Need help finding the right bowie knife!

P

Phil29

Joined
Jun 28, 2010
Messages
120
Hey guys,

I am looking for a traditional bowie knife. It can either be custom or production. I would prefer carbon steel but I have no problem with stainless. Most important for me is that it looks traditional and that the handle is made of natural material. My price range is up to $250.

I already own a Ka-Bar USMC and a Buck 119. Production knives that I like so far are the Case Bowie and the Buck Frontiersman, however they are not quite what I am looking for.

The knives on this site are pretty close to what I would like: Non-BF dealer link removed.

does anybody have some experience with their knives?

Hope this is not to general, I would really appreciate any suggestions!


Best,
Phil
 
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I'm not an expert on bowies but there are often some really beautiful ones up for sale in the knife makers area here. My thought is if you've already got some production ones it's time to have a look at threads in the For Sale; Fixed Blades subforum. It may take some time to find something you like but I reckon it would be worth it.
 
I'd rather have the Svord Von Tempsky Ranger ( 6 inch) bowie than any of the ones at the weatern themed site. here:http://www.knifecenter.com/kc_new/store_store.html?ttl=Svord%20Bowie%20Knives&cat=svo&b=bowie These are excellent, proven performers with L-6 tool steel. Very tough, easy to sharpen convex edge ( wet dry sandpaper, lay on side and strop). They look much more primitive than they perform. Notice the other ones including the huge Von Tempsky with the 11 inch blade of the same steel.

You can look around the Svord section and see nicer, more polished wooden grip blades for pretty good prices. All are L6 steel.

This section of Knifecenter ( paid advertiser) gives a listing of Bowies they sell. http://www2.knifecenter.com/kc_new/store_store.html?ttl=bowie%20blade%20knives&b=bowie&


As far as the website you are looking at I can't comment other than to say it looks expensive and is more for western rein-actors than real knife users where performance is the largest issue. Blacksmiths forging can be really good or really bad. I would want to know more about who was doing the work. I also question the need to forge D2 steel which is air cooling. Can be done? Sure, but why? You can get better performance the more modern way with temp. controlled furnaces and correct cooling rates and methods. I'm not much for going by colors of the heated steel when correct temps. can be had very easy nowadays guaranteeing the same great performance knife after knife.

Good luck.

Joe
 
Please post a picture, instead of linking to a non-BF dealer.

Here is one of the knives he is looking at.
Drifter-Bowie-Sheath-new-78x150.jpg
 
Thank you for your help guys! @knarfeng: thank you for posting the picture, I´m sorry, I did not know about this rule!

@Chris: I was also thinking about a custom but I need the knife rather quickly so this might not be an option.

@ The Mastiff: your thoughts reflect exactly what I was thinking about that site too! I have always liked the Svord bowies, they are pretty much exactly what I would like, but if possible I would like to buy a knife made in the US.

Thanks again guys!
 
Bark River just came back out with the Boone model. Worth a look.
 
Western W49 :D

Then research "Bill Bagwell's W49 Modifications"

Cool knife and engaging project all in one.
 
I've got a Western W49, and it's probably my favorite big sheath knife of all time. Well.... In the top 3, anyway. ;)

If you can find an old, beat-up one, you can Bagwell-ize it without feeling bad. But, I think they're great in the stock configuration.
 
puukkoman said:
I've got a Western W49, and it's probably my favorite big sheath knife of all time. Well.... In the top 3, anyway. ;)

If you can find an old, beat-up one, you can Bagwell-ize it without feeling bad. But, I think they're great in the stock configuration.
Click to expand...

I got mine for around $60-70…


Lots of elbow grease and now have this:



Phil29 said:
I like the Boone! It looks great. Are the western bowies still in production?

Phil
Click to expand...
I don't think that Western makes knives anymore...
 
Greetings!
Please tell me what era you're looking for. By 'traditional' do you mean 19th century? 1840s-1860s 'bowie knives' tended to run on the large size (8+inch blades), probably given the less than reliable cap and ball pistols (not to mention very slow reloading). By the 1870s-1880s, they shrank in size and became more utilitarian, less for fighting (6-7 inch blades), as cartridge guns were more available and more reliable.
If you plan to really use it hard in a utilitarian fashion, the Von Tempsky Ranger would be a very good choice (I have one and it is stout!) and from 3 feet away would look pretty period correct (lose the snap on the sheath, though). If you want something very period correct for 1870s-1880s, google "Sheffield knives" and check out the 6 inch listings by Adams, or Wright and Son or Nowill. (I have these as well, not as stout, but very period correct and traditional, and look like the picture by Knarfeng.) A period correct bowie for the 1840s-1860s era would be the old Case Rio Grande Camp knife; a spear point bowie. Have one also. Quite formidable, and I suspect would be probably fairly useful for camp chores in the southwest deserts.
The Western 49 doesn't really look period correct to me, but again, good and stout and from 3 feet away (what I call 'the 3 foot rule'!) will look ok to someone who doesn't know 19th century knife history. (If you want something a mite smaller, but along the same lines, look for the Western 47 which was about 7 inches long.)
If you want to see what bowies really looked liked, check out Flayderman's big coffee table sized bowie book. The text is rather poor, but the pictures are great!
(The picture by blademan 13 is not correct for the 19th century; the blade shape and stacked leather grip are 20th century.)
 
