Ontario Knives Bill Bagwell Bowie knives and QS13 proprietary steel

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Whiskey

Joined
Sep 7, 2006
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Does anyone here have any experience with these knives? What's the deal with QS13? Is this good steel? What does it compare to? Thanks.
 
QS13 is another name for 440A steel. The Ontario/Bagwell bowies will lack some of the balance and panache of the handmade Bagwell bowies, but they'll also cost much less, be more available, and easier to keep in presentation condition (windex being more plentiful than Ren Wax). If you want the Ontario/Bagwell bowie to serve as a backup weapon for your pistol or as something with which to practice your martial bladesmanship, it'll do well. If you want to smack branches and vines off of trees and hedges while pretending they're nefarious scoundrels, you're still doing great. The knife may be too thick for filleting, but it's a bowie knife.
 
Thanks Thom. Any other opinions/experience out there? I'm looking to round out the Bowie category of my small beginning collection of fighting knives. Any alternate recommendations for quality larger Bowies in the 2-3 hundred dollar range? Great forum, BTW.
 
Whiskey said:
Any alternate recommendations for quality larger Bowies in the 2-3 hundred dollar range? Great forum, BTW.
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Muahahahahaha! You soon-to-be-poor, poor Whiskey! If you have patience, Spyderco will be putting out some knives designed by Jerry Hossom. At least one of them has a 9 or 10 inch blade. They're made for camp/survival use, but sometimes survival involves countervailing force. There's also Justin Gingrich of Ranger Knives. He can probably make your dream bowie out of most any steel (I recommend 5160) for under $300 or not much over. Hanwei/Cas Iberia has some beautiful bowies based on classic designs. Cold Steel's Laredo Bowie fits your bill and upper limit, too. On Bladeforums, there are a ton of makers, some of whom make bowies and some of whom make them in your price range.

Hopefully others will chime in.
 
Heh, I'm sure you're right Thom. Most things that are fun end up being expensive. I can't imagine it'll be too much worse than my vintage guitar/amp penchant. Thanks a bunch for the input, BTW.
 
I've had a couple of the Ontario/Bagwell "Hell's Belle" knives, and while they AREN'T Bagwells, they are still a pretty good blade...(But they'd be alot "better" if they were made out of 158CM or VG-10, and not polished to a high shine.).
 
glockman99 said:
I've had a couple of the Ontario/Bagwell "Hell's Belle" knives, and while they AREN'T Bagwells, they are still a pretty good blade...(But they'd be alot "better" if they were made out of 158CM or VG-10, and not polished to a high shine.).
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So then, as an alternate, what do you think of Fallkniven's NL-1 "Thor" offering? If memory serves it lacks a honed back edge, but in most other respects it looks pretty bowie-esque.
 
If you are planning on using the knife for any chopping, be sure you handle it first. I find the handles on the Ontario Bagwell's to not fit my hand very well. If you are willing to a little reshaping, then you will be able to solve this problem. Then again, the handles may work just fine for you without any modifications.

Though I do not care for the company, I will second the recommendation for the Laredo Bowie and also say that I think the CS Trailmaster is a bowie I prefer to the Ontarios. At the upper end of your price range my favorite bowies are the Camillus OVB Fisks.
 
Whiskey said:
So then, as an alternate, what do you think of Fallkniven's NL-1 "Thor" offering? If memory serves it lacks a honed back edge, but in most other respects it looks pretty bowie-esque.
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I personally would not choose a working bowie with a stainless steel blade, because I prefer the toughness of carbon steel.
 
Keith, first off many thanks for your replies. Secondly, does Fallkniven's VG-10 laminated concoction not feature a high-carbon steel folded in as it's cutting edge? Looking forward to learning a lot here, thanks. P.S., do you have any recommendations for custom builders within my price range or somewhere close thereabouts aside from the Camillus?
 
I think the other steel used in the laminate in 420J2 stainless.

One custom maker that is in your price range is Jerid Johnson and he does excellent work. The bowie below was priced at $200.00 without sheath. I think a sheath is an extra $50.00 or so.

www.jeridjohnson.com

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Another maker to check out is Matt Lamey. His pricing is higher (still very reasonable), but his knives are great.

www.imageseek.com/lamey/welcome.html
 
Welcome to Bladeforums Whiskey!:D
Your question about the Ontario Bagwell bowies is the same as my first question here back in 2000, IIRC.
I ended up buying one and I love it. I did end up reprofiling the handle so it's more of a smooth, comfortable shape. It is a fun knife, that looks and feels great. To me at least. It is NOT a blade to be used as a camp knife. It is not up to that use. It was designed as a fighter. To that end it would work fine.
As a nice looking bowie to start your collection, not a bad place to start.
Many of the knives mentioned, especially the OVB Fisk by Camillus are great.
Good luck on your quest and collection!;) :thumbup:
 
Keith Montgomery said:
I think the other steel used in the laminate in 420J2 stainless.

One custom maker that is in your price range is Jerid Johnson and he does excellent work. The bowie below was priced at $200.00 without sheath. I think a sheath is an extra $50.00 or so.

www.jeridjohnson.com

27.jpg


Another maker to check out is Matt Lamey. His pricing is higher (still very reasonable), but his knives are great.

www.imageseek.com/lamey/welcome.html
Click to expand...

Wow, that sounds like an excellent deal from Johnson. I checked his site and the prices for his stuff seem substantially higher. Do you know if a price thereabouts would still stand, or what sort of materials/amenities the existing offerings might have that make them more expensive? Either way, I'll shoot him an email and try to get a quote. Thanks a bunch!
 
It is best to contact Jerid himself with any questions you have. I think he will be able to make you something you will like in your price range.
 
I must agree with ArchAngel on this. The Ontario Bagwell Bowie that I have, the Hells Belle, is clearly intended as a fighter and not as a camp knife that could occasionially be used as a defense weapon if the need arose. It is a dedicated fighter with a very light and quick blade that would be too light, IMO, to be useful in chopping branches, etc. For that, I would consider something like a Becker BK-9 or 10 or similar knives from other companies. If the Becker knives appeal to you, you probably should hurry as I am not certain how much longer they will be available, given that they are made by Camillus.

Damned typos!
 
a pal of mine has 4 and swears by the ontario belle.he rates it the best fighter [other than a custom bagwell] he's ever handled
 
Keith, just put in an order with Jerid for what I think is gonna be a real beast. A 5160 Bowie with 11" blade and a 16 1/2" OAL. Super nice fella, very flexible. I've got high hopes for this, my first custom order. Now comes the hard part (waiting, damn it). Thanks for the recommendation. I may well get a Belle too. Here comes another vice....
 
That's great! I'm hoping that everything works out as well in your first foray into custom knives as it did in mine. I'm sure you will like your knife very much. I have never minded the wait. It has always given me the opportunity to save up the money needed for the knife.
 
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