Color Team Spacing

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Reminder:

  • Military-type = Color Team
  • Marching band/winter guard = Color Guard

Spacing
There are two different ways a color team can line up when the teams forms:

  1. Line formation, abreast
  2. Column formation, behind each other

When falling-in in line formation, the team should have a distance of four inches between the shoulders. This make room for all static movement. When the team steps off to march, the first step is slightly inward to bring the team’s shoulders to touching (see picture at right).

When the team halts, all members take their last step after the command, “Halt,” slightly outward from center to create the four-inch distance when the team is halted.

When falling-in in column formation, the team members should be able to rotate 90-degrees in place (see picture below) and have the four-inch distance between the shoulders as described above. Marching in this formation is only for short distances or when moving through doorways or some similar situation. A color team should travel in line formation at all times when possible.

Why March Shoulder-to-Shoulder?
Marching with shoulders touching is the only way for a color team to keep alignment when a flag has moved over the face of one of the team members. And believe me, flags will always move in front of either a color bearer or one of the rifle guards. If you can’t see, especially if the flag is completely blocking your vision, then there is no way you can maintain alignment or even march straight for any length of time.

Wheel Movements
Wheel movements are executed so that the team’s rotation point is in the center- NOT on either end.

Discipline at Practice

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FYI: rehearsal = practice

The military (we can count college ROTC in this), LEOs, firefighters, EMS, etc. are all adults and have set rules of which one must follow. In many cases honor guard, color team or drill team is on a volunteer basis and out of 1000 rehearsals you might run across some bad behavior that requires discipline.

Situations

What happens when you are a JROTC cadet in high school and you so badly want to be on the team but out of the 10 girls or guys on the team three of them constantly disrupt practice with their immaturity?

What happens when you are the commander of a JROTC team and have one or two cadets who keep playing around and taking away from rehearsal time?

Let’s add to this: Suppose you have a JROTC instructor who is not around- and I don’t just mean at a single practice session. Suppose your instructor is not doing his job and off doing something else.

Note: I have known many JROTC instructors over time and have come across all types and the majority of them have nothing but the best intentions for their students at the forefront of their minds and you can tell because of their actions and how their cadets love them. Yes, you will come across someone who could not care less and only wants the next paycheck- those people are everywhere but hopefully not common.

Rules

First, your unit should have an established set of rules, if it doesn’t, you may want to get right on that with the other cadets who are in leadership positions and bring your ideas to your instructors.

Next, your team should have established rules. Everyone needs to know “what happens when?” Established rules can take much stress out of the hands of the leadership.

Last, FOLLOW THE ESTABLISHED RULES. If the rules are not enforced, you wasted your time and efforts.

Ways of Dealing

Follow the established rules. Without them, leaders can find themselves without a leg on which stand. I can’t stress this enough.

Never belittle in public or in private. Students can act out due to their level of maturity, issues at home or school, or a myriad of other reasons. Students need to know that they are not “hated.” They need to know they have an “out” (even if it is the team commander telling them to leave and see the instructor) and that they can make their way back to the team without hostility.

Be calm and try to be as professional as possible. I know, sometimes punching someone in the face seems like the best way to handle the situation, but believe me, it’s not.

Don’t gang up. You can have several or all of the other team members be on the opposite side of the offender(s), but everyone yelling at the same time is not a good idea. Let leaders perform their roles.

Watch what you say. Don’t swear/curse or name-call. Remember, be as professional as possible.

If you, as the team commander, cannot straighten out the problem, that is when you need to send the unruly student(s) to your instructor.

Soon, I’ll briefly go over the 4 personality types. This will help you understand yourself and also others not only in conflicting situations, but in everyday life.

What advice can you offer? Please comment below.

Drill Pad Sizes

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Call it what you want, “drill pad,” “drill area,” “drill floor,” or “drill deck,” we need to get some standardization in the American (and beyond) military drill world. For a drill competition (drill meet) there are different phases to the competition and each phase has a measured off area in which to compete.

Exhibition and Regulation
These drill phases both use a 50-foot x 50-foot square (some use 100 feet x 100 feet). I would like to see the adoption of 50-feet x 90-feet, the size of a basketball court.

