As we currently live in a world of remotely piloted drones, night visions and thermal optics with GPS built into every vehicle, it’s easy to imagine the bayonet or bayonet fighting as a historical relic, an out of date anachronism.

The truth of the matter is that until the target changes — for instance, when we are forced to fight the AI-created robot armies — sharpened, cold steel is still going to be a valid tool on the battlefield.

AKM Type II

Unlike the 18-inch spike found on the famous Mosin-Nagant rifle during WWII, when the Soviet Union adopted the AK-47/AKM, they took a different view of the bayonet. Rather than simply being a long, pokey thing used to stab the enemy, the new Russian bayonets were more utilitarian. Yes, they could be mounted on the rifle for close-quarters combat, but they could also be carried by infantry soldiers as used as field tools.

The original AK-47 bayonet looked like a detachable knife. However, it was the AKM Type I that took on the distinctive look with the hooked point, sawback blade and wire-cutter scabbard. The Type I bayonet had Bakelite handle and a metal scabbard with a rubber sleeve to protect the user from shock should they clip a live wire.

The Type II AKM bayonet used both a Bakelite handle and sheath, thus negating the need for a rubber sleeve to protect against electric shock. The Type II had the saw-back blade and the built-in wire-cutter option, however, the butt of the handle now had a steel base. The soldier could also put the bayonet ring into the scabbard and use it as an ice pick or a light duty hammer.

Although not as long as their predecessors, AKM bayonets would indeed produce nasty stab wounds. The Type II bayonet was issued in 1965 and was ready to be mounted on the AK-74 when it came around.

FN FAL Belgian Type C

The FN FAL, next to the M-16A1 and the AKM, was likely the most notable and popular rifle during the Cold War. While the Soviet Union turned their bayonets into utility tools, the Belgians decided to keep with tradition and the Type C was just meant for stabbing; no wirecutter or sawblade.

While there were Type A and Type B bayonets, the Type C became the most popular and prevalent. The handle of the FAL Type C bayonet is a tubular or socket design. This mounting system went back at least 200 years to the Brown Bess and the use of muskets. The Mosin-Nagant bayonet was a socket design.

Constructed of a single piece of steel, the FAL Type C bayonet slipped onto the flash hider muzzle device of the FN FAL and locked in place. There were even vents built into the handle of the bayonet to allow expended gasses to pass through. The scabbard was steel and carried in an OD green “frog”. Frog is the term used for the device that attaches a scabbard to a utility belt.

Given that the standard barrel length on an FN FAL rifle was 21 inches, adding the 6.5-inch blade to the end allowed the soldier carrying such a setup to have quite a reach.

M16A1 M7

When WWII came to an end, the United States had a number of bayonet designs in the inventory for recently used rifles/carbines; M1913 Springfield, M1 Garand, M1 Carbine, and the Cold War M14. The bayonet for the M14 was labelled as the “M6”. Therefore, it only made sense to label the new bayonet for the M16A1 as the M7.

In truth, the M7 bayonet bore a striking resemblance to the M6. The blade for both the M6 and the M7 was essentially a copy of that found on the M3 Trench Knife from WWII. The OD green scabbard design for the M3 knife was repurposed for the M6 and then the M7 that was shipped to Vietnam.

Keeping with tradition, the M7 was just designed for stabbing, not utility. It could be and was used by troops in the field for various prying or cutting tasks. However, the steel used in the manufacture of these was not as high quality as that which was used for dedicated field or utility knives. From my experience carrying and using the M7, it did not hold a cutting edge well and many that were issued from the armory were as sharp as butter knives. Don’t get me wrong, the end user could, with effort, put an edge on them, but they were not “knife quality”.

Toward the end of their issue, the OD green metal scabbards were replaced by the M10 black polymer scabbards. When I was active duty in the Marine Corps, I never encountered an M10 scabbard, but that might have just been my battalion. The M7 could naturally be mounted to the A frame front sight housing of the M16A1, the M16A2 (A4) and the standard M4 carbine.

US Army M9

While they might never admit it in public, it was the Soviet AKM Type II utilitarian bayonet that inspired the design of the M9 bayonet. First issued in 1986, the M9 bayonet was one of the first ever US Army bayonets to be designed for utility as well as stabbing.

Most notable on the M9 was the wirecutter cut out in the blade that could be mated with the end of the polymer scabbard just like the AKM bayonet. Also, like the AKM Type II, the M9 has a sawback blade and a hard steel butt cap on the handle.

The M9 bayonet was officially known as the “M9 Phrobis III”. Buck Knives purchased Phrobis Knives in 1991 and now owns all their patents. Buck Knives, along with LanCay and Ontario Knives have been the primary manufacturers throughout the service contract.

Unlike previous US Army bayonets that may or may not have had a sharp knife edge, the M9 bayonet came with a very sharp cutting blade. Produced in various blade finishes and colors, the most common configuration is a black polymer handle and scabbard with a black oxide steel finish on the blade. Overall length is 12 inches with a 7 inch blade.

Although officially adopted in 1986 by the US Army, the US Marine Corps was slow to adopt and issue them. While on active duty in the infantry from 1987 to 1991, I never saw an M9. However, some of my fellow grunts purchased their own and had them during Desert Storm. One drawback for soldiers regarding the new M9 bayonet was the weight. It was 2.5 pounds total with the scabbard. By contrast, the current Marine Corps OKC3 bayonet is only 1.25 pounds total.

Parting Shots

Although often an afterthought when compared to high tech military tools, as long as men are fighting other men in the world, the bayonet will still have a place in inventories and on the battlefield. This is especially true when the bayonet isn’t just for good for stabbing. Soldiers will always need tools with which to cut, pry, and hammer. Despite having moved from the Cold War to the post-GWoT era, that fact remains a constant.

– Paul Markel