Smith & Wesson SW3B M-9 Special Ops Bayonet.

[Echo40]

I just recently ordered one of these online and was curious if anyone here owns one or has any information they could share with me in regards to it.

I've done some research on it, but only so much information is available... What I do know is that they were made under license by Taylor Brands/Schrade up until Smith & Wesson acquired Taylor/Schrade and it has undergone a total of three revisions since they were first released back in 2003. Note: "Special Ops" is just part of the Bayonet's name, they were never actually adopted/fielded by any branch of the US Military.

First there was the SW1B, then the SW2B, and finally the SW3B. The differences between the models are that the SW1B and SW2B were made in China with 3Cr13 Stainless Steel while the SW3B was made in Taiwan with 420J2 Stainless Steel. In addition, there are some aesthetic changes between the three generations, most notably that the 2nd and 3rd Gen SW2B/3B have more aggressive saw teeth on the spine, reminiscent of the old Buckmaster 184 with which the M9 Bayonet shares a common lineage. Furthermore, the 3rd Generation was also offered in a variation with a bare Stainless Steel blade with an O.D. Green handle. (SW3G)

It would appear that Smith & Wesson is phasing out the SW3B seeing as it is currently on Clearance on their website for 45% Off. Whether this is because it is soon to be replaced with yet another revision (SW4B?) or if S&W is simply done selling M9 Bayonets remains to be seen.

Due to the differences between generational revisions, it's difficult to determine the quality of the Smith & Wesson Special Ops M9 Bayonets, as there are a wide variety of reviews over the years across different websites on each model, most of which are amateur user reviews which aren't particularly well written, and many of which regarding the 3rd Generation SW3B are especially unhelpful as they are written by young men gamers who apparently only bought the Bayonet because it appeared in the Counter-Strike: Global Offensive video game, and thusly only cover the aesthetics and cool factor of being a video game weapon. In addition, a number of negative reviews are also arguably unhelpful because they are mostly written by folks who attempted to use it as a Bushcraft Survival Knife, Machete, or Hatchet, and thusly subjected it to a number of extensive tasks which the M9 Bayonet was never designed for in the first place, such as chopping and batoning wooden logs, yet were surprised/outraged that the Bayonet didn't last long being used as an improvised Machete/Hatchet. (There's a saw on the back for a reason, M9s are not full tang blades and thusly aren't suited for chopping wood and will eventually fail if repeatedly used for chopping.)

Does anyone here own a Smith & Wesson Special Ops M-9 Bayonet, and if so, what are your impressions of it? Also, if anyone here happens to know anything more about these Bayonets, please feel free to share it below, as I would like to know more about them.

 

[Claymore33]

No 1 , Having worked with Navy and Army special ops for 22 years on 3 continents, I have never seen a bayonet on any weapon ever. No 2, Most SEALs I worked with do not even carry a sheath knife unless they are in the water.

 

[Echo40]

The SW3B just arrived in the mail today.

It looks good and feels good in my hand. The blade appears to be reasonably sharp out of the box. A pity that it didn't arrive sooner, otherwise I could have tested out the sharpness by using it to carve a Jack-O-Lantern.

Here it is, freshly unboxed with the included sheath.

As you could see, it was bone dry out of the box, so I oiled it up with some Frog Lube CLP.

On the opposite side of the blade located on the ricosso is what I presume is a date of manufacturing. 05/21 = May 2021?

Next I took some side by side pictures between the SW3B M-9 Bayonet and the Rothco Ramster Survival Knife, both of which share a common ancestor in the Buckmaster 184.
As you can see, they're similar in appearance, with the SW3B being just slightly longer with a thinner blade. The original Buckmaster 184 had a very thick blade, even more so than the Rothco Ramster which is a clone of the Buckmaster. Due to its all Stainless Steel construction, the Buckmaster 184 was a very heavy knife, so when Phrobis (the designer of both blades) went to work on the M9, they intentionally made the M9 substantially thinner to reduce weight. They also made it with a far lighter plastic handle and redesigned the saw teeth to make them smaller and with sharpened tips, but the SW3B features the classic saw teeth of the Buckmaster 184.

Overall, I'm pleased with it. It seems to be a high quality blade, despite what it's lower price point and Taiwanese manufacturing might suggest. The Taiwanese SW3B costs $109.99 brand new vs $149.99 for an American-Made MilSpec M9 by Ontario Knife Company. Granted, I only paid $59.99 for the SW3B since it's currently on Clearance, but based on my first impressions, $109.99 doesn't seem overpriced.

 

[triaxle]

I have the old Phrobus M 9 and the smaller Seal team model they made back in the 80`s I think also kept all the brochures and paper work from back then , never saw a SW M 9