I own an Inland M1 carbine. It doesn't get a lot of practical use these days, but it was the first centerfire rifle I shot as a child, and it was the first centerfire rifle my kids shot. I have fond memories of walking point through the wet drippy woods with the M1 in search of whitetails, with my dad on flank carrying his 03A3.
I'm a completist (God help me!), so I've been looking for a bayonet for the M1. I don't care for the leather washer handle things (I'm not into antiques), so I started out looking for a Korean era plastic handle M4 like was available several years ago. But then I ran across the Eickhorn M4 on Porters Pages, and the guy has good things to say about them.
This is probably one of the nicest, best finished M4s. The overall look of this bayonet is much like the US M4, but there are a couple of significant differences. The blade has a deep plum color, unlike any of the other M4 bayonets. The plastic grip is a one-piece molding and the pommel is retained by a single screw through the end of the pommel. The female threaded portion inside the grip appears to be metal. It was not easily determined if this is an insert molded into the grip or the end of the blade tang. The front of the crossguard is stamped "US M4".
The scabbard is a well made copy of the US M8A1 with a molded plastic body and a steel throat. The front of the throat is stamped "U.S. M8A1" over "MADE IN W. GERMANY". This is the same scabbard that Eickhorn uses on all of their commercial knives and bayonets with this style blade.
Overall length 297 mm
Blade length 168 mm
Blade thickness 4.7 mm
Blade width 21.7 mm
I had an Eickhorn bayonet for my HK91, and Eickhorn is good equipment, so I have spent (some might say wasted) a good bit of time these last months trying to source an Eickhorn M4. It is not an easy thing to find.
The Eickhorn M4 seems to have been discontinued a number of years ago. Numrich recently sold out of them ($36.00 with scabbard!). Some distributor called Fox Outdoor Products has a bayonet that looks a lot like (and may well be) the Eickhorn M4, but the dickwad that has them on eBay can't answer a simple question.
Q: What is stamped on the crossguard? Does it come with a scabbard.
A: It's a Fox 15-271.
R: Aaaaargh!
Recently I found what looked very much like an Eickhorn M4 on eBay. The seller (a nice young lady from Pensacola) answered my questions accurately, and I bought it for $42.00. The package arrived today.
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This is an Eickhorn M4. It has a some identifying features:
1. The grips are made in one piece (no grip screws).
2. There is a drain hole in the grip next to the guard.
3. The grip is keyed to the pommel.
4. The blade is a plum color, but this is not easily seen in most pictures.
Many Eickhorn bayonets have the Danish crown stamped on them (my HK91 Eickhorn bayonet did), but this M4 does not.
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The only marks on the bayonet are "US M4" on the crossguard. This is a prominent stamping.
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The front of the scabbard throat has "U. S. M8A1" over "Made in W. Germany"
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The pommel is affixed with a single phillips head screw. Two roll pins retain the release mechanism (which is also plum colored).
I can find no other marks anywhere on the bayonet or the scabbard, but these identifying features are fully consistent with the info on Porters Page 11. I'm extremely pleased to have finally sourced this bayonet!
Charlie