Solo, Tandem and Tetrad
These phases are usually in a 30-foot x 30-foot square (Pro America, NYDC; Nationals uses 33 x 33, close enough) and lets keep it that way. This is a very good size for these three phases of competition, this is the perfect size for movement and an audience.

FYI: Color Team = Military; Color Guard = Marching Band/Winter Guard

Color Team
There is not much to a colors competitive sequence as far as marching goes, it is mainly comprised of flagstaff and rifle manuals. The standard size should be 40-feet x 50-feet. There is no reason to have it smaller or, really, any larger than that. The reasoning for 40 x 50 is that this really has the commander/team thinking of how to be as exact as possible and not have “extra” room for error.

The WDA Open Phases
My favorite phases of competition are the World Drill Association’s Open Color GuardTM and Open RegulationTM. “Open” means that the teams get to design their own routine using every move out of their service drill manual. Both still adhere to the letter of the manual and nothing ‘exhibition-like’ is allowed, and it gives the cadets another chance at creation but within strict guidelines. These two phases can add to the enjoyment of the competition as well!

Weighting the DrillMaster iDrill Rifle

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Can the Drillmaster iDrill RifleTM be weighted?

Sure. But there is a limit. If you haven’t yet, read about how to make your own rifle here.

Over the past weekend I was talking with a relative of mine who is an engineer, he suggested Harbor Freight’s Wheel Weights. I thought this was a brilliant idea and started researching.

It’s still a great idea, but there is the problem if you want to fully weight your Drillmaster iDrill RifleTM: The stack of weights in the picture equals one pound. You’d have to purchase eight packs of these weights (over $80) and even though they have adhesive strips on the back, you would have to find a place to put all 96 pieces! Here are the concerns: 96 pieces takes up quite a bit of real estate on the outside of the rifle and would make it thicker. Boring into the rifle would work for a few weights here and there, but to space-out all 96 and try to achieve a good balance ratio, the structure of the rifle would become compromised and thus easier to break.

What does DrillMaster recommend?

If you want to add some weight, go get a package and play around with adding a pound or two. But I think that’s where you should stop. Adding any more weights would be detrimental to all of your hard work in creating the rifle.

Experiment with the rifle, add some weight or leave it like it is and then upload a video YouTube with you spinning your very own Drillmaster iDrill RifleTM!

By the way, are you ready? Here is the link to the rifle patterns.

The DrillMaster iDrill Rifle!

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 DrillMaster, the Evolution of Military Drill

Click here for information on how to weight your Drillmaster iDrill RifleTM.

Why are this M1 Garand and M1903 wood rifle each called the DrillMaster iDrill RifleTM? Because “i” made it and that “i” belongs to you when you make it!

How to make your own practice rifle (M1 Garand or M1903) out of solid wood

I don’t recommend trying to make an M14 out of wood since much of the barrel of the rifle is exposed on the real thing; you just won’t be able to match that size and still have that part of the rifle be as strong as you need.

Either of these rifles are not intended to exactly match a fully weighted DrillAmerica, DrillMaster M14, Daisy Drill Rifle or demil. They are intended to help those who cannot afford their own rifle with which to practice. If you are creative, it may possible to bore a hole or holes in either rifle and fill it with some kind of material to weight it down. Whatever you choose, the rifle is yours!

Special note: The M1 pattern of the iDrill Rifle is a color guard/winter guard rifle. It’s just longer.

What you will need:

  • 2” x 8” piece of wood: Yellow pine is the easiest to find, is sold in 8-foot lengths (you can make two rifles) and costs just under $5.
  • Permanent marker (one with a wide wedge-like tip would be best)
  • Scissors
  • Scotch tape
  • Tape measure
  • Tools:
    • Work bench
    • Band saw*
    • Circular or hand-held saw
    • Router with rounding tip (I used a 3/4″)**
    • Hand-held sander**
    • Sandpaper
    • File

*From the advice I was given at the local hardware store, a band saw will be the best option. Update: You can use a jigsaw with a long enough blade, but it will take much longer. I might just try this and see what works better.

**These items are not mandatory; however, they can help you greatly.

If you do not have access to a band saw and/or router, you are going to have quite a bit of work using the file and sand paper.

