In 1977, Austrian army soldiers received the new StG 77 (AUG) rifle. However, unlike the previous model, a bayonet-knife was not attached to this shooting unit.
Apparently, Austrian politicians felt that such cold steel is inhumane and will encourage the aggressiveness of soldiers, which contradicts Austria’s purely defensive military doctrine. However, from the moment of its appearance, the bayonet-knife has evolved significantly and has become a multi-purpose tool. Therefore, a piercing-cutting product should be equipped with a new rifle unit. Soon they became the bayonet-knife "Glock 78". Information on the device of the combat blade, its purpose and technical characteristics is presented in this article.
Acquaintance
The Glock 78 knife (product photo below) is a 1978 field knife. Designed by the Austrian arms company Glock GmbH. Officially, the combat knife “Glock 78” is listed as Feldmesser 78. However, it is mainly called FM 78 for short.
A bit of history
A knife was created on a competitive basis by three companies: the Austrian Glock GmbH, Ludwig Zeilter and the German Eickhorn. Due to the fact that the Austrian army as a customer put forward a number of requirements regarding the design and use of materials, the presented knives turned out to be very similar in appearance and design. A blade was developed with the participation of Austrian army special forces Jagdkommando. Soon, an experimental batch of knives from Zeilter was released. The expert commission liked the model, but the company suddenly went bankrupt and left the competition. Judging by the reviews of experts, the knife was high quality. The contract for the supply of combat blades was received by Glock GmbH, which produced pistols and various army equipment: machine gun belts, sapper blades, etc. Judging by the reviews, the Glock 78 knife was lighter than previous models, structurally simpler and easily attached to army uniforms.
Description
Outwardly, the Glock 78 knife does not look very aesthetically pleasing. The reason for this is the presence of a crosshair in the form of a stamped part. However, as experts assure, in a tactical knife this is not considered a drawback. At one end, the crosshairs were bent so that the thumb could rest on it.
In addition, this element can be used as an opener. Judging by the reviews, the Glock 78 knife easily prints bottles and boxes of ammunition. A blade with a side profile clip point, which is also called a "bowie". FM 78 uses carbon spring steel, which is heat treated. Black oxide coated knife that prevents corrosion.
It is noteworthy that for most combat knives, the strength indicator varies from 58 to 62 units. At FM 78 it is only 55 HRC. According to experts, this does not mean that low-quality steel is used in the Austrian bayonet knife. The Rockwell score by Austrian designers was underestimated intentionally. The developers pursued the main goal - to make the knife more resilient and not so fragile, and for this it was necessary to reduce hardness. As a result, sharpening the blade has become easier. For the manufacture of the handle polyamide is used, from which frames are made in Glock pistols. This material has high mechanical strength, wear resistance. In addition, polyamide is resistant to aggressive environments. So that the fighter could hold the knife securely in the palm of his hand, the surface of the handle was roughened. Additionally, the knife handle was equipped with five transverse annular grooves. Inside the handle there is a special cavity that can be used as a pencil case. It closes tightly with a plastic cover.
About the sheath and wearing methods
The Austrian combat knife is equipped with a plastic 45-gram scabbard. The uniqueness of the cover lies in the fact that there are absolutely no metal parts in it. The latch in the form of a console with a locking button was made as a simple plastic tide. The lower part with two holes: a rectangular "drainage", through which accumulated moisture is removed from the sheath, and a round one to which the cord is attached. Its task is to provide additional fixation of the cover. The scabbard blade can be worn on either side. So that the fighter could hang a knife on a waist belt no more than 6 cm wide, the sheath was equipped with a plastic loop. In the Austrian army, a knife can also be worn in another way - on the chest pointing down with the handle. Judging by the reviews, this method is considered the most popular. Initially, before the advent of adapters with rubber mounting loops, the bayonet-knives were tied to the straps in unloading with tape. The Bundeswehr soldiers did the same, adapting bayonet-knives from AK to the NATO-style RPS.
Competitor
In 1981, an Austrian company released a new version of the combat blade, which is listed as FM 81. Unlike the Glock 78 knife, the shoe was equipped with a saw in the new model. The developers of the Austrian company call such products knives "survivors." However, according to experts, survival blades are multifunctional. Due to the fact that in the production of models No. 78 and 81 ordinary steel is used, the cost of these knives is not more than 30 euros. Three versions are provided for both versions: depending on the color of the uniform, the plastic parts in the cutting products can be black, olive and sand. FM 81 was not received by the Austrian army. The reason for this was the presence of a saw.
The fact is that according to the Hague Convention, signed in 1899, a knife with a file is considered a cold steel, capable of causing unnecessary suffering to the afflicted. Therefore, back in World War I, soldiers tried not to use sapper bayonets with nail files in melee. In captivity, the owner of such a knife cannot avoid brutal reprisals.
About technical specifications
Knife "Glock 78" has the following parameters:
- The product weighs 202 g.
- The total length is 29 cm, the blades are 16.5 cm.
- The 5 mm thick blade has a width of 2.2 cm.
- It is made of high carbon steel.
- The hardness index is 55 HRC.
