Does size really matter? Bowie knife question...

R

RobertHankins

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Jun 10, 2001
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I am sure this subject has been beat to death but it is always good to keep a fresh perspective...
What do you consider the proper length for a Bowie blade?
 
I prefer a Bowie thats big enough to be pushed into chopping if needed. Im having a custom made for me right now thats a Bowie, its got a 11" Blade. Im also getting a smaller knife made, a 4" Clip point to go in a piggy back sheath with the Big bowie, so then all i will need is to grab it and clip it to my belt and i'll have enough knife to cut anything, big bowie for the hard stuff and thesmall clip point for the little stuff. FYI the Bowie will be with 3/16" S30V and the smaller knife will be .100" O1.
 
Whenever I get a call from Texas about a bowie knife the question is always "Y'all got anything bigger?", so I guess that bigger is always better.

Actually I find that blades in the 10" range give the best overall balance and action for a large bladed knife. Over 10 " it tends to get blade heavy, good for chopping but tiring in use.
 
Big is better.

A medium knife is better then a small one..

A big is better then a medium ...

And a sword is better then any knife...

Can’t believe it - try fighting someone with a sword...

All this assuming the knife / sword is carried by someone who knows what they are doing
 
I have a Bill Siegle Bowie with an 11 inch-long, 1/4 inch thick blade, and that knife just "feels right" to me, so I would have to say an 11 inch blade is a good "Bowie-length".
 
BTW - Jerry Hossom's 12 inch blades feel like a feather in yar hand...truly amazing - one has to pick them up and feel it to believe it!
 
Bowie maker Bill Bagwell writes extensively about the virtue of a big (long) blade. The blade must be long enough to provide leverage that translates into speed when employed. A long blade also provides a certain stand-off advantage over most other knives. I believe he advocates a blade length between 10 and 13 inches as minimum standards.

I hope I haven't stated this incorrectly. Anyone have a different recollection?
 
Generally speaking my blades run around 9+"
However I agree with Bill Bagwell for a Knife fight blade you want at least 10-13" of steel flashing.

One thing for sure I would feel much more at ease in a threatening situation with a 13+" blade in hand! When I handle my latest project (The one in the link) it makes you just want to go out and cut something with it:D
 
Longer length gives you a definite range advantage as well as the power generated by the leverage and/or torque when doing backcuts. A longer blade is not necessarily going to be too blade heavy - it all depends on the maker. I've handled 12"-13" Bagwells that move as quick and easy as much smaller blades. Rob Patton, Jerry Hossom, and Bill Siegle also make knives that move very well.
 
If I were shopping for a Bowie, I'd find one small enough to fit in my junk drawer. I've owned a couple in the past and that's where they're always at, in the drawer.
 
12" bowies are the best - as long as you can find one with a properly balanced handle. Usually, the handle is too light and my wrist gets tired from supporting the enormous blade.
 
I love bowies, but I do not own any. The reason is that I consider the bowie to be a large fighter and I really don't find myself with a need for that kind of knife. The blades on the ones that I like the look of most all seem to be eleven or twelve inches. That is too long a blade to walk down the street wearing, as far as I am concerned. In the bush I find that other styles of knives work better for clearing brush and making camp so I have never bought a bowie. If I ever start to collect knives just because I like them, bowies will be the first category that I invest in.

As I have stated earlier, the bowies that I like the looks of most are the ones with blades in the eleven to twelve inch range. I have handled a couple that size that seemed perfectly balanced. They were not blade heavy and were very quick. I would consider a bowie not being blade heavy as one of the most important criteria for my being interested in it.
 
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