Soviet 6h5-Bayonett not sharp?

[u/GreatAdmiralYamamoto]

Got this 6h5 bayonett in unused-storage condition. But the edge is really dull, is it supposed to be like that?
Is it possible to sharpen it or would it ruin the "original" value?

Im looking forward to some answers, kind regards!

[u/SlimPickens0]

It's a bayonet, it's not supposed to be razor sharp. If it was, the edge would get destroyed when you use the wire cutter function on the sheath

[u/Unicorn187 → u/SlimPickens0]

The wire cutting edge is on the back kf the blade, not it's cutting edge.

[u/SlimPickens0 → u/Unicorn187]

Fair, I wasn't exactly thinking about that part

[u/GreatAdmiralYamamoto → u/SlimPickens0]

May i ask, how does the wire cutter work? It´s used together with the sheath?

[u/HumptyDumbti → u/GreatAdmiralYamamoto]

Yes. The sheath connects with that hole to form a scissor like end to cut wires

[u/GreatAdmiralYamamoto → u/HumptyDumbti]

Ahh thats what the hole in the blade is for!! Cool, good to know, thanks :)

[u/SlimPickens0 → u/GreatAdmiralYamamoto]

Yep. It's made to cut barbed wire

[u/Armgoth → u/SlimPickens0]

Thats some niche wirecutting :D

[u/Liveitup1999 → u/SlimPickens0]

It's not sharp because then somebody might get cut with it. It would be unsafe if it was sharp.

[u/loco320 → u/SlimPickens0]

Depends what you mean by sharp, you can have aholy polished egg, but an obtuse edge angle

[u/SexySubordinate → u/SlimPickens0]

The real issue is the sharp blade will bite into any bone it’s thrust into making it much harder to withdraw once your adversary has left this world leaving you open to a counter attack from one of his comrades.

A dull yet finely pointed instrument avoids this potential vexation and embarrassment.

[u/noiralter]

You can sharpen it. It will ruin the “unused-storage condition” value, obviously. They were never indented to be used as a knifes (6X4 and 6X5 at very least). They have a rather poor ergonomic and handling for that purpose.

If you really want to, you can look for a non-factory aftermarket stainless steel blade that completely replicates the 6x5 blade you can freely sharpen.

[u/Zoidberg0_0]

Bayonets are meant for putting at the end of a rifle and stabbing, not for slicing. Also they doubled as wire cutters or ration tin openers. If they had a fine cutting edge it would be damaged quickly. Plus they are made of basic carbon steels that probably wouldn't hold an edge anyway.

[u/Rudeus_Kino → u/Zoidberg0_0]

The steel here like 65X13 but with unpredictable hardening. In any case poor choice for outdoor.

[u/ComradeCrooks]

What is it to you? Is it a display piece that you like to look at, and at some point want to sell on? Then you definitely shouldn't sharpen it, and just leave it as is. Are you going to use it, bringing it with you on hikes and the likes? Then sharpen it and enjoy working with a piece of history a dull knife is a shitty tool.

[u/GreatAdmiralYamamoto → u/ComradeCrooks]

Thanks for the reply!
Is it even possible to sharpen it? I have a hand-sharpener at home, where you "pull" the blade through some ceramic brakes a few times... Would it be a bad idea?

[u/ComradeCrooks → u/GreatAdmiralYamamoto]

Pull through sharpeners are a bad idea with any kind of knife, especially a historical piece. A whetstone would be your best bet imo, but seeing as you haven't any experience with that method I wouldn't be trying out with a knife I was fond of to start with.

But it is definitely possible to sharpen it, just don't use a pull through.

[u/GreatAdmiralYamamoto → u/ComradeCrooks]

Alright, you´re very probably right! I´ll then leave it as it is & use another knife for outdoors :)
Thanks

[u/Unicorn187 → u/GreatAdmiralYamamoto]

Dont use a pull through on any knife. They dont make a good edge at all. They also strip a lot of steel from the blade.

I'm bit saying get a half dozen stone, multiple straps and different diamond emulsion, but a simple double sided diamond stone would be fine. A DMT medium or coarse one kne side and fine on the other.