Directions

  1. Download and print the DrillMaster M1 Garand and M1903 iDrill RifleTM Pattern and DrillMaster iDrill Rifle Jr pages
    1. Lay and tape the pattern together. Don’t overlap the paper, put the papers together ed-to-end. Be careful to not have any wrinkles in the paper.
    2. Carefully cut out the pattern.
    3. Lay the pattern on the wood and pin it to the wood using thumb tacks or something similar. Tape can be used, but will get in the way when you start tracing. Again, be careful to not have any wrinkles in the paper and make sure you have the whole pattern on the wood.
    4. Carefully trace around the image with the marker onto the wood. The arrows on the patterns are for the locations of the sling swivels (see the accessories link below).
    5. Remove the pattern.
    6. Repeat steps C, D and E for the other end of the 8-foot board.
    7. Using the circular or hand-held saw, cut the board in half so that you can work with one rifle image at a time.
    8. Use the ban saw to cut out the rifle. Try to leave about a 1/16th of an inch to sand away after using the band saw. Be careful to cut straight and slowly! If you make a mistake, you have the 1/16th of an inch to play with and you can sand-out the mistake. If you cannot sand-out the mistake, the routing portion of this project will not be as smooth.
    9. After the rifle is completely cut out, sand down all of the cut edges using something like 60 or 80 grit sandpaper. The lower number of the grit, the rougher and faster the sanding. The higher the number, the smoother the sanding.
    10. Note: whatever you do, don’t slam or tap the rifle on the ground! Doing so could chip off pieces of wood. See the pictures, I chipped two pieces off of the 1903- these can be wood glued back on, but I left them off and it doesn’t look good, but this is only cosmetic.
    11. After you have sanded the rifle to your version of perfection, use the router to round the edges of the rifle, or, manually sand to round the edges which will take much longer.
    12. Use sandpaper where needed to smooth the rifle.
    13. Wipe the rifle down with a wet rag to remove all of the saw dust
    14. Tape it (see How to Tape Your Rifle, below)
    15. Spin and enjoy your new DrillMaster iDrill RifleTM!

Accessories link: Click here for accessories for the rifle.

FYI: the M1 Garand s just like a color guard rifle only much longer and does not have the cutaway to add in the plastic bolt (see the accessories link above). The pattern has the cutaway line if you want to use it. You can also do this for the 1903. You can modify these rifles however you want- they are yours!

iDrill RifleTM Creation Process Pictures
(click on each picture to enlarge and see the pictures in sequence- some of the pictures have more detailed info for the creation process)

How to Tape Your Rifle

You really should tape your rifle, at least at the stress points. This PDF file from colorguardeducator.com is a super guide for taping a color guard rifle.

The butt and “barrel” ends of the iDrill RifleTM are also stress points and they need to be taped to prevent splitting.

What you will need:

  • Strapping tape (with fiber in it, like for shipping boxes) to tape the stress areas and ends.
  • Colored vinyl tape (I bought 60 feet of Scotch brand electrical tape and had enough.
  • Scissors.
  • Cosmetic cotton rounds, cotton pads (not cotton balls), or even a feminine protection pad (yep, I used one on each and you can see it in one of the pics) or something to add as cushion on the butt and barrel ends of the rifle to help it keep from splitting.

The Process:

  • Use the strapping tape to add support to the ends and the two stress points.
  • Tape on your padding for the ends. Make sure the padding is shaped to each end and does not overlap around an edge.
  • Starting at the butt of the rifle (see the pictures below), apply your tape and carefully wind it around until you reach the end- finished! Don’t “over tape” your rifle. You can add weight to different places depending on how much you add, but that also adds thickness.

Click here for information on how to weight your Drillmaster iDrill RifleTM.

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Drillers: Adopt the Colorguard Rifle Toss

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You can see that the rifles in this picture (Glendale DrillAmerica M1s) are rotating on the X and Y axes due to poor technique

Remember, colorguard (color guard) = a marching band color guard.

What’s the difference between a colorguard rifle toss and a military Driller’s rifle toss? Nothing. The mechanics are the same. “We Drillers catch differently.” Yes, I’m aware of that and catching the rifle when it is upside down looks bad and that’s not because I have guard experience, either.

The Colorguard Rifle Toss
By Fran Hunt Simmons, DrillMaster guest author
This article discusses basic rifle tosses, from single to quad. It assumes that the reader has had at least a little instruction in tossing a rifle, knows the parts of the rifle, and understands the positions of left flat and right flat. This article does not claim to cover every nuance of tossing, or describe the “only” or “right” way to do rifle tosses.

