Original U.S. Vietnam War Unissued M1917 Trench Shotgun Bayonet With Scabbard by General Cutlery - GEN CUT

Original Item: Only One Available. The M1917 bayonet was designed to be used with the US M1917 Enfield .30 caliber rifle, as well as with the seven different U.S. trench shotguns. The blade is 17 inches (43.18 cm) long. The M1917 Enfield was the U.S. Version of the British P-14 rifle, and the bayonets used are identical, down to the double groove in the grips, used to differentiate the bayonets from the P-1907 for the SMLE rifle.

This bayonet however was not made for WWI or repurposed for WWII, this was produced for the Vietnam War era by shotgunners equipped with a shotgun that had an M1917 bayonet adapter. This example is marked “GEN CUT” on the crossguard on one side of the blade and “M1917” on the other. GEN CUT is short for General Cutlery of Fremont, Ohio.

In addition to being fitted with plastic scales instead of the earlier walnut scales, these Vietnam era bayonets were not as well-crafted as the M1917 bayonets made by Winchester and Remington during World War I.

The Vietnam War era M1917 bayonets would not be “correct” for display with
an M1917 rifle. However, the bayonets are rather scarce and would be proper for display with any of the U.S. military “trench guns” in service after about 1966 equipped with adapters for the M1917 bayonet, so if you have one and need a bayonet, you're in luck!

The bayonet is in nearly unissued condition with all finish still present and in very nice condition. Besides the minor storage wear and light discoloration on the hilt, this bayonet was never issued out. The scabbard is properly marked US-M1917 / VZM for manufacture by Viz Manufacturing Co. of Philadelphia, PA. The Manufacturer Symbol VZM was officially-assigned to Viz Manufacturing Co. by the Department of Defense ca. 1968.

A beautiful example ready for further research and display.

Specifications:
Blade Length: 16 3/4"
Blade Style: Single Edge w/ Fuller
Overall length: 21 3/8“
Crossguard: 3 1/8”
Scabbard Length: 17 5/8"