Bowies, what steel would you recommend for a Bowie heading into combat (aka Iraq)??

S

stefanj

Joined
Aug 5, 2007
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Just wondering what steel would someone look into for a knife of this sort? Also what characteristics would you look for in a knife going into duty?

All the fighters and combat knives look cool and all but I like the big bowies!
 
A big bowie imho is the best fighter. Something 8 1/2 to 10 inches and carbon steel would fit the bill I think. Some prouduction models out there but since your posting on the custom forum there are alot of makers here that could and would do ya right.
 
I've had good experiences with Matt Lamey and Tai Goo's knives, under heavy usage. Both guys are more concerned with functionality primarily. Burt Foster would also be a great choice, and is relatively affordable.
A production knife, I hate to say it, would probably be more practical from a financial perspective.
 
from the test I have done I would say 5160 or w2 I am sure there others I just have not tested them yet
 
There are a lot more people on here with much more intelligence than I, but I'll give my two cents.

I make my military type knives with ATS-34 just for ease of care. They aren't large bowie blades though. I like D2 a lot too. It is pretty low maintenance and very tough. For a true bowie type knife maybe one of the high carbon steels (5160, 1095).

I'd say the choice really depends on the design of the blade and more importantly the final heat treat. If that is done correctly you can get a great blade. If it is done poorly, no matter how good the design, you will have a low quality knife.

That probably doesn't help a lot but I'd suggest deciding on the style of knife you want and then finding someone who has a good reputation with that type of blade. Make sure their heat treat is good and you should be fine.

SDS
 
The steel is not as important as who makes the knife. There are many great knife makers and steels out there. Sharpening should be a consideration.

Sometimes a big heavy knife looks great but is a pain in the ass to carry all of the time. If you want a large knife you should make sure that it has distal taper and feels good in your hand. I had a variety of knives in RVN, the best one is the one that you have with you. Whatever else you get I recommend that you have a Leatherman Tool or something similar, you will use that more than anything else that you carry.
 
IMO...You're going to Iraq...not Hollywood. Take a good sturdy utility
knife w/5-7" durable blade. You'll use it alot more for daily utility than
you will as a weapon. I used a variety of different patterns in RVN also.
Whatever you end up with....Take jjtjr's advice, and and take a Leatherman
too.
 
whats most important is proper heat treat and edge geometry over particular steel.
 
jjtjr said:
The steel is not as important as who makes the knife. There are many great knife makers and steels out there. Sharpening should be a consideration.

Sometimes a big heavy knife looks great but is a pain in the ass to carry all of the time. If you want a large knife you should make sure that it has distal taper and feels good in your hand. I had a variety of knives in RVN, the best one is the one that you have with you. Whatever else you get I recommend that you have a Leatherman Tool or something similar, you will use that more than anything else that you carry.
Click to expand...

I agree with you one 100% with the big heavy knife. I was also in RVN. One of the fellows just got a care package from home and inside the package was this nice bowie knife. Long story short I got my hands on the knife and threw it shortly after Gil got it out of the box. The blade snapped off right at the guard. To my surprise Gil wasn't at all pissed off. He said he didn't want to carry the darn thing anyway. A Leatherman Tool would be a good choice.
 
Russ Andrews said:
IMO...You're going to Iraq...not Hollywood. Take a good sturdy utility
knife w/5-7" durable blade. You'll use it alot more for daily utility than
you will as a weapon. I used a variety of different patterns in RVN also.
Whatever you end up with....Take jjtjr's advice, and and take a Leatherman
too.
Click to expand...

About the best advice I've read.

Frankly I got more use out of my Leatherman than I did out of anything else I took along that had an edge (when overseas and in harm's way).
 
At most you'll need a RAT-3 or RAT-4.

For the weight of a heavy bowie you could carry at least one extra magazine for your M4.

As I am sure you know, the majority of military tasks that require a knife can be done with a leatherman i.e. opening MREs, cutting parachute cord etc.

I bought my best buddy, a U.S. Army Infantry Officer, a Strider PT as a gift and he uses it more then anything -- and it has a 2.75" blade.

Though a big knife may have lots of "Chicks Dig It" or CDI factor the reality is it most likely will not be needed and the extra weight will slow you down, wear you down, make you less alert, and that is when bad things happen.
 
Hey buy what ever you feel you need to get you back home safely, one piece and ensure that you take it to the enemy 24 7:D.


These guys came to mind when I read your post they make very affordable knives and really stand behind there stuff.......3 deep:D.

http://www.martinknives.com/MILITARYTACTICAL.html

Also make sure you have a good muti-tool or even a sak for your utility needs.

Good luck
Spencer
 
I would look for a knife for the ease of carry and use. The sheath must be comfortable and be accessable without any fumbling around.

A knife with a 6 inch blade will provide both utility and combat capability, and will be faster than a big long bowie blade. 6 inches is lethal should you need it in hand to hand combat.
 
I just like the ignorance factor!

Plus chicks dig it:D:D

Last time there I carried a Cold Steel Kukri which was a great talking piece and made for some interesting conversations with the locals. They liked to look at it, it was a nice ice breaker (plus I want to use Iraq as an excuse to try and convince my wife to let me buy a nice Bowie:cool:).

I like knives and carry a few at all times (specific tools for specific duties).
Last time in Iraq I lost a lot of weight and weighed in at about 135lbs in PT's I weighed in at 215lbs with all my kit on and I cleared some pretty big buildings (I think the biggest was a 8 story in the middle of summer (no ac, no power)). I'm not worried about the extra weight, doesn't bother me that much.

I enjoy the simple functionality of a Bowie, its handy, and it will probably remain in its sheath except for cleaning in all honesty but I am impulsive and would love to have one. I just have to convince the wife to let me get one (my mistake for letting the responsible one handle the money:eek:).:D


In all honesty I think the best 6 inch blade I have (I brought to Iraq last time) was a Buck Nighthawk! Great little knife and it only cost me $40 when they first where produced.
I also have a TOPs Firehawk which is another great knife.
 
I've sent a few knives to Iraq. Most had 6" blades. Like Russ said, it's a battle zone, so a heavy duty medium sized knife is a good choice if you expect it to be carried. All of these were S30v with green canvas Micarta. As tough as carbon steels are, it's probably much more practical to make the blades from a good stainless steel. Otherwise it becomes one more thing for the soldiers to have to maintain.

I did have a friend with a younger brother in the Marines. The family chipped in a bought this young Marine officer a 10" sub hilt fighter. That's a lot of knife for most men to carry in a war zone, but this guy was only around 5' 4" tall, so it looked like a sword on him!

Several of us were involved in an awards program with some battalion CSMs with the 10th Mtn. The smallest knife I know of was one Don Cowles made, probably around a 2 3/4" blade at the most with CF scales. The largest was probably a Hossom knife.

David Broadwell
 
The guy wants a bowie we all know a med size blade is more useful but he wants a bowie. go get one and be happy
 
JParanee said:
The guy wants a bowie we all know a med size blade is more useful but he wants a bowie. go get one and be happy
Click to expand...

Not trying to start conflict!

I have two nice midsized blades both 6" a Nighthawk (Buck) and a TOP's.

I've just always wanted a nice bowie, my excuse for getting one would be my next trip to Iraq! Does that explain better?
 
Iraq has a quite dry climate, you won't have a lot of trouble maintaining carbon steel (non-stainless). Get whatever you like from a reliable maker, no matter the steel. Stay away from fragile handle materials though, for instance ivory will shrink a lot if it was in humid climate and you move it to Iraq.
 
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