Japanese bayonet/fighting knife...opinion

[harley guy]

this is a knife /bayonet i got some years back...its not a cut down but it does appear to have been worked where a muzzle ring and straight guard were...the blade is 6 3/4" long and the scabbard is 8 1/4" long...any opinions? ...thnx

[harley guy]

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[harley guy]

pic 3

[harley guy]

pic 4

[harley guy]

pic5

[zachb]

This has all the appearance of a cut down TALW variation K (LB-144). How the fuller does not extend to the end of the blade I know not. How thin is the tip of the blade.

Can you take a picture of the Series and serial number on the pommel?

TALW did in fact make the test Type 1 (for use by paratroopers, etc.) but it does not look like the one you have potographed. Also, there has been a proliferation of fakes of the Test Type 1 of late both on the show circuit and Ebay.

Zach

[harley guy]

here is the end 346036

[Jareth]

Hard to say who did the modification & when but in my opinion these are usually G.I. done.

[mcmike]

So how did they shorten the scabbard? Or is that a stupid question?

[Jareth]

Mike, that's super easy! Just remove band with single screw, hack saw, file or sand, etc & reattachband after drilling new pilot hole. Once band is installed it completely covers up area. Can't even tell it was cut down.

[mcmike]

Yeah, uh, I knew that.

[zachb]

My theory is that this bayonet was cut down fairly recently, fullered, and then blued.

Your bayonet is a 107th series. As far as I know all TALW 107th series bayonets (LB-145/A) left the factory with unfullered blades. That is to say this bayonet started out as a later unfullered TALW. Also, looking at the rivets again I noticed they are smaller than the last run of TALW fullered bladed bayonets. A GI is not going to cut down an unfullered bladed Japanese bayonet and go to the trouble of putting a groove on it. It also appears that this groove is non-factory because of its orientation to the ricasso.

People out there have been aware for some time that TALW made the so called paratrooper bayonet and have been producing all manner of imitations to capitalize (or changing another bayonet's characteristics as is the case here). It took me a minute to figure out how this one was done.

[Jareth]

Zach they are also found with fullered blades (JB 102 & LB -144)

[speedy101]

You see these cut down bayonet/knives pretty often most of them are GI. made. I have a fairly early cut down Tokyo Arsenal bayonet that my dad carried in the Philippines that has the hook hilt and muzzle ring cut off like that the blade on mine is about the same length the only difference is the point on mine has been worked down double edge. I'll try to post a photo of it a little later today.

[speedy101]

This is the one carried by my dad in the Philippine Islands, He said at one time it had a native hand made leather scabbard but it rotted in the tropical conditions. He told me he used it often to open C ration cans to keep from ruining the blade on his good knife.