French Mle. 1873 Chassepot Sword Bayonet

Allied Forces > France > Edged Weapons >

Here we have a French Mle. 1873 Chassepot Sword Bayonet! It was manufactured for use on the French 11mm 1866 Chassepot Rife. The 22 ½ inch blade on this one looks good. The engraving to the back is nicely executed reading: Manufactured at the Imperial Armory Mestrig March 1868. The tip and fit are perfect. It shows age grey / spotting and surface scratches throughout along with minor pitting towards the tip. The steel based black painted scabbard has one pressure mark to the reverse and continues to hold 90%+ paint coverage. It is stamped below the crossguard (though I cant make it out) and on the ball. It sits tightly against the crossguard. The steel crossguard/quillion is also black painted, proofed marked and stamped 34681. The brass hilt looks great! The press-catch locking mechanism continues to work well work. It is profusely stamped. A nice bayonet!