Hawk or Bowie

I wonder which is easier to mess up while being produced. It seems to me that a bowie would require more attention to detail in order to get a decent balance. Of course this begs to argue what a good balance on a bowie is, blade heavy, handle heavy, or neutral. Hawks can also have balance issues, but would they be mostly for throwing?
 
I can tell you one thing, If I had a Shiva Ki, I would be a pig in hog heaven, lets just get that one out of the way first.

That is a tough question. Of course both would be preference.

If I had a real long wicked bowie with a sharp back clip that might get my vote. I am very handy with a thrown hawk, but with the head heavy design, recovery is not as quick.

Good question, and really sweet photos (again, I love Shiva Ki's)
 
If it was a situation where I had to fight I guess I would choose a hawk and then throw it at the guy and hope I hit them good and cause some damage. If I didn't then I would run. If I only injured them I would keep my distance and dance around until they bled out and became weak. If I seriously injured them than I would instantly rush with some shins to the head.

Would probably never be sure what I would do unless it actually happened though.
 
stabman said:
So, your hawk has more than 14 inch reach?
Click to expand...
Sorry, I missed this. My shortest hawk is 17" from the top of the head to the bottom of the haft. I hold this one about 2 1/2 inches up from the bottom, making its reach about 15 inches. My longest hawk, that can still be considered a hawk, is 21". Its sweet spot is about 7 inches up the haft. While I know I would be deadly with it, it all depends upon the adversary, doesn't it?
 
brother 7.62 shooter has a crazy-long hawk actually - it's even been tuned for his wholesome wookie-ness. :D:thumbup:

he wouldn't even have to wait for you to get out of the vehicle....

maybe he'll post a pic of it.

vec
 
Handle lengths on tomahawks in the 18th and 19th centuries varied a lot. Some had handles over 30" long.

The average seemed to be about 16" - 20" from what I've observed.

When I re-handle one, I start with a handle of 25" and after I tap the head down nice and tight, I remove length in increments of 1/2" until the balance feels right.

They always balance out around 20" - 24". It all depends on the weight and form of the head.

My Cold Steel Rifleman's 'Hawk balanced out at 24".

I just carved a new handle for my special larger version of a Fort Turner Iroquois 'Hawk which balanced out at exactly 23.25". Dana Turner's forging is great and his 'hawk blades are thin, but not too thin. They're just right. The result I got with this project is a tomahawk with pretty good reach combined with the just-right weight of the head making it very agile and quick.
 
HPIM0271.jpg


ATC Rogers' Ranger Spike Tomahawk - 21" handle
Cold Steel Rifleman's Tomahawk - 24" handle
 
HPIM1022.jpg


Iroquois Tomahawk by Fort Turner - 23.25" handle

The tomahawk head is a bit longer than usual with a longer cutting edge; made at my request.

I'm going to wrap the lower 1/3 of the handle with either sinew or brown buckskin. Haven't decided yet.
 
Wolf_1989 said:
HPIM1022.jpg


Iroquois Tomahawk by Fort Turner - 23.25" handle

The tomahawk head is a bit longer than usual with a longer cutting edge; made at my request.

I'm going to wrap the lower 1/3 of the handle with either sinew or brown buckskin. Haven't decided yet.
Click to expand...

Looks pretty darn neat.:thumbup:
 
Wolf 1989, that rifleman's hawk looks like it has some stories to tell. looks like a well used antique rather than some applied finish:thumbup:
 
crossada said:
Wolf 1989, that rifleman's hawk looks like it has some stories to tell. looks like a well used antique rather than some applied finish:thumbup:
Click to expand...

That's just the natural patina from nearly 15 years of hard use. There's only one small spot on the bottom of the head near the eye which has the original shiny black lacquer or whatever that finish is Cold Steel uses.

And it does have some stories to tell. It and my BK&T Magnum Camp were my HTH weapons of choice when I was up late on New Year's Eve 1999 waiting to see if all the lights went out. It's been all over the Smokey and Blue Ridge Mountains. It's been in the the Everglades, the Bayou, and the swamps & thickets of eastern Texas. I finished off a wounded razorback hog with it back in 1997. I've used it to repair fences. It's helped butcher more than a few deer. I've used it to defend against a pack of feral dogs and one time just the sight of it helped a feral human change his mind.

I know it's not one of the magnificent tomahawks made by RMJ Forge or Joe Szilaski... it's just a Cold Steel - an older model I bought in early 1994 - but I'll never part with it.
 
Wolf: I sure like the designs on those hawks. I don't exactly why but that natural patinia of use gives things a quality that seems to appeal to me more than the highly polished ones. . All my hawks from Swamp Fox and Robert Bray have that look. Hell my bowie also has it too. My old Randall Thorp Bowie has now got it after years of use. Really good job. Thanks so much for posting this pic.

All My Best
Dwight
 
Here's an old photo which shows one of the old historical tomahawks with a long handle. In this case it's a spontoon type pipe 'hawk.

Indian-Tomahawk.jpg
 
the vikings used long handle battle axes in shield wall fighting. they would swing down over the top hoping to hit you in the head then hook your shield and pull it down so their buddy could stab you with spear or sword.

did those spontoon hawks get used for just combat or were they used for tools as well? i have always been curious about them.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top