called M1 bayonets.
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