Bayonets as Survival Knives?

[Dionysusigma]

There're probably a million and a half threads out there about "which survival knife for me?" and "which for under X dollars?"

I was thinking the other day about getting yet another bayonet I really don't need (a Swedish 1896), and someone made the comment of "if you find a rubber plug, or a cork even, for that handle you'd have a dandy survival knife."

Now this got me thinking. I've seen a lot of bayonets out there, as I'm sure y'all have as well. A lot of them have really good steel, and if done right, will take and hold an edge. I had a Czech Mauser bayo (long since given to my brother) that was nearly razor-ish, and currently have a Sig PE-57 bayo that is a heck of a dagger. It's strong as heck, retains its edge, and (let's face it) looks cool.

There are other, more commonly available bayonets out there, though. Take the CETME, for example. Local shops are selling them for $11 a piece with scabbard as "dandelion diggers." Would they work well? How about others?

Not wanting to confuse these with reproductions, as originals were quite well made. Even in their stock configuration (plus an edge) true bayonets from back in the day would hold up to abuse better than most Buck knives I've seen. Might be overly long, but cutting down the more common ones (like the CETME) wouldn't be difficult.

Or is what I'm suggesting akin to Bubba-izing an M1903A4?

 

[Pax Jordana]

utting down the more common ones (like the CETME) wouldn't be difficult.

seen it

I've oft wondered that myself. I say, go for it. They're already setup to be spear points.. And they're on the cheap too!

 

[Valkman]

How do you know it's good steel? If it is and you cut it down, be careful not to get it too hot. If a dark spot appears you ruined the heat treat. Then if it's carbon steel it should be easy to re-heat treat.

But if it works, go for it!

 

[alucard0822]

the newest M-16 bayonette M9 is designed to be a survival knife, it has a saw on the back, made out of 440 stainless, and clips onto the bottom of the frog to cut wire.

http://www.midwayusa.com/eproductpage.exe/showproduct?saleitemid=817149

 

[hso]

bayo's don't make good "survival knives". Weren't designed to be.

 

[Boom-stick]

bayo's don't make good "survival knives". Weren't designed to be.

But they sure look cool strapped to the front end of your ruger 10/22


BTW, I think the extrema ratio bayonet could pull off being a survival knife if needed?

 

[justsurvivingincalifornia]

I have to recommend the time test K-Bar knife last time I checked sell for around 50$.

Yes you can use a bayonet for a stabbing weapon but try to use it for something like dressing an animal or cleaning a fish.

 

[Joe Demko]

bayo's don't make good "survival knives". Weren't designed to be.
__________________

Except for those puukko-shaped ones Fiskars made for the Valmet. Those were some sweet survival knives that were only incidentally a bayonet.

 

[JShirley]

Yeppers. I've seen a few (older sword-style bayonets) that I thought might make a good "fighting knife", but not good survival blades. The blade shape is usually completely wrong for versatility.

 

[coelacanth]

I've seen a couple that have been worked on. . . . .

over the years and the result is generally disappointing. The steel is generally a fairly soft temper for a proper knife because a nobody wants their bayonet to snap off halfway down the blade during hard use. The blade profile is usually wrong for much the same reason. Hard to get anything but a chopping edge on the blade and even then they are too soft to keep it for long. The handles are also a bit of a problem because they invariably incorporate some type of locking device to affix them to the end of the rifle. This makes the handles something less than ergonomically correct and it really shows when you try to perform some sort of actual cutting task with them. If you want to try modifying an existing blade to make your general purpose survival knife I recommend starting with one of the inexpensive machetes made by Tramontina in Brazil or Argentina. They can usually be found in most hardware stores for less than $20.00 and are actually tempered fairly well for use as a knife. You can change the blade shape with a hacksaw and file and modify the handle to fit your hand using those same tools. There are some kitchen knives that work well in that role as well. Large, heavy bladed commercial butcher knives and boning knives can usually be used as is for many survival oriented tasks and making a sheath for one is pretty simple. Look for these knives at garage sales, flea markets, pawn shops, thrift stores etc.. Good luck - hope this was helpful.

 

[bannockburn]

A number of years back my brother gave me 3 or 4 German made bayonets for the M1 and M16. Very nice quality, and since I really didn't need so many extra bayonets, I decided to make them into knives by cutting away the barrel ring, recontouring the guard, and then cold bluing it. Turned out really nice, and while I wouldn't consider the spear point blade as an ideal choice as a survival blade, it does make for decent, no frills fighting knife.

 

[ReadyontheRight]

Better than no knife at all. $11. Sounds like a great, inexpensive idea to keep one stowed away in a car trunk, snowmobile, boat, etc. You might not always remember your "nice" blade, or a spouse of family member could use it if stranded.