any body know the way to tell a 40th u.s combat bayonet from the original?

Vintage is rounded, a softer grey, has a less tidy paint job and no mold mark on the blade near the hilt:

cheers thanks a lot for helping me out thats cleared a few things up for me

At the risk of stating the obvious, and slightly off track from the original question, it is worth noting that there were a lot of reproduction bits (particularly bayonets) made and sold long before the 40th stuff was released. I rather suspect that a lot of my bayonets will probably turn out to be pre-40th repros.     I can even remember finding some that looked "spot-on" but were actually made from metal.

ive got a few of those myself picked some up about five years from the nec toy fare but they look good all the same ive got a metal entrenching tool aswell

I think a quick way to tell is by the number of rings on the handle,this goes for the pre 40th repros also,i think the original have 14 the rest have more.

I have a metal Colt 45 too.

Well the "vintage" one above is certainly vintage as it's from my childhood US Para

totally right time i have 2 original and 4 pre 40th which do look soooo vintage

Vintage is rounded, a softer grey, has a less tidy paint job and no mold mark on the blade near the hilt:
-tjm160

My early ones are pointed Tim.  Probably only the later ones were rounded.  The Indian Brave one is more rounded too, but doesn't have the hole either.

My early ones are pointed Tim.  Probably only the later ones were rounded.  The Indian Brave one is more rounded too, but doesn't have the hole either.

-mraction

I think the Indian Brave one should be the same as the US Machine Gunner and Book Card US Paratrooper. The ones without holes I'm pretty sure are repro. I have a few of them myself.

I think we kicked that one around before and didn't reach a conclusion, but the Indian Brave is well after my collecting interests, so I may well be wrong about the hole.

That's correct Mike, the early (first issue) M1 bayonet is indeed different to the later issue.

And remember guys and girls there some Johnny combat ones that have made it into people's collections they look very good to the eye but there more flexible and can easily be put in with action man lots especially on eBay as I for one have been caught out more than once

I'm glad you posted these: now I'm doubly looking forward to the Action Man sets I just ordered. The 40th bayonet we got with Joe here in the states was a shapless soft plastic blob. Somebody afraid of getting sued, or some ridiculous law designed to protect us from ourselves, no doubt, since they were technically classified as toys.