North Korean Bayonet Variations

[Chicom7.62]

Ok, I bought a bayo at an antique mall today and I'm a little confused. I Thought it was a type 68 transitional due to the darker handle. However it has the blade of the "first model". It's stamped 1958 on one side and an 11 inside an oval on the other. Any clue? I can post pics if that would help.

[rayman1]

The darker handle on a North Korean bayonet doesn't signify any real meaning other than a dark handle.  I've got North Korean bayonets that have the bakelite scales (side panel handle pieces) ranging from a sort of pink all the way to a brown.  Just whatever the mixture was at that time.  The tell-tale sign of a "transitional" will be the blade and the handle shape.  

The bayonet you describe that you bought is an easy one from the description - it's a Polish M1947 or "First Model" bayonet.  Seems like literally tons of them were imported and you can find them from many vendors for around $15.00 to $30.00 depending on condition and completeness.  Many were imported without the leather belt hanger/frog attachment.

Regarding those particular bayonets, the "1958" stamped version is the most common and were made in the most numbers.  There's also an extremely rare "1957" stamped version that was made in very small numbers, as well as a later "1970" stamped version which were made in a bit more numbers when the factory geared up again to make them.  

Within those basic three versions, there's also some oddballs - such as Polish M1947 bayonets that have the Radom factory "11" in a circle arsenal mark, but lack a stamped date on the other side.  There's also some that lack the arsenal stamp but have a stamped date.  There's even some that lack both markings on both sides.


Hope that can help a bit.

[Chicom7.62]

Thanks for all the info! I am now a more informed buyer. Mine still has the leather belt attachment, and I paid $20 so I'm glad I didn't over pay. I'm a super noob to the bayo scene, so I'm sure I will be a constant lurker on here

[rayman1]

We're all learning and start somewhere.  It's great to see more folks getting into the bayonet arena with questions and comments.  As some members complete their AK collections or stray a little bit away from the AK rifles themselves, many are beginning to delve a little into the bayonets as they're a less expensive and more varied hobby.  Half the fun of Kalashnikov bayonet collecting is the hunt and the ID'ing of them.  I'm actually in the very beginnings of gathering my notes and references into something for a hopeful, later-than-sooner book project.  There's been so many more variants found since the release of Martin Ivie's "Kalashnikov Bayonets of the World" book quite a while back.  He did a wonderful job and it but would like to go the route of providing color photographs - more of a pictorial reference.  Just doing so drives the price up a bit more to get published that way.

[terry1369]

thanks rayman,now i got the i need a nk bayonet blues!!! t1369

[rayman1]

The North Korean variants are truly unique and are surprising very difficult to find nowadays.  Perhaps someday, but I'd wager it'll be a long time before a great deal of them get out of North Korea.