Getting Started
Stand in a stable position. I like second position “boxed out” (stand like at Parade Rest) for practice. Feet are apart, shoulder width. Start with the rifle at left flat. The left arm is bent, elbow free of but in line with the ribcage, with the left pinkie barely to the left of the bolt. I like to let the thumb ride along the very bottom edge of the barrel but it is tucked down, not extended. Keep the rifle in your fingers, not in the palm of your hand. This reduces twisting on the release. The right elbow is 6-8” out, in line with the body, forearm straight. The right hand rests lightly at the very end of the gun with no fingers overlapping. Keep elbows higher than wrists. Stand with shoulders back, stomach in, feet shoulder width and legs turned out. Relax from head to toe; nothing twisted or tilted. Have enough tension in your shoulders, back and arms to keep someone from taking your rifle away. Check again when it’s time to boost (aka dip – I don’t like “dip” because it implies lowering the hands and neither hand should drop).

The Boost (Hit)
My groups don’t boost for a single. But for doubles and up: Raise the right hand to shoulder height. Separate your shoulders. Don’t grip the bottom hand too tightly. Don’t dig your elbow into your ribs. That can ruin arm path, slow down rotations, and, if you do it on the catch, it’s very ugly because your body will contort around the rifle. When you are set, look down at the rifle and make sure that your hands are in a straight line, and that the rifle is not rotated towards or away from you. Usually the culprit is too much tension in your fingers. Any line on the floor can be used to check your position. This helps improve rifle pitch.

Break it Down
There are four parts to a toss: push, lift, release, catch.

  1. The push controls the rotations. I like to use the tips of my fingers to drag down the butt of the rifle like I’m slamming a door, but straight down, lined up with my elbow. Don’t lean or bend your body forward or back during the push. Don’t push the butt forward here or your toss won’t be flat to the front (a.k.a. bad “pitch”). The push happens half a count before the release… e.g. “five six seven eight AND one”, where you let go on one at the release point. You can subdivide this (as in the exercises to the right) using the word “re-LEASE”, with the emphasis on LEASE because that’s when the hand opens.
  2. The lift raises the gun to the level where you’re going to let go of it. Squeeze the left hand as the rifle is pushed down and transfer the energy from the swinging of the butt to the barrel. As you lift straight up, turn the left wrist like you are twisting a doorknob and lift straight up in line with your shoulder. I call this “the channel”, an oval that goes up from your elbow straight up in a line that reaches higher than your head. If you do it right, your left elbow will follow your wrist straight up and not swing out as you toss. Again, keep the gun in your fingers. Hot tip: To work on the push and lift separately, do “fakes”: push and lift to that release point but don’t toss.
  3. Release at shoulder for single, at chin for double, eyeball for triple, and barely overhead for quad. I tell my kids that the release point is not negotiable – we all have to let go at the same place if we want the tosses to be the same height. The biggest rookie mistake is to do an extra push or twirl at the release point. Don’t! Just open your hand there. Release straight up from your shoulder/ elbow line – don’t “rainbow over”. If your rifle is flying to the left, right or forward, it’s because that is where you opened your hand. This point of release can be altered for your direction of travel… if you are moving to the right, release to the right, and the rifle will travel to the right with you. P.S. Don’t jump! In between release and catch, have a free hand position.
  4. The catch for a basic toss is at right flat, hands at the grip and tip, wrists below elbows. Wait at your free hand position until the very last moment to catch the rifle. When you catch, act like you are pulling the rifle apart and box out. This helps control the line of the catch, and it looks impressive. Releasing on *and one*, I catch a single on *two*, a double on *two and*, a triple on *three*, and a quad on *three and* (or catch on four if you’re just starting to throw quads).

Exercises: These are some exercises for Rifle Tosses.

  • The word “release” is used to help subdivide the count
  • My groups say the words exactly as written below.
  • We say “hit” instead of boost… use what works for you.

Sgl: Spin, spin, stop, wait, Re – LEASE! & 2 (hold, push 8)
Dbl: Spin, spin, stop, hit, Re – LEASE! & 2 AND
Triple: Spin, spin, stop, hit, Re – LEASE! & 2 & 3
Quad: Spin, spin, stop, hit, Re – LEASE! & 2 & 3 AND!

