Socket Bayonette and onwards

[♔ brucedickenson♔]

Were there any attempts to improve the socket bayonettes?



I think that eventually rifles began to be equiped with 'sword bayonettes' at at least around 1900 roughly or a bit earlier.. but were there any efforts in the early 19th centuary to improve the bayonette?



Were there any instances of 'double' bayonettes as experiaments or anything like this?

[JaM]

actually socket bayonets were considered superior to sword bayonets - sword bayonet was just an attempt how to make a shorter baker rifle as effective in melee as normal musket. but it never was.

[eldaran]

The Bayonet as it stood in the early 19th century has in fact remained essentially unchanged, apart from actually shortening the blade to make it more practical for use in modern situations.

[♔ brucedickenson♔]

I was wondering if any experiamenting to improve it was undertaken? did anyone manage to make a 'two' pronged bayonette?

[VonEwald]

Sword and pike bayonets of different varieties were tried in several armies through the years, and found much less usable.

Improvements were different kinds of locking mechanisms, as well as different kinds of blades (flat, triangular), different lengths, different kinds of grooves in the socket to make it easier to lock safely etc.

Why would anyone want a two-pronged bayonet?

[Major Massena]

Well, two-pronged bayonets are useless cause they're more expensive, and two holes right through the heart equals one.

[garudamon11]

rather ask why did it take so much time to remove pikemen and add bayonets

[EmperorBatman999]

rather ask why did it take so much time to remove pikemen and add bayonets

Somebody with a small hand decided to put his knife/sword into his musket barrel maybe?

[♔Mandelus♔]

Somebody with a small hand decided to put his knife/sword into his musket barrel maybe?

Something like this it was indeed ... during the 30years war when I'm right or sometime later, but I think to remember that Sweden made it first practice.
The reason why pikemen were deleted to late is simple:
Musketeers of the age shoot slowly but ther ability to shoot was the important point. Their only danger was cavalry and therefore it was in the eyes more simple to have pikemen.
Also the this bayonet has as most people know a disadvantage corectly given in ETW: If put inside the musket it was barely impossible to pull it out later during the battle, particularly when the musket shoots several rounds before. The bayonet was so hard inside because the soot and grime inside glued it. So until the ring bayonett was found which allowed to shoot and load with bayonet, the pikemen makes still sense, but only against cavalry.

[EmperorBatman999]

And the fact matchlock muskets had to be fired on a fork, so they couldn't be swung around.

[JaM]

bayonet is a French invention.. they were first who used it.

Matchlock musket only needed fork as it was heavier, later model got lighter and didnt need it, but it took some time until fork was abandoned.