1886 FRENCH LEBEL BAYONET AND SCABBARD
A very good original, very early M1886 Lebel Bayonet that was produced for the French Army when they adopted the repeating rifle.
The bayonet was made famous as the bayonet used by the French Foreign Legion, although it was still used in WWI and WWII, albeit with several modifications. The bayonet was produced with a long cruciform blade on a white alloy hilt. The crossguard had a downswept quillon and had a press button. The first models had the blade fused to the hilt. This was soon changed to allow the bayonet to be stripped down to clean. Later the press button was changed for an easier to manufacture tab. The quillons were found to get entangled, so were mostly cut off. Later the blade was also shortened.
This example is one that had the quillon period armoury removed and comes with its original scabbard and is in very good condition
Size: 65 cm (25 1/2 inches)
Blade Length: 51.5 cm (20 1/4 inches)