WW2 United Fork and Hoe AFH M1 bayonet dated 1942; later refurbished by AFH, scarce brown grips type; original M7 scabbard

Description WW2 1942 UFH M1 bayonet later cut-down and re-worked by American Fork & Hoe (AFH), brown handle grips, orig M7 composition scabbard. Scarce type in very good overall condition, considering the age. Original WW2 era M1 bayonet for US Garand which was originally manufactured in 1942 by United United Fork and Hoe – ricasso is marked UFH / US / flaming bomb / 1942 on one side, a weak old-style round “crossed cannons” cartouche stamp on the other. This is the former 16-inch blade M1905 specimen that was later cut-down to about 10″ blade by American Fork & Hoe (the handle is marked AFH on the spine). This re-manufacturing was done on a massive scale; the majority of newly-produced and older M1905 bayonets were cut-down to the new M1942/M1 10-inch blade length standard.  See a photo of a couple of infantrymen with this exact type M1 bayonets attached to their M1 Garands; the photo was taken during the June 1944 invasion of Normandy (photo s for a reference only and is not included with this lot). Also, this is a very rare “brown grips” type specimen – just a tiny batch of WW2 grips came in brown plastic; most were made as standard-issue black plastic (phenol-formaldehyde resin similar to Bakelite) – a nice find!  Brown grips were made from an earlier type of plastic (commonly called CAB) that wasn’t resistant to the solvents the army was using in the field, so the production of the CAB plastic grips was quickly discontinued. Only about 100,000 brown CAB grips were made in total; most were lost to the use and abuse in the field. “Brown-grips” bayonets were manufactured for about a month; a rare find these days. This M1 is about 14-1/2″ / 36.8 cm overall; the blade is about 9-7/8″ / 25 cm; the tip is intact. The bayonet release mechanism is excellent and 100% functional; brown plastic handle grips are in great shape with just a few contact marks; all parts are tight with no play. Original WW2 era M7 composition scabbard was manufactured by Victory Plastics. The throat is marked with US “flaming-bomb” ordinance mark on the throat; the throat’s underside plate is stamped B¼M. No cracks on the plastic; this scabbard is in 100% serviceable condition still. Overall, this original United Fork & Hoe WW2 UFH M1 bayonet is in excellent 100% functional condition; this type is scarce in better grades as most were used as intended. This WW2 UFH M1 bayonet is not cleaned or tampered with in any way, it is in 100% original “as is” condition. These are the actual photos; Garand clips are not included with the bayonet �� For collectible knives and edged weapons Argo CC accepts payments via credit cards, personal checks drawn from US-based accounts, certified US-based bank checks, and money orders. Take a look at the Payments section within our Terms and Conditions for mailing instructions and additional details. Please email me at [email protected] if you would like to make a credit card purchase over the phone. Follow me on Facebook @argoman400BC to keep an eye on the latest additions and promotions.  USPS PRIORITY MAIL SHIPPING WITHIN THE U.S. WILL BE $19.95 FOR THIS ITEM International shipping for this item will be $93 and up to most countries on our “ship-to” list.