Difference between Springfield & Enfield Bayonets

[Johan Steele]

I have a rather dumb question on the difference between an Enfield & Springfield Bayonet. I couldn't find the answer through the search engine.

Are the two interchangeable, looking at pictures (and poor ones at that) I can't note any obvious difference between the bayonet for a 61/63 Springfield & a 53 Enfield... Am I missing something patently obvious?

The reason I ask is that I just laid paws upon a beautiful Miroku 61. And out of curiosity I put my Enfield Bayonet on & to my utter shock it fit like a glove, in fact a better fit than upon my Enfield. It would be nice not to have to buy a Springfield Bayonet. The Bayonet is a nice, spring steel, made in India job from the 80's that I picked up 2nd hand. It has no inspection marks of any kind and actually nothing that id's it as an Enfield Bayonet... other than when I purchased it it was in an Enfield scabbard. The irony is that it fits both rifles almost perfectly being a touch loose on the Enfield.

[Curt Schmidt]

Hallo Kamerad!

If you had not posted here before, I might suspect this was a Flame Bait post...

As a learning experience, I would say what you would have better done was to pull up research hits on the U.S. M1855 socket bayonet with pictures of it, followed by research hits on the British P1853 socket bayonet wiht pictures of it- and drawn some conclusions and inferences.

Seeming to, or wanting to, base a believable image and authentic impression upon the "fit" of a modern day repro bayonet on a modern day repro musket is well...

Yes, there are significant visual (pattern, configuration, detail, blueing, etc. detail, as well as dimensional differences between the two.

Curt-Heinrich Schmidt

[Johan Steele]

Curt, thanks for the info... I've always carried an Enfield and because of that I've never paid much attention to the two. The difference between a 42 bayonet & that of an Enfield sticks out and as very obvious to me.

The Vendor sites I've visited generally don't show either bayonet well enough to tell one way or the other. While I know about the proper blueing of a portion of an Enfield bayonet I don't know the physical differences between the two.

I was just curious if there was any kind of interchangeability, I didn't think so but when I found the fit... I wondered if I hadn't been attaching a Springfield bayonet to an Enfield for the last three years.

As I warned it was a dumb question.

Thanks

[Pritchett Ball]

Johan Steele "I have a rather dumb question on the difference between an Enfield & Springfield Bayonet. I couldn't find the answer through the search engine..."



I have an Enfield & 61 Springfield, each has its correct design bayonet. Many buy one type of bayonet to fit both styles of rifles, but it ain't correct to do so. I have not run across any references in reading about the WBTS, where one type bayonet was used on a different design rifle.
You can take a look at originals of both on Relic websites, to clearly see the difference in designs. Even the dimensions are clearly not the same. Take a look at this webpage…http://www.midtenrelics.com/blades.htm Scroll down to the lower section on bayonets, and you will get a good idea how the two differ.
Get a correct repro bayonets for your Enfield & Springfield, your impression will not suffer for it!

Kevin Dally

[Curt Schmidt]

Hallo Herr Johann!

There is no such thing as a dumb question.

They are all valid, important, and perfectly worth the asking!

However, there are "more appropriate to their level" fora to post them on-than the AC Forum with its emphasis and particular applications leaning in a different direction- and a "forewarning" may not make it okay to post them here. (warning or no... ;-) )

Curt-Heinrich Schmidt

[markmason]

Are the two interchangeable, looking at pictures (and poor ones at that) I can't note any obvious difference between the bayonet for a 61/63 Springfield & a 53 Enfield... Am I missing something patently obvious?

.

The dia. of the two on originals are size different.
The triangular pattern is visually different.
The bayonet lugs are not positioned the same, allowing the two to be interchange.

[Johan Steele]

Pritchett Ball... wow & thanks a LOT. The page you posted has the images of the type I was looking for. Ironically I now have almost as many questions about this bayonet... It looks to have a Springfield sockett & an Enfield blade. The close ups are particularly helpful & is what was missing from the sites I had visited.

I purchased it from a man who had replaced his Enfield w/ an 1855 Springfield. When I bought it the socket was appropriatly blued and the scabbard & frog were appropriatly marked. It has held up to some heavy abuse superbly, w/ only the blueing wearing down to the point that I foolishly struck it bright before I found out that the blue was more correct.

I wonder what exactly I purchased. :confused_

Very curious.

THanks for the patient replies to a dumb question.