South African R4 Bayonet – 1st Pattern with Matching Scabbard

An original South African R4 1st Type Bayonet, developed for the R4 5.56mm assault rifle, the licensed South African version of the Israeli Galil ARM. This early pattern bayonet features an all-steel, phosphate-blued construction with a distinctive tubular socket handle, numbered muzzle ring, and a matching blued scabbard. The serial numbers (examples seen: 150047 and 317685) denote local military production under Armscor (formerly LIW – Lyttelton Engineering Works) in Pretoria.Issued primarily to South African Defence Force (SADF) infantry, paratroopers, and mechanised units, the R4 bayonet closely followed the Galil’s design but with minor South African modifications for tropical field conditions. The first type, as shown here, predates later polymer or composite-handled models used toward the late Border War period.