Little Bessie Gets Her Bayonet. At Last.

Ugly Sauce

Ugly Sauce

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Ain't she purty??? It's from Veteran Arms, middle of the road price-range. Yes made in India, but looks very well made to me. Very little effort to fit it. If the impossible happens, miss fire, flash in the pan, or a .690" ball over 140 grains of pixie dust fails to knock Grizz butt-over-teakettle, we'll shove this down his throat, let go, and find a tree to climb. :) Might buy me a minute while Grizz coughs it up.

On a fake-book group, I asked if the original Brown Bess bayonets were ever sharpened. I got a bazillion replies explaining to me that bayonets are not "slashing weapons", were for stabbing, "were not swords" and a dozen other things not answering the question, and assuming I had no idea what a bayonet was, or what it was used for.

After a bunch of those meaningless replies, a couple of good people who had originals in their collections responded that they had never seen a sharpened Brown Bess Bayonet. Dang, that's all I was asking. Not "what is a bayonet", or "what are bayonets used for", and "how are bayonets used?", or, "bayonets are not swords"? (well...the Baker bayonet was) Yes, one person told me: "bayonets are not swords". I quote.

It was quite amusing, and entertaining, but somewhat annoying also. !!!

Bessie and her new bayonet say: "thanks for listening"!
 
AlexanderA said:
Your Bess is .69 caliber?
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It is .75". A .690" ball patched with denim is a perfect fit. If the ball is chewed, a .020-.023" patch is perfect, and that's what I use now. The .690"s also work best with paper cartridges, which I always carry with me. As you know, a smooth bore does not need as tight a fit as a rifled bore.
 
I discovered a "trick'. I got a nice fit just filing the "nub" that is in there for that purpose. However, not the perfect fit, a tiny bit of wobble. So I made up some JB weld, and smeared in where I wanted it to tighten up, did a couple of layers until it was too tight. Then just rolled up some sand paper and sanded until I eliminate all wobble.

Of course, with my luck, probably on a hot day it won't want to come off. !!!! We'll see. :) Anyhow, really nice, non-shaky fit. No wobble. No rattle. Tight.
 
Ugly, I can picture you stomping through the woods in a red coat infantry uniform with Bessie rigged with the bayonet just looking for that rebel colonial bear and daring him to oppose the King. I might have to join you with the Ferguson. I don't have a bayonet though.
 
Jackrabbit1957 said:
Ugly, I can picture you stomping through the woods in a red coat infantry uniform with Bessie rigged with the bayonet just looking for that rebel colonial bear and daring him to oppose the King. I might have to join you with the Ferguson. I don't have a bayonet though.
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That's okay. You take out the officer bears, I'll fire a one shot volley and make the charge. :) I bet I'll get an interesting look if I mount the bayonet, and run into another person in the woods. Don't see that everyday.
 
hawg said:
Bayonets were not sharpened. At least I've never seen or heard of any being sharpened.
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Right, the guys that collect Brown Bess bayonets say they have not seen sharp ones, other than the very tip. The reason I wondered was, being a replica, I wondered if the two un-sharp edges was a feature of an original, or was a "safety" thing, keep them from getting sued when the customer takes it out of the box and cuts their hand with it. Like replica swords, some of them come very dull, for that reason.

There not being a lot, if any Brown Bess bayonets floating around where I live, I didn't know. !!!
 
hawg said:
I collected bayonets when I was a kid. Out of all the bayonets I had I never saw a sharpened one from any war or country.
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You would think...some dude, somewhere, in some war or country, would be bored, get a hold of a file, and sharpen his bayonet. Not that the First Sergeant would like it. And certainly messing with the King's musket and bayonet would get one a flogging. !!!

If I were to do it, I would get a flogging from the internet. :)
 
Ugly Sauce said:
View attachment 1203376
Ain't she purty??? It's from Veteran Arms, middle of the road price-range. Yes made in India, but looks very well made to me. Very little effort to fit it. If the impossible happens, miss fire, flash in the pan, or a .690" ball over 140 grains of pixie dust fails to knock Grizz butt-over-teakettle, we'll shove this down his throat, let go, and find a tree to climb. :) Might buy me a minute while Grizz coughs it up.

On a fake-book group, I asked if the original Brown Bess bayonets were ever sharpened. I got a bazillion replies explaining to me that bayonets are not "slashing weapons", were for stabbing, "were not swords" and a dozen other things not answering the question, and assuming I had no idea what a bayonet was, or what it was used for.

After a bunch of those meaningless replies, a couple of good people who had originals in their collections responded that they had never seen a sharpened Brown Bess Bayonet. Dang, that's all I was asking. Not "what is a bayonet", or "what are bayonets used for", and "how are bayonets used?", or, "bayonets are not swords"? (well...the Baker bayonet was) Yes, one person told me: "bayonets are not swords". I quote.

It was quite amusing, and entertaining, but somewhat annoying also. !!!

Bessie and her new bayonet say: "thanks for listening"!
Click to expand...
1965 Travis AFB Combat Control Team, I sharpened my M16 bayonet, took the parkerizing off the edge. Caught hell for that, it was taken away and new one issued. Same story, stabbing not slashing. Wonder what "they" said to line troops in VN who did sharpen them I know?
 
PWC said:
1965 Travis AFB Combat Control Team, I sharpened my M16 bayonet, took the parkerizing off the edge. Caught hell for that, it was taken away and new one issued. Same story, stabbing not slashing. Wonder what "they" said to line troops in VN who did sharpen them I know?
Click to expand...
Nothing.


Your avatar reminds me of the best last western movie Hell or High Water.

Brothers man, can’t live with em, can’t shoot them.
 
Last edited:
Speedo66 said:
View attachment 1204389
“Bayonets are not swords…”

Tell that to the almost two feet of cold steel in this Civil War Zouave original.
Click to expand...

I've still got one of those only mine is an original Enfield musketoon bayonet.

eUojDRXl.jpg
 
A musket needs a bayonet. Well done.

I remember reading about Yankees who went after bloodhounds. They figured those dogs also chased escaped PoWs so when an overseer let the dogs loose on the Yankees, the Yankees plied their bayonets with will.
 
I've read that those sword bayonets were generally disliked by the troops they were issued to. A typical triangular ACW bayonet weighed only 13 to 15 ounces while the sword types with their heavy solid brass handle weighed well over two pounds. Consequently, they were inordinately heavy plus cumbersome to carry. They also threw the balance and weight well too forward when mounted on a rifle--not to mention that they were all but useless as practical hand weapons.

Cheers
 
Triangle bayonets weren't liked either. Many were discarded. Others were made into pot hooks or when on body detail they were bent into body hooks or made into whatever was needed.
 
forward observer said:
They also threw the balance and weight well too forward when mounted on a rifle--not to mention that they were all but useless as practical hand weapons.
Click to expand...
My Carbine is a little butt-heavy, the bayonet balances it out nicely, although it noticeably increases the weight, even though it doesn't weigh much. Did that make sense? Feels a lot heavier, with bayonet attached, even though it's just a little bit heavier. ?

Just playing around with the bayonet, in an imaginary hand to hand fight, it think it would be somewhat useful with a little practice. Not as good as a knife, but it's got pretty good reach. Of course you would be confined to the thrust. However, it would still block/parry okay. I think one could do pretty good damage with it, as a hand weapon, if one's opponent wasn't highly skilled. ? Or not. :)
 
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