Russian 1891/30 Bayonet

Tsarist Russia wasn’t exactly known for embracing change, and at the end of the 19th century when most countries were fitting knife bayonets to their new rifles, Russia retained the socket bayonet design, right down to the locking ring. The 1891 bayonet does have one unusual utilitarian feature – the tip is also a screwdriver.

The 1891 socket bayonet would remain unchanged through WWI until 1930, when the Soviets updated the 1891 rifle and bayonet, both to be known as the Model 1891/30. In the case of the bayonet, the Soviets replaced the locking ring with a spring loaded plunger that would hold it in place until the plunger was pressed down to allow the bayonet to slide off the barrel. The 1891/30 bayonet fits both the 1891 and 1891/30 rifles, and was likely used on both during the Finnish Winter War and WWII.

Scabbards were almost never issued with the bayonet, because most Russian soldiers were expected to keep the bayonet attached to the rifle when in use. For this reason the 1891 Mosin Nagant rifle was actually sighted to be fired with the bayonet fixed. In garrison the blade was simply reversed, the socket slipped over the barrel backwards.