Trapdoor bayonet

[LongWalker]

Whilst schlepping around the Holdrege gunshow last weekend, I was walking around with my trapdoor as trade bait.  Rumor was someone there had an 1866 and I was hoping to draw him out and maybe arrange a swap.  Anyhow, as usual, the Saturday crowd was rather . . . crowded.  I got the bright idea that  bayonet would be nice for clearing a path about the same time a friend said there were some bayonets on the table behind him, and the predictable happened. 

I picked up a decent bayonet in a US marked scabbard.  Unfortunately, the bayonet only goes on to the first turn: I'm not able to rotate it into place--and who wants to use a loose bayonet for crowd control?  Any suggestions for what I should/shouldn't do while getting it to go into place?

Thanks,
Jim

[Cap'n Redneck]

With the fear of stating the obvious I would suggest to take a file to the inside of the bayonet's socket, rather than to the outside of the rifle's barrel...? 

[Major 2]

Brake Cylinder Hone

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[Pitspitr]

Was the bayonet a repro?

[St. George]

Is the bayonet itself 'US' marked?

If not, a number of foreign bayonets were triangular bladed, so look carefully for proof marks at the 'J' bend of the piece - pretty much all will fit the issue scabbard and look 'right' until one tried to fix it to the barrel.

Scouts Out!

[LongWalker]

The bayonet is US marked on the bend of the shank, and appears to be the correct pattern and dimensions. 

My trapdoor is a shooter that was previously "refinished" by an idiot (nicest way I can describe whoever did it).  Aside from the sanded stock and poly finish, the barrel was spray painted. . . .   On the bright side, it has my preferred rear sight, shoots very nicely, and was fairly priced for the condition. 

I used steel wool to remove the paint around the muzzle.  While the bayonet still doesn't turn and slot into place, the "fit" feels much better going that far.  I think my next step will be to go over rifle barrel and the slot in the bayonet with a magnifying glass looking for any burrs or dents that might be impeding the fit.  If need be I can make a hone and ream out the bayonet a couple .001" but I'd rather avoid that. 

Maybe I can even get around to re-bluing the barrel this winter. 

[Pitspitr]

20 years or so ago I bought some paki import trapdoor bayonets for the living history program at Fort Hartsuff. Looking at them from the outside they were a dead ringer for an original, but they were tight on the barrel and the slot for the sight base just wasn't big enough. I worked on them with a file and got them to turn into place. That's why I asked if they could be repros. As I recall, about the only visual indication that the quality was subpar was the locking ring. It was loose and looked "off".