SOG Recon Bowie- USES??? SHEATH??? SAFE QUEEN???

V

Vanguard.45

Joined
Sep 22, 2002
Messages
76
Gentlemen (and I use that term loosely-haha!),

I purchased a SOG Recon Bowie today online (pics below) and was wondering, other than the "Cool, it is styled after a Vietnam-era knife" sort of mojo that goes along with such a knife, what will this sort of knife excel at? What was it primarily designed for? Fighting? Field work? Chow hall? (LOL!)


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It has a gun blued 7" blade with a brass hilt and a stacked and epoxied leather handle. The top of the blade has a false edge, so batoning wood with it is out. What would a soldier have used such a knife for out in the field (besides staring at it and killing enemy sentries when he ran out of bullets- again, probably a fantasy rather than reality)?

Also, wondering if one of the 7" Randall sheaths that are sold on Ebay would fit such a knife. Seems like it would, so I may give that a go as I have heard the leather sheaths that come with SOG knives are often lacking.

Also, since these are no longer made, should I put the knife through its paces, or keep it pristine for a resale in the future? I would like to use the knife, but am wondering where this knife would be useful?

Thoughts?

Thanks in advance,

Vanguard.45
 
Vanguard.45 said:
Also, wondering if one of the 7" Randall sheaths that are sold on Ebay would fit such a knife. Seems like it would, so I may give that a go as I have heard the leather sheaths that come with SOG knives are often lacking.

Also, since these are no longer made, should I put the knife through its paces, or keep it pristine for a resale in the future? I would like to use the knife, but am wondering where this knife would be useful?

Thoughts?

Thanks in advance,

Vanguard.45
Click to expand...

The original Vietnam era sheaths looked similar to a kabar sheath with a stone pocket attached. The best looking combination for your knife is a Randall Model 1 sheath. The leather handle looks good with the medium brown of the Sullivan's sheath.

If you use it, yes it will decrease the value to another collector but the market will bear what the market will bear. It is a pretty close copy of the Vietnam era Recon knife but IMO, much better all the way around. The original recon knives were not made very well and quality varied considerably. It was originally intended to be a sterile "stickin" knife for the folks who needed to remain as unattributable as possible.

The 6" recon knife is a better all-arounder but the 7" is very cool looking. Ultimately its your call but many find more satisfaction in using their knives than simply putting them in a closet for a few decades. :)
 
Thank you for the information and the response! Most appreciated!

What sorts of paces would you put a knife like this through? Obviously, I am not needing to "stick" anybody right at the moment (things could change, of course). Would you use it as a camp knife or a field knife or is its design primarily geared toward defense?

Thanks again!

Vanguard.45
 
Vanguard.45 said:
Thank you for the information and the response! Most appreciated!

What sorts of paces would you put a knife like this through? Obviously, I am not needing to "stick" anybody right at the moment (things could change, of course). Would you use it as a camp knife or a field knife or is its design primarily geared toward defense?

Thanks again!

Vanguard.45
Click to expand...

As an old SOG guy was quoted as saying that yours is a knife designed to take a life not make a life. To me its a keep in nice shape and sell it later on down the road when things get tight.
 
D R E said:
As an old SOG guy was quoted as saying that yours is a knife designed to take a life not make a life. To me its a keep in nice shape and sell it later on down the road when things get tight.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the input. Guess I am wondering if this thing has any use outside of a collectible or as a fighting blade? Thought it would be a classy blade to put in a Randall Sheath and go about town here in the country. Just seems old school and seems like a good blade to have at one's side.
 
I view it as a fighting knife. But it cuts, so it can be used for other purposes. I have a Blackjack 1-7 that is somewhat (aka very) similar and have problems deciding what to use it for other than fondle. My user is a Blackjack 125. I have a number of the SOG Tech Bowies and of course a couple Tigersharks. Enjoy it. Beautiful knife.
 
It's a general purpose /fighting knife. Look at the similarities to a KABAR. Essentially the same idea, but purtyier. I would use it. Gladly!
KABAR and simiilar knives were used for many many things. Digging, chopping, opening cans, and yes, fighting.
 
Using a mint knife as this at this stage of its life
Would be a waste of having kept it pristine all these years past.
I would only use a knife this old if it wasn't mint
Or had absolutely no secondary market value down the road...
But, this is probably only the view of a "collector".
However as owners, one is privileged to do as seen fit.
Even if it means experiencing the bitter sweet joy of having used just such a knife.
The designed of this blade reflects it's purpose for deep penetration.
with it's swedge and centred point ground
and slim blade profile for reach and pull.
I can't quite see any thing good coming out from batoning with these profile or dimensions.
But as fate would have it,
Any knife worth it's steel would have to do in any event
Just that it's not optimally designed for bush craft.
 
If you have a den, personal desk, man cave, or any other such place where you can display or leave it out for visitors to see, handle, ask questions about it; if you have such a space for you to have stuff out for you to look at and admire while you're doing other things, that's where I would see this knife belonging. You could use it as a general purpose camp knife, and you might just come to love it as such, but there are better tools for that job.

I have a few knives I'll never "use" for various reasons. Gerber Mark II Presentation, Dawson American Bowie, Hackmann Tapio Wirkkala puukko. But I have them as desktop ornaments once in a while. I guess this is a form of use. Consider yours what historians call a "prestige weapon."

Zieg
 
Thanks, gents. Gonna wait til she gets here and then decide what to do with her.

Picked up a Randall sheath on the Bay that should fit this knife rather well! We shall see!
 
"what is it to be used for ??" exactly that: use it for something ..... anything ..... anywhere ..... any time ..... I've used mine for various purposes in many locales for many years. I think it even went through a dishwasher cycle, but I can't remember (or don't want to remember). The Recon is my most favorite SOG profile. I very much like SK-5 steel in general for edge taking & holding and cutting ability. Great balance & feel in the hand. Definitely gets the attention of everyone around.

And I'm now trapped by my own years of blather and bluster because I've never advocated the concept of "safe queen" ..... and if a certain SOG Forum member hears me counseling otherwise, well, I'll never hear the end of it.

So the way around my problem is to agree with others above more wise & cautious than I: something that pristine and that old could be/should be worth quite a bit on the collector's market. Which is to say: an investment with the future in mind. Some day your Recon might be worth quite a nice sum, and it would have to be pristine. If you're more focused on "future worth" versus "present market value" then keeping it pristine for a while would seem the more prudent course of action.

Cheers,

Carl
 
I also like the look of the Randall Recon but it costs a little more than the SOG version :)

 
Nice, that's the one I was thinking of. It's a great idea about the snap as well. Can't wait to see the finished product!
 
The shape of the blade pretty much tells you what its intended use is...

It was designed with a more sturdy penetrating tip than the standard bowie so that it could penetrate body armor.

Surprisingly though, I have found it to useful for many chores. It has enough weight for light chopping and hacking tasks, it is thick enough to split thinner pieces of wood, and if you choke up on that big choil it has enough dexterity for detail tasks.
 
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