Big Bowie

opaul · #1 01-17-2020, 05:38 PM

Now this is a knife mate! Bowies are truly interesting in history and styles. They can range from rugged good looks to refined gentlemen's carry.

k22fan · #2 01-17-2020, 05:42 PM

Tell us about the blade and how you made it.

opaul · #3 01-17-2020, 05:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by k22fan

Tell us about the blade and how you made it.

It's stock removal from bar stock 52100. 14" OAL with a 9" blade.
Hidden tang in elk antler with micarta pommel and damascus butt cap. The sheath is 9oz leather with buffalo patches on top and bottom.

Marshwheeling · #4 01-17-2020, 06:14 PM

That is a good looking Bowie. I am not usually a fan of the genre (I won’t say “pattern” because there is not much agreement on just what that is), but I like the proportions of yours, and the only gently trailing point.

Now a Kephart...

opaul · #5 01-17-2020, 06:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Marshwheeling

That is a good looking Bowie. I am not usually a fan of the genre (I won’t say “pattern” because there is not much agreement on just what that is), but I like the proportions of yours, and the only gently trailing point.

Now a Kephart...

I agree with what you are saying. Since the Mississippi sandbar fight with Bowie wielding a butcher knife it's taken a life of its own. Nothing says wild west and frontier like a Bowie. There is still debates going on today about the origin, maker, style, etc, etc.
Regardless, they are an Americana icon.

opaul · #6 01-17-2020, 06:32 PM

Different style Bowies.

Mule Packer · #7 01-17-2020, 07:40 PM

Good looking knives....in fact, downright beautiful!

Here are a few Bowie styles of mine. Nothing fancy, but utilitarian.

Gardner11 · #8 01-17-2020, 07:41 PM

That sir is a beautiful knife. Very well done .

vonn · #9 01-17-2020, 08:41 PM

Once again you have presented a very impressive package! Are you selling these ? If you are what kind of price are you asking? Thanks for showing the great looking blades.

leonardocarrillo · #10 01-17-2020, 08:55 PM

That bowie looks great, is a good size and looks very robust, my sincere congratulations and thanks for showing it.

opaul · #11 01-17-2020, 09:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by vonn

Once again you have presented a very impressive package! Are you selling these ? If you are what kind of price are you asking? Thanks for showing the great looking blades.

All of these have homes. I like to post every once in a while just to stay in touch and with the forum guys that love knives.
Thanks and I'm glad you like them.

opaul · #12 01-17-2020, 09:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mule Packer

Good looking knives....in fact, downright beautiful!

Here are a few Bowie styles of mine. Nothing fancy, but utilitarian.

Those are some fine looking blades and quite a variation in style which is something that really make Bowie's unique. How long have you been collecting.

Charlie Foxtrott · #13 01-17-2020, 10:20 PM

I have a few of them. And another one is due to show up next month.

Valmet · #14 01-17-2020, 10:34 PM

Lots of nice Bowie’s in this thread. Makes me think I need another one.

kmyers · #15 01-18-2020, 12:44 AM

Sort of a Bowie. Kit Carson designed folding Bowie knife. Blade is 5.5" which is the legal limit in Texas.

Mule Packer · #16 01-18-2020, 12:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by opaul

Those are some fine looking blades and quite a variation in style which is something that really make Bowie's unique. How long have you been collecting.

The one second from the top was given to me when I retired twelve years ago. I acquired the three smaller ones a few years before that.

After seeing your original post, I'm inspired to start acquiring a few more.

Xfuzz · #17 01-18-2020, 01:10 PM

Old blade I found in a pawn shop couple years ago.
No clue as to the maker but at $7.00 it came home.

Flattop5 · #18 01-18-2020, 04:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kmyers

Sort of a Bowie. Kit Carson designed folding Bowie knife. Blade is 5.5" which is the legal limit in Texas.

[Sarcasm]

Whoa, there, pardner! Wait a second, wait just a second! The "legal limit in Texas"? There's a limit in Texas??? Well, then, I guess that everything isn't "big in Texas" after all. It looks to me like "almost everything is big in Texas." Folding knives, not so much. Hmmm? Yeahhh. I'm glad I was able to clear that up for them funny folks in New Jersey and Connecticut (aka, anti-Trump Land, California Lite), before they assumed waaay too much about Texas and knife size and they got plumb scared to go to Houston...glad to hep ya...gotta mosey along now...giddeyup...