Catch on either the count or half count (but don’t stop counting). Push on 8 to restart the exercise (at spin, spin). For singles and doubles, you can count 1-8 continuously. For triples and quads, count 5, 6, 7, 8 in between for a breather. If your hands are sore, switch hands on 1 & 3 (boost 4) instead of spinning and stopping. For variation, try catching at angles, vertical or with creative free hand positions/action. Or try catching in different body positions.

About Technique
I hope you enjoyed this article! These techniques have helped my teams over the years. I learned them from my instructors, & supplemented with WGI equipment technique tapes. If you’re already on a team, go with the techniques your team uses so you will adhere to your team’s style. If what works for me doesn’t work for you, please write me. I’d love to hear what others do or what might work better. If you want to contribute an article to be posted in our Instructor’s Resources section, please contact me. Good
luck, competitors!

Fran Hunt Simmons

And there’s more:

http://wgi.org/multimedia/flashplayer.php?clip=/multimedia/2005/riflefun69&cliptitle=Rifle%20FUNdamentals%20Clip&time=69&ad=3

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uBXxBKu6kf0


What to do When the American Flag Passes

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Stand. If in uniform, salute. That’s what everyone should do to pay respects to the only flag on the face of the earth that stands for liberty, personal liberty. Men and women have fought for this flag against tyranny for decades and that is why we should stand.

However, in America you are free and have the freedom o sit when it passes or even burn it, spit on it, write on it and anything else to show your displeasure with whatever bothers you.

American flag desecration: Amazingly, I support their right to walk on and spray paint our beloved flag. The flag under which my wife and I each served for 20 years. There are much better ways to communicate, but some people feel it is necessary to ruin America’s most loved symbol. Just because so many people, including me, think that those who communicate this way are morons who probably cannot think beyong their next serving of fast food French fries, does not mean we restrict what they say or how they say it. Freedom has many responsibilities and one cannot legislate intelligence on how to use those freedoms wisely.

 

DrillMaster’s Guide to Life

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  • Keep the Ten Commandments
    1. It doesn’t matter if you do not believe in the One True God, His Commandments are the perfect guide to life for everyone.
    2. Do not steal. Ever. It doesn’t matter how much something costs. Don’t do it. Especially the “easy” stuff like software and music and other things over the Net.
  • Do NOT have sex (of any kind) before you get married!
  • This can be extremely difficult in certain situations- so don’t put yourself in those situations. Have respect for yourself and your girl/boyfriend.

 

  • Porn
  • Can ruin your life. Do not look at it, ever. Please stay away from it at all costs.

 

  • Don’t hate people, hate actions
  • Here is the difference: “I hate people who wear tight blue jeans.” Or, “I hate it when people wear tight blue jeans.” Do you really hate the person or what he/she is doing? The answer is you hate the action and not the person. I know, the person may be the biggest pain in your life, but don’t hate them; one day they may come around and see life differently and it could be because of you. I also know that this can be, at times, easier said than done.

 

  • Finish high school! (Or, preferably, home schooling up to graduation)
  • Without finishing, life can be rough, very rough. Consider school your main job while you are in it.
  • Go to college or a technical school
  • There are jobs that require a degree and jobs that require certifications. Choose what you would like to do and go for it wisely.

 

  • Don’t get married until you are 25
  • This is not a hard-and-fast rule, but you are finished with your schooling and already established in a career. It is not that long to wait. Yes, there are exceptions, but not many.
  • When married:
  • Put God at the center of your marriage and in front of everything you do
  • Never yell when in an argument
  • Never say ANYTHING derogatory about your spouse
  • Take responsibility for your actions; do not blame others for what you’ve done
  • Men: love your wife with a passionate and respectful love and lead your family in the right direction while accepting her input
  • Women: love your husband with a passionate and respectful love and follow his lead while offering your input

 

