It's so heavy, it would have been lighter (and cheaper) to just add wire-cutters to the weight of the M7 bayonet. It copied the wire-cutter feature from the Soviets which was a bad idea, it made the scabbard far heavier than necessary just so it could be used as a really ineffective wire-cutter.
That's what I thought when I first saw it. Then they gave me one when I deployed to the middle east. It was heavy and bulky. I asked for the old M7 instead, but they wouldn't give me one.
Thank you for disassembling the tang to show its inherent weakness. That is why I never bought one. Instead, I built a custom large solingen bowie blade + M7 hand guard and butt attachment to fit my Mossberg 590. I made grip scales out of black walnut and a sheath out of harness leather. It is very intimidating, pointy and sharp.
We had a big box full of those on our deployment in 2012-2013. It stayed locked the entire time, and we only opened it once to count them at the end of the deployment.
Excellent example of form over function: beautiful to look at, but very heavy and uncomfortable to hold. Kept mine locked up and carried the old Kabar for utility use
Great insights, I think the steel is 420 stainless-at least that’s what Ontario was using. 420 SS is terrific for corrosion resistance and toughness-a lot of jet hen knives are made with it-in the kitchen it’s less likely to snap tips or chip edges on bone, get thrown in dirty dishwater for days, etc. Doesn’t hold a good edge but easy to sharpen up. I chose this steel for a pick/hammer/prybar tool and it’s done great. But no edges to maintain either.
They haven't banned military-style assault knives in Australia yet? Wow.... In '94 when i went through Basic i had an M7, when i got to my unit, we still had the M7s, lighter, smaller.... Buck knives carry model numbers, 188 is the model number. "M9" is the military designation.
Lots of U.S. soldiers hated these when they were first issued that they sold or traded them at surplus shops for the more desirable M7. I personally have a Phrobis III which is rarer than the more common Camillus.
My squad used M9's on deployment a few times and never had issues. Very handy and when used properly cuts through concertina wire fairly easy. I have one in my personal collection.
Great video my friend! The 188 is Buck's model number. I also hated the damn thing and even took them from my troops because they were more likely to stab themselves or each other with them. We never carried them in the field, too bulky and heavy. I have an old LanCay just for nostalgia. Your Buck with the Aussie broad arrow would bring a premium with collectors here in the US. I would love to get my hands on an M7/M10 Aussie bayonet scabbard as well. The green painted scabbards are scarce here.
If you think this is bad you should try the British army SA80 bayonet. It’s like a 18/19 century plug bayonet that you can fire off the end of your rifle.
It's ugly but the blade is actually offset and the bayonet attaches around the barrel So no you can't fire it off the end of your rifle, the blade is offset so you can fire with the bayonet attached. It's still ugly and can't really be used for anything else
I used to hate that bayonet when I was in the army (11b 10th mountain). I remember one time we were in the field and someone lost theirs and we had to search all day for that damn thing being how it was a sensitive item. Thank God it was found and we were able to go back to barracks. I did however purchase a couple a few years back just to have em . Nostalgia I guess
I know those feels, some idiot in my unit stored NVGs in a garbage bag. Sure enough they got thrown out. It took the battalion a week at the tip to find them
I cut down a few trees on old post with one during EIB. I was always impressed how heavy duty they were. We did some dumb stuff and I never saw a broken one.
IMO, It’s a fine knife, and a massive improvement over the M8. Unlike the previous bayonets, this one is actually useful as a field knife. That said; 1) It’s way too thick. OK, thicker is stronger, but I believe a thinner 3/16 blade would be way more useful, sharper, and tough enough; 2) The handle is uncomfortable. Continuing to use the previous bayonet’s handle would have been better; and, 3) The sharpening stone is inadequate. Placing a double-grit diamond stone in the pouch would have been better. I find the ergonomics of the AK bayonet wire cutter to be better. What would I do, if asked to design a bayonet? I’d start with a second gen Kanarese tango pattern, modifying the tip to incorporate a wire cutter. I’d then shape the handle to an ovoid shape, similar to the M8.
