Rare LanCay ?

[pwcosol]

Got the "oddball" M9 yesterday. Blade has the large fuller, step in blade spine, and edge is angle-ground. There is no marking on the pommel. Scabbard is first PI type with stone. Fastex clip is dated 1/95. The bayonet exhibits minor service use; particularly in the wire-cutter mode, and there was dust & sand down in the scabbard throat. On the left forward end of the blade is an area of what looks like corrosion. After close examination, I believe the left tip of the blade failed to be finish-machined during the grinding/polishing process. There is plenty of meat on the end of the blade tip. A few passes on the grinding/polishing wheel should have cleaned this off like the rest of the blade. The oversight should have been caught during inspection, and prior to having the black-oxide finish applied.

This leads me to a couple of scenarios. The bayonet was a pre-existing, incomplete, early first contract blade. Based on the mated scabbard, it may have been completed sometime in early/mid 1995. Whether discovered to be a reject or not, the bayonet may have slipped into (intentionally or unintentionally) the M9s destined for the Army. It might also have been shelved and later sold commercially. Considering the provenance, I lean towards the first possibility. I was trying to recall the time frame when Lan-Cay actually began to offer the M9 to the civilian market. Initially the M9 "Utility" was the only one. In any event, this M9 ended up serving in Iraq for a year or so, which makes it all the more interesting...