AR-10 Bayonet

To be fixed on the Dutch AR-10 Assault Rifle

After the US was confronted with the German MP-44 and the "Fallschirmjager Gewehr" during WW2 and that similar types of rifles were used in Russia and the Middle-East, it became clear that the US needed a modern Assault Rifle. The US tried to modernize the M1 Garands into several variants such as the T44 and T48. Once the major part of testings of the variants was completed, a absolutely new designed/engineered Assault Rifle did his entry; the AR-10.

Once the US Board of the Infantry announced that the AR-10 was added to their list of competitors (next to the T44 and T48) as the new US Infantry Assault Rifle, the Dutch became interested. According to the Dutch the AR-10 could be the replacement for their M1 Garand rifles.

This was the chance for the Dutch company Staatsbedrijf Artillerie Inrichtingen Hembrug-Zaandam (A.I.) to retrieve their former status (before WW2) as the main weapon manufacturer in the Netherlands and beyond. The A.I. especially was interested because they had close connections with Fairchild (Armakte/Armalite) and that they had more than enough R&D capabilities. At that same time Armakte/Armalite was looking for possibilities to manufacture their AR-10 in mass productions, because more countries in the world showed their interests in the AR-10.

Eventually the US Board of the Infantry decided in favor of the T44 (later known as the M14), but the US Marine Corps decided to wait for further testing of the AR-10, also several NATO countries, Austria, Israel and Sudan were still very interested in the AR-10. For all of them the issue remained if the AR-10 could be produced in large numbers?

In the beginning of 1957 a temporary agreement was made between Fairchild and the Dutch A.I. The official manufacturing license was signed on the 4th of July 1957 which mentioned that the Dutch A.I. was the only one that was allowed to manufacture the AR-10 (later Cooper MacDonald from Baltimore was also added as a manufacturer of AR-10's). In the end of January 1958, the Dutch technical engineer Hilarius was holding the first Dutch made rifles (since WW2) in his hands; the AR-10 which was marked with the triangular A.I. logo and stamped with the serial number 00001.

The country of Sudan placed an order of 2508 AR-10 rifles.
A total of 10.000 AR-10 rifles were made.

The Dutch also developed a bayonet for the AR-10. The Dutch official demands for such a bayonet were:
1. Knife type, double edged blade, which can be used as a dagger when it is not fixed to the rifle.
2. The Blade Length must be approx. 15 cm.
3. Once the bayonet is fixed to the rifle, the Blade Length must not be shortened than only a few centimeters.
4. The bayonet must not reflect light.
5. Once the bayonet is fixed to the rifle it must not influence the shooting results in a negative way, although a constant influence in the ballistic trajectory is allowed.
6. The bayonet must not damage the damper of the rifle, it should be investigated if it the bayonet can act as a damper-protector.

The bayonet made by AI was for the Portuguese contract, with a small additional quantity for use in the Dutch Army trials. The total production of AR-10 bayonets was approximately 1,600 pieces. 1,556 rifles were shipped to Portugal. (My bayonet must have been from the Army trials, because it is in such excellent condition.)

The AR-10 did not win the Dutch Army testings for their favorite Infantry Assault Rifle (although the Dutch Special Forces favored the AR-10). The Dutch Royal Army was equipped with the Belgium F.N. FAL (see Model-C "FAL" Bayonet).

Dimensions
Overall Length: 305 mm
Blade Length: 189 mm
Muzzle Ring Diameter: 21,5 mm

AR-10 Bayonet Collection:

  

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