The main small arms of the Russian army during the First World War were the so-called. Russian three-line rifle mod. 1891, aka S. I. Mosin. This weapon was equipped with a needle tetrahedral bayonet, which was a further development of the bayonet of the Berdan rifle. However, the Mosin rifle was not the only representative of its class in our army. In addition to it, other systems were used, including those of foreign production. So, in 1915, the Russian military department issued the American company Winchester an order for the supply of Model 1895 rifles chambered for the 7, 62x54 mm R.
In accordance with the Russian order, the American plant was supposed to produce about 300 thousand M1895 rifles in an updated configuration. At the request of the customer, the rifles were redesigned for the Russian three-line cartridge, were able to be loaded using Mosin-Nagant clips, and also received an elongated barrel and stock of appropriate sizes, modeled on the rifles of that time. In addition, it was required to equip the weapon with a bayonet, since it was used not only for shooting, but also in hand-to-hand combat. To install a bayonet, an influx appeared under the barrel, reinforced with an additional clamp. The latter covered the barrel and stock. The modifications to the rifle turned out to be quite complicated and took too much time, which is why the first batch of weapons was sent to Russia a little later than the deadline. Together with rifles, new bayonets were sent to the Russian army.
The Model 1895 rifle was not originally equipped with a bayonet, which is why the development company had to develop this device almost from scratch. After consulting with the customer, it was decided to abandon the needle bayonet, traditional for the Russian army, and use a bayonet-knife with a wide blade with one-sided sharpening. Moreover, for greater convenience, Winchester decided to use the existing design, slightly modifying it for use on new weapons.
Rifle Winchester Model 1895 "Russian model" with a "long" version of the bayonet. Photo Forgottenweapons.com
The bayonet for the M1895 rifle "Russian-style" was supposed to be an almost complete copy of the bayonet for the Lee Model 1895 rifle, previously produced by Winchester in the interests of the US Navy. This rifle was equipped with a single-sided bayonet-knife and the ability to mount on the front of the stock and barrel. When developing a new modification, all the main details of the existing bayonet have not undergone any changes. Only the crosspiece with a barrel mount has undergone modifications.
The main element of the bayonet for the "Winchester" M1895 was a blade that goes through the entire structure of the weapon. The blade had a symmetrical combat end, but it was only one-sided. On both side surfaces, valleys were provided. The bayonet handle consisted of two wooden parts fixed to the back of the blade with two rivets. Behind the wooden parts there was a metal head with a T-slot for mounting on a rifle and a spring latch. In front of the wooden cheeks of the handle, a cross was provided with a slot for a blade at the bottom and a hole with a diameter of 16 mm at the top.
To install a bayonet on a rifle, the blade was placed parallel to the barrel, with the blade forward. The cross ring was put on the muzzle of the barrel, at the same time the head of the handle came into contact with the influx on the rifle barrel. When the bayonet was displaced back, a latch was triggered, fixing the bayonet in a firing position. To remove it, you had to press a button in the head of the handle, which freed the latch and made it possible to move the detached bayonet forward, removing the crosspiece from the barrel.
Bayonet of the first 8-inch version and scabbard for it. Photo Bayonet.lv
The total length of the first version of the bayonet was 325 mm, of which 210 mm (8 inches) fell on the blade. The maximum blade width did not exceed 26 mm.
Depending on the available prescriptions, the bayonet-knife for the Winchester M1895 rifle could be carried in a side-by-side firing position or in a special sheath. The latter had a metal case for a blade and a leather loop for fastening to a belt. If necessary, the bayonet could be used as a knife for cutting various objects and materials. Before the battle, accordingly, it should have been attached to the rifle for use in hand-to-hand combat.
According to reports, only a small part of the "Russian-style" M1895 rifles were equipped with 18-inch bayonets. Such blades of a relatively short length received only 15 thousand rifles of the first batches. It is noteworthy that in terms of their number, such bayonets could not compete even with the relatively few blades for the Lee M1895 rifles, which were produced no more than 20 thousand units.
