Is the Bayonet Obsolete?

[punisher73]

Why? If you are in your own home and are legally defending yourself. Why not shoot them with a shotgun? You have 4 rounds that you can choose between buck shot or slugs, if you opt for a tactical model, you usually have about a 7 shot capacity. Add a side saddle to it for another 6 rounds of ammo on it. You have 13 shots available now to you. Why would you turn the best QCQ weapon available for home defense into a short spear?

Tactically speaking, it doesn't make sense at all if you goal is to protect your home. If you are close enough to stab them with a bayonet, you are close enough to pull the trigger on them. If you need more than 13 shots at close range with a shotgun, then you need to spend more time out on a range running drills and understanding your weapon.

http://www.martialtalk.com/forum/po...6145-5076a4acdaa1f0447e689f36dab627c59b606833​

 

[wushuguy]

Reading the posts about bayonets, i think they're still a good idea. for soldiers kinda gives a hope when there's no ammo left, more strength to do an all out charge to fight for survival.

I don't know about our American soldiers, but I hope they have bayonets too, just in case.

 

[FieldDiscipline]

Made me laugh. He's good!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1K3uRIY-tPY&feature=related

Gets the blood up!

 

[Touch Of Death]

I can't even begin to understand why we would discontinue the use of Bayonets. Once hand to hand combat is made obsolete, then ban bayonets.
Sean

 

[Touch Of Death]

The bayonet attached to a rifle is still effective. As Bill said it is basically a spear. It gives one reach and distance and it is a knife. Wow it really is a no brainer. Now, are there other things that could be more effective? Certainly! Like keeping your distance and having enough ammo that you never have to engage in close quarter fighting!

How about Magic Amunition that never runs out. LOL
Sean

 

[Kittan Bachika]

Made me laugh. He's good!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1K3uRIY-tPY&feature=related

Gets the blood up!

I remember reading in BBM back in the day where they mentioned that the British military realized the importance of bayonets during the Falkland Islands War. Apparently a lot of the enemy were playing possum resulting in casualties for British soldiers because of the lack of bayonet training.

A poke from a bayonet would probably have saved a lot of lives.

 

[Tez3]

I remember reading in BBM back in the day where they mentioned that the British military realized the importance of bayonets during the Falkland Islands War. Apparently a lot of the enemy were playing possum resulting in casualties for British soldiers because of the lack of bayonet training.

A poke from a bayonet would probably have saved a lot of lives.

I think the magazine is having you on quite frankly. Bayonet training has been a part of British military training since the year dot, it's always been taught. It's never been stopped. My other half was in the Falklands war and he's just said he's never heard of the 'playing possum' thing, the British soldiers aren't so stupid you know as to approach Argentinian bodies without taking precautions. For one thing they've learnt from previous campaigns that dead bodies are often booby trapped. My shift partner was there too in the Paras and he says its rot about British casulties.
Sorry, that article is just a lot of hot air.

 

[Cryozombie]

If you could carry a bayonet or an extra 30 round magazine, which would you carry?

If there's room for a bayonet, there's room for more bullets.

Until you start taking weight into consideration.

And 'sides, if you are gonna carry a fixed blade knife, why not something multi-purposed such as a bayonet?

 

[Tez3]

Until you start taking weight into consideration.

And 'sides, if you are gonna carry a fixed blade knife, why not something multi-purposed such as a bayonet?

It would be an odd or ill prepared soldier that didn't have a knife so a bayonet would be ideal surely.
You could say a radio to call in air strikes is every bit as important these days but the best laid plans of mice and men etc so carrying a bayonet is never going to be 'pointless' is it!
And they have been used a fighting weapon in Afghan oh and the Falklands which probably proves that the British army has never stopped using or training with them.

http://www.arrse.co.uk/wiki/Bayonet Tee hee!

 

[Kittan Bachika]

I think the magazine is having you on quite frankly. Bayonet training has been a part of British military training since the year dot, it's always been taught. It's never been stopped. My other half was in the Falklands war and he's just said he's never heard of the 'playing possum' thing, the British soldiers aren't so stupid you know as to approach Argentinian bodies without taking precautions. For one thing they've learnt from previous campaigns that dead bodies are often booby trapped. My shift partner was there too in the Paras and he says its rot about British casulties.
Sorry, that article is just a lot of hot air.

I should really know better because I remember from reading Rogue Warrior that a popular trick amongst the Seals was to bobby trap dead NVA soldiers. And as you pointed out, it is BBM.

