M series bayonet

The 'M' series of bayonets was initiated in 1905, and continues in use to the present. There have been several modifications to the original design, the greatest being with the introduction of the M1 subseries near the end of WWII.

M1905

The Model of 1905 bayonet was made for the .30 caliber U.S. Rifle Model 1903. The designation Model of 1905 was changed to Model 1905 in 1917, and then to M1905 in 1925, when the Army adopted the M designation nomenclature. The M1905 bayonet blade is 16 inches (40.6 cm) long, and the handle is 4 inches (10.1 cm) long. The bayonet also fits the .30 caliber U.S. M1 Garand rifle (or simply, M1). In 1942, the same basic bayonet design (equipped with a plastic instead of a wood handle) was again produced and designated the M1942 bayonet.

M1942

The M1942 is an exact copy of the M1905 Bayonet, with the exception of a plastic, instead of wooden, handle, and was manufactured in sufficient numbers to keep up with wartime production of the .30 caliber M1, which it was intended to be used with. Again, the blade is 16 inches long with a 4 inch long handle. Interchangeability allowed the M1942 bayonet to be used on any M1903 rifle, while allowing the mounting of the earlier M1905 bayonet on the M1 Garand rifles.