(Disclaimer: The bayonets that I have shown here are not totally and historically correct as completed when it comes to the bayonet scabbard frog and, in the case of the Indian bayonet, the scabbard.  My concern was to have a complete example but not necessarily 100 percent correct example.)

 

I have collected military rifles for many years.  With few exceptions, every military rifle has a bayonet designed for it.  Because the bayonet is integral to this weapon system, I have also collected bayonets for my rifles.  (In some case, I've done the reverse; that is, I bought the bayonet before I got the rifle.  This is a good rationalization: now that I have the bayonet, I need something to stick it on!)  In some cases, the desire to complete the rifle-bayonet package has led to some interesting quests.  I started on my latest series of quests when I decided to build replicas of the Australian L1A1-F1, British L1A1, and Canadian C1A1 (the ABC) series of rifles.

 

The Australian L1A1 bayonet is very common in the United States, but not with its scabbard.  It took some looking, but I found a source that had Aussie scabbards (no bayonets) to complete my bayonet.  I was able to find an Australian frog for the scabbard and this completed part one of the quest.

 

British L1A1 bayonets and scabbards have recently surfaced in large numbers from several dealers.  The British L1A1 bayonet scabbard is designed to attach to a frog sewn to the outside of Pattern 1958 web ammunition carrier that attaches to the battle dress kit.  I decided the old Pattern 1937 web frog was more to my liking than the later pattern.  That is why my British scabbard has the older web frog to complete part two of the quest.

 

The Canadian C1A1 bayonet and scabbard are virtually unknown in the United States.  Fortunately, I was able to find a source in Canada that had excellent condition bayonets and scabbards.  I purchased one and used a South African "universal" frog to complete part three of the quest.

 

The Indians produced a variation of the L1A1 bayonet for their use on the reverse-engineered 1A1 self-loading rifle (SLR).  The Indian SLR is an eclectic blend of both Metric- and Inch-pattern features that make it a very close copy of the L1A1 -- except where it differs.  Unlike the ABC bayonets that use metal grips that are riveted to the bayonet handle, the Indian copies use wooden grips that are screwed-on.  The blades of Indian bayonets are longer than any of their ABC counterparts.

 

I wasn't able to find scabbards for the Indian 1A1 bayonets anywhere (or even a photo of one).  However, I found a source for the cut-down scabbards for the shortened Pattern 1907 bayonets (known as "Jungle Fighting" Pattern 1943 and 1944 variations) issued for the No. 1 Mk III SMLE rifles used in Southeast Asian campaigns in World War 2.  The Indian 1A1 bayonets fit the cut-down leather and metal-tipped scabbards like a glove.  The scabbard was finished with a Pattern 1937 web frog to complete part four of the quest.