as someone who bought a personal M9 bayonet (Smith & Wesson SW3B to be exact) for my US Army service use this sums up my thoughts perfectly, the knife overall is a great utilitarian knife and option, but the scabbard and frog just dangle and flops everywhere. I ended up taking the wire hanger and strapping/hooking that to the back right of my battle belt, but could never solve the floppiness, i tried with 550 by simply pulling the scabbard up to take the slack off the frog but the 550 wore and broke quickly, but i learn to live with it, might come back and edit if i can find a way still. But i used the extra pocket for and extra multitool, over all about a 8/10 for me
Superb review! That particular bayonet would fetch you a very nice sum from a collector if you wanted to sell it. Thank you for the thorough review and comparison with its predecessor the M7 as well as a comparison with its inspiration, the Soviet AKM bayonet. The M9 seems like a DoD special - the sort of "One Tool To Rule The All" mentality that also gave us the M14 rifle trying to replace a whole host of weapons. I think the US Marines use a different bayonet that they seem to like.
Have one broadarrow head oz army issue i would part with has had a reworked tip apart from that in good condition scabbard ingreat condition stone excellent. awnser this ill send u my email if u r interested.
I bought a surplus M9 Phrobis 3 just for the fact that it survived military testing with a 0% failure rate being a knife that does not feature full tang construction.
You can strip the scabbard down pretty small and still carry it securely. I liked the fact bayonet was easily rebuildable. I chopped,hacked,poked and punished mine and had no handle loosening nor fractures. I will say I used some Velcro to secure unit to my thigh.
I picked one up last week. NEW in box. It is black oxide with Australian markings. Its posted on reddit in r/bayonets with photos, apparently its super rare?
@steve069 ahh found it, definitely a Buck Aussie M9. I suspect the Finnish was applied privately or fir private sale as mentioned on reddit. I recently got a look at all official modifications to Aussie M9s, I actually have a video coming out in a month or two about it. This was not an official modification
@@pointynotsharp I read the leftovers were coated black for civilian sale. Its definitely black from the factory, it was not coated aftermarket. 900 or so were made in 1993 from what I read. I'm not an expert on bayonets, I just got this for a good deal and did a bunch of research on the markings.
Depends which country you are in and which model you have. I can only speak for what they are going for here in Australia. Seems the prices are much lower overseas
@@G60Gibbo hard to pin down, they don't go up very often. I got offered one earlier this year for just under $700. That was a steal. From memory I've seen a few go on ebay for around $800-900. I might be wrong I can't really remember. This one belongs to a mate who spent a bit to get it. I can't remember how much. Sorry not too much help with valuations
i wanted to get one of these and then saw a disassemble video of it and saw that it had a tiny rat tail tang. Was so disappointed. Would be nice if they revamped this model and made it full tang with a sheath that had better mounting options. (Think Gerber Strongarm).
I remember seeing these......and laughing at how big and heavy they were (with a rat tail tang and slim handle) Ended up running around with a Glock knife and a OKC3S with the EGA wrapped over with tape😂 Would have made more sense ordering them after the Marines got them designed
The wire cutting lug on the sheath gets caught in camo nets so bad it will send you into a cursing fit when you are trying to put up the net over a M198 howitizer at night. I have just hacked the cursed net to bits getting free of it then spent hours in the motor pool patching that vile net Ha!!!
It has its faults, but it beats the L3A1 for the British L85 rifle hands down,they look the part but are useless except for stabbing,I blunted the file on a leatherman trying to sharpen mine in Iraq.
I disagree with all the negative comments. It served me well. It never complained about the weather. Always ready to do the job when asked. Stayed by me through good and bad times. Never questioned an order. It was ready to kill for me at a moment’s notice. However I can’t say that about some of the “people” I served with. Just saying…my opinion only.
I did not like the round handle. You could not index the blade. It also moved in my hand. It was difficult to keep sharp. The stone was too course. It was heavy. I still have the one that I purchased (while I am in the military).
