Italian Army M1 Carbine Bayonet

In the aftermath of the Kingdom of Italy and Italian Social Republic's existence at the end of the Second World War, the newly formed Italian republic needed to be re-armed amidst the context of the Cold War. As a result, they found themselves with a large amount of American and British military surplus stocks, including the American built M1 Carbines. Known by the Italian designation "Carbina, Winchester M1 7.62", it was issued in large numbers with upgraded bayonet lugs from Second World War issue carbines. As a result, a proprietary M1 Carbine bayonet was issued with them rather than the M3 trench knives that were commonly issued to American GIs during wartime. These bayonets would be issued to Italian Carbineer troops right up until the 1990s, before being surplused out. 

These bayonets have seen some pretty rough field use over many decades, but remain in remarkably good shape. Each bayonet includes a hard metal scabbard, canvas retention strap, and an individual serial number on the blade. The blades themselves measure 7.5 inches (11 inch overall bayonet length) and are caked in a knockoff Italian cosmoline for long term storage. The scabbards seem to have been banged around, but the bayonet blades and wooden grips were very well maintained.  

These make for interesting piece of militaria and perfect as a rugged bug out knife for the coming apocalypse!