This is an unusual variation of the U.S. M7 bayonet-knife, with no lower crosspiece. This was done to allow use on the West German Heckler & Koch G3 assault rifle, in addition to the M-16.  On the G3, the bayonet is fixed inverted, above the barrel, and the typical M7 lower crosspiece would block the sight picture if not eliminated.

This example was made 1975-76 by Carl Eickhorn Waffenfabrik AG of Solingen, West Germany, under license from Colt. Carl Eickhorn's total 1970s production of Colt M7 bayonets was approximately 80,000, only a portion of which had the abbreviated crosspiece, making this a fairly scarce piece. These are not to be confused with the 1990s A. Eickhorn-Solingen commercial M7 bayonets, bearing the "Large C" Colt logo.

This scabbard was made in the 1990s by A. Eickhorn-Solingen and is not original to the bayonet. The scabbard differs from the U.S. version in that the metal parts are blued, rather than parkerized; and, the lower is made of molded plastic without a metal tip. Note how large the tie hole in the tip is, compared to a U.S.-made scabbard.

22.4

Blade: Colt  'rampant horse' logo, followed by "Colt's 62316," Hartford, Conn USA", Made in W. Germany."

Crosspiece:  "US M7"

Scabbard:  "U.S. M8A1" over "Germany"

This example was made by A. Eickhorn-Solingen, GMBH in the late 1970s. AES was the successor to Carl Eickhorn, following it's bankruptcy in 1976. It differs from the U.S. M7 bayonet in having a removable pommel and one-piece grip (note the absence of grip screws).

The wear pattern on this example is consistent with military use, so this was not simply a commercial piece. During the 1970s, Eickhorn made M7 bayonets for many countries, including indonesia. The absence of a US M1910-style wire belt hanger indicates this example was made for wear on a plain belt. Hopefully, further research will reveal which country used this example.

The scabbard on this example is unmarked, but is identical to 1970s Carl Eickhorn-made scabbards. The original scabbard for the Colt-contract M7 bayonet above, would have been identical to this example, except the scabbard throat would have been marked "M8A1" and the webbing would have included the U.S. M1910 wire belt hanger.

Knife bayonet for use on the West German Heckler & Koch G-3 assault rifle. The blade is patterned after the U.S. M4 bayonet, however the crosspiece is much more substantial and the grip is a typical G-3 pattern.

The scabbard is patterned after the U.S. M8A1, but with a woodgrain colored plastic body.  The web frog terminates in a belt loop, rather than the wire hanger typical of U.S.-made scabbards.

According to noted collector/author Jim Maddox, this was the original G3 bayonet, from which many other variations followed.

Knife bayonet for the East German variant of the Kalashnikov AK-47 assault rifle. Fullered blade and unusual grip with partial muzzle ring at rear.

The reason for the unusual grip and second partial muzzle ring was that the bayonet was an afterthought, the AK-47 not being initially designed to accept a bayonet.

Scabbard has integral web frog.

Go to the Kalashnikov Bayonets page.

Knife bayonet for use with the East German variant of the Kalashnikov AKM assault rifle.

Black plastic grip.  Black steel Type I scabbard with a black rubber insulator. Gray leather belt hanger and gray web wrist strap. The leather belt hanger is 3.75 in. (95 mm.) long.

A copy of the Russian 6X3 bayonet, it was produced by East Germany from 1965-1978. This example has seen considerable service.

Go to the Kalashnikov Bayonets page.

Crosspiece (left): "Z3486" (electro-engraved)

Crosspiece (right): "K100" (inside a rectangle)

Mortise: "0722" (electro-engraved)

Scabbard (insulator): "5996"

Knife bayonet for use with the East German variant of the Kalashnikov AKM assault rifle.

Black plastic grip.  Black plastic Type II scabbard with a gray leather belt hanger.  Gray web wrist strap. The leather belt hanger on early Type II scabbards is 3.625 in. long.

This represents a transition between the AKM Type I and Type II bayonets, mating the Type I bayonet with the Type II scabbard. Only East Germany and Russia did so. The Type I Transitional bayonet was produced by East Germany from 1979-1985.

Go to the Kalashnikov Bayonets page.

Knife bayonet for use with the East German variant of the Kalashnikov AKM assault rifle.

Black plastic grip.  Black plastic scabbard with a gray leather belt hanger. Gray web wrist strap. The leather belt hanger on late Type II scabbards is 4.75 in. long, noticeably longer than the belt hanger used on Type I and Type I Transitional scabbards.

A copy of the Russian 6X4 bayonet, the Type II bayonet was produced by East Germany from 1985-1987, when the AK-74 bayonet was to be introduced. This never occurred, due to east-west reunification. The blade exhibits arced tool marks common to East German bayonets in the last years before reunification.

Go to the Kalashnikov Bayonets page.