Choppers

Skunk Ape

Skunk Ape

Joined
Jun 26, 2007
Messages
335
With all the new choppers on the market now, anyone still use a Western W49, Case, or other older Bowie?
 
Good question. I have a Western W49 I've had for about 20 years but since its pretty collectable now I dont use it. If the guard were shortened and the grip thinned a little, I would think it would make a decent survival chopper.
 
You mean something like this?

W49001.jpg

W49003.jpg

W49004.jpg
 
I sold my W49 this spring to help fund a Junglas, because I didn't want to cut down the guard on such a classic.
 
I used to carry a W49 that I had modified the guard of and cold blued; when I was in the U.S.M.C. in the late 70's. It was a great knife and performed very well.

It was unfortunately stolen a number of years ago.
 
1066vik said:
I sold my W49 this spring to help fund a Junglas, because I didn't want to cut down the guard on such a classic.
Click to expand...

I have several older ones with the big S guards intact. This one is for using. Case still sells their version but it is in stainless. This same basic style was made by Case, Western, Kinfolk, and Collins. They are all slightly different, but the design is from the pre-WWII Collins #18 machete made for a survival knife used by Army aircrews.

BowieChopper002.jpg
 
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I've had the Case, KaBar and the Western. When the prices went crazy I sold them in a fit of greed to fund other purchases.

I have a Chinese-made clone that came as a bonus with a Puma rifle a coupla years back. I need to dig it out and put it to work.

I still have a WWII issue folding Cattaragus that I picked up in a pawn shop for $5!
 
wildmike said:
I used to carry a W49 that I had modified the guard of and cold blued; when I was in the U.S.M.C. in the late 70's. It was a great knife and performed very well.

It was unfortunately stolen a number of years ago.
Click to expand...

It's a fitting knife for a Marine to carry, given the legacy of the blade. It's basically a short machete with a clip point and finger guard. I prefer the Western version to the Collins that the Marine Raiders carried because of the larger handle on the Western. It's a good light field knife and a wicked fighter. It can't compare in toughness to some of the modern knives like Busses and such, but I have used them for years without mishap. I impressed some Boy Scouts years ago by hacking whole chicken in half with one and then grilling the chicken. I'd probably be run off if I did that nowadays.
 
Mine did everything from splitting wood, openeing crates, combatives, to shelter building and survival use. Hell I carried it for years in a traditional inside the pants sheath I made for it without folks even knowing I was carrying it.
 
I have one that my dad gave me when I was about 15. Several years of dumb kid abuse and then stuck in a a drawer it has some rust spots and the sheath is missing, but in otherwise good shape. I do still keep it under the bed next to my RTAK II for when the boogie man an zombies attack.
 
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