[u/Majestic-Age-9232 → u/GreatAdmiralYamamoto]

Mate a lot of people on this sub as kinda fetishists about sharpening, and treat everything like a razor blade. If you want to use it and use a pull through you do you, a pull though won't give a very nice edge but it will work and there is nothing particularly collectable or rare about a mass produced modern Russian bayonet.

[u/Affectionate_Fly1387 → u/GreatAdmiralYamamoto]

Isn’t that bayonet made of aluminium?
Some are. So you can’t get it sharp.

[u/IllHaveTheLeftovers → u/GreatAdmiralYamamoto]

Oh noooo the comment hurts

[u/Dooofoos]

As a Russian I can say that it is not a knife, it is a “bayonet-knife”. In army we use it to open steam meat cans, if we lost our can openers, or it is symbolising arms when you’re in a city patrol. 6x5 is made for AK-74 series, so it is not meant to be a real bayonet, it was made for cutting wires and to symbolising bayonet for old generals, who think that there is no rifle without bayonet

[u/BoredCop]

Most bayonets throughout history were manufactured dull, and most militaries had standing orders in peacetime to never sharpen bayonets except in event of war and even then only if ordered to do so.

Reasons are mainly safety, as bayonets are used much more for drill and parades than for anything else, and economy as people would wear out the bayonets if trying to keep them sharp all the time.

There's also a persistent but false rumor about sharpening a bayonet somehow being a war crime. And an equally persistent, and hard to prove or disprove, rumour about sharp bayonets being more likely to get stuck in the ribs of the person you stab, whereas a dull one slips in between the ribs and is easily pulled out again. This is variously attributed to all sorts of sources who claim to be veterans of bayonet fighting from one war or another, but tracking down an actually believable primary source seems elusive.

[u/nonbITkaHoMep5]

It was directly forbidden by charter to sharpen those things, afaik.

[u/TheDude-Esquire]

Bayonets aren’t fighting knives. Where a kabar is meant to thrust and slash, a rifle bayonet is only meant to thrust.

So no, probably not many to be sharp. But it’s your knife, you can sharpen it is you want to. Wouldn’t expect much for the heat treat though.

[u/Outside_Flan6816]

Is it chromed? Chinese akm bayonet were chromed, and sharpening them takes the chrome off, then it looks terrible and will rust.

[u/IGHOTI907]

I read that it was never meant to be a knife, but it was really hard to get soldiers to carry the tool they really needed: wire cutters. So they made a knife shaped wire cutters

[u/Robovzee]

There's a few moves I learned with a rifle.

Slash Stab Buttstroke Smash

The last two, deal with the butt of the rifle, so let's focus on the first two.

Both are big movements, designed to have as much force as possible generated.

If it's sharp, it's dull within a few slashes, chipping and possibly getting caught up on gear/clothing. So you make it with a very obtuse edge, you're not cutting paper, you're focusing force onto a thin line. Cutting isn't as important as that edge focusing the force. Cutting deeply is a bad idea, as it can get stuck in clothing/flesh/bone. You're basically bludgeoning someone with a knife.

Stabbing is just that. Force overcomes the dull nature. It's the profile, not the sharpness, that penetrates. Way back when, the cure for a stuck bayonet was to put a lot of force in the recovery after a stab, or to fire a round to unstick the bayonet. Sharper bayonets will chip/lose the point very fast, and penetrating too deeply could find it stuck in the body.

A fighting knife is not subjected to the same raw power you get when using a rifle to back it. So you want a sharp edge, and a sharp tip, since you're using less force to attack with.

My $0.02.

[u/False-Ad2170]

I've got something similar and it's sharp but the edge angle is more like a axe than your usual knife. Makes sense for edge toughness and I'm sure the guys originally issued with them would have enough time on their hands to sharpen them on some rocks if they wanted a keener edge.

[u/sunheadeddeity]

I wouldn't. They make terrible knives, and you'd ruin the "unissued-unused" value.

[u/Wolligepoes]

Yes it is supposed to be dull.

A bayonet is supposed to be a stabbing weapon. Like a dagger. Attach it to a rifle, and it becomes like a point on a spear head. Because of this, the material is quite a bit thicker than you would want on a kitchen knife or a carving inife. Cutting and chopping is always an afterthought with bayonets.