Question 133 - What is this? A - Split Socket Bayonet

[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Looks like a Split Socket Bayonet to me.


The Socket Bayonet[/FONT] [FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]The socket bayonet first appears in the ranks of the French army in the 1670’s and afterwards came into general use throughout Europe. The standard form of the socket bayonet comprised a short steel tube 3-4 inches long fitting over the barrel of the musket on to which was welded a steel blade. The socket is then locked on to the muzzle by means of a "zig-zag" slot which engages with the foresight stud. This innovation would now allow the musket to be fired and reloaded without removing the bayonet. [/FONT]
Socketattach02.jpg

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[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Initially, many fanciful knife and sword type blades were attached to the socket, until around 1715 when the familiar triangular section blades were introduced as the new standard pattern.
At the start 18th Century there still seemed to be very little uniformity in the weapons carried by the common soldier and the external diameter of musket barrels could vary greatly. In the days of the plug-bayonet this was not a problem as the tapering handle meant that "one size fits all". However, in order to fit, the socket bayonet had to be matched more accurately to the barrel diameter. [/FONT]

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SplitSocket02.jpg
[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif] An early remedy to this was the split-socket bayonet where a
longitudinal split was made down the socket allowing the
diameter to be adjusted to fit any barrel. This must have reduced
the structural strength of the weapon considerably and they
appear to have had a relatively short life, possibly due in Britain
to the introduction of the more uniform "Brown Bess" musket as
the standard issue weapon of the British soldier from c.1725.[/FONT]

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