Butcher’s Knives

Glenn R. McMannly · Sep 3, 2023

Not many these days know this, but the average mountain man did not carry a fancy Bowie. He was more likely to carry what we would now refer to as a simple kitchen knife. A butcher:

These knives were traded widely and sold all over the frontier. Great for processing meats and hides, and emergency self defense.

This example is made by John Nowill & Sons out of Sheffield, England. It is a very keen blade and I enjoy it greatly. I carry it when shooting my flintlock northwest trade musket.

God bless.

Glenn

Faulkner · Sep 3, 2023

I prefer a butcher knife style blade myself. I had a local knife maker custom make this one based on a Old Hickory style butcher knife to about 3/4 of full size. It is made from an old sawmill blade with stabilized spalted hackberry handles. I think butcher knives are handier than Bowie's if you're not needing to engage in hand to hand combat on a river sand bar.

Heinz · Sep 3, 2023

Here are a couple I forged. Two of them are 5 to 6-inch blades similar in profile to a butcher knife but with a stouter distal taper, about 1/8 inch at the hilt. The other is a frontier-style "long knife" favored by the eastern hunters for camp work, cutting up a carcass, and fighting.

And the OP is right, my Mountain Man rig includes a Russel Butcher knife or an IXL boning knife. But they are not very photogenic

30-30remchester · Sep 3, 2023

The late great knife historian and book author Howard Cole wrote a book on butcher knives. I spend most all my reading time studying subjects as this, and Glen is entirely correct. Mountain men carried butcher knives just as pictured. Their lifestyle led to a lot of hard use and loss. These were shipped to the mountains by the gross and sold or given in trade to the Native Americans as well. The natives wanted 4 things from the city. One of these knives first and foremost, a gun, an axe and a metal pot to boil meat and berries. I am re-reading at present a book called " A Trappers Journal" written by a mountain man in real time. Quite telling and different from the movies.

Charlie Foxtrott · Sep 3, 2023

Another really good read is Carry the wind by Terry Johnston.

30-30remchester said:
The late great knife historian and book author Howard Cole wrote a book on butcher knives. I spend most all my reading time studying subjects as this, and Glen is entirely correct. Mountain men carried butcher knives just as pictured. Their lifestyle led to a lot of hard use and loss. These were shipped to the mountains by the gross and sold or given in trade to the Native Americans as well. The natives wanted 4 things from the city. One of these knives first and foremost, a gun, an axe and a metal pot to boil meat and berries. I am re-reading at present a book called " A Trappers Journal" written by a mountain man in real time. Quite telling and different from the movies.

It is fiction but very well researched, and some really interesting observations were made by the author. A great read all around.

30-30remchester · Sep 3, 2023

Charlie Foxtrott said:
It is fiction but very well researched, and some really interesting observations were made by the author. A great read all around.

Interesting as I and many other takes on the book as a work of nonfiction and is basically a day-to-day diary of his travels. Either way it is said by many to be one of the most accurate accounts of daily life in the early west. His writing style leaves something to be desired as there are no paragraphs and very few punctuations throughout the book.

6GUNSONLY · Sep 3, 2023

I have a Dexter small butcher knife that I use with my Hawken style muzzleloader when hunting. I made a sheath for it. It is a very handy blade, about 5" in length.

fredcoyote · Sep 3, 2023

Old School Hunting Knife

I found this guy brand new in the gun shop in Grants Pass Oregon a few years back. I think it was 30 bucks so couldn't pass it up. They still make nice old butcher style hunting knives.

Fred

serger · Sep 3, 2023

fredcoyote,

I can't read the first 4 digits of the nato
stock number on the sheath but the country
code 12 is for West Germany so that knife
was made prior to October 1990.

If you don't mind, what are the first 4 digits?

fredcoyote · Sep 3, 2023

5110-12-120-2473

Great info, thanks.

Fred

Glenn R. McMannly · Sep 3, 2023

fredcoyote said:
I found this guy brand new in the gun shop in Grants Pass Oregon a few years back. I think it was 30 bucks so couldn't pass it up. They still make nice old butcher style hunting knives.

Fred

Very nice find Fred Coyote.

Marshwheeling · Sep 4, 2023

Some of my “butcher” knives. These are all from Dexter-Russell.
One of my favorites is the 4215 Green River fish knife, second from the bottom.
There are several from Old Hickory, too. Photos are lost in the clouds.

Frank46 · Sep 4, 2023

Funny, O could never find Dexter or Old Hiclory knives when I lived in New York. When we went to Pennsylvania all the shops there sold them. Mine are close to 30 years now and give no clue as to when they will wear out. I bought a few 'Butcher" and Bread " knives. Great for cutting up roasts and the like. Frank

Echo40 · Sep 4, 2023

Ed Fowler · Sep 4, 2023

A good friend just gave me a book "Great Knife makers for the Early West" by James K Gordon, he bought it at the American Fur traders Museum in Nebraska, it is a great book if you are interested in what the knives of that era really looked like!

Mule Packer · Sep 4, 2023

Glenn R. McMannly said:
Not many these days know this, but the average mountain man did not carry a fancy Bowie. He was more likely to carry what we would now refer to as a simple kitchen knife.

These knives were traded widely and sold all over the frontier.

Very true. One of the main reason these knives, like the venerable Green River knife, were so popular in the frontier was that they were stamped instead of forged, like the typical Bowie knife of that period. As a result, they were much less expensive.

Great utilitarian knives that will take and keep a keen edge.

Bald1 · Sep 4, 2023

My field dressing knife is for field dressing. When I get the deer home out come the kitchen knives. Including 2 Old Hickory’s.

crc4 · Sep 4, 2023

Most expensive knives aren't any better than Old Hickory, Victorinox, and Dexter-Russell knives, but are made to cut the wallet from the buyer.

Inusuit · Sep 4, 2023

Ed Fowler said:
A good friend just gave me a book "Great Knife makers for the Early West" by James K Gordon, he bought it at the American Fur traders Museum in Nebraska, it is a great book if you are interested in what the knives of that era really looked like!

Museum of the Fur Trade in Chadron NE.

ISCS Yoda · Sep 4, 2023

What, exactly, makes a knife a "butcher" knife?

I'm wondering about these:

Very old Case kitchen knife:

iscs-yoda-albums-blades-picture25243-case-kitchen-knife.jpg

CRKT:

Custom made knife:

Muela Orix:

Case Rooster:

What size blade, any point or a specific point, how many inches?

Enquiring minds want to know.

Butcher’s Knives

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