what makes a good bayonet, and who to have make 'em?

K

Kaylee

Joined
May 12, 2001
Messages
54
Hi!

I'm in the process of putting together a new rifle, and thought as long as I was at it, I'd design a bayonet to go with it. Can anyone recommend a good place to have a custom piece done up, say 500 units to start, maybe more if the cost breakdown warrants it?

Further -- any suggestions on what would make a perfect bayo? I was thinking of a tanto point, just for rigidity's sake, but if that's a bad idea I'd like to hear why. :p

Further, I was thinking of making a dedicated weapon, not a super-survival-wire-cuttin-wood-sawin' survival knife like the M9. Comments one way or another on that?


Thanks!

-K
 
Sounds badass. I would love to see a tanto bayonet as a dedicated fighter. I can't recommend a particular maker. Whomever it is would probably need a barrel to fit the blade to.

If you want anyone to test your new setup, either the bayonet or rifle or both, I would be happy to oblige!:D

Good luck.
 
DRAT...PICS WON'T LOAD...CHECK YOUR EMAIL


Strider just unveiled a new bayonet at Blade

(the top knife in this pic)


and here it is from another angle


Another company recently introduced one as well...I'm not a 100% sure but I think it might be TiKnives

RL
 
Bayonets can be funny weapons/tools. Although, they look like knives, they are tempered and edged more like swords. It really depends on what you what you want the bayonet to do. A fully hardened Stainless blade at the end of a three foot bar (your rifle) isn't going to last very long unless it is built like a barely sharpened prybar, like the M9.

To begin with:

1) Are the rifles intended for a military or civilian market?
(the military ones usually go through alot of drills)
2) How much do you want to spend per unit?
3) How long and how heavy would you like it to be? (your rifle will
be designed to fire with the thing installed - so the tolerance
for weight/balance/vibration/attachment should be defined.)

n2s
 
Aha, I found the pics of the Tinives bayonet...check your email again :)

RL
 
Pics are cool -- thanks!!

Re testing -- thanks, I'll post again when I have 'em ready. Prolly be a while though -- rifle gets first priority, bayo is more of an afterthought, to be honest.

To the questions asked...
1) Are the rifles intended for a military or civilian market?
(the military ones usually go through alot of drills)
Click to expand...
Both. I'm aware that for the civvie market, I'll have to confine the design to pre-94 weapons, unless I want to give up a flash hider or pistol grip.

GOOD if they go through a lot of drills. If I'm producing a product that sees military use, it'll get the heck tested out of it. I refuse to have some mother's son's death on my conscience 'cause I cut corners.

2) How much do you want to spend per unit?
Click to expand...
Depends. As a rule, the production costs I've been given for other parts I'm working on seem to run about a quarter of the final retail price. I'm thinking quality-wise, the neighborhood of what retails in the $100 price range, which by extrapolation I'm PRESUMING will run me in the $25-$35 manufacturing cost range.

3) How long and how heavy would you like it to be? (your rifle will
be designed to fire with the thing installed - so the tolerance
for weight/balance/vibration/attachment should be defined.)
Click to expand...
Hrmm.. I'm thinking about the size of the USMC KaBar, chunky chisel-grind tanto design, black park. Likely a little heavier than the Ka-Bar, just 'cause of more metal. MAYBE a fuller along the back of the spine if I can get it without compromising strength to get the weight cut.


Sound worthwhile so far?





EDITED TO ADD --

I'm particularly curious to hear the opinions of anyone who's used these things in active service. Particularly --

1 -- was the wire-cutting feature a lot of the modern ones use ever really used, or is it a gimick? If the former, how well does it work?

2 -- what's the usual failure points of existing bayonets? tip breakage? ricasso area breakage? losing the temper from being left toasting wienies in a campfire? :p

Thanks!

-K
 
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