M1917 bayonet

The M1917 bayonet was designed to be used with the US M1917 Enfield .30 caliber rifle, as well as with the Winchester Model 1897 and M12 trench shotguns. The blade was 16 inches (40.6 cm) long. It will not fit the M1903 .30 caliber (Springfield) or the M1 .30 caliber (Garand) US service rifles as they have different bayonet ring (barrel) and attachment stud dimensions.

History
The M1917 bayonet was used first during World War I by American soldiers on the Western Front. A sword bayonet design, the M1917 bayonet design was based on the British P1907 bayonet, which incorporated a long 17-inch blade. The M1917 was used frequently during the several different Banana Wars.

At the conclusion of the Great War U.S. forces discontinued their use of the M1917 rifle and instead, chose the M1903 Springfield as the standard issue firearm which used the M1905 Bayonet as the M1917 bayonet did not fit the Springfield's barrel diameter. The use of the M1903 Springfield as the standard issue U.S. infantry weapon continued until 1936 when it was replaced by the M1 Garand.

In 1940, the United Kingdom Government bought almost a million M1917 rifles and bayonets from the US. They were primarily used to arm the Home Guard. The U.S. continued to use the M1917 bayonet during World War II because of large stockpiles left over from World War I. This required the U.S. to adapt their more modern weapons for use with the M1917. One such example was the Winchester 1200 combat shotgun, which had a bayonet stud and locking lug for use with the M1917 bayonet. In December 1941 and early 1942, American troops in the Philippines and elsewhere across the Pacific, still had and used their World War I era bayonets such as the M1905 bayonet and M1917 against the Empire of Japan before they were replaced with the M1942 bayonet and then the M1 bayonet. World War II was the last conflict in which mass numbers of soldiers troops used the M1917.