French M1866 Chassepot Bayonet – St. Etienne 1873 . BAYO507

French M1866 Chassepot Sword Bayonet. Matching numbers on bayonet and scabbard “P 94673”. Marker marked manufactured in the imperial armory of St. Etienne and dated May 1873 on back edge (spine) of blade. Brass hilt with a spring steel latching arrangement. The cross guard is iron and has a screw-type tightening arrangement on the muzzle-ring. The lower quillon is a hooked type. Scabbard is heavily worn. The blade is steel, single-edged, fullered on both sides, with a re-curved or “yataghan” shape. Blade with much wear, greying, and use. Blade length approximately 22 inches. Very worn condition.   Additional Notes: The French Chassepot Bayonet is one of the most widely copied designs of all the sword type bayonets. Countries such as the United States, Egypt, Belgium, and Argentina have manufactured or used very similar bayonets. The French model was designed to fit on the French M1866 Chassepot Rifled Infantry Musket. It was manufactured from 1866 to about 1874 and was replaced by the French Model 1874 “Gras” Bayonet. The Chassepot bayonet is brass hilted with a spring steel latching arrangement on the right side. The cross guard is iron (steel) and has a screw-type tightening arrangement on the muzzle-ring. The lower quillon is a hooked type. The blade is steel, single-edged, fullered (both sides), with a re-curved or “yataghan” shape. The blades are usually marked on the back-edge (spine) with the arsenal, month, and year of manufacture; this is done in engraved cursive fashion and will appear something like, “Mre d’ Armes de Chatellerault Janvier 1866” or perhaps “Mre d’ Armes de St. Etienne 8bre 1868”.  Arsenals encountered may be such as Chatellerault, Mutzig, St. Etienne, Paris-Oudry, Tulle, and perhaps Steyr. The scabbards are usually blued sheet-rolled steel with a ball finial. The Chassepot bayonets replaced the French Model 1842 Sword Bayonet and, in turn, were replaced by the French Model 1874 “Gras” Bayonet.   See Additional Information for shipping dimension.