Three questions for the group that have been on my mind lately

W

Windwhistler

Joined
Aug 18, 2013
Messages
281
1. Has anyone tried throwing the Cold Steel Bushman Bowie knife? And if so, what did you think? Would it be heavy and balanced right for no-spin?

2. Has anyone used the bright yellow wood from the Mahonia bush also known as Oregon Grape for knife or pistol grip scales? Did they require sealing? The wood seems really hard, dense and polishes out very old ivory-like.

3. Finally, are there any special point grinds that you guys find seem to stick more consistently than others? I throw at targets that are out in the weather all the time. One day they are hard as rock and the next they will often be soft spongy and everything sticks. I have been experimenting and have found several grinds for knife points that seem to give me a great advantage on hard targets. I am still experimenting. Oddly, none of my favorite sticking grinds are symmetrical and I love symmetrical for long throws. What about you? Anything exceptional?:eek:
 
I hadn't heard of the Cold Steel Bushman before this, so I checked it out. On Cold Steel's website they have a video of them being thrown, and they look pretty solid. I might have to buy one and see for myself.
 
1. No, I have not tried it. I think it would NOT be good for no-spin as the hollow handle would make it be relatively point heavy, and I was under the impression that it was best to have "handle-heavy" knives for no-spin. Please correct me if my understanding is incorrect.

2. No. Never heard of it. Had to look it up/research it. Would like to experiment with it sometime. "Bright yellow" might make for some nice scales. A blue dye infusion might result in an interesting green hue. I suspect it would at the least need a CA coating to prevent skin oils from intruding and discoloring the bright color. Since it is a shrub, the wood may need to be professionally stabilized for long-term use.

3. Only been throwing since March, so take my opinion of this one with a big block of salt... but I have had my best luck sticking spear-point symmetrical knives with no-spin, but I've only worked up consistent (no-spin) sticking out to 15 ft right handed and 8 ft left handed. My knives are all definitely designed as "spin throwers", which may be part of my long distance sticking problem.
 
I am glad someone other than me has noticed this about targets! In humid or rainy weather they get soft and sticks come easy, if it is dry and/or cold they everything bounces off.

Generally with big throwing knives you do want the weight more in the handle for no spin but with smaller or lighter weapons it hardly matters. For more range you can choke up or down on the grip to change the balance ratio, release earlier, release more with a pushing action or throw your hand open release, use a locked wrist and/or locked elbow action, throw faster so the point won't have a chance to drop before it sticks, or some combination of all the above.
 
eralphthorn said:
I am glad someone other than me has noticed this about targets! In humid or rainy weather they get soft and sticks come easy, if it is dry and/or cold they everything bounces off.

Generally with big throwing knives you do want the weight more in the handle for no spin but with smaller or lighter weapons it hardly matters. For more range you can choke up or down on the grip to change the balance ratio, release earlier, release more with a pushing action or throw your hand open release, use a locked wrist and/or locked elbow action, throw faster so the point won't have a chance to drop before it sticks, or some combination of all the above.
Click to expand...

So the solution is "Practice, practice, practice" and "experiment until you find what works for you". :D:D:D
 
Yep. What works for you, given your body type and natural predispositions and who knows what other factors.
 
I appreciate the replies,

I have been gone a couple of weeks and was pleased to find some info here on my return.

Thanks!
 
I will say, I have tried the early pattern swept blade "Bushman" and don't feel that it throws well. But the Bowie pattern blade closely approximates the blade grind design that I am finding best seems to stick in my hard targets. So it seemed that it might work well. Also with the hollow handle, it should be possible to add handle weight or even adjust it to a person's preference by simply inserting a very short rounded butt with whatever weight added to create the desired weight and balance point?
 
Windwhistler said:
I will say, I have tried the early pattern swept blade "Bushman" and don't feel that it throws well. But the Bowie pattern blade closely approximates the blade grind design that I am finding best seems to stick in my hard targets. So it seemed that it might work well. Also with the hollow handle, it should be possible to add handle weight or even adjust it to a person's preference by simply inserting a very short rounded butt with whatever weight added to create the desired weight and balance point?
Click to expand...

Ooh. Definitely never considered the adjustability aspect of sticking weight in the handle. Might be worth a try just for the experimentation fun.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top