Swiss Stgw. 57 Bayonet by Wenger
Double-edged spear-pointed blade, ribbed black plastic grip with concave grooves, steel crossbar hilt with muzzle ring, steel pommel with locking button. Black plastic scabbard with frog loop and leather frog strap, brown leather frog with strap and stud.
The hilt is stamped on one side with the mark of Waffenfabrik Bern where the bayonet was assembled, composed of the letters ‘FW’ and a Swiss cross arranged within a circle. It is stamped on the other side with ‘W’ for the maker Wenger and the serial number ‘466664’. The scabbard is stamped at the throat with ‘P’.
The Swiss government split the blade production contract for these bayonets 50:50 between the rival firms of Wenger and Victorinox, who had both been producing what they claimed was the bona fide Swiss Army Knife since 1908. The two firms competed until 2005, when a slump in sales due to tighter airport rules on pocket knives allowed Victorinox to acquire Wenger, uniting the brands under one roof.
The rear side of the leather frog is stamped with the maker’s mark ‘U. REUSSER RÜFENACHT’. I believe this refers to the firm of Ulrich Reusser, founded in 1947 - this firm still exists today as Reusser Innendekorationen (Interior Decoration) AG, still trading in Rüfenacht, near Bern. Below this is stamped ‘87’, probably an item number.
This bayonet fits the Swiss Sturmgewehr 57 (usually abbreviated to Stgw. 57) rifle, which was adopted by the Swiss military in 1957 to replace the M1931 (K31) bolt-action rifle.