[/Sarcasm]

----------------

wuluf · #19 01-19-2020, 02:30 PM

Birthday present from my kids. Made by Gary Griffin of Bend OR to my specs..

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G920A using Tapatalk

A10 · #20 01-19-2020, 04:25 PM

Nice knives

jlrhiner · #21 01-20-2020, 01:19 AM

Some Bowie-like objects......

k22fan · #22 01-20-2020, 02:21 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jlrhiner

Some Bowie-like objects......

The top one is not just "Bowie-like."

The smaller knife in the bottom right corner has an interesting handle. Using an antler fork for a pommel is unusual. It looks comfortable.

jlrhiner · #23 01-20-2020, 11:56 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by k22fan

The top one is not just "Bowie-like."

The smaller knife in the bottom right corner has an interesting handle. Using an antler fork for a pommel is unusual. It looks comfortable.

It depends on what hand picks it up

kraynky · #24 01-20-2020, 12:42 PM

This Edge Mark 469 stag handled Bowie showed up for sale on a local hunting forum, and caught me at a weak moment. I'll say one thing about it, it will certainly shave the hair right off you arm.

The one in the glass topped case was made by my Dad, over 40 years ago. He was an Electrician at The General Tire & Rubber Co, and apparently had a lot of free time on his hands. I recall working there a few months the Summer after high school graduation. I'd get a 15 minute break ever so often, and everytime I went into the break room, Dad and his cronies were always there, drinking coffee and shooting the bull.

My guess is everyone working in maintenance made one at some time or another.

I wish I had asked more about it, like what it's made out of, and how many did he screw up, and how long it took and such. But I'm proud of it no matter.

old bear · #25 01-20-2020, 08:58 PM

Quote:

Good looking knives....in fact, downright beautiful! Here are a few Bowie styles of mine. Nothing fancy, but utilitarian.

Chip, are all good looking knives, but the top one really catches my eye. Perhaps it was a good thing you kept those out of sight the last time I was there

Mule Packer · #26 01-20-2020, 10:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by old bear

Chip, are all good looking knives, but the top one really catches my eye. Perhaps it was a good thing you kept those out of sight the last time I was there

Fred, thanks. Believe it or not, the top one is a Case knife. For a brief time, they featured a few of their fixed blade knives with stag handles. I saw this particular one on the Shepherd Hills cutlery sight and grabbed it quick. Glad I did because I haven't seen too many of them since. One of those moments in life that in retrospect one thinks, "Dang! I should've bought two!!"

Oh...and by the way...it was hanging right there in a belt rig on the horseshoe hat rack when you and I were downstairs in "the Lodge." Yep...right there in front of you. Maybe it's a good thing you didn't notice.

SuperMan · #27 01-20-2020, 10:59 PM

My favorite blade configuration...

10" stag...unmarked

Cold Steel

ipak

Cold Steel

CUDA Maxx 5.5 with a Kabar lite Marine Combat...it is quite the folder...

OldK22 · #28 01-20-2020, 11:29 PM

Stek Damascus with Mammoth Ivory.

ameridaddy · #29 01-20-2020, 11:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by opaul

It's stock removal from bar stock 52100. 14" OAL with a 9" blade.
Hidden tang in elk antler with micarta pommel and damascus butt cap. The sheath is 9oz leather with buffalo patches on top and bottom.

Nice job - how did you heat treat it? How hard is the cutting edge?

chief38 · #30 01-22-2020, 10:32 AM

I have a Bowie Style knife but don't think I've ever taken it out of the house! It was a gift but I find that the huge style knives are just about useless for my personal life style. Smaller 4 - 5 inch sheath knives suite what I do much better. Pocket knives that have the biggest blade of 3.75" and smaller second and third blades suite me perfectly also. I have always felt that huge heavy bladed knives are well suited for the deep woods where they could be called upon to serve as a Machete or light duty Axe.

On the other hand - some just like holding them, viewing them and collecting them - nothing wrong with that either!

BAM-BAM · #31 01-22-2020, 10:50 AM

Never had a use for a +7" blade...but it's nice to have one or two around .......

for the next Zombie Apocalypse.....................

My favorite fixed blade the past few years is the Ka-bar MkI reproduction with a 5" blade.

