Introduction
The M9 Bayonet is a multi-purpose knife and bayonet officially adopted in 1984 by the United States. It is issued with a special sheath designed to double as a wire cutter.

As not many of you know and least of all care, February 19th was my birthday...

Thankfully, I'm not a Hobbit, which means I didn't have to give anyone gifts (and I can spare myself the hairy feet), but instead, my friends gave ME gifts. Among them, this beautiful bayonet courtesy of Forum Moderator and fellow teammate, Angel.

First Impressions
A week ago Angel came to our usual Saturday game with something that raised a few eyebrows... specially mine. HE BROUGHT A KNIFE! Angel was the person who introduced me to airsoft in Greece. Furthermore, he's the most serious and dedicated member of our community, which added a lot more weight to my shock seeing him with such an item.

My first thought was... gosh, I had too many, I don't know where to start.... "it's not very wise to bring real weapons and why would him, being our spokesman, do such a dumb thing? did he go mad? what's wrong? is this a joke that I'm not getting? damn, that's a cool knife... "

Anyway, I finally came up with the guts to stop him cold and ask him something like "is that what I think it is?" and he grins and says, "sure buddy, take a look" and he pulls it out of the sheath and waves it around. My doubts had been confirmed, he was mad. Then I held it, and boy was I wrong... and in love... I realized it was a beautifully crafted replica of what looked like Rambo's favorite sidearm, and to my surprise... a gift to me.

Mounting Procedure
The back end of the grip comes with a clamp that attaches to M4 type rifles and any other rifles that use the same bayonet attachment system. Just insert the gun's barrel through the hoop on the knife's handle, push it in, and let the clamp lock into place. Very easy.

Construction
The HFC Bayonet is built with hard plastic and has an excellent metallic finish. I can't stress it enough, you won't know it's a toy until you touch it.

I read at wikipedia that the M9 design of the real steel version had some origins in designs for SEAL teams and the Rambo movies, believe it or not. The basic design was originally a commercial product (Buck 184), but it was developed into a model to compete in the new bayonet race. The design was later sold commercially as the Buck 188, but it was widely copied and sold by other makers. In 1986, Buckmasters patented the design and by doing so, they put many copycats out of business.

It is also worth it to mention the precise replication of the hole in the blade and the relevant insertion point in the sheath. Once the blade is attached to the sheath via these points the whole thing can act as a crude but rather effective wire cutter... At least the real-steel can...