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Petr Rubín Collection
Information about this bayonet
This bayonet has a smooth ribbed brass hilt that is 117 millimeters long and has 16 ribs. The muzzle ring is flush to the hilt flat and the inside diameter is 23.0 millimeters. There is a forward swept round finial on the bottom of the guard and no finial on top of the muzzle ring. The press stud spring is 41 millimeters long. There is no steel rivet in the center of the cross guard. The overall quality of the hilt's finish appears to be very good.
The hilt design is in the same style as those made by Collins and Ames. But, noticeable differences do exist. The finish of the crossguard is not quite as curved or rounded as found on Ames' production but not as flat and angular as found on Collins' production. The disk finial on the lower crossguard is larger in diameter than those produced by both Ames and Collins. The transition from the hilt flat to the pommel butt is much more angular than Ames' and Collins' production. The location of the press stud spring screw is several millimeters farther from the right end of the spring than those found on both Ames and Collins productions.
Petr Rubín Collection
The lug slot is chamfered around the top edge and there is no guide slot.
Petr Rubín Collection
The left side of the lower quillion's disk finial is stamped with the number 2 under a dot. A star like marking is stamped on the right side of the finial but it may be a post production addition by a bored soldier.
The left ricasso is stamped S&K for Schnitzler & Kirschbaum of Solingen, Germany.
Petr Rubín Collection
The yataghan blade is 543 millimeters long and has unstopped fullers.
Information from other sources
Jason Kaplan believes that this is a very early war Confederate bayonet for the Mississippi Rifle (Model 1841) with imported blades from S&K and hilts made by the Confederacy. He has test fitted several of them on Confederate altered Mississippi Rifles and some fit and some were very close.
Speculation and questions
The big issue with this bayonet is the S&K blade. Was it made in the US with blades imported from Germany or possibly blades salvaged from surplus stock? Could the bayonet have been made outside of the US? The solid brass hilt is certainly in the US style and its dimensions are very close to those needed for the US Model 1841 Rifle.
The hilt design and quality are similar to those made by Collins and Ames but there are several minor differences, enough differences to believe it was made by another manufacturer. Plus, It would be very surprising if Collins or Ames would have used imported blades.
The number 2 stamped on the disk finial looks very similar to some Confederate bayonets with single digit number markings. See the third image on page 300 of Confederate & Southern Agent Marked Shotguns, by Pritchard and Ashworth, for a similar marking. It is believed that several small shops made bayonets for the Model 1841 rifle for the Confederacy at the start of the war.
A second example has been recorded with an identical hilt construction other than the markings. The blade is slightly longer and does not have the S&K stamp.
This Confederate selection is a good possibility and with Jason Kaplan's knowledge and experience with other examples in his collection to back it up, it was decided to list it as Confederate.
Example Reference # 5036
Example Reference # 5036
Note! All measurements are in millimeters
Note! All measurements are in millimeters
Muzzle Ring Diameter -------- 23.0
Overall Length ---------------- 660
Hilt Length -------------------- 117
Blade Length ------------------ 543
Blade Width ------------------- 28.0
Blade Thickness --------------- 8.2
Lock to Muzzle Length ------- ?
Press Stud Spring Length ---- 41
Guide Slot Length ------------ None
Lug to Stop Length ----------- 12.6
Lug Slot Width --------------- 5.0
Lug Width -------------------- 9.2
Lug Thickness ---------------- 2.4
Lug Depth -------------------- ?
This example is stamped with the number 2 on the left side of the disk finial of the lower quillion. The right side ot the finial has a marking resembling an asterisk. The blade is stamped S&K on the left ricasso.
Petr Rubín Collection
Example Reference # 1892
Example Reference # 1892
Note! All measurements are in millimeters
Note! All measurements are in millimeters
Muzzle Ring Diameter -------- 22.8
Overall Length ---------------- 668**
Hilt Length -------------------- 117
Blade Length ------------------ 551**
Blade Width ------------------- 28.2
Blade Thickness --------------- 8.5
Lock to Muzzle Length ------- 98
Press Stud Spring Length ---- 42
Guide Slot Length ------------ None
Lug to Stop Length ----------- 12.3
Lug Slot Width --------------- 5.2
Lug Width -------------------- 9.0
Lug Thickness ---------------- 2.4
Lug Depth -------------------- 7.6
** The point has been sharpened, reducing the overall and blade lengths at least a few millimeters.
This example is stamped with the number 19 on the butt of the pommel, 18 and 0 on the hilt flat and 482 in the press stud spring slot. The press stud and part of the spring are missing. The blade is unmarked.
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