  • Having children
  • Have as many as you want, children are great!
  • There is no need for hitting (a quick spanking is not “hitting”- one smack on the butt can get the point across, but should be used VERY sparingly). I used firm language and a stern voice.
  • Raise them with logical consequences, though. Example: Telling your child that if s/he does not rake the leaves, then s/he cannot go out. (Now see #4)
  • Follow through with your words- immediately. I laugh at parents who tell their child something and then start counting. That’s teaching the child that they do not have to listen to you until you’ve finished practicing your numbers. When a parent says to do something, it had better happen right now. Period. The same goes for training a dog.
  • Give sound reasoning (when the child is old enough) for denials. Example: Your daughter wants to go out with friends. You tell her, “No,” and back it up with, “We will be leaving in 45 minutes to go to XYZ place, remember?” If you cannot back up a decision, then there is no reason for a refusal. “Because I said so,” is a weak and controlling statement.
  • Do not be condescending or abusive, your job as a parent is to teach your children.

 

  • How you were raised
  • I’m very sorry about whatever bad situation(s) you’ve had. Try to understand that your parents did the best they could with the knowledge they had. Maybe they had zero knowledge and did a horrible job or maybe they had some inkling of parenting and only failed in certain areas. Whatever the case, take the knowledge you’ve gained from them (and this) and set new goals for your children.
  • Question authority with respect
  • Law enforcement officers (LEOs) are people too, they can be wrong or make bad decisions/choices. A majority of LEOs are awesome, great people. Some police are just bullies and love their power. Giving back to an LEO bully what you are getting may get you killed. Know your rights and know them well. Read up on the Constitution, Bill of Rights and your state’s laws. Your knowledge could very well help you or someone you know one day.
  • Don’t drink while you are under age unless you have your parent’s permission and you are in their presence. When you are old enough to drink (really, there is nothing that is all that wonderful about alcohol), do it responsibly. I mean it.

The Coast Guard Silent Drill Team

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Here are some highlights from the Drill Team’s performance during navy Fleet Week in Boston Massachusetts.

Could it be that the team changed their movements after going to shoulder with their rifle because of my critique during at the Joint Service Drill Competition (JSDC12)? I don’t know, but I very much more appreciate this routine! Whatever the reason, enjoy the video!

Oh, and t all freedom-loving people around the world, happy Independence Day from the United States of America!

Bayonet, Bayonet, Who’s Got the Bayonet?

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The DrillMaster Bayonet is for the M1 Garand and M1903 rifles, it is a real bayonet, but the blade tip is rounded, it does not have a sharp edge and has welds for extra stability- there is also an unwelded version. Armed drill has a certain amount of danger; drilling bladed ups the ante considerably. The DrillMaster Bayonet is a ‘safer’ bayonet for Drillers.

Click on the DrillMaster Bayonet tab to order yours now!

Click here and find out all about the DrillMaster Driller’s Bayonet.

Bayonet Information (Learn as much as you can before buying)

Gary Cunningham has a website that has a great deal of information about bayonets.

There is great, detailed information at World Bayonets.com M4-M7 Series, WWI, WWII and Post War

  • The M6 (6.625 in.*) bayonet is made for the M14 rifle
  • The M1905 (16 in.*) is made for both the M1 Garand and the M1903 rifles
  • M1942 (16 in.* an exact copy of the M1905) is made for both the M1 Garand and the M1903 rifles
  • The M1 (10 in.*, a shortened M1905) is made for both the M1 Garand and the M1903 rifles
  • The M1 (10 in.*) is made for both the M1 Garand and the M1903 rifles
  • The M5, M5-1 and M5A1 (6.625 in.*) are made for the M1 Garand rifle

About original bayonets

US WW2 made:

AFH – American Fork and Hoe
OL – Oneida Limited
PAL – Pal Blade and Tool
UC – Utica Cutlery
UFH – Union Fork and Hoe

Made post WW2 (mostly in the 1950s) in other countries. Excellent copies, parts usually interchangeable.

Italy – several possible letter markings, does not use the US Shell and Flame mark.
Denmark – marked FKF, no shell and flame.
Japan – marked N P with a J under the shell and flame.
Taiwan – marked 60-6 over KS (markings inverted), no shell and flame.
Norway – marked with a crowned ornate K over the shell and flame.
Greece – EN-S over the shell and flame

You will want to get a reproduction bayonet since real bayonets can be expensive and can also be collector’s items.

Stay away from these web sites (non-drill worthy bayonets)

  • keepshooting.com
  • Cheaper Than Dirt- there is a reason why they are “cheaper than dirt”

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