Bayonet handle and crosspiece with a hole for mounting on the barrel. Photo Gunscollecting.com
After the manufacture of the first few batches of a total of about 15 thousand rifles, the customer demanded to change the design of the bayonet. The short 8-inch knife did not fully suit the Russian military, which is why they wanted a longer blade. This resulted in a new cleaver bayonet for the M1895. All new rifles of this type for the Russian army were supplied with updated long bayonets until the very end of production. The rifles themselves were not subjected to any modifications.
From the point of view of construction, the new "long" blade differed from the old "short" only in size. All other features of this weapon, including the design of the handle and mounts on the rifle, remained the same. The new rifles received a bayonet with a total length of 520 mm with a 400 mm blade 26 mm wide. The shape of the blade remained the same: it had a symmetrical pointed combat end and a rectangular middle part in contact with the crosspiece.
The design of the handle also did not change: two wooden cheeks were attached to the metal blade on rivets. A cross was located in front of them, and in the back there was a head with a spring-loaded latch and a groove for mounting on a rifle. Like the "short" bayonet, the new one had to be attached to the weapon with a cross ring and a latch.
The later and most widespread "long" bayonet, as well as its scabbard. Photo Bayonet.lv
The new bayonets also received a metal and leather scabbard. The design of this product remains the same, but the length of the metal part that accommodates the blade has increased. Depending on the need, the blade could be transported in a sheath or on a weapon.
The extended bayonet-knife for the Winchester Model 1895 rifle of the "Russian model" had some advantages over the blade of the base model. Its length was comparable to the "Three-Line" needle bayonet, which made it possible to dispense with the development of new methods of bayonet fighting. In addition, the large length of the bayonet gave some other advantages, both in hand-to-hand combat and in some other situations, especially for households.
The first batch of American-made rifles equipped with a "short" bayonet was sent to the customer in 1915. Production and deliveries continued until 1917, after which the full execution of the contract was stopped due to a change in the political and economic situation in Russia. Before the Russian revolutions, Winchester managed to assemble and send to the customer about 291-293 thousand M1895 rifles in the "Russian" configuration. The remaining rifles out of the ordered 300 thousand were released after the Russian side refused to accept and pay for new weapons. It should be noted that, despite all the difficulties and problems, the Russian order accounted for about 70% of the total number of Model 1895 rifles of all modifications produced.
Rifle M1895 "Russian model", bayonet of the second version in a scabbard, cartridge pouches and other accessories. Photo Guns.com
American-made rifles with two types of bayonet-knives supplied to Russia were transferred to various army units, primarily stationed in the Baltic States and Finland. For example, a relatively large number of M1895 rifles were donated to famous Latvian riflemen. Those rifles that the manufacturer did not manage to transfer to the customer before the events of 1917 were sold on the American market. Thus, amateur shooters and various organizations became the new owners of Russian-style rifles.
M1895 rifles with bayonets of two types of different lengths were limitedly used during the First World War, and then used during the Civil War. Over time, these weapons fell into disrepair or were sent to warehouses as unnecessary. It is known that in the mid-thirties, a number of American rifles were sent to Spain as aid to the Republicans. Probably, the Spanish fighters received not only rifles, but also bayonets for them.
Over the last few decades of the 19th century, Russian military leaders actively argued about the prospects for various bayonet designs. An opinion was expressed about the need to switch to bayonet knives with the abandonment of needle blades. This opinion even resulted in the production of a number of Berdan rifles equipped with cleaver bayonets, but the rest of the weapon was produced with needle bayonets. The first Russian rifle, which initially received a bayonet-knife and was equipped with only such blades, was the Model 1895 "Russian model", produced by the American company Winchester. Due to the relatively small number, this rifle did not receive much fame, but nevertheless it became a curious page in the history of Russian small arms.
