Bowie knives?

W. Anderson said:
Yeah, I'd probaly make some horn scales. I like ram.
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So that's what, maybe 30$ total plus a bit of work to get a nice fairly traditional Bowie knife that's not a wall hanger ?
I'm not even sure if you could come out cheaper with a cheapo kit blade of questionable quality.
 
Legend has it that Jim Bowie was a man who carried a huge knife in public.
A practice which till this day can still effect shock and awe on townsfolk.
He became infamous when it was reported that he dispatched dishonorable men with it.
It is widely believed that he had worn numerous types of large knives throughout his lifetime.
Over time it seems, the "Bowie knife" had undergone various stages of physical change with alterations minute or otherwise to its physical characteristics.
In contemporary times, one expects an American wild west Bowie knife
To have a clip point, have a double finger guard, has its handle or scales
Made from animal parts, notably bone or horn.
And was largely thought of as an edged tool pretty good for everything from fending of predatory animals
To skinning wild game...
Somewhere between then and now (and largely thanks to popular culture)
there were various interpretations of what constitutes a genuine Bowie knife.
If we go by Jim bowie's own knife requirements, one will come to see that
The period's "every day situation" was what which dictated
And created the need for it's tailor made knife specifications.
Notably a knife with offensive fighting capabilities.
It would be very hard to dismiss how the silver screen had
Popularised, if not outright demonised this thing we term as "Bowie knife".
The world may never know or let alone, agree on what the very first Bowie looked like.
And since we don't live in times past, the types of Bowie knives available today is largely what
manufacturers and designers decidedly say what it is for maximum marketable effect.
End of rant.
 
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The more you explore the world of Bowie knives, the more you will be opening a can of worms your wallet will have to meet.

In another word, by simply asking about Bowie knives, you’re about to find out how huge the selections are out there and that the basic good kinds are, for most part, starting at $100 or above.

Don’t worry, the more you learn about knives, the more your lifestyle will adopt to the expenses of knife collecting. :D
 
Hickory n steel said:
For a Bowie know that's decent ( assuming you're talking about a classic clip point Bowie ) the cheapest Bowie you can get that's decent is $14.99 at the place you went to.
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A "Classic clip point Bowie" is historically inaccurate, and maybe historical accuracy is what our friend is looking for.

That clip point, double guard, brass spine Iron Mistress thing was cooked up by the 1952 movie of the same name, and the book Bowie Knife by Raymond Thorp in 1948, about century after Bowie.

Nothing wrong with those at all...it's just that one does not get historical accuracy with them, and some folks want that.
 
Lapedog said:
If you ask me any combat bowie must have a sharpened swedge. One of the reasons the Bowie is such an effective fighting knife is its ability to do back cuts. Without that special ability there is really very little making the Bowie special at all.
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The Sandbar knife didn't have one.
 
marcinek said:
Nothing wrong with those at all...it's just that one does not get historical accuracy with them, and some folks want that.
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There is this historically wildly inaccurate clip point Bowie...a Justin Gingrich custom

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But you cant have it 'cause its mine. :p
 
Jack_Burton said:
Would not buy a cheap bowie knife if I were you. Never has the old adage "you get what you pay for" been more true than in the knife industry. I'd be fully prepared to spend around at least 100 bucks on a decent quality, mass-produced bowie knife if I were you.

Plenty of videos just like this all over youtube...

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that is a awesome video.
 
It is unfortunately a watered down word at this point which at its simplest just implies a clipped point. Even if you go back and study the old Bowies the variations were plentiful and bladesmiths seemed to be exercising artistic freedom from day one. Many smiths were making their own versions of Bowies and many smiths were using the word bowies freely as a marketing term. Bowies were extremely popular and even over 100 years ago the word Bowie was being used to sell knives.

The Historic Arkansas Museum had the worlds largest Bowie exhibit and had many old examples. Interesting stuff!!!


