CS drop forged, how do they chop?

J

johnyappleseed

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Jul 17, 2025
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Anyone tried chopping with the cold steel drop forged survivalist or bowie? How well do they chop, and which one is a better chopper?

Also, why is the bowie lighter but also longer? Does it come down to handle differences?

Thanks!
 
I've got the Survivalist and both versions of the Bowie (the small and the 9.5 inch one). The Survivalist is a terrible chopper and the 9.5" Bowie is good for one reason: uneven weight distribution due to the handle.

The Survivalist has an extremely heavy handle and a relatively thin blade, which makes it hard to concentrate force into the blade when chopping. It's just not easy to get enough power into the blade when most of the mass of the knife is in the handle. On the flip side, it's a good slicer which would be hard to beat if the handle was lightened even a little.

The 9.5" Bowie is the opposite: longer, slightly thicker blade and a comparatively thinner handle. This puts most of the mass into the blade and helps put more force into the chop. The curved handle also helps by adding a little extra leverage into the chop. As with most Bowie knives, it's not the best chopper but is perfectly capable while also giving you a nice point to use for poking stuff. I used mine to chop my old Christmas tree in half (about 8" diameter) and it made quick work.
 
ShaiHulud said:
Almost feels like a hatchet would be better...
I had this 20 dollar hatchet once that out performed all my other pricy fixed blades I had at the time when it came to chopping, because well--- that's what axes do best.
Just saying
Click to expand...
Absolutely correct. But OP asked about the Bowie knives, and I think it's a reasonable question.

Sometimes when I go stalking through the pasture I find it a bit cumbersome to carry a tomahawk, belt knife, rifle, ammo, and various other items, so I carry a Bowie (Trail Master or Recon Scout) to cover at least 2 of my needs. Works well enough for me most of the time. Other times, I'll opt for the hawk if I expect to do more chopping than cutting or poking. I like variety.
 
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