pig sticker

Q

quiet shooter

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Jan 28, 2015
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14
Just bought a cs bowie machete ....hope to use it for future pig hunting ....any experience with the piercing strength of the blade?

Thanks
 
I have never handled one but isnt it a bit too flexible? Its some pretty thin stock after all.
 
Cold Steel's site says:
"Cold Steel's Bowie Point Machete is quick, fast, and lively in the hand, making it an outstanding slashing blade and admirable chopper. But its most winning attribute is its clipped point, which makes it an excellent piercing tool. It will penetrate just about any obstacle in its path and will lend itself to knife-like utility jobs when a smaller handier blade is unavailable!"

But a 12 inch blade with 2.8mm (0.11 inch) thickness does seem pretty thin for such a purpose.
 
I've never gone hog hunting but I hear hogs can be kind of dangerous. If I were going to go hunting with a blade I would choose something sturdier. You want something with a thicker spine or midsection. Something that wont flex when you stab with it. Cold Steel makes quite a few models that would do the job. And while I'm sure its not a popular suggestion on this forum the TOPS Knives Wild Pig Hunter would probably be a pretty safe bet. It will cost you a bit more than some of the cold steel offerings though.
 
Why not dome the pig with your piece? I know houndsmen who had to put their dogs down.
 
The bowie machete will go right through a pig no problem, It's not as flimsy as you may think. I have read that most historical bowies were usually about 3-4mm thick anyway. The bowie machete keeps that whole 2.8mm the entire way until the last quarter-inch or so. The natchez and laredo actually taper to a similar tip thickness. I don't think you would have any problems.
 
I noticed the Condor boar knife and the Condor jungle bowie are each less than 3.2 mm and constructed of SS in comparison to this CS item . ....and they purport an adequate pig knife based on their construction ....

Any more thoughts/experiences ??
 
I have hunted deer quite alot but never boar. But I do know that they are strong and can be dangerous.
While I have no doubts at all about the Bowie Machete's piercing ability, I can't hep but feel that blade thickness would be crucial because a "not yet quite dead" animal that size is going to exert an awful lot of stress sideways, and a broken blade could conceivably result in a very undesirable situation. Like an injury or worse. If you look at this site below almost all the recomended knives are or close to 1/4 " thick. There are two Cold Steel knives included in this list and they each have a blade thickness of 4.8mm and 4.7mm respectively. And this is a pig hunting website. Just food for serious thought.

http://www.huntwildpig.com/5-best-hog-hunting-knives/
 
KenHash said:
I have hunted deer quite alot but never boar. But I do know that they are strong and can be dangerous.
While I have no doubts at all about the Bowie Machete's piercing ability, I can't hep but feel that blade thickness would be crucial because a "not yet quite dead" animal that size is going to exert an awful lot of stress sideways, and a broken blade could conceivably result in a very undesirable situation. Like an injury or worse. If you look at this site below almost all the recomended knives are or close to 1/4 " thick. There are two Cold Steel knives included in this list and they each have a blade thickness of 4.8mm and 4.7mm respectively. And this is a pig hunting website. Just food for serious thought.

http://www.huntwildpig.com/5-best-hog-hunting-knives/
Click to expand...

Well it would flex no problem considering the spring temper. I would probably suggest the oss its only about 50-60$ and was used to dispatch a wounded water buffalo.
 
Cold Steel actually makes a dedicated boar hunting knife called, well, the Boar Hunter...considered one of those?
 
DShiflet said:
Cold Steel actually makes a dedicated boar hunting knife called, well, the Boar Hunter...considered one of those?
Click to expand...

I know it's just semantics (literally) but it seems like Cold Steel markets their model 39LSP as
both the "Boar Hunter" and the "Boar Collector".
 
KenHash said:
I know it's just semantics (literally) but it seems like Cold Steel markets their model 39LSP as
both the "Boar Hunter" and the "Boar Collector".
Click to expand...

For whatever reason, Cold Steel (and others) will occasionally change a knife model's name, perhaps for better marketing appeal, or some other reason. Example: the Point Guard got changed to the Pro Guard. Different name, same great little knife. Just to play semantics now, I have a friend who bought a Boar Hunter from me for hunting wild pigs, and he and his son have successfully made that into a Boar Collector.
Word games aside and back to the original post, the physics involved with a Bowie's Point configuration, make them excellent penetrators, especially if the clip is sharpened, as is the Bowie Machete. It should work for pig hunting, though I would personally probably use something else just because I own other Bowies for that use. That said, I really like the CS Bowie Machete, and it is a tremendous value for anyone looking for an inexpensive Bowie.
 
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I have two Cold Steel machetes. I've tried bending them sideways by hand, and it's really not all that easy to pull off.
 
I would say for a "pig sticker" one would prefer a blade with stiffer blade with tougher point. Machete seems a bit thin and tend to flex. Not so good for ensuring maximum penetration against tough hide and hair...
 
....so it arrived this weekend .....wow ....that's one big honking piece of metal ...

Now to answer my original question ....the blade appears to be quite thick unlike a typical machete .....this really is a beautiful example of a double edge sword with very well designed piercing ability and adequate blade integrity .

Comes with a decent sheath ....and it is all carbon steel . Very sharp for a factory sharpening .....very good looking ....and it cost me $15 shipped .
 
quiet shooter said:
....so it arrived this weekend .....wow ....that's one big honking piece of metal ...

Now to answer my original question ....the blade appears to be quite thick unlike a typical machete .....this really is a beautiful example of a double edge sword with very well designed piercing ability and adequate blade integrity .

Comes with a decent sheath ....and it is all carbon steel . Very sharp for a factory sharpening .....very good looking ....and it cost me $15 shipped .
Click to expand...

Glad you got it so you can see for yourself. If yours is as stiff and sharp/pointy as my CS Bowie machete.........well... I'd take on anything short of a Rhino. ;')
 
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