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

thanks for the endorsement brightred, changed my web site a few months ago, doing it all myself now,
www.mattlamey.com

Back the the topic, whomever you get a Bowie from, make sure its at least some one that gets out and uses them... make sure its comfortable, something that can be used all day without giving you blisters etc. these factors are often overlooked in a working Bowie.
 
might want to check with your command and see what they will allow you to carry. When I was in the Corps, any thing bigger than a Kbar was a no no, (unless you kept it in your pack), and then only in the field of course.
That being said, 5160 or any of the high carbon steels are great. something utilitarian and in the heat everything gets heavy and cumbersome. Just advice.
BUT BOWIES ARE COOL!!!!
 
stefanj said:
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?
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I was just sticking up for ya:D. What I was just trying to say sometimes we do not pick the most practical blade but I love bowie's and you should get what you want. I know Matt Lamey and he makes a bad ass bowie you can't go wrong with.
 
a Lamey with a cord wrapped handle would probably be pretty comparable in price to any high end production. Burt does a nice cord wrapped knife too, and gives a military discount.
I missed the 'what type of steel' part of the question, and to answer that I'd say, if forged, whatever the maker is most comfortable with, and if ground from stock, then whatever the maker is most comfortable with.
As someone else mentioned, the material for the blade is less relevant than the maker who put their stamp on it.
 
The Bowies I own by John Smith, Bill Bagwell and Matt Lamey handle way better than any mid-sized knife I've seen. A good hand-made Bowie might be a few inches longer than a mid-sized knife but, it will be better balanced, feel lighter and cut better.
 
cobrachris said:
The Bowies I own by John Smith, Bill Bagwell and Matt Lamey handle way better than any mid-sized knife I've seen. A good hand-made Bowie might be a few inches longer than a mid-sized knife but, it will be better balanced, feel lighter and cut better.
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i second that whole heartedly! my 10 1/2" bladed Bagwell feels more lively in the hand than my smaller Busses. distal tapering makes a huge difference when it comes to large knives imo.
 
Rusty McDonald said:
might want to check with your command and see what they will allow you to carry. When I was in the Corps, any thing bigger than a Kbar was a no no, (unless you kept it in your pack), and then only in the field of course.
That being said, 5160 or any of the high carbon steels are great. something utilitarian and in the heat everything gets heavy and cumbersome. Just advice.
BUT BOWIES ARE COOL!!!!
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I am my command (helps to be in charge, I'm just not in charge of HouseHold6 aka the wife I don't think shes falling for this excuse anyways).

And yes Bowies are COOL!!
 
JParanee said:
I was just sticking up for ya:D. What I was just trying to say sometimes we do not pick the most practical blade but I love bowie's and you should get what you want. I know Matt Lamey and he makes a bad ass bowie you can't go wrong with.
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Thanks, now if I can introduce you to my wife to try and convince her I NEED a bowie:D
 
Matt makes some phenominaly beautiful pieces!
I would love to own one of his knives!!


I'm not concerned about maintainence as I am very good with my weapons systems to the point of being overly anal, after all its not just my life that depends on the systems I have and use!

BTW, this is not my first time in Iraq! Been there before, best darn tea I've ever had (Chi) and Darcin is darn good too! Not very fond of Bocha however (boiled goats head, don't eat the eyes).
 
Ray Laconico makes a very cool medium sized bowie. Or a larger one if you prefer.

Tom Krein also makes awesome mini bowies.
 
The distal taper is important. I had some guys comment on how light my 10 1/2 inch W2 stag bowie that I took to Gembloux felt. They were quite surprised. After handling a couple of winning competition cutters at the Guild Show which were 1/4 inch thick TOPS, I decided that a knife that size didn't have to be 3/8 thick at the ricasso either. The one I took to Belgium was around .26-.27 thick. I just sent a big chopper that was around 10.25 x 1.75 x .27 with a nice taper to a Marine and he was surprised at how light and fast it was. These knives may not have the "grunt" that a big .375 thick blade does, but they won't wear ya out.:D W2 works well. My Marine customer has a medium sized Phillip Patton W2 knife that was used to butcher a BBQ'ed sheep bones and all that his local lads cooked up for a celebratory meal when he was working as an adviser in Iraq. If your unit allows it, carrying a 9 inch knife wouldn't be much more difficult than a 7 1/2 incher. Randall has made a semi-regular model out of the variant of their 9 inch "Sportsman" bowie with the blade ground like a model 14.
 
I am also going over as a advisor for the second time. I will be the team chief, aka team leader for this next trip.

And W2 is awsome!!!!!
 
+1 on Ray Laconico's work. He made a mid size (7 1/2" blade) fighting Bowie for me that is just right, weight to size, for carry. (Ray, you were right. 1/4" would have been too thick) He has a feel for nice clean classic Bowies.

Dino in Reno
 
Forget the bowie. Get a bayonet. The idea of fighting with a knife is for armchair warriors.
 
Soulrack223 said:
LOL Then get a Randall Smithsonian Bowie!
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Far left:

bowie-big.jpg


Or anything called an Iron Mistress!
 
I can't fit the mold! I need something that I will drool over (of course for the time being I am only dreaming over till I can convince Household 6 aka the CSM aka the wife to let me spend the money:().

Anybody want to try and convince her I need a bowie??? She scares me!:D:D
 
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