Rifle Shoppe cast bayonets

[Pumpkinslinger]

Hey fellas. I'm having a hard time finding a reasonably priced bayonet for my 1809 Potsdam conversion musket and noticed The Rifle Shoppe sells a cast reproduction for less than the cost of an original. Does anyone have any experience with how they come? It states you have to cut the casting gates and lightly polish. Just wondering while waiting on a pic from them.

[Ambrose Bierce]

Re: Rifle Shoppe cast bayonets

Mike,

I have experience working with the Rifle Shoppe to get parts, guns, and complete kits for various muskets, but not the specific bayonet of which you are asking.

Their parts are very good, well-made and reasonably easy to work with, but you must have some knowledge of working with metal since removing the flash from the casts and deburring the metal takes careful, patient work.

The issue you will face is delivery. They have a great and extensive catalog of goods, but delivery times are long (I am talking years at times) and if you are expecting to get this bayonet in a reasonable amount of time I wouldn't expect to receive it soon after you order it.

People have different experiences with the Rifle Shoppe and this isn't meant to turn this thread into a bash or comparison of their customer service, just that it seems to be typical to experience long waits.

Caveat aside, if you did get one of their bayonets it will require finishing that isn't too hard to do if you are careful and patient. The casting gates need to be cut flush from the attachment points and the metal will be dull and unfinished. Polishing is pretty easy, too, with various grades of metal working sandpaper available at auto hobby shops.

Hope this helps, and that you find a well-priced original bayonet since in the end, that is going to take you less time (in my opinion) than waiting for your reproduction to arrive. Your time alone may be worth paying a little more for the bayonet.

[MarkTK36thIL]

Re: Rifle Shoppe cast bayonets

A friend bought a Lorenz kit from them. The rifle needed all the finishing work. However, the bayonet looked like a mint original. I don't know if someone finished the bayonet and said "F that" to the rest of the gun, but the bayonet looked phenomenal. Or they bought it finished from the Rifle Shoppe.

[Craig L Barry]

Re: Rifle Shoppe cast bayonets

Honestly, before you fool with Rifle Shoppe (long waits are in fact, the norm) for something like a Pottsdam musket bayonet, I would seek out an original in decent condition. Often the castings are quite rough and require quite a bit of attention to render into something serviceable as previously stated. Also, aside from the wait time, the cost is commensurate with a reasonably priced original part. It is hard to get a reproduction as accurate as the original part and when you are done fooling with it, you still have a reproduction in the end. My experiences with Rifle Shoppe have been frustrating as they wait until they have enough orders to do a production run of any given part and the wait time for something like this particular bayonet would no doubt be measured in years, not months.

Finally, because these were handmade arms, it is usually wise to take the musket with you when selecting any original bayonet, except possibly a parts interchangeable US model meaning the 1842 or later.

[Curt Schmidt]

Re: Rifle Shoppe cast bayonets

Hallo!

I cannot speak to this particular bayonet, but I can speak to the "concept." I have one of their other bayonets, and have purchased two cast knives from them.

First, as shared. "Delivery" is problematic. IF an item is in stock you will have it in a week or so. IF it is not in inventory you will have to wait until enough orders come into make up a foundry/casting run. That is where the months to years part comes into play.
Plus, in years of business and orders with TRS, I have NEVER (use of a universal so noted, but true) ever had them answer there telephone, return a message left on their answering machine, or had an email returned. Not one.

I am not a metallurgist, so I am not likely to use the correct or proper terms here. But, in brief...

TRS parts are typical cast steel and NUG come as they pop out of teh mold... with mold sand texture, seams, and sprues sawn off not too closely. Sooo, clean-up and finishing is required. They do clean up nicely.

Where the weakness is, is that they are "eye candy" or "decorators" only. Original bayonets were hardened and tempered much like springs. They bend and flex, and then return back to "normal." WORSE than the Italian repro bayonets, these castings are "soft" and bend very easily and DO NOT return. Again, they are great for jewelry, eye candy, and decorator purposes but that is about it (more so than Italian bayonets).

Side Note. Knives are worse as they barely take a cutting edge and do not hold it more than a second or two before needing reedged. And, because of the nature of the cast steel, they cannot be forged/fire hardened or tempered after-the-fact and also warp due to the heat in the attempt.

In praise of them... they are part of a line of offerings not reproduced giving one a choice (albeit decorator) for a bayonet that is not unauthentic and "farby" by being a rusty, pitted, brown or black original. And, dealing with Baonet A not fitting other than Musket A due to hand-made issues.

Curt

[Pumpkinslinger]

Re: Rifle Shoppe cast bayonets

I ended up finding an original on fleabay at a very reasonable price and purchased it. Took a good bit of socket work to fit the muzzle and not overburden the spring latch but pleased with how it turned out. Spent about what TRS would have cost me. Side note the guy sent me what appears to be an original 1816 type bayonet (no US) by mistake that had been broken but welded back together. When I told him he said just keep it, bonus display item at least.