 
The Kabar USMC
Becker BK9
Western W49
Cold Steel Trailmaster
Cold Steel 1917 Bowie

These all appeal to me for affordable Bowie type knives for different uses. I would never grab a big knife to defend against a late night break in but if I was crazy enough to do that I would go with the CS 1917 Frontier Bowie. For me those scenarios are best handled with hot lead as opposed to cold steel. ;)

If interested in large fighting bowies the book "Bowies, Big Knives, And The Best Of Battle Blades" by Bill Bagwell is sort of required reading. It is also worth reading up on James Keating too. He is big fan of large fighting bowies.
 
There are many modern options out there, at very different price points, all with the classic clipped point, long blade and deadly effects on meat and flesh:

- Under $300:
Cold Steel Laredo, Natchez
Himalayan Imports Bowies

- Under $200:
KaBar Big Brother, Heavy Bowie, BK20, BK9, EK Commando, USMC Knife,
Ontario SP10, SP1, SP 5, SP2, 498,
Cold Steel TrailMaster, Recon Scout, Leatherneck, Marauder, Drop Forged Bowie, 1917 Bowie
TOPS Prather War Bowie, Longhorn, Moccasin Ranger, Desert Nomad
SOG Bowie 2.0, Agency, Team Elite, Trident, Creed, Super Bowie
Condor Operator Bowie,

- Under $80:
Cold Steel Bowie Machete
Condor Dundee Bowie, Jungle Bowie
Marbles Bowie Machete

my two favorites at the very low price point, the Marbles and Cold Steel, are true value items, fun to use and tinker with, rugged and durable, and really inexpensive

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Jack_Burton said:
Would not buy a cheap bowie knife if I were you. Never has the old adage "you get what you pay for" been more true than in the knife industry. I'd be fully prepared to spend around at least 100 bucks on a decent quality, mass-produced bowie knife if I were you.

Plenty of videos just like this all over youtube...

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Wow, that is a heck of a vid. I guess the Winchester bowie is even worse than I thought. Basically just a sharp piece of tin foil! Total garbage.

FYI, there was a report in the news just recently that Macy's is recalling a cheapo made in China kitchen butter knife. The handle breaks and causes injury. Although it's not a bowie knife, it's the same problem: using inferior materials and probably inferior heat treat, poor production methods, non-existent quality control and testing. I always tell everyone to avoid these cheap knives made in communist China or Pakistan. They break easily and can cause severe injury.
 
LadyEarth said:
The more you explore the world of Bowie knives, the more you will be opening a can of worms your wallet will have to meet.

In another word, by simply asking about Bowie knives, you’re about to find out how huge the selections are out there and that the basic good kinds are, for most part, starting at $100 or above.

Don’t worry, the more you learn about knives, the more your lifestyle will adopt to the expenses of knife collecting. :D
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Bowie knife fever!:)
 
bearfacedkiller said:
I would never grab a big knife to defend against a late night break in but if I was crazy enough to do that I would go with the CS 1917 Frontier Bowie. For me those scenarios are best handled with hot lead as opposed to cold steel. ;)
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Don't you think the 1917 bowie is a little too heavy for a fighting knife? Everyone is different, I suppose, but my 1917 is basically a wall hanger.:D
 
GrReaper said:
Bowie knife fever!:)
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Yeah, I got it right now bad. You can get in deep in a hurry. I recently purchased my first handmade Bowie and am already designing my first custom.

To the OP,
My buddy just recently bought a Schrade Bowie for cheap. Looks OK. Not my thing but he's happy with it.
 
GrReaper said:
Don't you think the 1917 bowie is a little too heavy for a fighting knife? Everyone is different, I suppose, but my 1917 is basically a wall hanger.:D
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The Cold Steel version is 23.8 ounces for a 12.25" blade: That is very reasonable for the size: Most 11" Busse Battlemistresses are near 30 ounces, and the 11" Randall Smithsonian ranges from 32 to 36(!)...

This low weight is undoubtedly helped by the huge fuller...

If anything, I would objet to the blade length as excessive for carry, not the weight...

A bare bones Colt 1911 is around 40 ounces loaded: Those are never called "wall hangers"...

Gaston
 
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