Trapdoor Bayonets

[wsfbernie]

Since the books, has anyone figured out how to tell which bayonet was the early fully manufactured at Springfield type and which ones were re-swaged from Civil War donors?
I have several varieties. The nicest has just the US logo (from DGW in the 70's). Others have
the small Springfield "S" below the US. All, of course, are nicely blued (or, browned to the
purists). Thanks!:hello:

[Dick Hosmer]

Off the top of my head, no, and, if I recall correctly (will have to check) OM22 - 1877 - still describes MAKING bayonets from raw steel. The only possible clue might be a pair of opposing longitudinal stress hairlines from the squishing process - which apparently was not just simple "self-contained" swaging, as I've read somewhere of "grinding off the fins". Apparently the reduction was so severe that the surplus metal had to bleed out of the dies. I'm guessing that if any such marks were visible they might be more so on the inside. I don't have a lot of bayonets, and do not have even one that I can definitely say yes or no.

[wsfbernie]

Dick, your comments make sense. Taking them one step further, I'll get out my loupe and
start checking for some sort of a "sprue" line that would be parallel on each side. Yes, it seems
that reduction from .58 OD to .45 OD would cause extrusion of excess metal. If finely polished,
as so much precisional Springfield work was, wouldn't the lines be removed before browning
(bluing)?