M7 Bayonet
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The M7 bayonet (NSN 1095-00-017-9701) is a
bayonet A bayonet (from French ) is a knife, dagger, sword, or spike-shaped weapon designed to fit on the end of the muzzle of a rifle, musket or similar firearm, allowing it to be used as a spear-like weapon.Brayley, Martin, ''Bayonets: An Illustr ...
that was used by the U.S. military for the
M16 rifle The M16 rifle (officially designated Rifle, Caliber 5.56 mm, M16) is a family of military rifles adapted from the ArmaLite AR-15 rifle for the United States military. The original M16 rifle was a 5.56×45mm automatic rifle with a 20-r ...
, it can also be used with the
M4 carbine The M4 carbine (officially Carbine, Caliber 5.56 mm, M4) is a 5.56×45mm NATO, gas-operated, magazine-fed carbine developed in the United States during the 1980s. It is a shortened version of the M16A2 assault rifle. The M4 is extensive ...
as well as many other assault rifles, carbines and combat shotguns. It can be used as a fighting knife and utility tool. It was introduced in 1964, when the
M16 rifle The M16 rifle (officially designated Rifle, Caliber 5.56 mm, M16) is a family of military rifles adapted from the ArmaLite AR-15 rifle for the United States military. The original M16 rifle was a 5.56×45mm automatic rifle with a 20-r ...
entered service during the
Vietnam War The Vietnam War (also known by #Names, other names) was a conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. It was the second of the Indochina Wars and was officially fought between North Vie ...
.


Description

The M7 bayonet is very similar to the older
M4 bayonet The M4 bayonet was introduced in 1944 for use with the M1 carbine. It was built on the M3 fighting knife. Description The M4 bayonet, like the M3 fighting knife that preceded it, was designed for rapid production using a minimum of strategic met ...
with the Korean War era plastic grips for the M1/M2 carbines except that the M7 has a much larger muzzle ring. The M7 has the same two-lever locking mechanism as the M4, that connects to a lug on the M16 rifle's barrel. The M4 (M1/M2 carbine), M5 (M1 rifle), and M6 bayonet (M14 rifle), are all derived from the World War II
M3 fighting knife The M3 trench knife or M3 fighting knife was an American military combat knife first issued in March 1943. The M3 was originally designated for issue to soldiers not otherwise equipped with a bayonet.Trzaska, Frank, (1996), U.S. Fighting Knives ...
. The M7 differs from M6 bayonet for the
M14 rifle The M14 rifle, officially the United States Rifle, Caliber 7.62 mm, M14, is an American selective fire battle rifle chambered for the 7.62×51mm NATO (.308 in) cartridge. It became the standard-issue rifle for the U.S. military in 1959, r ...
. Most notably, the diameter of the muzzle rings, and the locking mechanism. The M7's release mechanism is on the pommel, while the M6 has a spring-loaded lever near the guard that when depressed releases the bayonet. Both models are approximately the same length, have the same black finish, and use the M8A1 (NSN 1095-508-0339), or later M10 (NSN 1095-00-223-7164)
sheath Sheath pronounced as , may refer to: * Scabbard, a sheath for holding a sword, knife, or other large blade, as well as guns, such as rifles. * The outer covering of a cable * Condom, a kind of contraception * Debye sheath, a layer of a plasma ...
. The M7's 1095 carbon steel blade is 6 3/4 inches long, with an overall length of 11.9 inches. Blade width is 3/16 inch and it weighs about 9.6 ounces. One edge is sharpened its full length while the opposite side of the blade has approximately 3 inches sharpened. There are no markings on the blade itself. The manufacturer's initials or name, along with "US M7", will be found stamped under the crossguard (see photo, right). The non-slip grips are molded black plastic. The steel parts have a uniform dark grey/black parkerized finish. The M7 bayonet NSN is NSN 1095-00-017-9701. The initial contractor was Bauer Ord Company. Colt (manufacturer of the M16) and Ontario Knife Company made many of the M7 bayonets for the military and continue to make and sell them commercially. Other manufacturers included Carl Eickhorn
or Colt Or or OR may refer to: Arts and entertainment Film and television * "O.R.", a 1974 episode of M*A*S*H * Or (My Treasure), a 2004 movie from Israel (''Or'' means "light" in Hebrew) Music * ''Or'' (album), a 2002 album by Golden Boy with Miss ...
Columbus Milpar & Mfg. (MIL-PAR), Conetta Mfg., Frazier Mfg., General Cutlery (GEN CUT), and Imperial Knife. The M7 was also manufactured in Canada,
West Germany West Germany is the colloquial term used to indicate the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG; german: Bundesrepublik Deutschland , BRD) between its formation on 23 May 1949 and the German reunification through the accession of East Germany on 3 ...
, the
Philippines The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Republika kan Filipinas * ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas * cbk, República de Filipinas * hil, Republ ...
,
Singapore Singapore (), officially the Republic of Singapore, is a sovereign island country and city-state in maritime Southeast Asia. It lies about one degree of latitude () north of the equator, off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, bor ...
, Israel, South Korea and Australia. The M7 has been partially replaced by the
M9 bayonet The M9 Bayonet, officially known as the M9 Phrobis III, is a multi-purpose knife and bayonet officially adopted in 1986 by the United States. It has a blade and is issued with a sheath designed to double as a wire cutter. History The M9 bayon ...
in Army service, and the
Marine Corps Marines, or naval infantry, are typically a military force trained to operate in littoral zones in support of naval operations. Historically, tasks undertaken by marines have included helping maintain discipline and order aboard the ship (refl ...
replaced it with the OKC-3S bayonet. The Army, Navy, and USAF still use M7s and may do so for years to come.