I have not met a Vet that liked that bayonet/m9 just to heavy and bulky cool looking though. lots of the the guys I know that we’re in Iraq,Afghanistan or both said they preferred the M7 if available of course they never used them as bayonets more of a GI fidget spinner lol
I think you must be very happy with that M9. I have an M7 from Bauer ordnanse Corp with the P..W.H Scabbard..a tank of a Bayonet and i made i razor sharp. I am very thankfull to have my M7. But a real US M9 is a Dream for me..and they are not weak at all. I have had some replica's..i could not destroy them. In my country in Europe its very hard and expensive to get an M9. Be thankfull you have one.
The smaller hole on the bottom of the guard was either a lanyard hole or a hold-back from the WWII survival knives so the knive could be attached to a long stick with 550 parachute cord and used as a spear. The 550 cord would come from a pilots parachute after he ejected. .
The m7 bayonet is a better combat knife. Full tang, stronger steel, better poking. The m9 is a bad knife, bad wire cutter, bad tool.....but it can do everything. Badly.
The M7 is a better bayonet. The M9 is a better field knife. Considering that troops today have immense need for a field knife and about a 1% chance of needing to use a bayonet for its intended purpose, the M9 is the better choice for our military.
at the 5 min mark is one of the dumbest 'government directives' one has ever heard... so they expected soldiers to wear and take care of ONE POUND of steel on their waist belt but you could not use the knife as you may dull or damage the blade before you get 'into country'... like what? its a knife... you use it as a knife... it seems to me that the armory had no directive on how to sharpen and maintain the knife
I remember thinking, "Man, that is a cool bayonet." when I first saw it, then I held it.
It's so heavy, it would have been lighter (and cheaper) to just add wire-cutters to the weight of the M7 bayonet.
It copied the wire-cutter feature from the Soviets which was a bad idea, it made the scabbard far heavier than necessary just so it could be used as a really ineffective wire-cutter.
That's what I thought when I first saw it. Then they gave me one when I deployed to the middle east. It was heavy and bulky. I asked for the old M7 instead, but they wouldn't give me one.
Thank you for disassembling the tang to show its inherent weakness. That is why I never bought one. Instead, I built a custom large solingen bowie blade + M7 hand guard and butt attachment to fit my Mossberg 590. I made grip scales out of black walnut and a sheath out of harness leather. It is very intimidating, pointy and sharp.
We had a big box full of those on our deployment in 2012-2013. It stayed locked the entire time, and we only opened it once to count them at the end of the deployment.
Man I would loved to snatch one of those boxes for myself lol
Excellent example of form over function: beautiful to look at, but very heavy and uncomfortable to hold. Kept mine locked up and carried the old Kabar for utility use
Great insights, I think the steel is 420 stainless-at least that’s what Ontario was using.
420 SS is terrific for corrosion resistance and toughness-a lot of jet hen knives are made with it-in the kitchen it’s less likely to snap tips or chip edges on bone, get thrown in dirty dishwater for days, etc. Doesn’t hold a good edge but easy to sharpen up. I chose this steel for a pick/hammer/prybar tool and it’s done great. But no edges to maintain either.
They haven't banned military-style assault knives in Australia yet? Wow....
In '94 when i went through Basic i had an M7, when i got to my unit, we still had the M7s, lighter, smaller....
Buck knives carry model numbers, 188 is the model number. "M9" is the military designation.
Man that M7 has seen some use. It's almost like they made the M9 for the collector but not for the soldier.
Lots of U.S. soldiers hated these when they were first issued that they sold or traded them at surplus shops for the more desirable M7. I personally have a Phrobis III which is rarer than the more common Camillus.
Agree'd, the M7 is better. The OK3CS is the best bayonet for the M16. I almost bought one for 120 bucks but then I saw an M7 for 75 dollars.
Theses things are worth a crap-ton on the Military surplus Market these days, one that is Broad arrow marked should be worth a small Fortune.
