USA M9 vs. Russian AK Bayonet Video Destruction Tests Completed

[Noss]

Tac45 sent me a Lan-Cay M9 bayonet for testing. Thanks Tac45. I decided to put it up against it's Russian counter part.

Both were dull as hell when I received them. I left them this way for the test.

M9 Steel: Modified 420 stainless steel.
AK Steel: Carbon steel

Wire cutter system: M9 worked great. The Russian did not work at all.

Chopping: M9 had the advantage.

Saw: Russian was better on wood. M9 was better on metal.

Batoning: M9 had the advantage.

TIP: Russian had avantage during wood digging. M9 had advantage during sheet metal stabs.

Hammer impacts: On wood. Both handled it fine.

Concrete chopping: Both did well.

Body weight test: Both survived both positions. The M9 is more ridged an supportive.

Flex test: Russian Broke about 70 degrees. I was able to flex the M9 to about 30 degrees without it breaking. The Russian suffered catastrophic failure and was out.

Metal on Metal: I was able to hammer the M9 through the 1.5x 1/8 flat mild steel stock once. The My broke at the tang during the second attempt.

Overall: The M9 was the better Bayonet system.

Correction in the video: I said the Russian AK bayonet was stainless steel they are carbon steel from what I have read on them.


Videos are in 11 parts

Enjoy the videos they were made for you. :)

Part 1
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Part 2
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par 3
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Part 4
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Part 5
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Part 6
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Part 7
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Part 8
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Part 9
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Part 10
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Par 11
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[xxo]

Thanks you Noss for another interesting test and thank you Tac45 for the test m9

:)

Noss, will a leatherman tool cut that barbed wire you have?

[Oppforce]

Wow nice test Noss. Must be pretty frustrating when the Russian bayonet keeps fall off the chain. Haha.. If that was me, id just throw the bayonet in the trash.

Keep up the good test.:)

[xxo]

I thought both did OK espscially the m9, but I think I would opt for a multitool and more ammo over a bayonet.

[xxo]

hey Noss,

maybe you can use some of that left over barb wire in future D tests...you could put a piece of it on a chopping block and try to chop and/or baton through it and see what happens.....sort of like the old file and wire test.


"Before the Rockwell tester, the File & Wire mark was used to indicate that the hardness and toughness of a blade had passed the file and wire test. The test consisted of cutting the edge bevel with a new file to test the hardness and then tapping the blade edge through a piece of wire of a known hardness to test the toughness. If the edge was not blunted by the wire, it passed the test and was marked with "File & Wire Tested". "


http://www.agrussell.com/knives/by_maker/s_through_z/schatt_morgan.html

[338 Stalker]

Nice comparison test Noss. Great watch!

[Tac45]

Outstanding test Noss. Man that was movie length! Thanks. The Lan Cays are pretty blunt. The Ontario M9 is much sharper. If memory serves the Russian Bayo has a handle made from Bakelite.

I think you better go into hiding. Maybe use that barbed wire around the hide out. It's not enough you have a few thousand CR fans wanting to get you, now add several million Russians, Cubans, Angolans, hell add the whole former Eastern Bloc, large parts of Africa and the Middle East!

[eatingmuchface]

once agian, grea test noss.
I didn't think an m9 would be that tough actually, very cool... looks like a reliable tool.

HA!
using the remains of destroyed knives to keep the metal from digging into the 2x4... freaking hilarious!
lol
that CTD knife once agian shows another useful purpose.
:D
xxo:
leathermans have hard wire cutters too, I would think that they would cut it.

I still think a multi tool shootout would be a cool idea. (just expensive obviously)


noss, you could use that stuff as a defense for the angry knifemakers and CRK fans. :D

EDIT: tac beat me to it. :D

[Thecarotidpulse]

Great test,

I'm not sure that I liked the comparative format quite as much as the other youve been using...

Yes i heard the arguments about standardizing tests and having Noss work on one blade at the same time as the other so he works with the same strength.
My thing about that is that with the other tests Noss pays his full attention to one knife, his tests last longer on the one knife, and he doesn't have to worry about analysing the blades "live" one vs the other... he could do that later.

Now that being said Noss's tests are excellent as always and highly enjoyable, and guess what, I love em.

I was surprised at the lack of success at all with the Russian AK bayo... Could it be that it's because the wire was pinched against the spine rather than the false edge of the blade like in the M9? Therein increasing the angle and creating more of a pinch effect rather than diagonnal shearing...

Also I think (matter of preference I guess) that i may have liked to see those knives act sharp. then we'd get a much better idea of the steel's hardness... Also I wonder how much it'd take to give them an edge.

