 | This articleneeds additional citations forverification. Please helpimprove this article byadding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. Find sources: "Spike bayonet" – news ·newspapers ·books ·scholar ·JSTOR(October 2024) (Learn how and when to remove this message) |
Aspikebayonet, also commonly known as asocket bayonet, or apigsticker in informal contexts, is a blade attachment for a firearm taking the form of a pointedspike rather than aknife.
Most earlymusket bayonets were of this type. Beginning in the early 19th century, knife and/or sword bayonets began to appear, which could also be wielded by hand. In the early to mid-20th century, spike bayonets reappeared, often folding or stowed under the barrel for compactness, such as on the FrenchLebel M1886 andMAS-36, RussianSKS andMosin-Nagant, GermanFG 42, and BritishLee–Enfield. The Lee-Enfield Rifle No.4 bayonet, took the form of a short spike (but fixed conventionally), and was unpopular due to its length and lack of utility.[1]
Spike bayonets have not been popular witharmies since the end ofWorld War II, with the exception of China, which attached them to itsAK-47 rifle andSKS carbine variants (Type 56 andType 63).[2]
