Gerber Utility Bowie

B

borrowed time

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Dec 19, 2006
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I had a friend that tracked down a Gerber Utility Bowie knife that has been out of production for quite a while as a miracle find and as a dream knife ive looked for affordably since i first saw one back in the late 80's or early 90's.

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i know sizes of blade & handle & weight and what it looks like. ive even handled some high priced ones at gun shows. However, im curious about some specification due to conflicting reports or absence of info that im curious about. Hope someone can help me out, as, i contacted Gerber and asking same and they really didnt answer my questions.

Whats the blade steel? ive been told different stainless steels and also high carbon steel..

what kind of tang does it have and how large is the tang?

--- EDITED OUT (sorry!)-----

last, anyone own one? experiences? durability? sheath quality? i know Bianchi made the ones like in photo above which is the model im getting. any other info you have, would be greatly appreciated.

I will be adding this to my other Gerbers: current MK II, Yari 2, Applegate combat folder, Gator sheath knife, and a few other lesser knives and higher end tools they produce..

thank you!
 
Last edited:
They were good knives, and very popular to rehandle back in the day. The tang is at least as beefy as the Trailmater tang, so if you can find a pic of the Trailmaster tang, it's very close. Steel was 440A for a bit, then 425m. Don't be surprise if you find an "Italy" on the tang if you ever peal the handle. Fox of Italy was rumored to be a subcontractor for them. That always shocks people.

The biggest problem is that the guard can get loose, much like on the old Trailmasters. I think if they were brought back they'd be priced in the Trailmaster range or so.
 
sorry, been a long time since i frequented the forum, i should have read the rules! will review.

Thanks for the other specs!
 
hmm... so, the Trailmaster(below)/Gerber Bowie both have partial or push tangs?

IMG_1674.jpg


is that strong enough for moderate to slightly hard use, like batoning and wood chopping? i wont use the Gerber Bowie much, but if i had to would it hold up? also, is the brass lanyard hole the only thing stopping the handle from sliding off the tang? and if the hilt starts loosening up from use, i assume it'll be from the handle working down; how best to remedy this without re-handling it?

thanks guys!
 
borrowed time said:
I had a friend that tracked down a Gerber Utility Bowie knife that has been out of production for quite a while as a miracle find and as a dream knife ive looked for affordably since i first saw one back in the late 80's or early 90's.

222629104466_1.jpg


i know sizes of blade & handle & weight and what it looks like. ive even handled some high priced ones at gun shows. However, im curious about some specification due to conflicting reports or absence of info that im curious about. Hope someone can help me out, as, i contacted Gerber and asking same and they really didnt answer my questions.

Whats the blade steel? ive been told different stainless steels and also high carbon steel..

what kind of tang does it have and how large is the tang?

--- EDITED OUT (sorry!)-----

last, anyone own one? experiences? durability? sheath quality? i know Bianchi made the ones like in photo above which is the model im getting. any other info you have, would be greatly appreciated.

I will be adding this to my other Gerbers: current MK II, Yari 2, Applegate combat folder, Gator sheath knife, and a few other lesser knives and higher end tools they produce..

thank you!
Click to expand...

I have a Gerber Bowie Utility knife. It's #60 or 1500. They were made in 1991. Mine has the wood handle with the leather sheath. The blade is 440C and is over 1/4" thick. Blade length is 9 1/2". Overall length is 14 3/4". Mine is in mint condition and has been in the box since new.
 
Would soldering the guard work? Or would that damage the heat treat? Excuse my lack of knowledge.
 
cbach8tw said:
Would soldering the guard work? Or would that damage the heat treat? Excuse my lack of knowledge.
Click to expand...
I'm not a knife maker, but randall silver solders the guard to the blade, at least on their model 1. maybe others too, don't know only own that model.
 
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