@ Sacramento Johnson

First of all, thank you for your great post. It seems you have a lot of knowledge about bowies! Yes, I mean something that is similar to 19th century bowie knives. I would like to use it and I prefer a 6-7 inch blade. I like the Tempsky Ranger, however it is not made in the US. The Sheffield knives are really close to what I like but also not made in the US. Through your post I realized that the knives they had back in the days weren't made here either. I am an exchange student here in the US right now and I would like to buy something that reminds me of my time here and what could be better than an american made bowie knife?! So that's why I would prefer something that is made here.

Do you know a good place where to buy the Sheffield knives? (I know it is against the rules of this forum to post non BF-dealers links so maybe private message?!)

Thanks again everybody, I am thankful for every suggestion!
 
Greetings Phil29,
Thank you for the compliment! Yes, I've been interested in 'bowies' for many years; they are from a fascinating era in this country. I understand your desire for an "American made" knife now, and think I found something that would work well, both as a period piece and as a good stout user. Bark River Knives (made in USA) makes a "Special Hunting knife", which can be had for under $250, depending on the scale material you chose (I'd suggest wood or ivory micarta). It's probably a good modern made example of a late 19th century style camp/hunting knife. If you think it looks a little like a 'butcher knife', you're right! That was a very common design in the West in the mid to late 19th century and very practical. Google the knife and company and you will find sellers online. You could obtain a Green River knife (also very period correct) that basically is a butcher knife for much less, but it will have a much thinner blade; also they are made in Germany now. All the Sheffield sellers I know are in the UK, where the knives are made (just like in the 19th century.) Will try to send you an email as well.
 
I think so too! I am very interested in the frontier history. I like the "Special Hunting Knife" however I like the Boone better. From what I understand it is from a later era, what do you think about it?

I already own a Green River knife, I even made a youtube review of it (search for Green River Hunter by Huntsman308). I really like this knife, I made the scales from maple wood. The knife is a great slicer and the 1095 they use holds a great edge. Mine says made in USA and I bought it last year so maybe they have the production back here.


Thanks,

Phil
 
While I haven't read the whole thing, I wouldn't say that the Flayderman book is a poor read.
Here is a bowie from the book that I commissioned a couple years ago.


American (production) made and in the old style is tough…
I personally think your money would be better spent away from bark river.

Do you like guard-less coffin handle bowies like the Black Bowie and the Tah Chee knife?
2a.TAHCHEE___Knife.jpg

http://www.antiquebowies.com/antiqueBowies/historic/tahchee/tahchee.htm

ham_gal_knife06.jpg

http://www.historicarkansas.org/jamesblackrevisited/

I'm a big fan and have more of that particular style than any other.

Here are some smaller custom versions that are (well at the time) within your budget from bf member Joel Bolden.
He's from Pennsylvania and about as American made as it gets ;)
I can't speak for his prices now but the knives aren't that old. You can see more of his work at the big purveyor in AZ.
These are all 4-5" blades.


You mentioned that you put the scales on a Green River knife…
This is a 7" kit blade from Jantz in the Black/Tah Chee style.

I'm a big proponent of kit blades… save some $$, learn some skills, put a little of yourself into the tool and gain an appreciation of the knife maker's craft.

Good luck on your hunt and remember, the hunt is half the fun.

If I were you, I'd go for the kit blade or continue saving and go custom.
Double your money and there are plenty of knives in the style you want out there :D :D :D
 
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I've enjoyed making kit knives. You could make your own "Bowie" as suggested. Find an Old Hickory butcher knife or their 'scalper' pattern and modify the blade shape and handle. If you want to add pins you will need a drill press and carbide bit to drill through the hardened steel. Or get any of the many kits available.
 
Greetings!
I don't have a problem with the Bark Rivers that I've bought over the years. The Boone's stacked leather handle, round butt cap and blade design reminds me of a K-Bar USMC WW2 knife. It looks like a nice usable knife (I don't have one), but it would take you out of the 19th century and into the 20th.
(If you like the coffin handle guardless bowies as Ebbtide posted, look at the Bark River Rogue; I do have one of these and it is a exquisite knife in a 19th century style!)

In the end, get what your heart tells you to; you will be happier in the long run!
 
I'm hesitant to recommend something that I don't own or haven't handled…
That's the case with this Paul Chen Searles Bowie
ip_203__68513.1394718056.1280.1280.jpg

There was a whole series of historical bowies.
Sadly I didn't buy any of them.

SJ, I have the Rogue Bowie too.
The first production run with the hidden tang. It's OK…



(my leather sheath work)
 
Phil -

As you can tell from the great input you've gotten so far, there really is no single "Bowie" knife style. What we refer to as a Bowie knife evolved quite a bit over time - from the early coffin-style, guardless Bowie (derived from popular French/Spanish knives of the time) like the beautiful examples posted by Ebbtide above, to the deep clip-bladed, full guard knife that became popular decades later, more akin to (though not exactly) the Western pictured above. So first you need to decide what style of Bowie you're most interested in.

You might also want to think about whether this knife will be a collector's item, or if you intend to use it. There are beautiful reproduction Bowies out there, but I wouldn't necessarily consider them all to be true 'users.'

Personally, I've always been partial to the cleaner, simpler lines of the earlier coffin-handle Bowies, but that's just me. I have also owned numerous Bark River knives and use them for their intended purposes, and never had a performance issue with any of them. Blackjack knives are also made by Bark River, as are the current line of Scagel knives. The latter include some particularly beautiful, and historically accurate Bowie styles, but they might be slightly above your price range.

Bark River Mini-Rogue Bowie:

kkhr.jpg


Scagel Bowies:

Large_Medium_Bowie_with_Script.sized.jpg
 
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