I would be intrested in that code listing mon ami to help me get more information on an article I am working on these bayonets, I found a few of them but always interested in more of them. I will also edit this later to include the locking lug differences, I never paid attention to this before you brought it up, it is quite different, I learn something new all the time.
Épée-Baïonnette Modèle 1886 and Épée-Baïonnette Modèle 1886 Modifié 1915
The standard Épée-Baïonnette Modèle 1886 was developed starting in January of 1886 for the new revolutionary smokeless powder rifle the Fusil d'Infanterie Modèle 1886 "Lebel" which would be the first French rifle to have the bayonet mounted directly underneath the barrel. These bayonets are 640mm (25.20) in overall length with a straight, bright steel 520mm (20.47) long 4-edge cruciform blade, 14mm (.55) diameter muzzle ring, metal grip, hooked quillion, steel crossguard with a rounded checkered press-catch locking mechanism which weighed 400 grams (14.1 Oz.). The scabbards called fourreau for these were made of blued steel, tubular in shape with a rounded tip and weighed 200 grams (7.05 Oz.). The first bayonets had a false steel endcap on the back of the handle which did not allow for the bayonet to be easily disassembled, in August of 1890 these were eliminated and a rounded nut with 2 small square holes was used so that the bayonet could be disassembled by the regimental armorer or regional support unit for parts replacement. There was some Épée-Baïonnette Modèle 1886 that were shortened to a blade length of 340mm (13.39) prior to the Great War for Troupes Cyclistes (Bicycle Troops).
The standard bayonet, the Épée-Baïonnette Modèle 1886 was modified for “trench” warfare starting in January of 1915 with the complete removal of the quillion during the manufacturing process, not cut-off as has been rumored, and simplifying the bayonet latch release with a semi-rounded type, these new bayonets were to be called Épée-Baïonnette Modèle 1886 Modifié 1915. Sometime very late in WWI or during the 1920's or 30's some of the bayonets blades and cross-guards were blued.
Grips for these bayonets were made in many different metals, prior to the war these were made in German nickel silver (bronze de nickel) or what is referred to as maillechort. On the 25th of October of 1914 German nickel silver was substituted with brass (laiton) or aluminum bronze (bronze d'aluminium) normally called tambak or jaune (yellow) and in July of 1917 steel (acier) or iron (fer) substituted all previous metals.
These bayonets were called "Rosalie" by the French Poilus in honor of the Virgin of the Southern French town of Bayonne where supposedly bayonets were first used in 1655. The legend is that during the mid-17th century irregular military conflicts of rural France, the peasants of the Southern French town of Bayonne, who were Basques, having run out of powder and shot, rammed their long-bladed hunting knives into the muzzles of their muskets to fashion impromptu spears and, by necessity, created the Baïonnette.
In 1915 a steel wire breaker attachment was made for the bayonet which was slipped on to the blade of the bayonet that could cut barbed wire using the bullet of the rifle as it was fired. This device was called coupe barbelé système "FILLOUX" which was designed by Artillerie Lieutenant-Colonel L.J.F. Filloux who worked at Atelier de Construction de Bourges. These were marked with the month, the last two digits of the year and a circled capital letter B which showed these were made by Atelier de Construction de Bourges.
Both type of French made Épée-Baïonnettes and scabbards were marked with the serial number and either a script or block letter prefix which showed what Manufacture Nationale d'Armes made the bayonet. These will be marked on the left side of the quillon on the Épée-Baïonnette Modèle 1886, on the bottom of the cross-guard of the Épée-Baïonnette Modèle 1886 Modifié 1915 and on the frog strap bale of the scabbards.
1). Manufacture Nationale d'Armes de Châtellerault (MAC) ... A,B,C,D,E
2). Manufacture Nationale d'Armes de Saint Étienne (MAS) … F,G,H,J,K,L,M,N,P,Q
3). Manufacture Nationale d'Armes de Tulle (MAT) ... R,S,T,U,V
4). Letter code X was used for instruction purposes only
The bayonets were also marked with a small quality control and the mark of acceptance into military service called Contrôleur Poinçons (controllers stamps) which was stamped on the bottom or side of blade and just above the frog strap bale on the scabbard. There were three different type of acceptance marks used: Directeur de Manufacture (Armory Director), Contrôleur Généraux Principaux (Principal Arms Inspector) and Contrôleur de 1ème, 2ème y 3 ème Classe (1st, 2nd and 3rd Class Controllers). Both the Directeur de Manufacture and Contrôleur Généraux Principaux marks will be found with a letter within a circle and Contrôleur de 1ème, 2ème y 3 ème Classe will be found with a letter within a shield. Other letters and numbers are marked at various places on the bayonet in which some of these are the private companies that made parts for these during the war and others are most likely are some sort of inspectors markings, more research is needed into this. There are some bayonets that are marked with what appears to be naval anchors which meant that these were issued to the French Colonial Forces called Troupes Coloniales, which were military forces that garrisoned and were largely recruited from the vast French Colonial Empire.
Some bayonet parts were made by private companies during the Great War such as:
1). L. Delage & Cie which made grips and were marked with code: LC on the grip
2). M. Guinard which made the springs for the rotating collar latch
3). Établissement Malicet & Blin which made cross-guards and were marked with code: M
4). Société des Anciens Établissements Panhard & Levassor which made the rotating collar latch and were marked with code: PL on the part
5). Société des Automobiles & Cycles Peugeot which made the blades, grip screw and scabbards and these will be marked with code: P on those parts
6). Automobiles Renault which made grip and were marked with code: R on the handle
During WWI Remington Arms Company which was based in Ilion, New York was contracted to make Épée-Baïonnette Modèle 1886 Modifié 1915 for the French military, most of these bayonets will not have any markings on them at all as very few of these were sent to France during the Great War. The grips on these bayonets were made of a type of German nickel silver which had a slightly less pronounced contoured grip closer to the cross-guard.