My squad used M9's on deployment a few times and never had issues. Very handy and when used properly cuts through concertina wire fairly easy. I have one in my personal collection.
Great video my friend! The 188 is Buck's model number. I also hated the damn thing and even took them from my troops because they were more likely to stab themselves or each other with them. We never carried them in the field, too bulky and heavy. I have an old LanCay just for nostalgia. Your Buck with the Aussie broad arrow would bring a premium with collectors here in the US. I would love to get my hands on an M7/M10 Aussie bayonet scabbard as well. The green painted scabbards are scarce here.
Very hard to come by down here as well, I've got the scabbard but the Aussie M7 bayonet eludes me
If you think this is bad you should try the British army SA80 bayonet. It’s like a 18/19 century plug bayonet that you can fire off the end of your rifle.
Fuck barrel mounted grenade launchers I'll use my barrel mounted knife launcher instead
l98 is where its at >
SA80: Ugliest bayonet ever created...
It's ugly but the blade is actually offset and the bayonet attaches around the barrel
So no you can't fire it off the end of your rifle, the blade is offset so you can fire with the bayonet attached.
It's still ugly and can't really be used for anything else
That shit kills the whole aesthetic of that rifle, last thing you'd expect is for a rifle with that design to have such a shitty bayonet.
I used to hate that bayonet when I was in the army (11b 10th mountain). I remember one time we were in the field and someone lost theirs and we had to search all day for that damn thing being how it was a sensitive item. Thank God it was found and we were able to go back to barracks. I did however purchase a couple a few years back just to have em . Nostalgia I guess
I know those feels, some idiot in my unit stored NVGs in a garbage bag. Sure enough they got thrown out. It took the battalion a week at the tip to find them
I cut down a few trees on old post with one during EIB.
I was always impressed how heavy duty they were. We did some dumb stuff and I never saw a broken one.
@@otetechie I hear ya brother. They are like freakin indestructible
@@otetechie when were you up drum? What unit ? I was Aco 2-14inf feb 94 to Oct 96
That's a true big bad buff guy knife
IMO, It’s a fine knife, and a massive improvement over the M8. Unlike the previous bayonets, this one is actually useful as a field knife. That said;
1) It’s way too thick. OK, thicker is stronger, but I believe a thinner 3/16 blade would be way more useful, sharper, and tough enough;
2) The handle is uncomfortable. Continuing to use the previous bayonet’s handle would have been better; and,
3) The sharpening stone is inadequate. Placing a double-grit diamond stone in the pouch would have been better.
I find the ergonomics of the AK bayonet wire cutter to be better.
What would I do, if asked to design a bayonet? I’d start with a second gen Kanarese tango pattern, modifying the tip to incorporate a wire cutter. I’d then shape the handle to an ovoid shape, similar to the M8.
I think you means the M7 Bayonet?
There is not an M8 Bayonet..
You are correct. Thank you.
as someone who bought a personal M9 bayonet (Smith & Wesson SW3B to be exact) for my US Army service use this sums up my thoughts perfectly, the knife overall is a great utilitarian knife and option, but the scabbard and frog just dangle and flops everywhere. I ended up taking the wire hanger and strapping/hooking that to the back right of my battle belt, but could never solve the floppiness, i tried with 550 by simply pulling the scabbard up to take the slack off the frog but the 550 wore and broke quickly, but i learn to live with it, might come back and edit if i can find a way still. But i used the extra pocket for and extra multitool, over all about a 8/10 for me
I was a SAW gunner for most of my enlistment, and they still had me carry one of these. What a pain in the ass.
Man I can relate to that
I was a 60 gunner, my personal weapon was an M16A2, but i had the M7
Superb review! That particular bayonet would fetch you a very nice sum from a collector if you wanted to sell it.
Thank you for the thorough review and comparison with its predecessor the M7 as well as a comparison with its inspiration, the Soviet AKM bayonet.
The M9 seems like a DoD special - the sort of "One Tool To Rule The All" mentality that also gave us the M14 rifle trying to replace a whole host of weapons. I think the US Marines use a different bayonet that they seem to like.
