Advice on my first Bowie purchase

H

Hermit_Knight

Joined
Mar 19, 2018
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Next week I will be purchasing my first Bowie knife hopefully, I really like the look of the cold steel Natchez but the cable tang is off putting, is the cable tang a way to save money on production or is it legit? Any suggestions will be very welcome I have a $300 budget cheers guys.
 
Cable tang is just fine for its intended purpose.

Tell us, what you want to use the knife for, then we are in a better position to recommend a knife?
 
BladeScout said:
Cable tang is just fine for its intended purpose.

Tell us, what you want to use the knife for, then we are in a better position to recommend a knife?
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I’d like to just have it for taking out on three day hiking trips I just saw the esse jungles that thing looks pretty good ,regards Hermit.
 
Do you mean 'Junglas?'

Both might be overkill for standard hiking.

Why not a smaller Esee model.

Or a different medium sized bowie knife.

If the emphasis is on hiking, you dont want to carry a large knife.
 
Maybe TOPS Longhorn Bowie, if you plan to use a knife a lot.

TOPS Mini Bowie, if you plan to be on the move a lot.

Just suggestions.

I have neither.

Do have the 119.
 
Hermit_Knight said:
I’d like to just have it for taking out on three day hiking trips I just saw the esse jungles that thing looks pretty good ,regards Hermit.
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Cable tang is fine, but the Natchez isn't a camp knife, it's certainly far more of a fighter than anything else. The Trail Master or Recon Scout is more of a general purpose design, the Laredo is in the middle.

You might try the Ontario Spec Plus line too. For $300.00, you could do the large chopper, mid sized fixed, folder approach to outdoor knives pretty easily from a number of different brands.
 
BladeScout said:
Do you mean 'Junglas?'

Both might be overkill for standard hiking.

Why not a smaller Esee model.

Or a different medium sized bowie knife.

If the emphasis is on hiking, you dont want to carry a large knife.
Click to expand...
Yeah junglas, I’m leaning towards a smaller blade now.
 
I like the look of the buck 119 and it’s a lot cheaper then the Natchez and a hell of a lot lighter I think I’ll get it cheers guys.
 
Yup, 119 is a must have......you could also get an Ontario SP-10 Marine Raider to go along with your 119 and both of those add up to not much of an expensive price point.
 
The two bowie knives I have are the Ontario SP10, and the Becker BK9. It's pretty hard to go wrong with either one, both of them being built like tanks without being overly heavy or long. Depending on where you look you could get the both of them together for half of what your budget is.
 
Hermit_Knight said:
I like the look of the buck 119 and it’s a lot cheaper then the Natchez and a hell of a lot lighter I think I’ll get it cheers guys.
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You can’t buy a better hunting/bushcraft knife for under $50 IMO. The 119 is just a classic.

I am a big ESEE fan but the Junglas is gigantic, the Junglas 2 is a bit smaller and IMO, an ESEE 4 and 6 combo is perfect for almost everything I need fixed knives for. Should be able to get both for under $300... or buy a Buck 119, 102 and 103 and still have money left over for a nice dinner!
 
I would look at the Condor Moonshiner and they have one with the coffin type handle.

The Buck 119 is a far cry from a big bowie.... oh well (not that the 119 is small). Personally I can't see carrying such a large knife hiking unless you know you will need it. A little chopping, building a fire and splitting some kindling is not enough to justify the weight unless you just want to carry a big knife.
 
If you want big and still inexpensive, the Buck 120 might fit the bill.

As 22-rimfire mentioned, the 119 is a big knife but it isn’t really a “big Bowie”. Does most of what I need from a knife in the woods though...
 
From your intended use, the Trail Master or Laredo might be better. Nothing wrong with cable tang, it's supposed to be more expensive to make it that way. It's for better balance and handling.
 
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