A PLUG BAYONET

[The Double D]

Has the handle on this bayonet been replaced? It just doesn't look right to me, to much taper

[fernando]

Originally Posted by The Double D

Has the handle on this bayonet been replaced? It just doesn't look right to me, to much taper

It has already been observed above that the mountings are of a later date, although not necessarily ungenuine. To my humble view there is nothing wrong with the peened tang handle , as i see examples in the Net with a similar tapering.

[The Double D]

Originally Posted by fernando

It has already been observed above that the mountings are of a later date, although not necessarily ungenuine. To my humble view there is nothing wrong with the peened tang handle , as i see examples in the Net with a similar tapering.

I brought it up because the plug bayonets I have seen have a more parallel lower section to fit in the bore more solidly and snuggly.

Could this not be a plug bayonet but something else of the same family?

[fernando]

Originally Posted by The Double D

Could this not be a plug bayonet but something else of the same family?

In the meantime i have managed to check with some more experts in this matter.
This being a plug or hunting bayonet, the spirit remains the same. It has a stylized handle all right, but still is consistent and within the family. It could be because, at a prior late stage, musket barrels became narrower, and at a further late stage the actual use on weapons pluging was dropped but the handle style prevailed in hunting bayonets, as also in a certain manner observed by Jim.

[The Double D]

That makes a lot of sense Fernando...part of the evolution of the knife and its use.