Looking for Bowie Knife. Something to make Jim Bowie and James Keating proud...

Gunzhot,

I own two Mineral Mountain Knives and once owned a third. That one was a Long Knife which was extremely heavy. I sold it to a 300+ lb guy at a gun show who did not seem bothered by the weight!

It is definitely a problem that John Gonzales does not (last I checked) publish the weights of the MMHW knives. You won't know if one is too heavy until you buy it.

While the MMHW knives are very well made and rugged, the sheaths are entirely another thing. The kydex is rather thin, and sheaths designed to hold knives in quickly lose their tension and allow the knives to slide out, at least in my experience and that of others. I read one post elsewhere written by a customer who lost a MMHW knife because the sheath quickly became loose, and the knife fell out. If you plan to buy a MMHW knife, expect to need a new sheath from another maker, or else rig up some sort of strap to attach to the sheath for holding the knife in.
 
Originally posted by ZENGHOST
Dude, you need to either post the pic on the web somewhere and link to it, or you can up your membership to be able to upload pics to bladeforums.
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I guess that explains it. Thanx, Zenghost. Here is a link to 3 pictures of the Bowie I was talking about. You'll have to scroll most of the way down the thread to see them. http://forums.swordforum.com/showthread.php?threadid=6920&highlight=Bowie

This Bowie is 21 inches long, and much quicker than you'd think. I'm extremely pleased with its performance on flesh and bone.
 
Originally posted by the possum
Here is a link to 3 pictures of the Bowie I was talking about. You'll have to scroll most of the way down the thread to see them. http://forums.swordforum.com/showthread.php?threadid=6920&highlight=Bowie

This Bowie is 21 inches long, and much quicker than you'd think. I'm extremely pleased with its performance on flesh and bone.
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Here you go:

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Thanks guys. I have a Cold Steel Trailmaster with stag handle and wondered if someone could give a rough comparison between this and one or more of the larger Mineral Mountain knives (weight, balance...). Thanks again!
 
"This Bowie is 21 inches long, and much quicker than you'd think. I'm extremely pleased with its performance on flesh and bone."

Ummh, Possum, if I may, where and how have you been testing this knife on flesh and bone? Also, while it may be light, I have noticed that the guards are not particularly large. If you will note the guards on the Hells Belle, you will see that they are quite large and that they curl in toward the blade . This is, in part, to help trap your opponent's blade so that you may twist it out of his hand. That is also the reason for the notch near the rear end of the edge on Bill Bagwell's blades. You will see both the guards and the notch in the picture in second post in this thread, the one by Keith Montgomery.
 
Here's one that would make anyone proud.
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Dang, Rick, that's a great looking knife. It looks like you could take on a grizzly with that one. Who made it, and where did you get it?
 
Originally posted by Nathan S
Dang, Rick, that's a great looking knife. It looks like you could take on a grizzly with that one. Who made it, and where did you get it?
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That was made by Bill Moran.

He doesn't make knives any more and his knives cost thousands of dollars.

Here's one of his hunters.
 
That was made by Bill Moran. He doesn't make knives any more and his knives cost thousands of dollars.
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Well that was a cold splash of water in the face. Thanks for the bring - down, Rick! :( Anyway, I really like that Bowie. If you ever get tired of it, just let me know. ;)
 
Zenghost- thanks for posting my pics!

