Knife Bayonet for the Krag Jørgensen rifle
The first Krag Jørgensen rifles was constructed by the two Norwegian Ole Herman Krag and Erik Jørgensen in 1886. The rifle exist in several versions and was the primary rifle in Norway (M/1894) and Denmark (M/1889) until the German occupation in 1940. In Norway it also got produced during WWII. In USA (M/1892) the Krag Jørgensen rifle was the primary military firearm in 12 years (until 1906).
The Norwegian M/1894 rifle got produced at Steyr i Austria and Kongsberg Våpenfabrikk in Norway.
The bayonets for the Krag Jørgensen rifle is different in the three countries. The first bayonet that was used for the rifle was the short M/1894 knife bayonet.
M/1894 bayonet produced at Kongsberg Våpenfabrikk
When the The Krag Jørgensen rifle got delivered from the factories it was matched with a bayonet with matching serial number. The bayonet was delivered to the Norwegian navy and army.
M/1894 bayonet with bayonet frog
| Produsent | Land | Antall | Serie |
|---|---|---|---|
| Steyr | Østerrike | 29 000 | 1 - 20.000 30.001 - 39.000 spredt 8.000 stk utenfor seriene over. Fra omkring 23.000 til 39700 |
| Husqvarna | Sverige | 2 000 | Noen få rundt 100, 20.201 - 22.950 |
| Kongsberg | Norge | 101 750 | 9.001 - 121.000 1-20.000 spredt 30.001 - 39.000 spredt |
Producers:
| Steyr (øverst) | Husqvarna | Kongsberg VF |
|---|---|---|
 |  |  |
A total of about 140,000 bayonets got produced.
M/1894 Krag Jørgensen
Information about the frogs for the M/1894 bayonet you will find here.
The scabbard got a small square on the back for securing it to the bayonet frog. On Kongsberg produced bayonets this is mounted in center of the scabbard. On Husqvarna and Steyr scabbards this square is mounted a bit to one side, and it is also a bit raised on one side.
Scabbards, From the left Steyr, Husqvarna, Kongsberg and WWII produced Kongsberg scabbards.
The M/1894 bayonets produced at Husqvarna in Sweden quite rare and the producer mark of Husqvarna is similar to the one from Kongsberg, making the hard to identify. The pictured bayonet got serial number 21348.
Bayonets and scabbards was produced as replacement for lost equipment. The pictured bayonet is one of these. Both the bayonet and the scabbard lacks serial number. These must not be mixed up with war produced M/1894-43 bayonets that also often lacks serial number.
The M/1894- bayonets was normally delivered polished, but sometimes you can find blued M/1894 bayonets. The blueing is most likely done after WWII.
Many of the best M/1894 bayonets was after WWII converted to M/1956 SLK. This makes it relatively hard to find nice unmodified bayonets.
Altogether 4,693 M/1894 and M/1916 bayonets was destroyed by the 1941 depot fire in Ørebro.
Securing mechanism on the M/1894 bayonet. The wooden grips on the M/1894 bayonet was fasten with a simple screw. By removing this screw you will expose the mechanism used to secure the bayonet to the gun and to the scabbard.
Norwegian soldier with M/1894
Curiosia
Below is will show some special or strange Krag Jørgensen bayonets that might be privately modified.
Curiosity 1
The bayonet below has a sewn brown leather cover on top of a normal M/1894 scabbard. Attached to the leather cover is a button showing the Norwegian coat of arms (the national lion). Sewn to the scabbard is a leather frog. The bayonet is a modified M/1916-bajonett. The bayonet has been shorted, ground and shaped to look like a knife. I am not sure if the bayonet ever so any military use. A previous owner was in the Norwegian National Guard (Heimevernet). The modifications is nicely made, but likely it is a homemade modification.
Modified M/1916 bayonet with M/1894 modified scabbard
Curiosity 2
The chromed M/1894 bayonet below has matching serial number. There has most likely never been any military forces using chromed M/1894 bayonets. But chromed bayonets might have been given away as presents of some departments, possible sub departments of Hærens Forsyningskommando. (the Army Material Command)
Chromed M/1894 (with selfie)
Chroming of old bayonets was in Norway common in the 70th and 80th in Norway. Worn out bayonets got chromed to give higher sale prices. The pictured bayonet shows signs of being sharpened before it got chromed.
