Rather than re-tool their production equipment to make an item that was now considered obsolete, Springfield Armory chose instead to modify the Model 1873 to use a new bayonet system.
The more accurate rifled muskets of the Civil War and the switch to breech-loading weapons in the years after the Civil War made older bayonet tactics obsolete.
The bayonet was of the triangular style, as the trowel type had recently fallen out of favor.
The rod's retaining mechanism was problematic and did not work well until a key was added to the locking spring.
The design modifications altered the ballistics of the weapon, and the sights had to be modified to compensate for the changes.