OK so my 2c.... thx for the awesome test Noss.... My gf's been complaining that I steal away from stuff we do to check this website to see if the test was on ;)

Aside: do you get the impression that we see Cameraman's style evolve from test to test? In the first ones he'd stand very still with an occasionnal use of zoom.

Now he zooms on his own initiative to focus on elements he sees, pans and tilts, and talks (even the "USA" comment). We even see his hand!

I wonder what will be next... a musical interlude?

[Macgregor]

The russian is pretty much a falure as a knife.
They made it like a scandi chisel grind so that pesant soldiers could lay the bevel flat against a rock of stone and sharpen it.
I dont think any of its users carred if it was sharp.

For $9 though its good as a extra prybar.

There are actually a few guys out there that put convex edges on them and sell them to ak users.

[Gman1128]

Awesome test Noss. Thanks!

I really didn't think either would do as good as they did so I was surprised!
After this I kinda want an M9 but the russian one appeared really cheap (i guess being $9 it is really cheap) and just a poor quality knife.

[Macgregor]

The russians handles are bakelite and that is not the current model.
This is...
http://www.ak47bayonets.com/gear/Gear_Review_Detail.php?g=gear1148232875

[Macgregor]

This can also be found in use and is the generation between the one above and the one tested.
http://www.ak47bayonets.com/gear/Gear_Review_Detail.php?g=gear1148230985

[Macgregor]

And to be far the bayo tested is actually from Romania.

I know all this because I used to kinda collect these a few years back.

[Noss]

Thanks you Noss for another interesting test and thank you Tac45 for the test m9

:)

Noss, will a leatherman tool cut that barbed wire you have?

Your welcome everyone.


xxo: I don't think I could cut it with my leatherman but I'll try an let you know.
Thanke for the file wire test info. I just don't know what the Rc is on the wire.

Oppforce: yeah the M9 saw was better for metal. It would start easier then the AK.

EMF: Yeah all the parts come in handy from time to time. :D They still have life even after death.


Tac45: Thanks for donating the M9. I found that out about the AK handles after the test. I just strung up all the barbwire around the house. They can come but I won't make it easy for them. :p


Thecarotidpulse: I looked at the AK cutter very close after the test an it is dented from where the barbwire was being forced against it. It looks like the metal is to soft on it.

Gman1128: They both did well. I didn't think the AK would survive the body weight test but it did. It is very thin.

[kurodrago]

Nice Noss. both did not that bad. The russian look a piece of antique? It would be interesting to know what years has been built?
Any tangs pic!?

Thanks Noss I enjoyed watching the video.

[doubletap]

I wonder if that M9 was annealed at the tang. I think the Buck M9's were. Mine is a different color gray near the handle. I wonder if it would be a little tougher in that area
because of that?

[Noss]

Nice Noss. both did not that bad. The russian look a piece of antique? It would be interesting to know what years has been built?
Any tangs pic!?

Thanks Noss I enjoyed watching the video.

Yeah I'll tear apart the handle an take some photos of it.

[Noss]

xxo: I tried to cut the barb wire with my Leatherman but I could not do it. My Leatherman was was flexing an twisting during this. Mine is not heavy enough for this task. I have a leatherman Juice cs4.

[out5yder]

Nice Noss. both did not that bad. The russian look a piece of antique? It would be interesting to know what years has been built?
Any tangs pic!?

Thanks Noss I enjoyed watching the video.

"The russian" is in fact "the romanian". It's not so antique. It is the current version used by the Romanian army. You can see it in action in Irak and Afganistan today. And it is, after my knowledge, the only version used by the Romanian army. It comes dull to avoid training accidents and it is used like that in military exercises. Only in the case of war, they are sharpened by an armoured specialist only under high level commandment orders.

In fact, it is a bit antique if you refer to the date when this model was produced for the first time. There are 3 main variants of Romanian AK:

1) ak47(automated kalashnikov md.1947)
2) akm63(automat kalashnikov md.1963) m=modernised(0.5kg less weight +40hits/min +100mla precison hit)
both use the M43 bullet [7.62X39mm] )
3) aks74(automat kalashnikov special md.1974) uses the new high speed central percution 5.45X39mm ammunition.

To leave the details, the romanian kalashnikov rifle models are made starting from 1947, 1963 and 1974 and the bayonet is the same (no significant differences). The AKM63 is 100% Romanian made and I think thats when the bayonet came out. There are more versions of the rifle today, some of them significantly improved, but the bayonet is produced the same way from the beginning without significant modifications. It is, I think, one of the best for what it's intended to do and I don't think it can be improved more than it already is. When it's sharpened properly, it's really dangerous and a perfect balance of penetration ability and resistence.