indy1919a4
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Now this is just fun... nice little history of the Rod Bayonet..
History US Military Rod Bayonet overview..
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AlexanderA
Member
Very interesting video.
At one point in the video, they say that the Krag did not continue with the rod bayonet used in the last Trapdoors, because the Krag was a "package design" imported from overseas. Yes, it's true that the Krag rifle itself was a Norwegian design. But the bayonet chosen for use with the Krag was based on a Swiss design. So U.S. Ordnance mixed and matched elements as desired. They could have used a rod bayonet on the Krag if they had wanted.
Note that the first model Krag adopted (the M1894) had a full-length cleaning rod under the barrel. Two years later, the full length rod was replaced by a jointed one carried in the buttstock. The original M1894's were recalled to the armory and updated to the M1896 specs, filling the rod channel with a wood plug, etc. Unaltered M1894's with the full length rod are today some of the "holy grails" of U.S.martial collecting. (I'm lucky enough to have one. I once considered selling it, but the dealer I offered it to turned me down. And I wasn't even asking all that much for it. Oh well. His loss was my gain.)
At one point in the video, they say that the Krag did not continue with the rod bayonet used in the last Trapdoors, because the Krag was a "package design" imported from overseas. Yes, it's true that the Krag rifle itself was a Norwegian design. But the bayonet chosen for use with the Krag was based on a Swiss design. So U.S. Ordnance mixed and matched elements as desired. They could have used a rod bayonet on the Krag if they had wanted.
Note that the first model Krag adopted (the M1894) had a full-length cleaning rod under the barrel. Two years later, the full length rod was replaced by a jointed one carried in the buttstock. The original M1894's were recalled to the armory and updated to the M1896 specs, filling the rod channel with a wood plug, etc. Unaltered M1894's with the full length rod are today some of the "holy grails" of U.S.martial collecting. (I'm lucky enough to have one. I once considered selling it, but the dealer I offered it to turned me down. And I wasn't even asking all that much for it. Oh well. His loss was my gain.)
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indy1919a4
Member
You know, The video did kinda stop as the US gun designers slowly started to realize that the dream of a rod Bayonet was not going to work.... But can we say that the MAS 36 - MAS 44 Spike bayonets are not the actualization of that dream.. Are they not Rod Bayonets that worked??? maybe we have to give it to France on that one..
tark
Member
We have two '92 Krags in the Arsenal museum. They are original and unaltered. There were actually two types of '92 Krags. The first type had a solid front band and a brass tipped cleaning rod. The second type has an open top front band and the cleaning rod was all steel. There were very few first types made, possibly less than a thousand. They are EXTREMELY rare and will go well into five figures at auction. We have two second pattern rifles in the museum.
Now, in the video, the Krag shown is claimed to be serial #1. It may well be, but the front band and the cleaning rod are both off of a second pattern rifle....which means it not all original. To a collector, its value just went from "near priceless" to "worth less than half of what it would be if it were all original. "
In the pic tag # 6736 and 6737 are the two 1892s. BTW, tag # 6721 is an unissued, unfired 1895 Lee-Navy.
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