Butt Trap Bayonet

Date1750-1780

MediumIron/steel

DimensionsOL: 7 1/2" Socket: 2 1/8" Bore: 18 mm Blade: 5 1/16" x 1"

Credit LineMuseum Purchase

Object number2014-25

DescriptionShort, opened ended socket with three-step mortise cut for an under-the-barrel bayonet lug. Knife-shaped blade with false edge forged integrally with squared shank and brazed to the socket with a large, rounded "shield."
Label TextOn military service, the bayonet was always carried in a scabbard mounted on its wearer's belt. As the secondary weapon of a gentleman or officer, innovative ways of carrying one could be employed. This tiny socket bayonet was designed to fit into a compartment hidden in its host firearm's buttstock, and accessible through a spring-loaded trap door in the buttplate. Now orphaned, this rare weapon was once paired with a fine hunting gun or an officer's fusil.

See George Neumann's "Swords & Blades of the American Revolution," p. 31, for a similar example.