Before you start and exclaim Berdans threw away their bayonets remember, we did it once and had to buy them back. Then, captains were held financially liable for further "lost" bayonets. Finally, if you check your documentation there were Berdan bayonet charges on record. With that out of the way, we are nearing the end of our off season fitting 1861 Springfield bayonets to many of our Sharps rifles.
As a necessary disclaimer this information is for entertainment purposes only and we in no way condone or suggest these modifications being done by anyone other than a professional. That said, this is how our unit goes about making these modifications. We've fitted five bayonets so far this season and none of them really interchange. This is great if you worry about your stuff getting stolen.
If you have an Armi Sport Sharps, you're in luck. Your mods should only take about 15 or 20 minutes. We start with a bayonet purchased from Regimental Quartermaster sand smooth all the rough machining marks inside the lug. Just smoothing the inside of the bayonet lug seems to be all that is needed for an Armi Sport. We then slide the lug to the front sight and use a Sharpie to trace the outline of the sight onto the rear of the lug. This is a poor man's machine bluing. We then file the area inside the "bluing." Once the sight clearance is addressed we then make some slight modifications if necessary to the channel. Lastly, we file the very end of the sight channel with a square file until the locking ring locks snugly behind the front sight. Make sure as you file you keep your corners nice square and crisp.
Now, if you have a Pedersoli, pull up a chair and clear your schedule because you are in for hours of grinding, sanding, and filing to make a bayonet fit. Before you even consider fitting a bayonet to a Pedersoli, you have to come to terms with the fact you will need to file your front sight down by nearly half. The Pedersoli front sight blade is nearly twice as tall as that of an Armi Sport. We used calipers to measure an Armi Sport sight and filed the Pedersoli to the same height. Even then, you will need to file the sight entry of the lug as close to the edge as you dare.
The Dremel is indispensable in the process and we prefer the extension tip for grinding further into the center of the lug with greater ease. We keep the bayonet firmly in a vice with guards to protect the finish. We do most of the heavy material removal with a grinding attachment and a low grit sanding disc. The bayonet material is very soft and one grinding wheel is all we need. Be mindful about over heating the metal while you're grinding and cool it off frequently in water. If you do have any heat discoloration, it sands off nicely with high grit wet/dry sand paper. We have often been plagued by high spots due to the low production standards of Indian made bayonets so an aggressive rat tail file is indispensable in locating the high spots. Everything else requires some measure of filing.
Whether an Armi Sport or Pedersoli, we remove a little and fit. We then remove a little bit more and then fit. It's better to not take off enough and try again than take off too much and have a bayonet for the trash. Don't rush the process. When you're finally complete you can spend as much time cleaning up and perfecting your work as you prefer. Smoothing and polishing with wet/dry sand paper from 1-2,000 grit restores the luster removed from grinding and filing.
When done correctly, the bayonet should fit snugly without scratching or catching and with hardly any rattle. When your bayonet is fitted perfectly, we highly recommend the two rivet bayonet scabbards from ACW kits.
As a necessary disclaimer this information is for entertainment purposes only and we in no way condone or suggest these modifications being done by anyone other than a professional. That said, this is how our unit goes about making these modifications. We've fitted five bayonets so far this season and none of them really interchange. This is great if you worry about your stuff getting stolen.
If you have an Armi Sport Sharps, you're in luck. Your mods should only take about 15 or 20 minutes. We start with a bayonet purchased from Regimental Quartermaster sand smooth all the rough machining marks inside the lug. Just smoothing the inside of the bayonet lug seems to be all that is needed for an Armi Sport. We then slide the lug to the front sight and use a Sharpie to trace the outline of the sight onto the rear of the lug. This is a poor man's machine bluing. We then file the area inside the "bluing." Once the sight clearance is addressed we then make some slight modifications if necessary to the channel. Lastly, we file the very end of the sight channel with a square file until the locking ring locks snugly behind the front sight. Make sure as you file you keep your corners nice square and crisp.
Now, if you have a Pedersoli, pull up a chair and clear your schedule because you are in for hours of grinding, sanding, and filing to make a bayonet fit. Before you even consider fitting a bayonet to a Pedersoli, you have to come to terms with the fact you will need to file your front sight down by nearly half. The Pedersoli front sight blade is nearly twice as tall as that of an Armi Sport. We used calipers to measure an Armi Sport sight and filed the Pedersoli to the same height. Even then, you will need to file the sight entry of the lug as close to the edge as you dare.
The Dremel is indispensable in the process and we prefer the extension tip for grinding further into the center of the lug with greater ease. We keep the bayonet firmly in a vice with guards to protect the finish. We do most of the heavy material removal with a grinding attachment and a low grit sanding disc. The bayonet material is very soft and one grinding wheel is all we need. Be mindful about over heating the metal while you're grinding and cool it off frequently in water. If you do have any heat discoloration, it sands off nicely with high grit wet/dry sand paper. We have often been plagued by high spots due to the low production standards of Indian made bayonets so an aggressive rat tail file is indispensable in locating the high spots. Everything else requires some measure of filing.
Whether an Armi Sport or Pedersoli, we remove a little and fit. We then remove a little bit more and then fit. It's better to not take off enough and try again than take off too much and have a bayonet for the trash. Don't rush the process. When you're finally complete you can spend as much time cleaning up and perfecting your work as you prefer. Smoothing and polishing with wet/dry sand paper from 1-2,000 grit restores the luster removed from grinding and filing.
When done correctly, the bayonet should fit snugly without scratching or catching and with hardly any rattle. When your bayonet is fitted perfectly, we highly recommend the two rivet bayonet scabbards from ACW kits.
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