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Old May 19, 2012, 08:14 PM   #14
James K
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Join Date: March 17, 1999
Posts: 24,383
The 16" bayonet came about in an interesting way. The Krag rifle had a 30" barrel and a knife bayonet with a 10" blade. When the new M1903 rifle was adopted, its rod bayonet was restricted in length because of concerns that it would bend, and also the feeling that with a fast loading rifle a bayonet was not really necessary and would rarely be used.

But when the M1903 was modified in 1905 to take a knife bayonet (the reason the rifle is the M1903 and the bayonet the M1905), it was felt desireable to duplicate the "reach" of the Krag rifle, which was six inches longer than that of the new Springfield. So the six inches taken from the barrel was put onto the bayonet and the M1905 bayonet has a 16" blade.

Jim
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