Hole in M9's blade

[P++]

Greetings all

How much does the hole in m9 blades affect it's overall strength? Is it a weak point or nothing to worry about?

Cheers
P++

[porterkids]

If you're referring to the hole for the wire cutter, I don't think it has much of an effect on the blades strength. I've heard of blades breaking, but I believe the breaks have occurred in the area of the blade tang.

[pancanal]

The holes are not a problem...the blades have already past the U.S. Military Quality Control Inspectors. The M9 bayonet blades that had the breakage problems were the Phrobis III not Lan-Cay. Lan-Cay has never had a recorded (documented) blade breakage. The Phrobis III problem was the saw teeth area. The Phrobis III blade hardness was part of the problem, the angle of the saw teeth and the sharp root of the saw teeth on the early Phrobis III model lead to the breakages. This was later corrected with the Lan-Cay (can be easily seen on the product improved version). The angle on the saw teeth was changed and the saw teeth root was rounded to prevent cracks. When the wire cutter attachment is used on a Phrobis, it chips, dents, or gouges the cutting edge (as seen on most USMC Buck M9+). This does not occur on the Lan-Cay unless it is really abused. The finish on the Phrobis/ Buck is nicer, and the blade is easier to sharpen. The Lan-Cay is not a nice, but it has a harder blade...tough to sharpen thou. I am not an expert. This information was provided to me by different sources and can be seen in the print notes/revisions for the product improved blades. PanCanal

[pancanal]

I spoke today to a gentleman who has been very involved with the manufacture of the M9 Lan-cay. The amont of teeth and the size of the saw teeth also changed. The angle of the saw teeth was not a problem...the root of the saw teeth was. He confirmed that it was the Phrobis that experenced the breakage problem not the Lan-cay. The U.S. Army worked with Lan-Cay on correcting the problem. Thus the "Product Improved" version was adapted. Pancanal

[Quarterbore]

Thanks or sharing this! When I get a chance I will update the M9 Bayonet history page to reflect this as it is a question that comes up quite often.

[P++]

Thanks for the info, much appreciated.