A bayonet (from French "baïonnette") is a knife- or dagger-shaped weapon designed to fit on or over the muzzle of a rifle or similar weapon. It is a close combat weapon. The evolution of the bayonet can be traced to a certain extent to a fortuitous accident. The bayonet had a round handle that fit directly into the musket barrel. This naturally prevented the gun from being fired. Many socket bayonets were triangular in cross-section in order to provide sideways stability of the blade without much increase in weight. This design of bayonet did not include a handle to use the blade apart from the gun.
The French bayonets often have a solid brass pommel with integral latching mechanism (push-buttonspring-steel). The grips are wooden and the crossguard of steel with upper guard being the muzzle-ring, lower guard forming a hooked "blade-breaker" quillon. The scabbards are usually blued sheet-rolled steel, semi-oval, tubular, with a ball finial. The blades are of steel and usually marked on the back-edge (opposite the bottom cutting edge) with the arsenal, month, and year of manufacture.
The French bayonets saw the great battlefields of the glorious wars. The bayonets were used effectively by the disciplined French infantry, who were highly trained in its use both as a firearm and with the bayonet fitted, as a thrusting weapon at close quarters. The speciality of the French bayonets was functional lock mechanism and accurate detailing

A bayonet (from French "baïonnette") is a knife- or dagger-shaped weapon designed to fit on or over the muzzle of a rifle or similar weapon. It is a close combat weapon. The evolution of the bayonet can be traced to a certain extent to a fortuitous accident. The bayonet had a round handle that fit directly into the musket barrel. This naturally prevented the gun from being fired. Many socket bayonets were triangular in cross-section in order to provide sideways stability of the blade without much increase in weight. This design of bayonet did not include a handle to use the blade apart from the gun.
The French bayonets often have a solid brass pommel with integral latching mechanism (push-buttonspring-steel). The grips are wooden and the crossguard of steel with upper guard being the muzzle-ring, lower guard forming a hooked "blade-breaker" quillon. The scabbards are usually blued sheet-rolled steel, semi-oval, tubular, with a ball finial. The blades are of steel and usually marked on the back-edge (opposite the bottom cutting edge) with the arsenal, month, and year of manufacture.
The French bayonets saw the great battlefields of the glorious wars. The bayonets were used effectively by the disciplined French infantry, who were highly trained in its use both as a firearm and with the bayonet fitted, as a thrusting weapon at close quarters. The speciality of the French bayonets was functional lock mechanism and accurate detailing