case bowies

[seth2915]

Does anybody know what kind of steel Case uses for their two bowie blades? And how do they perform in the field?

 

[Horn Dog]

Most likely it is 420HC, an appropriate steel for a large blade. Case doesn't say what "Tru-Sharp" is, but it performs like a decent 420HC. Edge holding is similar to Buck's at a similar hardness of around 57 RC. The Case Bowie is a direct descendant of the famous Collins #18 machete issued to Army Air Corps pilots as a survival knife in the late 1930s. It was later issued to Carlson's Raiders in the Pacific in WWII and was called the Marine Raider bowie. These knives are usually used as presentation knives, but even the newer stainless ones are quite useful in the field for machete work and light chopping. The large old-fashioned hand guard does get in the way a bit, but the knife is not just a wall hanger.

 

[seth2915]

THanks. Now, does anybody know how these bowies perform compared to other like models, say the Camillus Western bowie? My uncle used one to great effect during his Army days in Panama.

 

[Morablades]

They are great knives compared to the kabars and marbles. Nice and light.

 

[Horn Dog]

THanks. Now, does anybody know how these bowies perform compared to other like models, say the Camillus Western bowie? My uncle used one to great effect during his Army days in Panama.

They are essentially the same knife, although the Western had a more comfortable handle for me. That style bowie was made by Collins, Case, Western, and Kinfolk during WWII. They all had slight differences, mostly in the handles. Only the Case remains. I prefer the carbon steel versions, but the 420HC ones (Case or Western) are not bad at all. I picked up a few nice Westerns on ebay, some made in Colorado, and some after Camillus took over Western. You might look there for a Western, if you prefer it to the Case version.