Bayonets: Are they practical?

[ThreeWords]

If its not a chainsaw bayonet, its not awesome enough to be practical.

Fixed!

 

[manaman]

Bayonets where issued all the way up until Vietnam. For the type of fighting going on in Iraq they are relatively useless. But that is not always the case. You are not one person rushing a defended position, nor are you defending against a small group. There are battles with large numbers, and they can get close enough for close quarters fighting. Baby Tea had it right with the purpose of them.

 

[Lemon Of Life]

Isn't it really hard to aim with them on. I guess it's like making your gun into a spear, but pistol would be easier and much more effective nowadays.

 

[Ubilaz]

They can be practical depending on the situation.
You just never know when that extra bit of steel will come in handy.

 

[Assassin Xaero]

Not anymore. Back then the guns were so inaccurate and they were close enough to use them anyway.

 

[countrysteaksauce]

Considering that they were pretty useless as early as the Civil War, bayonets haven't been practical in combat for over a century, especially when rifling became common and inexpensive.

Points to post #34.

That was less than a century ago

I am well aware of bayonet usage in the current wars, like that officer in the Royal Regiment of Scotland that charged the Taliban rebels. However, what percentage of enemy casualties are caused by the bayonet? I'll give you a very liberal estimate of 200 people. There's something like 30,000 enemy casualties in Iraq alone. What percentage of those were killed by bayonets? It's less than 1%. There's a reason that count isn't higher; bayonets are impractical in modern warfare.

This isn't even counting the casualties in Afghanistan.

 

[thenumberthirteen]

Not as much as it used to be, but Mankind will always find good uses for a knife on the end of something. Maybe for roasting Marshmallows.

 

[Virus0015]

I don't really see their use any more, for surely any situation where you could stab someone you could also shoot them? Bayonets lost their usefulness with the advent of decently portable automatic weapons. Also, for the kind of CQB where a bayonet would actually have any use, there is most likely also a gun (or a grenade for that matter) that would be more effective than trying to poke your opponent with what is essentially a pointy stick.

Wait I think that point needs emphasizing more.

ITS A POINTY STICK!

 

[Dirkie]

They're only useful in the closest of quarters, and even then your pistol is probably the better bet.

Knives don't run out of bullets.
And for close quarter combat, if you need to be silent, knives don't make a lot of noise (victims might).
Long range knife fighting... have a gun and let the other guy bring a knife.
Indana Jones, i'm looking at you there.

 

[oppp7]

Not really. A grenade launcher would be more useful instead.

 

[Argtee]

I love how all of you are talking about this like your video game experiences qualify you to be an expert in combat. Go back to your COD and sucking your thumbs.

That wasn't needed...

Anyways: I guess a bayonet would be useful in close combat.
They also look pretty damn cool too.

 

[AgDr_ODST]

In close range, yes. Now all what we need is a gun that shoots bayonets.

this wins ^^

 

[Canid117]

I believe that a group of Scots used them successfully in Iraq a few years ago but they have mostly fallen out of use

 

[Halmyr]

I would't mind having one close to me...just incase, even for the intimidation factor.
But as an army medic...doubt thats ever gonna append.

On a different note...Bayonette are good for 1 things thats for sure....bayonette training.
I got to do 2 hours of it, and by the end it hurt to simply swing my arm ( I was still in boot camp so we had to swing are arms pretty much every where)

 

[johnman]

Considering that they were pretty useless as early as the Civil War, bayonets haven't been practical in combat for over a century, especially when rifling became common and inexpensive.

Would you think that if they were not useful that they wpuld still be issued?
As it is, the British army have made many bayonnet charges over the past few years.
And why argue its no longer WW 1 and 2 anymore? I dont see how bayonets were anymore useful than they are now.

 

[Ridonculous_Ninja]

I love how all of you are talking about this like your video game experiences qualify you to be an expert in combat. Go back to your COD and sucking your thumbs.

Have you noticed that some of these people ARE in the military?

 

[Pifflestick]

A bayonet isn't very useful agaisnt enemies these day, but in a zombie apocolypse I wouldn't leave the house without one.

 

[Grigori361]

bayonets are a lot more effective if you can get close enough , thing is you'll be turned to Swiss cheese before you do for sure their effective range is about the length of a shotgun .

 

[FiveSpeedf150]

I had a bayonet lug on my M4 never had to use it though. My buddy was in a squad that had been pinned down and running low on ammo and by the time we got to them most of them had knives at the ready. I don't think an actual bayonet charge has been ordered since the Korean conflict.

Actually... It was... I want to say a Brit unit, Paratroopers that did one in Afghanistan. Pretty cool to read about.

 

[PinkAngelKitty]

No of course they aren't practical. Most fighting takes place from 200 yards away with laser guided missiles. :/