Originally posted by FullerH
[BUmmh, Possum, if I may, where and how have you been testing this knife on flesh and bone? Also, while it may be light, I have noticed that the guards are not particularly large. If you will note the guards on the Hells Belle, you will see that they are quite large and that they curl in toward the blade . This is, in part, to help trap your opponent's blade so that you may twist it out of his hand. That is also the reason for the notch near the rear end of the edge on Bill Bagwell's blades. You will see both the guards and the notch in the picture in second post in this thread, the one by Keith Montgomery. [/B]
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I realize this knife isn't quite what the origional poster asked for. I was trying to capture the old Sheffield style with this piece, and I have seen very, very few origionals with blade catching guards. The knife Jim Bowie used at the sandbar fight (according to several experts, at least) is guardless. The Searles Bowies are for all practical purposes guardless. Also, even though the guard on my Bowie is not upturned, it still spans around 4 inches from tip to tip- about as big as the Ontario Bagwell Bowies I've held. Perhaps the guard just looks small on such a massive knife. (?) Either way, I've never been taught specific techniques for the Bowie knife, so I'd probably stick to my sword training and just parry with the blade. If I were so inclined, I guess I could still use the choil to catch an opponent's blade.

I apologize for throwing in that "teaser" comment about flesh. This is my hunting knife. Just last night it claimed its 15th raccoon, and it's got 5 possums under its belt. I've only had it for a few months. If I include the mortally wounded animals (from gunshots) that I've just finished off with this knife, those numbers would be 3 or 4 times higher. This knife will go right through a big raccoon, even with a half hearted swing. Shoulders and pelvic girdles present no problem, and it's clear that the bones are actually being cut rather than broken. (thanks to its convexed edge) It works waaaay better than the piece of junk I used in the past, way better than smaller knives like my Blackjack 1-7, and 100 times better than every machete I've tried.
 
Hey Gunzhot,
I am happy with the size and weight of my MM White River Bowie.I practice swings and strokes with it. I am into exercising, and weigh appx.245#s, so I might not be the right person to ask if you are not big boned :D . I am no sure about the sheath wear issues, I have not had mine too long- only a few months. I can tell you that it takes and keeps one helluva edge!Let me know what you decide.
Stay Sharp,
Wali
 
I think the problem with the MMHW sheaths is that the kydex is too thin. One of my MMHW knives is a integral guard fighter. The knife is excellent, but if I turn the knife upside down while in the sheath, it will slide right out. I bought it second hand at a gun show, so I don't know how long it took to loosen up.

Compared to any other kydex sheaths I own, the MMHW sheaths are the thinnest. I think this is probably why they loosen up so easily. I have been looking for some sort of velcro strap I can attach to the top of the sheath to hold the knife in.

I agree with the positive assessments of the MMHW knives themselves, but the sheaths need straps or something to make them more secure.
 
Thanks again. I'll keep you posted on what I decide to go with...any suggestions for a large, fighter type (maybe a little chopper/ survival) knife from M.M. ( I'll go ahead and get a custom sheath somewhere else)?
 
Here is a suggestion: If you decide on an MMHW Bowie, you might try asking if a strap can be include on the sheath. It could fit around the handle or across the guard. That way it wouldn't matter if the sheath loosens up.

Also, with a very long knife it is less critical to have a secure sheath. You never see swords with straps, for example. Maybe one of those twelve inch bowies doesn't really need a strap to hold it in, unless you plan to wear it on a trampoline. A smaller knife, however, could bounce out of a loose sheath and become lost, as happened to one MMHW customer.
 
i have brand new boker 547, never cut anything. will sell it to you for 155.00 including shipping in the lower 48. hell of a knife. blade is 7 1/2 inche and built like a tank. check it out and let me know if you're interested. contact me at
shamancw@worldnet.att.net
 
Wow, you are bringing back all the old bowie threads so that you can advertise this knife. Once again, you are only allowed to advertise in the appropriate forums and only if you are a Gold or Knifemaker member.
 
Originally posted by Keith Montgomery
Wow, you are bringing back all the old bowie threads so that you can advertise this knife. Once again, you are only allowed to advertise in the appropriate forums and only if you are a Gold or Knifemaker member.

keith
u lost me here
did i do something wrong
harley
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Harley, my post was not directed towards you at all. Druid brought up two old threads so that he could advertise that he had a couple of bowies for sale. That was why I posted what I did. When people ask for recommendations on where they can get a knife, I have no problem with makers stating that they make that kind of knife.
 
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