Did some serious thinking about my M1, so I went and found my father's bayonet from the Pacific War. It all fits, the M1 Garand and M1 bayonet with M7 scabbard. There were longer M1905 bayonets around from WWI, but ten inches of American steel is probably enough, the current bayonets are much shorter, but then the entire rifle is shorter isn't it? I then went looking for bayonet drills, and the Nineteenth Century was full of them.
I had rifle PT and bayonet drill with an M14 in 1967, thought it could be useful in the wrong places during bad times. I know that constant contact with and care of the rifle was helpful long before they took us to shooting bullets with it. It was never heavy, other things like radios, rations and rain gear was always heavy, but the rifle and bullets never seemed heavy. Carrying ammunition for the machine gunner was a bit of a burden, but part of the price one paid for all that suppressive fire. I never really believed in suppressive fire, I would call on mortars or artillery to really knock them down, and I never had to carry their ammunition nor haul their weapons.
Well, time to watch the third DVD on Mind Over Matter, and practice my shooting positions - it is really nice to have a weapon that feels strong and fits well. I am delaying my shooting with it, but then raising the suspense is heating up the seduction. Who is being seduced? well, it must be me or the rifle.
3 comments:
Awesome. You can't go wrong with those, that's for sure.
I'm quite sure I wouldn't want to be on the business end of a bayonet you were wielding!
I am certain I have used my P-38 much more than I ever used my bayonets, although I drilled so much with the rifle and bayonet that the lunge, butt stroke and whirl are almost instinctive, funny what terror of the Drill Sergeant will do to one's motivation to memorize. I just never thought the M16 could do in a bayonet charge what a woody M1 and M14 could. But then I wasn't a line up and charge kind of guy, nor seemed to have the occasion to find out.
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