Light, Fighting Bowie

M

mb

Joined
Feb 8, 1999
Messages
40
I am looking for any suggestions from forum members on a light, fast, fighting bowie in the $200-250 range. Carbon steel a plus.
 
Cold Steel Bush Ranger. This thing is light and fast and excellently priced.

Katz and SOG also make some really nice bowie style blades.

If you are willing to wait a little, the Busse Basics will be out soon and they will be in your price range and should be really good.
 
How about a Blackcloud Shark tooth? It is light and fast 7in blade kydex sheath ats 34 and custom no less. his knives kickass I might even be able to get you one if you contact me >>>>> Brad
 
Check out Black Cloud Knives at:
http://www.syspac.com/~bcloud/

You get a lot of blade for the money. His fighting bowies are little bit out of your price range but, well worth saving a little longer.

I've got an ATS-34 SharkTooth that is a really nice knife for ~$175. Having had it for a while, I can honestly say it is worth more then that to me.

Sid
 
The Randall Model 14 Attack should fit the bill exactly. Seven and one half inch Bowie style blade with an unsharpened swedge. Comes in O-1 with full tang for about $250, a little less for cut down tang.

phantom4

------------------
who dares, wins

 
...or a Randall Model #1 in 7 inch 01. A better fighter than the Model #14 (which is a better field knife).
 
I'll 2nd Sid's advice. Save up a little more and check out the Black Cloud fighting bowies. The man understands edge geometry, and his fighting bowies are incredible in the hand. He's a custom maker, so if there are features you don't like -- say, the goofy-looking forward-facing guards on the latest "generation" -- you can ask him to change them.

In the less expensive range, Cobalt's recommendation of the Bush Ranger is a great one. Be sure to handle one!

Joe
jat@cup.hp.com
 
Hey what do you guys think of Marbles new line of bowies. They look good and come in 52100 at an excellent price also.
 
Cobalt: I read in A.G.'s catalog that Marble uses 5160 steel for their bowies, and 52100 for smaller knives like woodcraft etc. It doesn't look like a "fighting" bowie to me, though. Kinda bulky. Perhaps it's more suitable as camp knives.

I agree with people on Back Cloud. I am also ordering a Black Cloud FB4 in A-2 from Ernie. I don't much like big knives in ATS-34.

Does anyone have comment on the Bill Bagwell's Hell Bells and Ontario's replica?
I saw Ontario ad in the latest Blade magazine. Have no idea about the price (and what the heck is proprietary steel QS13).
I know I can't compare Ontario with Busse or BC, but, well, if it's not so expensive ...

The real Hell Bells price is well above the range and 2-years waiting period, as stated in Bagwell's website. Anyway, you might want to browse the site since it gives some interesting info on fighting bowies.

I think sooner or later I'm gonna get James Keating videos about this subject, too.

Cheers,
Dew.


 
I will definitely recommend the new Ontario-Bagwell Hell's Belle Replica. It has a great design and balance and the blade steel is basically a modified 440C, price should be around 220$ retail so expect to pay even less.
 
Cliff, is going to be testing several ontarion knives along with the Trailmaster VS Tusk comparison and thread. That would be a good knife to add to the works.
 
Try Madpoet (Mel Sorg - melsorg@wcta.net), he had finished a light fighting Bowie in D2 awhile ago when we were working out the details of what I wanted in a knife I was getting him to make.

-Cliff



[This message has been edited by Cliff Stamp (edited 24 March 1999).]
 
Why all the concern about the steel? A fighting bowie will be pretty light in the hand, so won't be much of a chopper. If this was a utility bowie or survival bowie or whatever, I'd understand the concern about using a good tough steel. But a fighter isn't designed for hard work, so I'm willing to put up with lesser steel in it. 'course, it's nice to have good tough steel "just because", but in a fighting bowie, balance, ergonomics, and edge geometry are everything, I feel steel is secondary.

If I remember right, the Helle's Belles from Ontario are some kind of 440-C-modified, or at least that what another poster here said. I don't think that would stop me from getting one, if I felt everything else about the knife worked for me.

I'd let the steel be the tiebreaker between two knives I couldn't decide between.

Joe
jat@cup.hp.com
 
Were can I see a picture of the hells belle knife from Ontario-Bagwell?

Also, Joe, I understand about weight and balance, but it's nice to know that a knife is guaranteed against damage. Shows that the maker believes in his knives. Doesn't Black Cloud offer such a guarantee?
 
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