Collins & Co Sharps Rifle Socket Bayonet
- Product Code: EWB-2223-SOLD
- Availability: Out Of Stock
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$0.00
This is a VERY GOOD condition example of a scarce socket bayonet produced by the firm of Collins & Company for use on the M-1859 and M-1863 Sharps Infantry Rifle (Reilly B-107). These blades of these socket bayonets were unmarked but the socket was normally marked on the reverse with the C & Co maker’s mark. The obverse side of the socket or shank is often marked with a single inspector’s initial. To the casual observer, the bayonet appears to be a standard US M-1855/70 .58 caliber bayonet, but the lack of blade markings and the Collins & Company mark on the socket, in conjunction with the single sub-inspection mark, help to identify this as a Sharps rifle bayonet. The most important features that make this a Sharps bayonet are the taller bridge at the rear of the socket (which is necessary to clear the tall rifle front site) and the socket diameter of .817” versus the standard M-1855 socket diameter of .783”.
The bayonet offered here is in about VERY GOOD condition. The reverse of the socket is marked with the usual, sloppy C&Co mark, and the obverse side is marked with the inspector’s initial M at the socket/shank juncture, although the mark is a little weak and hard to see. The Collins & Company mark on the left side of the socket is crisp and clear. The bayonet is mostly smooth throughout and free of any pitting. The bayonet and socket have a slightly dulled pewter patina, with only scattered areas of age discoloration and minor darkening. There is also some minor darkening and accumulated dirt and grease on the socket in the locking ring area. Some lightly scattered pinpricking is present also, mostly found around the socket and shank, along with some scattered patches of surface oxidation. The blade is full length and the original locking ring and tension screw are present on the socket, with the ring functioning freely and smoothly. The socket shows numerous impact marks, as do the shank and lower rear of the blade. These marks are typically an indication that it was a tight fit on the rifle that it was issued with and required a little “motivation” to fix and un-fix it from the rifle.
Overall this is a good, solid example of the socket bayonet for US Civil War era Sharps infantry rifle. According to bayonet researcher and author Robert Reilly, only 10,600 of these bayonets were produced, which accounts for their scarcity today. These bayonets were issued to all infantry that were armed with the Sharps rifles that did not accept saber bayonets, including the famous Berdan Sharpshooters (the 1st & 2nd US Sharpshooter Regiments). This would be a nice bayonet to complement your high quality Sharps percussion military rifle and is in nice condition.
SOLD