Greg Posted October 11, 2008 Share Posted October 11, 2008 Was in the shop today and Kenny was kind enough to part with a very nice Austrian bayonet. I can now happily fill in some details regarding it that were unknown before I hit the books... The bayonet is an Austrian Model 1895 Mannlicher Carbine. The M1895 bayonet is very common and has plenty of variations. The Carbine one is unique because a sight is attached to the top of the muzzle ring. The sight in this case is adjustable. The Carbines were usually issued to Cavalry, which I believe is the case here because the pommel markings denote the unit issued to which I *think* is a cavalry unit. I need to check this with a few other collectors though. It nicely fills in another corner of my Austrian collection. For those learning to collected bayonets, Austrian bayonets are as easy to find as German bayonets, often have similar histories because of the Germany/Austria alliances and usually are MUCH cheaper than German bayonets. There are also dozens of small variations in design to track down. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kenny Andrew Posted October 11, 2008 Share Posted October 11, 2008 It was good to see you today Greg and for you to identify the strange muzzle ring was actually a sight! So the question is ,is it a rare one? Hopefully it is and you got a bargain , I made my profit and am happy , just interested in case I get another 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greg Posted October 11, 2008 Author Share Posted October 11, 2008 It was good to see you today Greg and for you to identify the strange muzzle ring was actually a sight! So the question is ,is it a rare one? Hopefully it is and you got a bargain , I made my profit and am happy , just interested in case I get another Price is about right, for honest collecting. Yes I have seen these sold at INSANE prices because it is a variant but only a real idiot would purchase at them. The sights are more desirable, an adjustable is neat because it could be set based on range and firing while riding a horse. There is a variant with a larger sight that screws on top of the muzzle ring, those are very sought after because they are always cavalry issue. This one may and may not be, it also is standard issue and not for an officer as it lacks a quillion and/or a metal lanyard loop attached at the pommel. A fellow collector has a 3J marked pommel he states is cavalry. This being a 2J could be one unit down but I am still unsure, the BCN will better tell me this. In terms of rarity, for type of bayonet I give it a 3.5 on a 5.0 scale. However Austrian stuff is common and fun to collect, I'm pursuing it now since German stuff is just insane unless I source it from the source at the moment. In condition it is excellent near museum quality condition so I am very happy since Austrian bayonets come in only 2 conditions... perfect and crap... oddly enough. I'm always happy to bring such items into the family You find any more Austrian stuff, just let me know. I've been after a Werndl Yataghan for a while but the one in the shop is not in a condition I'm much interested in. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kenny Andrew Posted October 11, 2008 Share Posted October 11, 2008 Excellent Greg, I'm pleased your happy with it , of course you will get first crack at any Austrian ones which come in , that's the benefit of being on the forum. I didn't notice the sight was adjustable, looked fixed to me , how does that work? looked like it was all in one piece ,or was I just not looking closely enough? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greg Posted October 12, 2008 Author Share Posted October 12, 2008 Ar first glance it does looked attached, but the sight is actually a small metal bit that is slid into a machined rail (has some dirt in it so hard to notice this). It could be adjusted with what I assume would be the rifle tool which could grip it and slide it left or right or take it out. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kenny Andrew Posted October 12, 2008 Share Posted October 12, 2008 that's a cool bayonet, I'm glad you got it 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greg Posted October 13, 2008 Author Share Posted October 13, 2008 Confirmed... M1895 S lion 7 marked piece is correct marked for Olomouc divisional depot and unit marking is 2.Cavalry Regiment located to Olomouc , North Moravia If we break ALL the marks down... the bayonet is an Austrian M1898 Cavalry bayonet but then had a fun re-issued life we can track. On the side of the pommel is marked S [lion] 7 18 This means is was reissued to Czechoslovakia, Olomouc divisional depot (7th division) in 1918... meaning the 1st year of the Czech army! From the rear mark, J means Cavalry and 2 means 2nd Regiment.... the number 1172 after this is the bayonet number in the divisional stock and would match a carbine. Woohoo!!! Now it REALLY is a great find bc it can be pinpointed to a specific barracks and everything! This is not always possible, even with marked weapons. Never assume just because an item is unit marked makes it rare or desirable. But in this case it is a very very nice find! Ain't bayonets fun? Thanks Kenny! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kenny Andrew Posted October 14, 2008 Share Posted October 14, 2008 Excellent Greg, I'm happy you got it, and were able to trace the exact history of it, you should post a pic of it 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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