Cowboy Knives

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w.t. anderson said:
Interesting - I spent years in the saddle out in Arizona in the late 60s and early-to-mid 70s. Carried a Case stockman all that time. Now I'm stuck behind a desk most days back East, all my horses dead and gone, saddle sold, but sitting on my desk is a yellow-handled Case XX stockman. . . Funny how some things do stay the same.
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That's awesome, W.T.

And why are people so worked up about whether this is an "old" thread or not? Who cares? It's an interesting subject.
 
w.t. anderson said:
Interesting - I spent years in the saddle out in Arizona in the late 60s and early-to-mid 70s. Carried a Case stockman all that time. Now I'm stuck behind a desk most days back East, all my horses dead and gone, saddle sold, but sitting on my desk is a yellow-handled Case XX stockman. . . Funny how some things do stay the same.
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I should add that while I always carried a Case stockman in my vest pocket those days, my horse - being the more practical of the two of us - always carried a SAK in the saddlebags as well as some sort of 4"-5" fixed blade.
 
Smithhammer said:
That's awesome, W.T.

And why are people so worked up about whether this is an "old" thread or not? Who cares? It's an interesting subject.
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Because there is a Forum Guideline on thread necromancy. You can read all the guidelines by clicking on my signature line links.

This is taken from the guidelines.
"Thread "necromancy" is frowned upon. Please do not resurrect dormant threads simply to say "nice knife" or the like.
If you have something substantive to add to the discussion then by all means do so, otherwise move on and let sleeping dogs lie."

Not to say this thread isn't a good one to have resurrected. That's why it hasn't been closed. :)
I appreciate the regular members piping up and letting newer posters know about the guidelines. It helps the wear and tear on my fingertips and my keyboard.
 
I lived in Trinidad Colorado for a few years, and spent a few years in south Texas while stationed at Ft. Sam Houston in San Antonio. I got to know some cowboys along the way, real working ranch hands, not the guys with spotless Stetsons hanging around the beer joints. One thing I can say about cowboys, they are just like mechanics, construction workers, warehouse workers and dock hands. Some of them are knife nuts while others couldn't care less and will use whatever is on sale at the feed/hardware store or local sporting goods store. It's all in what the individual holds important.

The truth in the telling all depends on who's doing the telling.

Carl.
 
Excellent points, Carl. The first thing I think of with these threads is, "It depends on the cowboy."

There may be regional favorites from one place to another, but with cowboys ranging from Florida's cracker cowmen to Hawaii's paniolos, the range in pocket knives is gonna be from $1 bargain bin specials to $500 customs. Generalities are seldom very accurate.
 
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Around here the ranch hands carry mostly stockman knives; however, some of them also carry trappers, sodbusters, and of course other knives too. As to brands, most carry Case knives since that is what the local feed store sells along with the two hardware stores in town and the only remaining sporting goods store. Once Schrade and Camillus went out of business and the local supply of those dried up, Case was all that was left. That's an interesting point "rafterp" made about the hand stropping his blade on his chaps. Most of the guys here carry a small stone and you'll see them working their blade on the stone as the day progresses. The last store that carried Moore Maker went out of business here about 2-years agon. I haven't noticed yellow handles on the majority of knives I've seen but have seen some. They'll be branding, cutting, notching, etc. this month so I'll have to go down to one of the local ranches to see what's going on and being used.
 
My apologies to the moderator. I really do need to read all the rules. Mostly I just like to come on here and look at cool knives that appeal to me; I don't usually have much to offer in the way of comment. I did not look at any date...just saw a topic that interested me and thought I'd add some pics. I probably should've got a closeup of the knives in action, but didn't think about it. Rafter P is not a ranch; but it is the brand on my horses. It's registered in Jeff Davis County, Texas. We do like our yellow handled knives out here...they show up better in that West Texas dust! Thanks for the encouraging words and having such a neat place to look at pocketknives.
 
Welcome to the discussion - don't be shy, we're a pretty nice bunch. What brand do you use for your cows?
 
Not a cowboy, but have had a few friends who were. I grew up in the Smokies. Granddads and dad all out door working (as was I). Dad always carried a small Boker. I carried a Buck Stockman (still do often though sometimes I carry a fixed blade). I have my dad's Boker and an older Stockman that was either his or my Granddad's. For working knives I don't think you can beat a stockman. I'd say it's the design I have the most of in my collection.
 
Interesting, I talked to one cowboy I know and he carried an Schrade 8 OT.

My pastor rides but he carries a non-traditional knife for flesh work and a multi-tool, because of their one-handed operation. I've got a Case 3254 CV in yellow that just doesn't call my name. Maybe I should gift it to him, or at least see if he's interested in it. Might need the kick on the clip blade taken in a smidge so the nick on the spey blade is more accessible.
 
I'm not a "working" cowboy, but I play one when I'm not at my day job. For nearly 50 years, my family has owned quarter horses for pleasure and trail riding. It's our primary hobby. Horse owners, like me, might not make their living as a cowboy, but anyone who owns horses knows they come with plenty of work - either around the barn or maintaining your property. The "cowboys" we ride with carry anything from a stockman to a Leatherman to a small fixed blade to nothing at all. Some only carry a small folding hand saw to cut low hanging branches on the trail. Cowboys are like anyone else - some are into knives and some are not.

Needless to say, I love knives and these are my two favorites when I play cowboy and like I said, I've been playing cowboy a long time. Guess I've never grown up. :D


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Thanks Kid. It's a great knife. The awl is very handy around tack. :thumbup:
 
rafterp said:
West Texas dust!
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Welcome rafterp...OT: My wife is from (and one BIL still lives in) Pecos, we are out there at least a few times a year, beautiful country if you can learn to appreciate it.
Back on topic...umm...I raised a steer when I was in 4H and I bet he was cut with a stockman ;)
 
kamagong said:
Thread necro much? Here's a friendly tip -- before replying to a thread check the date of the last post. It's usually not necessary to reply to something that's more than seven years old.

- Christian
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Moderators, please delete this post and ban this poster.
 
Peregrin said:
Because there is a Forum Guideline on thread necromancy. You can read all the guidelines by clicking on my signature line links.

This is taken from the guidelines.
"Thread "necromancy" is frowned upon. Please do not resurrect dormant threads simply to say "nice knife" or the like.
If you have something substantive to add to the discussion then by all means do so, otherwise move on and let sleeping dogs lie."

Not to say this thread isn't a good one to have resurrected. That's why it hasn't been closed. :)
I appreciate the regular members piping up and letting newer posters know about the guidelines. It helps the wear and tear on my fingertips and my keyboard.
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They need to change that rule. It is pretty stupid.
 
Superdave1 said:
It's more about the tone and not content ....
Treating one like a naughty child, the tone can discourage participation. I don't want to derail the thread, take it to pm if you need to vent.


Dave
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Exactly. That poster and his attitude should be banned.
 
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