Bowie knives?

[Gaston444]

Here's my take on that one. The clip allows the knife maker to drop the point so that it is in line with the centerline of the knife for a more positive thrust and allows the sharpened point to be convexed, or at least less obtuse than a sharpened swedge on a drop point, like a dagger tip. It makes a more devastating cut. Kinda like hawkbill designs but not as exaggerated.

I believe Bill Bagwell described it as increasing the pounds per square inch slashing force delivered by the tip in the back cut.

True about centering the point, although many clips don't bother doing that, which is odd...

The whole point of a concave curved clip is to allow a broad blade to have less overall point taper, and so more full width blade mass forward, while a deep concave point-centering clip will still allow for a fine profile point within the short remaining length: The knife then has both forward blade mass for utility chopping, and yet retains a certain stabbing ability.

A fine point knife will always feel blade light while chopping, while a truly dedicated chopping knife will always tend to be blunt pointed (the Busse Battlemistress for instance): These things are in opposition. The deep concave point-centering clip is an attempt to bridge both aspects (successful in my view, although I find straight clips sleeker-looking, while I recognize them as less functional).

A concave clip is inherently less sharp than a convex spear point clip, so it makes more sense on big chopping knives.

As for Big Bagwell's "backstroke", I see it essentially as flicking the wrist to stab sideways from an unexpected angle: It can be done with most sharp point objects, and the concave clip was not absolutely necessary to do this, unless the blade was very broad.

Gaston

 

[D R E]

Some years back I met a former Finnish soldier who had fought in the War of Continuation. He told me about taking back a village from the Russians and having to clear the cellar of a large building. They did not know who or what was in the cellar so went in with their puukkos out, "With the edge up, like they teach you in the Boy Scouts". Seems like if true the Finnish Boy Scout jamborees are more interesting than here in the USA. John

The Russians had the same thought in their knife fighting training. The “scout knife” NR-40 they issued in WWII has a guard where the bottom portion slants forward toward the edge. Visually it looks like a mistake but with the edge up it makes sense. It’s ironic that the Russians both feared yet admired the “finka” knife and the Finns who wielded them.

 

[Lapedog]

I get the sharpened swedge thing for backcuts, but what is the tactical/fighting purpose of the clip point, as opposed to a drop point or straight spine? The only thing that comes to mind is to lighten the blade to increase speed.

(Personally, I don't like the look of clip points on any knife, not just bowies.)

The tactical fighting purpose of the clip point is the sharpened swedge. It allows for the backwards cuts that have a sort of hawkbill cut.

So I assume you are asking what is the purpose for clip point knives that don't feature a sharpened swedge? Well for one the swedge can be late sharpened by the owner.

Other than that it is largely popular because it is an aestheically pleasing way to achieve a point that is sharp, fairly centre line to the knife and has slightly trailing edge shape to give good skinning properties. Also at one point clip points were created by literally clipping the end of the knife. So it was probably just a fast and easy way to get a good tip on the knife.

 

[marcinek]

The tactical fighting purpose of the clip point is the sharpened swedge. It allows for the backwards cuts that have a sort of hawkbill cut.

Actually the tactical fighting purpose of the clip point is to allow a deeper stab wound. And it doesn't need to be sharpened to do that. All this backcut stuff is secondary.

Other than that it is largely popular because it is an aestheically pleasing way to achieve a point that is sharp, fairly centre line to the knife and has slightly trailing edge shape to give good skinning properties. Also at one point clip points were created by literally clipping the end of the knife. So it was probably just a fast and easy way to get a good tip on the knife.

A concave clip is does not come to a point nearer the centerline of the knife, and it has no more belly than the same knife without the concave tip taken out, so it does not have better skinning properties. And a straight clip, which does come to a point nearer the centerline of the knife, has less belly, and hence, is a worse skinner.

You are right about the aesthetics though. Recreational outdoors newbs, when outdoor recreation first become popular around the late 1800's/early 1900's thought Bowie knives were sexy, and wanted their outdoor to look like them....not knowing that Bowie knives were not meant for that, and ignoring the fact that people who actually lived and worked in the wilderness had always used knives that looked nothing like Bowie knives (think George Washington Sears).