| Pictures (click to enlarge) |
Type | Description | Blade Length |
Overall Length |
Muzzle |
Markings | |||
| in. | mm. | in. | mm. | in. | mm. | ||||
     |
M1912 | Knife bayonet for use on the 7 mm. Colombian M1912 Mauser rifles.
Colombia purchased M1912 long (infantry) and short rifles from Steyr in Austria, both of which used this bayonet. According to Steyr records, 18,500 M1912 rifles were produced for Colombia during the 1912/13 and 1913/14 fiscal years. However, it is possible that not all were delivered to Colombia before outbreak of the First World War ended Steyr's export shipments. This example has been reworked in Colombia, as evidenced by the grip screwbolts and F-prefix serial number. When originally-produced by Steyr, the grips were secured by rivets with washers. |
10.00 | 250 | 15.00 | 380 | .610 | 15.5 | Ricasso: "OE" over "WG"
Pommel: "F 22910" |
       |
VZ-24 |
Knife bayonet for use on the 7 mm. Mauser VZ–24 Short Rifle used by Colombia. This bayonet was also used on the 7 mm. Mauser rifles Colombia purchased from FN and Steyr; and, the .30–06 caliber Mauser rifles Colombia used during the post-War years.
Colombia purchased VZ–24 rifles and bayonets in 1929 and 1937, from Československá zbrojovka a.s., Brno. A total of 10,000 are believed to have been produced. The bayonet is a standard VZ–24 type, with the inverted blade profile. The scabbard has the standard VZ–24 D–shaped throatpiece, but differs from most VZ–24 scabbards by having an oval frog stud. In the 1950s, Colombia reworked their 7 mm. Mauser rifles into clones of the FN .30–06 caliber M1950 Short Rifle. The reworked rifles were given new F–prefix serial numbers to indicate rework at the State military factory, Fabrica Material de Guerra (FAMAGE), in Bogota. The bayonet and scabbard serial numbers are only 26 digits apart. |
11.75 | 300 | 17.00 |
432 | .615 |
15.6 | Ricasso: "CSZ" over "I"
Pommel: "F" over "23428" Scabbard (frog stud): "F" over "23454" |
      |
M1912–34 | Sword bayonet for use with the 7 mm. Steyr-Solothurn M1912–34 Short Rifle.
10,000 M1912–34 short rifles were made in 1934 for Colombia. Steyr had to partner with the Swiss firm Solothurn in order to get around arms export restrictions imposed by the 1919 Treaty of Saint-Germain-en-Laye that concluded Austria's participation in the First World War. The distinctive "34– " serial number prefix is unique to these rifles and bayonets. The bayonet also carries the distinctive "R. de C." (Republic of Colombia) marking. This example was gifted by WA collector Scot Sherbert. |
11.75 | 300 | 17.00 | 432 | .610 | 15.5 | Crosspiece (right): "R. de C."
Crosspiece (left): "34–7245" Pommel: "9889" |
       |
M1912 Modified for FN Model 1949 | Colombian M1912 knife bayonet modified for use on the .30-06 caliber Fabrique Nationale (FN) Model 1949 self-loading rifle.
The bayonet has been modified by carefully reaming out the muzzle ring, enabling the bayonet's use on the FN Model 1949 rifle. As shown in this comparison image, this leaves the muzzle ring thin, but serviceable. The bayonet was subsequently blued. The scabbard is Colombian-refurbished, with a neatly-brazed repair on one side. The throatpiece is unusually thick. According to Wayne Johnson's 2019 revised and expanded second edition of his book, The FN-49, Colombia received 1,000 FN Model 1949 rifles and double-edged M1949 bayonets from FN in 1952. The book has a ca. 1959 image of Colombian guard troops parading with Mauser bayonets on their Model 1949 rifles. |
9.8125 | 250 | 15.00 | 380 | .720 | 18.3 | Ricasso: "OE" over "WG"
Pommel: "06401 Scabbard (frog stud): "F" over "00304" |
     |
Madsen M58 | Knife bayonet for use with the .30-06 caliber Madsen Lightweight Military Rifle Model 1947, designated M58 by Colombia.
The Danish Madsen was the last newly-designed bolt-action infantry rifle. Obsolescent by the time it was brought to market in 1951, the rifle included a muzzle brake and rubber buttplate to manage recoil and a windage-adjustable aperture rear sight. It also included a sling patterned on the U.S. M1907 and this unique double-edged knife bayonet as shown in this marketing brochure. The only manufacturing contract was with Colombia in 1958 for production of approximately 6,500 rifles (reported serial numbers range from 0013 to 6493). The majority were placed in storage and surplussed without having ever been issued. The bayonet is a simple design, with the hilt and sheet steel scabbard painted black and the blade left in the white. |
8.187 | 208 | 12.562 | 319 | .610 | 15.5 | Ricasso (right): "6395" |
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