Overview
This is a very good condition U.S. M1905 bayonet dated 1918. The M-1 Garand was designed to take the same blade bayonet as the M1903 Springfield rifle, so at the beginning of the war they were issued with bayonets originally made for those rifles. Later in 1942 to keep up with wartime production, new orders for M1905 bayonets with plastic grips were sent out, which had plastic ribbed grips. These were also sometimes fitted to M1905 bayonets made previously that had damage to their wooden grips.
In 1943, the specification for bayonets was changed to have a 10 inch blade, and many M1905 bayonets were shortened to this length.
The blade ricasso is marked with SA for the Springfield Armory in Springfield Mass, the primary center for the manufacture of United States military firearms from 1777 until its closing in 1968.
AFH on tang. Has patina, dings and scratches, all to be expected, otherwise good condition for its age.