Socket Bayonet is a Technology and bayonet type in Empire: Total War and Napoleon: Total War.
Empire: Total War[]
Description[]
A blade fitted with a collar that attaches to a musket barrel and then locks in place, turning the weapon into a useful short pike.
The socket bayonet is a development of earlier bayonets, and corrects their defective methods of attaching the blade to the musket. Previous design simply jammed the bayonet into the barrel or relied on the tight fit around the barrel. The socket bayonet has a collar with an L-shaped slot that fits over a lug on barrel, and then turns to lock it in place. The blade is also offset from the barrel centreline, so that a soldier can still fire and then reload his piece without cutting off his own fingers!
Historically, this improvement has stood the test of time. Socket bayonets are still issued for modern rifles and carbines, and still used in combat. The "twist and lock" mechanism is still used for civilian purposes as diverse light bulbs and vacuum cleaner tubes. There is, however, no really satisfactory explanation as to why the French military decided to offset the bayonet above the barrel, right into the sight line of the user!
General Information[]
The Socket Bayonet is the next step up from the Ring Bayonet, and the final bayonet type. In addition to granting the +3 melee bonus that all bayonets give to bayonet-equipped infantry, the Socket Bayonet removes the -5 reloading penalty that came with the Ring Bayonet.
Socket Bayonet requires that the Ring Bayonet be researched, as well as having the required army building prerequisite.
Napoleon: Total War[]
Socket bayonets return in Napoleon: Total War. It is available by default to most line infantry, grenadiers, militia, and light infantry. For most factions, the only infantry to lack bayonets are skirmishers. The few irregulars in the game also lack bayonets.