Have one broadarrow head oz army issue i would part with has had a reworked tip apart from that in good condition scabbard ingreat condition stone excellent. awnser this ill send u my email if u r interested.
I bought a surplus M9 Phrobis 3 just for the fact that it survived military testing with a 0% failure rate being a knife that does not feature full tang construction.
Phrobus (probably spelled that wrong) was actually a Buck subsidiary company if I recall correctly.
You can strip the scabbard down pretty small and still carry it securely. I liked the fact bayonet was easily rebuildable. I chopped,hacked,poked and punished mine and had no handle loosening nor fractures. I will say I used some Velcro to secure unit to my thigh.
I found one for sale missing the top clip on the scabbard for $800. Reckon that’s alright?
188 is a model number only used by Buck. Their infamous Buckmaster is 184 and the Buckmaster LT is 185.
price ?
Sir how much the m9? If you know the official price of this knife. ..please tell me & tnx 🔪🙏
I picked one up last week. NEW in box. It is black oxide with Australian markings. Its posted on reddit in r/bayonets with photos, apparently its super rare?
@@steve069 what Australian markings does it have?
@steve069 ahh found it, definitely a Buck Aussie M9. I suspect the Finnish was applied privately or fir private sale as mentioned on reddit. I recently got a look at all official modifications to Aussie M9s, I actually have a video coming out in a month or two about it. This was not an official modification
@@pointynotsharp I read the leftovers were coated black for civilian sale. Its definitely black from the factory, it was not coated aftermarket. 900 or so were made in 1993 from what I read. I'm not an expert on bayonets, I just got this for a good deal and did a bunch of research on the markings.
Any idea what the value is on these? I have the same one and looking to move it on.
Depends which country you are in and which model you have. I can only speak for what they are going for here in Australia. Seems the prices are much lower overseas
@@pointynotsharp I’m in AU and it’s a buck with the broad arrow marks on both
@@G60Gibbo hard to pin down, they don't go up very often. I got offered one earlier this year for just under $700. That was a steal. From memory I've seen a few go on ebay for around $800-900. I might be wrong I can't really remember. This one belongs to a mate who spent a bit to get it. I can't remember how much. Sorry not too much help with valuations
@@pointynotsharp thanks mate this helps as I don’t won’t to give it away.
For a military grade knife and a bayonet to boot, that tang is is a little nuts - just way too short.
9:55. I think BIANCHI is pronounced BEE - AHN - KEY or BEE - ANKH - EEE
The Marine Corps M9 Bayonet for the M16A2 is a copy of the Air Force Survival Knife that was made by MAXAM.
i wanted to get one of these and then saw a disassemble video of it and saw that it had a tiny rat tail tang. Was so disappointed. Would be nice if they revamped this model and made it full tang with a sheath that had better mounting options. (Think Gerber Strongarm).
I looked for a Buck, but had to settle on the Phrobus III.
I've had a Buckmaster since 1984 or 85.
Phrobis blades r made by buck
I remember seeing these......and laughing at how big and heavy they were (with a rat tail tang and slim handle)
Ended up running around with a Glock knife and a OKC3S with the EGA wrapped over with tape😂
Would have made more sense ordering them after the Marines got them designed
The wire cutting lug on the sheath gets caught in camo nets so bad it will send you into a cursing fit when you are trying to put up the net over a M198 howitizer at night. I have just hacked the cursed net to bits getting free of it then spent hours in the motor pool patching that vile net Ha!!!
Aint the scabbards fault. Anyone who has worked with camo netting knows that it will get tangled up in anything.
I have one, Phrobis, for the collection but yeah, seems like it would be a PITA to carry...
I wish it was full tang. It’s cool it’s the knife in re2 and 4 remake.
Good information thanks
We also hated the M9 for all the reasons you mentioned. I'll take an M7 over an M9 any day.
i want one for shtf
I will now make sure to buy the M7 bayonet after watching this video !