After WWI both the Épée-Baïonnette Modèle 1886 and Épée-Baïonnette Modèle 1886 Modifié 1915 blades were shortened to a blade length of anywhere from 265mm to 400mm, these were to be called Épée-Baïonnette Modèle 1886 Modifié 1915 Raccourci 1935. These were mostly used on the Mousqueton de Artillerie Modèle 1886 Modifié 1893 Raccourci 1935, Mousqueton de Cavalerie Modèle 1886 Modifié 1893 Raccourci 1935 and Fusil de Infanterie Modèle 1907-1915 Modifié 1934.
Many of the other countries during the Great War or after such as Belguim, Bulgaria, Finland, Greece, Italy, Serbia, Russia who had been sold or used various French rifles also used these bayonets. After WWI ended the newly created nation of Poland was sold, by the French, many of both type of these bayonets which were used during the Polish-Soviet War (1919-1921) and later during the Polish Invasion of 1939. These bayonets were called Bagnetowy Wzor 1886/93 and were usually marked at the back of the pommel with following markings: Wz86/91 or Wz86/93. Germany also used many of these from captured stocks or from enemy prisoners of war during both World Wars, these bayonets are usually marked with the regimental unit which used them on the side or inside the top groove of the grip.
In all of the photographic evidence seen by myself and other French Firearms Collectors the Épée-Baïonnette Modèle 1886 was only really used on the Fusil d'Infanterie Modèle 1886 Modifié 1893 "Lebel" and the Épée-Baïonnette Modèle 1886 Modifié 1915 was used on both the Fusil de Infanterie Modèle 1907-1915 and Fusil de Infanterie Modèle Modifié 1916.
Épée-Baïonnette Modèle 1886
L’épée-baïonnette se divise en trois parties principales: la lame, la monture et le forreau.
1. Dans la lame on distingue: La lame quadrangulaire proprement dite; le talon, les quarte arêtes, les quatre gouttières, la pointe.
La soie prolongée dans toute la longueur de la poignée, filetée à son extrémité et maintenue dans la tête de la poignée par un ecrou.
2. La monture comprend: La poignée, en bronze de nickel; la tête, qui pénètre dans le logement de l'embouchoir, le corps, la rainure pour le grand tenon; l'emplacement de la virole; le tenon qui pénètre dans le collet de la croisière; les trous pour la vis de poignée; l'evidement intérieur; l'ecrou.
La vis de poignée, qui assure l'assemblage de la poignée et de la soie, et dont la tête sert à limiter les mouvements du poussoir.
La croisière, en acier; le corps, le quillon, la douille, les deux fentes de la douille, l'une pour guidon, l'autre pour le petit tenon; le trou de la soie; le collet qui reçoit le tenon de la poignée; les trous du rivet de croisière, le logement du poussoir et son ressort.
La virole, en acier, qui sert à fixer la baïonnette au canon. Il comprend: le corps; le poussoir quadrillé; le logement du ressort de poussoir; l'échancrure pour la tête de la vis de poignée; le taquet et son plan incliné.
Le ressort à boudin de poussoir.
3. Le fourreau est en acier bronzé; Il comprend: Le corps de fourreau, l'entrée, le trou du rivet de cuvette;
Le bracelet-pontet, brasé sur le fourreau;
Le bouton, brasé sur le fourreau; le bouton proprement dit, la tige qui pénètre dans le fourreau, son évidement conique;
La cuvette; le corps, le trou du rivet, les quatre battes, pour maintenir l’épée-baïonnette dans le fourreau;
Le rivet de cuvette.
Épée-Baïonnette Modèle 1886 Modifié 1915
L’épée-baïonnette se divise en trois parties principales: la lame, la monture et le forreau.
1. Dans la lame on distingue: La lame quadrangulaire proprement dite; le talon, les quarte arêtes, les quatre gouttières, la pointe.
La soie prolongée dans toute la longueur de la poignée, filetée à son extrémité et maintenue dans la tête de la poignée par un ecrou.
2. La monture comprend: La poignée, en bronze de nickel ou en laiton; la tête, qui pénètre dans le logement de l'embouchoir, le corps, la rainure pour le grand tenon; l'emplacement de la virole; le tenon qui pénètre dans le collet de la croisière; les trous pour la vis de poignée; l'evidement intérieur; l'ecrou.
La vis de poignée, qui assure l'assemblage de la poignée et de la soie, et dont la tête sert à limiter les mouvements du poussoir.
La croisière, en acier; le corps, la douille, les deux fentes de la douille, l'une pour guidon, l'autre pour le petit tenon; le trou de la soie; le collet qui reçoit le tenon de la poignée; les trous du rivet de croisière, le logement du poussoir et son ressort.
La virole, en acier, qui sert à fixer la baïonnette au canon. Il comprend: le corps; le poussoir quadrillé; le logement du ressort de poussoir; l'échancrure pour la tête de la vis de poignée; le taquet et son plan incliné.
Le ressort à boudin de poussoir.
3. Le fourreau est en acier bronzé; Il comprend: Le corps de fourreau, l'entrée, le trou du rivet de cuvette;
Le bracelet-pontet, brasé sur le fourreau;
Le bouton, brasé sur le fourreau; le bouton proprement dit, la tige qui pénètre dans le fourreau, son évidement conique;
La cuvette; le corps, le trou du rivet, les quatre battes, pour maintenir l’épée-baïonnette dans le fourreau;
Le rivet de cuvette.
Les baïonnettes fabriquées pendant la guerre sont, pour la plupart dépourvues de quillon.
