Bayonet for Miroku 1864 Springfield?

[JustinPrince]

Got a Miroku 1864 Springfield from GreenJacket in a trade for my MVT 1816. This is an excellent musket but I have a question. Is there a special bayonet for it? The typical Indian made Springfield bayonet I use on my James River 1861 won't fit. The socket is too long, and when it hits the nosecap the locking ring doesn't clear the sight/bayo lug.

Do I need to buy another one and somehow shorten the socket, or is there a special bayonet for these Japanese muskets? Or was the barrel somhow cut down by an inch, and the front sight reblazed? I don't think that's what happened but the essential thing is from nosecap to muzzle on the '64 is NOT the same length (although it looks it when eyeballing) as it is on my James River '61.

[Craig L Barry]

That was a good trade. The easiest thing to do is remove the nosecap and take a 1/4" (or whatever) off the tip of the stock, and re-fit the nosecap. Or if you are shy about woodworking (I know you are not) try another bayonet. The Italians (v India) makes a spring steel bayonet imported by Taylors & Co for Armi Sport at $95, and it is closer to original dimensions. The problem with the India reproduction bayonet is that the socket dimensions can vary widely, there is no way to predict if a bayonet will fit your musket or not without trying it. You might want to take your musket to an event and go through the barrel of bayonets at one of the larger sutlers until you find one that fits.

I have a US 1861 Miroku, and the Italian made spring steel bayonet fit it with only minor adjustment. And actually, an Enfield bayonet (original) that I have fit my Miroku best of all of them.

[REBfrmNY]

I have a 61 Miroku and original 55 bayonet fit with a tiny bit of filing to the front sight.
Daniel Harhangi

[Curt-Heinrich Schmidt]

Hallo!

How long IS the barrel?

CHS

[flattop32355]

How long IS the barrel?

Measure twice...cut once.

[tompritchett]

The easiest thing to do is remove the nosecap and take a 1/4" (or whatever) off the tip of the stock, and re-fit the nosecap.

Interesting. I have the same problem with my Richmond that the original poster has and this sounds a lot better than trying to grind about 1/8" off the base of the bayonette. Thanks.

[Curt-Heinrich Schmidt]

Hallo!

Italain and Indian reproductions aside..

To a less extent, Civil War soldiers had a similar problem.

The original M1855 Type I and Type II socket bayonet had a socket length of 3 inches.

The M1855 rifle-musket had a muzzle to stock tip length of 3.0 inches.
The M1861 rifle-musket had a muzzle to stock tip length of 3.032 inches.
The SM1861 rifle-musket had a muzzle to stock tip length of 3.125 inches.
The M1863 rifle-musket had a muzzle to stock tip length of 3.031 inches.
The M1864 rifle-musket had a muzzle to stock tip length of 3.0 inches.

The barrel length was 40 inches.

;)

As shared, the Italians and the Pakistani/Indians... well, have mileage that varies. :(

CHS

[Craig L Barry]

Wood being easier to work than metal, that is the case. Also, sometimes an Enfield bayonet works, for example on the Colt Special Model of 1861, which is essentially an Enfield design, or some of the Eli Whitney state contract arms that came with Enfield bayonets.

[JustinPrince]

Sorry for the delay. I had never thought of doing that, but that sounds like the best option. Other than socket length the bayonet fits fine, I'd really hate to buy another bayonet when I don't really need too.

[Ryan McMullen]

I have had a similar problem fitting a bayonet on my Euroarms '63 Richmond. I repeatedly dug through sutler row bins filled with Indian-made bayonets, and settled for one that I've filed to fit the circumference of the barrel but was too long to lock beneath the sight.

Can I assume if I order one of the Italian-made bayonets, that they will fit? I've never come across Italian-made bayonets on sutler row, so if I order one online, I need to be relatively assured that the Italian-made bayonets are standardized enough that they will fit my Richmond.

Does anyone have any suggestions on which online sutlers might carry such a bayonet?

Thanks for your assistance...
Ryan McMullen

[Craig L Barry]

The Euroarms barrel has a taper to it that is unique to their design. It was made that way so they could use (basically) one barrel diameter of 33" proportion and lengthen/taper it for 3 band use, but in so doing their design has proven problematic as far as fitting a bayonet to the business end. In researching "The Civil War Musket" a few years ago, I contacted Euroarms about offering a bayonet to fit their barrel, and was told that they have no plans for adding any bayonets to their product line. Tough luck, in other words, if you want a bayonet that fits your Euroarms barrel. You are on your own to find one through trial and error.

What most of us do is fit the socket to the barrel by grinding or filing the inside of the socket (not the barrel) until it will seat properly. There is an off chance you could find one by digging through the piles of Made in India bayonets for sale on the sutler's row, but odds are you are going to have to do some fitting.

In fact, I have an extra repro bayonet from a Euroarms US 1861 (same barrel as your Richmond) floating around my garage someplace. Send me a PM if you need it.