Spike bayonet

A spike bayonet, also commonly known as a socket bayonet, or a pigsticker in informal contexts, is a blade attachment for a firearm taking the form of a pointed spike rather than a knife.

Early 19th century socket bayonet

Description

Most early musket bayonets were of this type. Beginning in the early 19th century, knife and/or sword bayonets began to appear, which could also be wielded by hand. In the early to mid-20th century, spike bayonets reappeared, often folding or stowed under the barrel for compactness, such as on the French Lebel M1886 and MAS-36, Russian SKS and Mosin-Nagant, German FG 42, and British Lee–Enfield. The Lee-Enfield Rifle No.4 bayonet, took the form of a short spike (but fixed conventionally), and was unpopular due to its length and lack of utility.^[1]

Spike bayonets have not been popular with armies since the end of World War II, with the exception of China, which attached them to its AK-47 rifle and SKS carbine variants (Type 56 and Type 63).^[2]