Original British No. 7 Mk. I/L Swivel Pommel Bayonet Fighting Knife by Elkington with Scabbard Original Items

Original Item: Only One Available. This is absolutely original, never a common bayonet but now extremely rare. This interesting bayonet was intended for use with the Standard Enfield No.4 Service Rifle and the Mark 5 Sten Sub Machine gun. It is Broad Arrow marked and maker coded M/78 on the blade ricasso and on the pommel, which is the dispersal code for Elkington & Co. Ltd., Birmingham. The reverse ricasso is marked with No7 MK 1/L, for bayonet number seven, mark one, land service.

The No.7 is one of Company Director Christian Cranmer’s favorite bayonets, both for it’s attractive looks, and its embodiment of the adage “that a camel is a horse, as designed by committee.” It was designed to replace the much maligned No.4 Spike bayonet with a new design that featured the popular “Bowie” blade of the No.5 Jungle Carbine bayonet. It would additionally also be able to function as a fighting knife.  While it met those requirements in an ingenious way, it proved to be cumbersome in practice, and was only ever used for ceremonial purposes.

The bayonet itself has a 7 3/4 inch bright steel “bowie” style clip-point blade, with a wide fuller running down each side, as also seen on the No.5 and No.9 bayonets, with an overall length of 12 1/4 inches. It features grip scales made of a resin impregnated cloth composite, Paxolin, with deep finger grooves to make it function better as a fighting knife. The bayonet is mounted on a rotating pommel, which enabled it to be mounted to the front of the gun. The large barrel ring did not actually fit over the barrel at all, and was intended as a cross guard, albeit one that would not impede firing. Comes complete with a correct steel-throated scabbard, which is phosphate finished, like the bayonet itself.

Always scarce but now very rare to find, especially in this truly excellent near Mint condition. Ready to Display.