I think the M7 is a full length tang.
The M7 is indeed a full length tang, goes all the way to and through the pommel (the tang is actually hammered to retain the pommel)
Mate, SORD Australia do make a good MOLLE belt hanger with a leg strap for the M-9 bayonet.
I wish they made those 8 years ago when I was in
188 is the Buck Model Number, Buck 184 was the Buckmaster, etc.
If you still have it and don’t want it, I’d like to have it
It has its faults, but it beats the L3A1 for the British L85 rifle hands down,they look the part but are useless except for stabbing,I blunted the file on a leatherman trying to sharpen mine in Iraq.
The only good thing about the M9 is that the Chinese copied it and issued it to their entire military. Sometimes it's not good to copy other people.
Forgot the bottle cap opener.
It has two bottle openers, right? In the cross guard?
I disagree with all the negative comments. It served me well. It never complained about the weather. Always ready to do the job when asked. Stayed by me through good and bad times. Never questioned an order. It was ready to kill for me at a moment’s notice. However I can’t say that about some of the “people” I served with.
Just saying…my opinion only.
I did not like the round handle. You could not index the blade. It also moved in my hand. It was difficult to keep sharp.
The stone was too course.
It was heavy.
I still have the one that I purchased (while I am in the military).
Why does it suspiciously have so many features of the AK bayonet ? Just observation .
Its not a coincidence. The army liked what they saw in the Soviet bayonets and decided to imitate it.
I wish there was a Mk.2 bayonet sheeth
Model number i think after buck split from phrobis this is the designation the bayonet got
I have not met a Vet that liked that bayonet/m9 just to heavy and bulky cool looking though. lots of the the guys I know that we’re in Iraq,Afghanistan or both said they preferred the M7 if available of course they never used them as bayonets more of a GI fidget spinner lol
I think you must be very happy with that M9.
I have an M7 from Bauer ordnanse Corp with the P..W.H Scabbard..a tank of a Bayonet and i made i razor sharp.
I am very thankfull to have my M7.
But a real US M9 is a Dream for me..and they are not weak at all.
I have had some replica's..i could not destroy them.
In my country in Europe its very hard and expensive to get an M9.
Be thankfull you have one.
I personally like the M7 more
Junk for fighting but make a good camp knife
Honest review, crap design for it's purpose.
The smaller hole on the bottom of the guard was either a lanyard hole or a hold-back from the WWII survival knives so the knive could be attached to a long stick with 550 parachute cord and used as a spear. The 550 cord would come from a pilots parachute after he ejected.
.
So. It's fair to say the bayonet is great, but the sheath is terrible. I've heard much criticism of this bayonet but never understood why.
The tang design doesn’t instill faith in me, especially as a bayonet
@@samuelhope6817 the m7 was just better
M7 still the best
Best bayonet ever made, extremely useful and easy to use.
It’s so obvious you hate it by the way you set up with a pose for the thumbnail and made an entire video talking about it , oh the hatred
I can't get transl😅to English
The m7 bayonet is a better combat knife. Full tang, stronger steel, better poking.
The m9 is a bad knife, bad wire cutter, bad tool.....but it can do everything. Badly.
It's like the obese child of the KCB-70/KCB-77 bayonet.
def .. M7 is better i think
The M7 is a better bayonet. The M9 is a better field knife. Considering that troops today have immense need for a field knife and about a 1% chance of needing to use a bayonet for its intended purpose, the M9 is the better choice for our military.
@@RockandrollNegro you underestimate the m7 as a field knife
Did a great job for me I'm positive self proven in Georgia and crimea and Nigeria Africa hmm I wonder who has it...??
at the 5 min mark is one of the dumbest 'government directives' one has ever heard... so they expected soldiers to wear and take care of ONE POUND of steel on their waist belt but you could not use the knife as you may dull or damage the blade before you get 'into country'... like what? its a knife... you use it as a knife... it seems to me that the armory had no directive on how to sharpen and maintain the knife
This knife is dull