Pictures
(click to enlarge)
Type Description Blade
Length
Overall
Length

Muzzle
Ring
Diameter

Markings
      in. mm. in. mm. in. mm.  
VZ-23 Long
Sword bayonet that accompanied Czech-manufactured Persian-contract M1898/29 8 mm. Mauser rifles in the early 1930s.  These were some of the finest Mauser military rifles ever produced.

Unlike bayonets made for the Czech Army and other Eastern European countries, this example has a conventional blade profile.

The scabbard has a French-style frog loop, rather than a conventional frog stud. A tiny Circle-Z export mark is visible on the scabbard body (see last image at left).

15.75
400
21.00
533
.610
15.5
Pommel:  "9926 ?" in Farsi (? is a Farsi character. I just don't know what it means).

Scabbard: Circle-Z.

G3 Knife bayonet for use on the 7.62 mm. NATO caliber Heckler & Koch G3 assault rifle.

A clone of the West German G3 bayonet, the Iranian variant has a longer double-edged blade and a green plastic grip. The blade profile is reminiscent of the Serbian M1899 bayonet. The crudely-made scabbard is steel with a frog stud. The scabbard body is constructed of two halves of stamped sheet steel welded together. The throatpiece is spot-welded in place. The crudeness and construction methods suggest Iranian manufacture.

In his excellent article on G3 bayonets, British author R.D.C. Evans indicates that G3 rifles and bayonets were initially procured from West Germany; then were made in Iran.

Iran adopted the G3 rifle in 1971. It continued in production well into the Islamic Republic period. The G3 has been supplemented by AKM variants and clones of the Chinese clone of the U.S. M-16 (go figure). The smorgasbord of 7.62 mm. NATO, 7.62 mm. Soviet, and 5.56 mm. NATO caliber rifles would be a logistical nightmare, should Iranian forces ever have to conduct large-scale operations.

This example has seen very hard use. It was found in Iraq after the 2003 invasion that toppled the government of Saddam Hussien. Quantities of Iranian G3 rifles and bayonets have been captured in Iraq, suggesting that they were likely smuggled into Iraq for use during the post-invasion insurgency.

8.75 222 14.375 365 .875 22.2 None.
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© Ralph E. Cobb 2010 All Rights Reserved        
Click here for help with deciphering Persian numerals
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