Piles of Trials
 

Bill: Thanks for offering to post the photos. I recall Homer has pictures of all seven designs which took place in the competition & the johnny-come-lately Ontario submission. Cunningham said 14 prototypes were submitted for consideration & only six were tested (but actually seven). If Ontario was one of the ones left out, that would leave six unknown prototypes that never saw field trials..

To the best of my knowledge there were only six companies (seven including Ontario) that submitted actual bayonets for testing. I'll contact Gary and see what further information he might have.

Trials
 

I think Cunningham mentioned there were 14 firms that were able to physically present one prototype for consideration to take part in the trials. The companies whose designs were accepted provided a total of 55 bayonets each. The remaining firms that presented a prototype and whom were not invited to take part in the trials are the bayonets I am thinking of.

That is very possible.
I do not have a big knowledge on US pubblic procurement law, but assuming it was similar to EU law, it works like this.
You have basically three ways to award public contracts:
1) an open tender procedure;
2) a restricted procedure;
3) a negotiated procedure.
If you were to select option 2, then the competitors ask first to be allowed to submit their bids (14 firms, in the message above).
Then the Public Authority (i.e. the Army) will select (the correct word is invite) only few of them to actually submit their bids (in the above example, 6 competitors + Ontario).

Add. photos M9 PROTO PI

http://img44.imageshack.us/img44/178...arttwo002o.jpg



http://img44.imageshack.us/img44/709...ncayrare00.jpg



http://img44.imageshack.us/img44/214...parttwo007.jpg



http://img44.imageshack.us/img44/628...parttwo015.jpg



http://img44.imageshack.us/img44/979...parttwo017.jpg

Nice pictures!