M8 and M8A1 Scabbard

There are two variations of this scabbard, both with an olive drab fiberglass body with steel throat. The early version M8 scabbard only a had a belt loop and lacked the double hook that earlier bayonet scabbards had for attaching to load carrying equipment such as the M1910 Haversack. The improved M8A1 scabbard manufactured later in WW II has the M1910 bent wire hook. The scabbard throat flange is stamped "US M8" or "US M8A1" on the flat steel part along with manufacturer initials. Some M8 scabbards were later modified by adding the M1910 hook. Later M8A1 scabbards were manufactured with a modified extended tab on the web hanger to provide more clearance for the M5 bayonet which rubbed against the wider bayonet handle.http://www.usmilitaryknives.com/bayo_points_18.htm This sheath is correct for all post-war US bayonets including the M4, M5, M6, and M7. It was also used with the
M3 fighting knife The M3 trench knife or M3 fighting knife was an American military combat knife first issued in March 1943. The M3 was originally designated for issue to soldiers not otherwise equipped with a bayonet.Trzaska, Frank, (1996), U.S. Fighting Knives ...
.


Exploded view


See also

*
FN FNC The FNC (french: Fabrique Nationale Carabine) is a 5.56×45mm NATO assault rifle developed by the Belgian arms manufacturer FN Herstal and introduced in the late 1970s. Development The FNC was developed between 1975–1977 for NATO standardiza ...
*
M3 fighting knife The M3 trench knife or M3 fighting knife was an American military combat knife first issued in March 1943. The M3 was originally designated for issue to soldiers not otherwise equipped with a bayonet.Trzaska, Frank, (1996), U.S. Fighting Knives ...
*
M4 bayonet The M4 bayonet was introduced in 1944 for use with the M1 carbine. It was built on the M3 fighting knife. Description The M4 bayonet, like the M3 fighting knife that preceded it, was designed for rapid production using a minimum of strategic met ...
used by the
M1 carbine The M1 carbine (formally the United States Carbine, Caliber .30, M1) is a lightweight semi-automatic carbine that was a standard firearm for the U.S. military during World War II, the Korean War and the Vietnam War. The M1 carbine was produced ...
* M5 bayonet used by the
M1 Garand The M1 Garand or M1 rifleOfficially designated as U.S. rifle, caliber .30, M1, later simply called Rifle, Caliber .30, M1, also called US Rifle, Cal. .30, M1 is a semi-automatic rifle that was the service rifle of the U.S Army during World W ...
* M6 bayonet used by the
M14 rifle The M14 rifle, officially the United States Rifle, Caliber 7.62 mm, M14, is an American selective fire battle rifle chambered for the 7.62×51mm NATO (.308 in) cartridge. It became the standard-issue rifle for the U.S. military in 1959, r ...
*
M9 bayonet The M9 Bayonet, officially known as the M9 Phrobis III, is a multi-purpose knife and bayonet officially adopted in 1986 by the United States. It has a blade and is issued with a sheath designed to double as a wire cutter. History The M9 bayon ...
used by the
M16 rifle The M16 rifle (officially designated Rifle, Caliber 5.56 mm, M16) is a family of military rifles adapted from the ArmaLite AR-15 rifle for the United States military. The original M16 rifle was a 5.56×45mm automatic rifle with a 20-r ...
and
M4 carbine The M4 carbine (officially Carbine, Caliber 5.56 mm, M4) is a 5.56×45mm NATO, gas-operated, magazine-fed carbine developed in the United States during the 1980s. It is a shortened version of the M16A2 assault rifle. The M4 is extensive ...
*
List of individual weapons of the U.S. Armed Forces This is a list of weapons served individually by the United States armed forces. While the general understanding is that crew-served weapons require more than one person to operate them, there are important exceptions in the case of both squad a ...


References

{{reflist


External links


M7 Bayonet
Bayonets of the United States Military equipment introduced in the 1960s