Up for trade is a Japanese WW2-era Type 30 bayonet for the Arisaka Type 30/39/99 rifle. This was a vet bring-back from a WW2 US Navy sailor.
The bayonet is an early war/pre-war model manufactured by the Tokyo/Kokura Arsenal. It features a blued blade with hooked quillion, and has contoured wood grips that are screw retained, with a contoured birdshead pommel. It comes with the sheath, but no leather frog.
The sheath, grip, and quillion shows fairly even overall patina, with some minor rust spots and a little pitting. As you can see, the sheath has a dent in the side, which does not affect the blade's travel when sheathed. The sheath has a "crosshatch" pattern on some parts. It looks like it was wrapped in cloth at some point, and the cloth pattern was imprinted upon the patina. The locking button and mechanism are still functional and strong. The wood grips are in good condition, with no cracks or splits. Serial numbers and factory mark are strong and legible.
The blade is in very good condition. Bluing is around 70-80% overall, with some streaks of missing bluing from being sheathed and unsheathed over the years, especially near the tip. The blade has been kept oiled its entire life, so there is no rust. The dark areas on the edge of the blade in the photos of the tip are from oil. There is a small amount of discoloration on one spot on the spine of the blade, which I tried to show in the photo. It does not appear to be rust, but I'm unsure of the cause. The blade has not been sharpened.
I would put the trade value of the bayonet at $100. I'd like to trade the bayonet, plus cash (of course), towards a C&R rifle that has not been "sporterized" or "bubba'd". I have a current C&R license, and shipping would be directly to me.
My preferences include:
- SKS, preferrably a Soviet, Romanian, or Albanian, but possibly a Yugo.
- M38/M44 Mosin carbine
- M1903A3
- M1917/P17 Enfield
- German K98
However, I will consider other C&R rifles or handguns.
Feel free to email me at the address in my profile. Higher-res pictures are available by email. Let me know if you want to see any more pics of anything in particular.