Rust patern on my m1905 hilt

[Fred Pillot]

There is a definate line in my hilt between pitting and nice metal.
It looks like the bayonet was secured in a rack where just the last
inch of hilt was exposed to bad elements. Maybe aboard ship?
It's in a navy MK2 scabbard. A friend says he thinks he has seen
this pattern before. Any ideas?

[Jeff L]

Does your camera have a macro mode? Most digital cameras do. On the dial there is a flower symbol, thats typically it. You might want to retake the photos with that setting and they should be much clearer.

-Jeff L

[Fred Pillot]

Thanks, Forgot about the macro. Hope this is better.
Also the scabbard Is a USN MK1.
Thanks for any info.

[Jeff L]

Those pics look much better! As far as the rust, I'm no expert but it looks like it had been wrapped at some point and the end was exposed to more air and moisture. Any pitting on the blade? Hopefully others will chime in.

-Jeff L

[Fred Pillot]

Nope, Just the hilt.

[Jeff L]

Sorry, I don't have much else to offer. Maybe the it was used in combat and the bad guys got the brunt of the hilt in some hand to hand fighting.

-Jeff L

[Johnny P]

Are you sure the scabbard is not the USN Mark I scabbard used with the plastic practice bayonet? It is doubtful that the original bayonet was ever issued with that scabbard.
It just looks like the bayonet was stored next to something that caused the very end of the hilt to rust.

[Fred Pillot]

Yes, USN Mk 1.
I thought I had read that these scabbards were mixed in with the other
Mk 3's since there was no real difference.

[Johnny P]

Virtually every Mark I scabbard that I see is virtually unissued, and personally I have never seen the Mark I altered to the M7 scabbard like the M3 scabbard was.