BAM-BAM · #32 01-22-2020, 10:58 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mule Packer

Fred, thanks. Believe it or not, the top one is a Case knife. For a brief time, they featured a few of their fixed blade knives with stag handles. I saw this particular one on the Shepherd Hills cutlery sight and grabbed it quick. Glad I did because I haven't seen too many of them since. One of those moments in life that in retrospect one thinks, "Dang! I should've bought two!!"

Oh...and by the way...it was hanging right there in a belt rig on the horseshoe hat rack when you and I were downstairs in "the Lodge." Yep...right there in front of you. Maybe it's a good thing you didn't
notice.

MulePacker that top one (case) hits a sweet spot on size and looks!!!!!!

6518John · #33 01-22-2020, 11:14 AM

This came in yesterday. I always know I have a winner when I find non-gun/knife people in my office thumbing through a book to look at the pictures. The last one was Red Nichols and John Witty’s Holstory.

I already told Paul privately what he cost me! And this was the cheapest one I could find online.

Peakes · #34 01-22-2020, 11:31 AM

Love Me some Antlered Customs👍

PALADIN85020 · #35 01-22-2020, 11:59 AM

I'm reminded of Crocodile Dundee: "You call that a knife? THIS is a knife!"

I have a fairly large collection of military edged weapons that I used to display at gun shows, but that was years ago. Most of them are now buried in my gun vault, but here are two Bowies that are fairly rare.

This is an incredibly scarce U.S. Krag Bowie bayonet from 1900, with its scabbard. A picture of it mounted on an 1898 Krag rifle can be found on the back cover of my book 101 Classic Firearms, second rifle from the top here.

And this is a U.S. WWII V44 Bowie knife and its scabbard. These are getting hard to find now. This one isn't mine, but I have a duplicate that I never took the trouble to photograph. It was obtained from a WWII Pacific Theater veteran.

I originally started my collection with just bayonets to match my military rifles, but expanded it as I found examples of such things as trench knives, etc. The availability of many of the pieces has really dried up in recent years, and prices have skyrocketed.

John

Muley Gil · #36 01-22-2020, 11:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by PALADIN85020

I'm reminded of Crocodile Dundee: "You call that a knife? THIS is a knife!"

I have a fairly large collection of military edged weapons that I used to display at gun shows, but that was years ago. Most of them are now buried in my gun vault, but here are two Bowies that are fairly rare.

This is an incredibly scarce U.S. Krag Bowie bayonet from 1900, with its scabbard. A picture of it mounted on an 1898 Krag rifle can be found on the back cover of my book 101 Classic Firearms, second rifle from the top here.

And this is a U.S. WWII V44 Bowie knife and its scabbard. These are getting hard to find now. This one isn't mine, but I have a duplicate that I never took the trouble to photograph. It was obtained from a WWII Pacific Theater veteran.

I originally started my collection with just bayonets to match my military rifles, but expanded it as I found examples of such things as trench knives, etc. The availability of many of the pieces has really dried up in recent years, and prices have skyrocketed.

John

I have one of the Case replicas that they sold in the early 1970s. Mine has an image of a Davy Crockett-like frontiersman on it. My mom and dad bought it for me for Christmas. They always knew that Bowie knives and ammo were ALWAYS a good gift option.

MCorps0311 · #37 01-23-2020, 03:59 PM

Sweet very nice fixed blade Bowie.

opaul · #38 01-23-2020, 06:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ameridaddy

Nice job - how did you heat treat it? How hard is the cutting edge?

I do heat treating in house using an Evenheat knife kiln and parks quenchant oil. The charts say it should be at 60 following the mfg recommendation for the heat treat and tempering cycles.

opaul · #39 01-23-2020, 06:47 PM

This is a great thread with some beautiful Bowie examples. here is another.

Frank46 · #40 01-24-2020, 04:40 AM

In one of the posts you can see a MK9 Probis M9 combat knife and also a K-bar. So the Bowie knife heratige has never left us. I have a small collection of bayonets. And some of them actually fit some of the military surplus rifles. Others I just bought because I like them. Frank

Hawg Rider · #41 01-24-2020, 09:12 AM

I only have a few Bowies, but they sure are fun. The first is a budget-priced damascus bowie from BudK that I "aged and added false patina" for field carry. A leathercrafter buddy of mine made the bullhide sheath for it for behind-the-back slant carry on a gunbelt. The second bowie is a Case XX that my father used in WWII while serving in the USAAF. Unfortunately someone added a snap and strap to the original sheath. The last is the S&W bowie that is part of my Texas Rangers Commemorative set (TR6362).