The ALAMO

Doug C

Doug C

Joined
Mar 15, 2005
Messages
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Hi Guys, May be I watch to many Hollywood history rewrites but it never fails that I buy first knockoff on the market.Rambo 2.After watching The Alamo,Billy Bob/Davy Crockett,Jason Patric/Jim Bowie,I picked up Bowie's Bowie in Brigade or somewhere,109.95.Had the edges hollow ground at Youngstown Grinding,top clip,too.Finished edge at home and it's quite a slicer and chopper.Holds an edge not to bad either.It's from India.Well that's all except I may use as pattern for high carbon bladed custom.leatherbird out.
 
Please keep all knife discussion out of Community. Moving to the Blade Discussion Forum.
 
Possibly the best reproductions of the Bowies of the sort that James Bowie might have carried are available here:
http://www.imperialweapons.com/knives/Ip-201.html (I own one of these and know soneone else who owns one. Although they are made in the Philippines, both of us are very happy with the knife at the price paid.)

http://www.by-the-sword.com/acatalog/Bowie_Knives.html (all with KH numbers are from Paul Chen's Hanwei plant and are good reproductions, especially the Bell Bowie, according to some comments over on SwordForum)

Dixie Gun Works used to offer a very nice replica of the Daniel Searles Bowie. Searles was a knifesmith in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, and was a favorite of Rezin Bowie, James' brother. There is some reason to believe that the knife carried by James in the Vidalia Sandbar Fight came from Searles, as it had been given to him by Rezin.

BTW, avoid the ones from Windlass Steel, sold by Atlanta Cutlery and Museum Replicas as well as numerous others, like the plague. They are pieces of junk when compared to the above knives and, unless you are happy with wall-hangers, you will be very unhappy with them. Go to the Atlanta Cutlery site, take a look, and then you will know what to avoid.
 
I personally prefer these bowies:

http://www.knifeart.com/bowie.html

Some are historically based, others not so much.

If you want to learn more about Bowies and combat blades, Bill Bagwell has several writings. Though I haven't been able to collaborate his historical findings, his view on combat knives and their design is spot on as far as I'm concerned. I have always thought the Bowie one of the best fighting knives of all time, if not the best.

WYK
 
WYK, so would I, but I was suggesting Bowies that the average guy might be able to afford.

By "Bowie's Bowie", do you mean the knife used by him in the movie? I was unaware that replicas of that prop were for sale. If you mean a replica of a knife carried by the real James Bowie, you are walking out onto very, very thin ice and I suggest that you do some research into the question of Bowies supposedly owned by him before you get too far out there.
 
KVC, Sorry for posting in wrong forum and will try to not let it happen again.Thanks for moving it to proper forum.And yeah,FullerH knockoffs are available already,Brigade,I'm pretty sure,I'll let you know.Unless somebody out there knows if there cheaper somewhere else,Cheaper than Dirt,etc. The Bowie changes through the movie,it grows a butt cap and additional brass furniture as the movie progresses. leatherbird.
 
I think that what you may have gotten was Windlass Steel's "Primitive Bowie", which is bad enough, or a rip-off copy of that which I will not even guess at its provenance. Nor would I want to own it. Sorry, but I bought one of Windlass' "Primitive Bowies" and it was, IMO, a piece of crap for nearly $90. It has no edge on it and the steel is so badly heat-treated that I cannot sharpen it with anything that I would care to use. It is terribly balanced. The hilt is a slab of cheap wood. And the sheath looks like something that you would find on a $5.00 rip-off at a corner gas station. All-in-all, I felt that I had been taken by them on this and that I should have known better.
 
leatherbird here. FullerH,absolutely correct.Confirmed this morning, a friend who has forgotten more about fixed blades than I'll ever(maybe) learn,has one also.He tells me he thinks your assessment was correct.Hollow ground mine and it slices saplings and I fight cardboard boxes,have only sharpened once.And the tip hasn't broken yet.I do study and train with an Ontario Marine Raider and an assortment of others.I live in Amish Country and I had the proprietor of a harness and tack shop(Amish) make a sheath for it,he makes all my sheaths.He is good with all things leather.Yeah,I paid the extra 10 bucks to sharpen but it came unsharpend probably just like yours.What does that tell you?
 
Oh yeah, anywho, Like theRAMBO Series, I had to buy the first lookalike I could find. leatherbird out
 
Well, for about $200, the Gen2 replica of the Musso Bowie is the best buy, IMO. And it is not just my opinion. If you look in the "Other Cultural Weapons" forum over at SwordForums.com, you will see that there are folks there who like it, as well, folks for whom I have great respect, such as John Maddox Roberts.
 
Really like the Gen2 replica of the Musso Bowie.Just shelled out 750 for a SHIVA KI Spirit blade so I'm hoping there will be some still around in a month,a budget is a budget.To FullerH,thank you sir.Do you own a Musso rep.?Do you use it?
 
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