PLUG BAYONET

Originating in the late 16th Century, the plug bayonet has been in virtually continuous production until modern times - longer than any other type of bayonet. Finding acceptance as a military weapon amongst European armies for a period which extended from about 1650 to 1720, it remained popular on the hunting field for a far longer time span. To date, no detailed study of the plug bayonet has been published, and arms students and collectors world-wide have been deprived of any reliable guide. This book seeks to remedy that deficiency, backed up by nearly twenty years of research by the author. Illustrating 507 plug bayonets in high-quality black and white photographs, the volume will help identify the correct date and country of origin of any example. After a detailed historical introduction, separate sections describe bayonets from the Britain, Ireland, France, the Germanic countries, the Italian States, the Low Countries, Scandinavia, Russia and Eastern Europe, the United States, India, Spain and Portugal. Cutler's marks found on plug bayonets are illustrated and described in detail. The final section covers unidentified examples, and there is a comprehensive bibliography.