Mauser bayonet

[Caribouriver]

I recently received a 1943 German bayo to go with 1943 RC Mauser. The bayo has red bakelite plastic handles. With the cleaning rod removed, it mounts snugly on the track and snaps into place. There is a slight radius on the steel part of the hilt (between the blade and the bakelite handle) so it clears the bottom of the barrel. I also have a Yugoslavian bayonet made for the Yugo Mauser. It has wood handles and a ring on the hilt that goes around the barrel. Having a ring seems a much better design than relying on the mounting track alone as the German bayonet does. Is this just the way it is or do I not have authentic gear? I'd post photos if I knew how. Thanks for your thoughts.

[emcon5]

Yeah, for some reason the Germans didn't use the ring for the WW2 era bayonets.

[marysdad]

Germany eliminated the muzzle ring from their bayonet designs in 1898, when they adopted the Gewehr 98. They did so because the muzzle ring interferes with barrel harmonics, adversely affecting the bullet's point of impact. With the Mauser bayonet bar mounting system, the bayonet doesn't touch the barrel at all when firing the rifle.

[Caribouriver]

Well, that answers that. Thanks emcon5 and marysdad,