Also the British did win that war.

So how did the Paras figure out whether they had a corpse or had someone playing possum without endangering themselves?

 

[Bill Mattocks]

The US Army announced today that they are dropping bayonet training:

http://www.military.com/news/article/army-drops-bayonets-in-training-revamp.html?ESRC=topstories.RSS

Army Drops Bayonets in Training Revamp

March 16, 2010
Associated Press
FORT JACKSON, S.C. - At 5 a.m. on the Army's largest training base, soldiers grunt through the kinds of stretches, body twists and bent-leg raises that might be seen in an "ab blaster" class at a suburban gym.
Adapting to battlefield experience in Afghanistan and Iraq, the Army is revamping its basic training regimen for the first time in three decades by nixing five-mile runs and bayonet drills in favor of zigzag sprints and honing core muscles.
Trainers hope the switch will better prepare soldiers physically for the pace of combat, with its sudden dashes and rolling gun battles. They also want to toughen recruits who are often more familiar with Facebook than fistfights.
The exercises are part of the first major overhaul in Army basic fitness training since men and women began training together in 1980, said Frank Palkoska, head of the Army's Fitness School at Fort Jackson, which has worked several years on overhauling the service's fitness regime.

 

[Brian R. VanCise]

The US Army announced today that they are dropping bayonet training:

http://www.military.com/news/article/army-drops-bayonets-in-training-revamp.html?ESRC=topstories.RSS

Interesting!

 

[Brian R. VanCise]

I do not expect our Marines or the British military, China, Russian, etc. to drop bayonet training. So it is a little surprising. I do think that sprints are a better way for soldiers to train for short explosive, intensive combat however over all endurance running should be important as well.

 

[David43515]

I don`t think they should be doing away with bayonette training, but it makes sense to be focusing more on sprint training. But as long as there are forced marches in the military there`ll be endurance training.

 

[Archangel M]

It's not like bayonet training took up a whole lot of time in the first place..I think it should stay.

 

[Kajowaraku]

When all else fails: the bayonet is your friend in need. Ever tried peeling potatoes with a 50 cal? That's why a multi-purpose, attachable blade is wonderful in close quartered battles of attrition. That and carpetbombing, but you just can't fix that to a rifle. Seriously now, if you want to train soldiers to kill, having them aim at cardboard targets just isn't the same as charging a dummy and running it through with a bayonet while screaming something along the line of "Aaaaaa! Perish, you rather nasty looking chap!" (adapt according to cultural background of bayonetwielder). The problem is that those that actually used a bayonet in real combat are more likely to get traumatised by the closeness of the inflicted carnage. Bayonets are many things, but "gentle" they are not. It's a weapon afteral, a relic of a time long gone, still serving it's particular function as a weapon of last resort. Maybe doing away with it isn't such a bad idea afteral. I suppose the US mil has standard issue combatknives to fall back to in case of need.

 

[Archangel M]

So does this also mean no more issuance of bayonets?

 

[Gaius Julius Caesar]

So does this also mean no more issuance of bayonets?

The modern American Baynet is a POS, they tried to make it do too many differnt things except job one, Penatrate.

If I was in I would take the ring and handle from the bayonet and then take it to a knife maker and have the old triangler bayonet blade or the sword bayonet blade (But shorter) mated to the handle.

Col. Bristol said the slash is over played. When he started MCMAP and redid the Bayonet training for the USMC, he got rid of the slashing and alot of the wide butt strokes.

The Army might regret this.

BTW I did try to jam the pike Baynet from a SKS rifle into the *** of a tresspaser years ago. He was in the backyard and when I tolf him to halt he ran for the fence so I took a stab at him and missed his *** by 2''.
That would have been a great news story 18 Year old stabs intruder with an Assult rifle's bayonet!

 

[Bill Mattocks]

BTW I did try to jam the pike Baynet from a SKS rifle into the *** of a tresspaser years ago. He was in the backyard and when I tolf him to halt he ran for the fence so I took a stab at him and missed his *** by 2''. That would have been a great news story 18 Year old stabs intruder with an Assult rifle's bayonet!

It probably would have made a story about a man stabbing a trespasser and getting arrested for assault. Trespassing itself is seldom cause for deadly force to be used, and isn't legal in most states. Somehow, I'm not surprised to read this, though.

 

[knuckleheader]

".....and honing core muscles."

After some core muscles have been shot or stabbed, having run out out of bullets. They will re-issue the bayonet.

Thats my prediction.