What is a good stainless for a bowie knife?

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Whisper21

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Jun 11, 2013
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I would like a stainless bowie knife, but in the Ka-bar price range with performance similar to the Ka-bar. I'm not sure if this is possible without having to get a super steel and pay a premium. Opinions?
 
AEB-L or 14c28...both are very fine grain without large carbides so won't suffer tear out or have low edge stability.
 
The answer is definitively...."depends." Depends on what you want to use the knife for...chopping? Old timey knife duels? "Survival"?

Depends on what characteristics of steel you appreciate. Do you like steel that is hard? Tough? Strong? Easy to sharpen? Inexpensive? Sexy and new? Steel that holds an edge well? Has high rust resistance?

etc etc etc

If you clarify, the steel junkies here will give you a great answer.
 
Nothing wrong with working with 440C, many custom knives use this proven reliable steel.
 
I have a TOPS/Buck Nighthawk in 420HC stainless which is similar to a kabar in functionality and performance. Pretty affordable knife too.
 
Whisper21 said:
I would like a stainless bowie knife, but in the Ka-bar price range with performance similar to the Ka-bar. I'm not sure if this is possible without having to get a super steel and pay a premium. Opinions?
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Pricing will be a problem as the K-Bar isn't exactly expensive so you would be looking at paying more than you would for a K-Bar right off the bat, and that's even with a steel like 440C.

Other than that..... Price there are a number of stainless steels that are suitable for a knife of the same size.

Or you could just get a Buck 119, 420HC and in the $40 range.
 
Aus 6 (remember that in the Tigershark), 440A and 420HC are all in large knives around for decades that have had the snot beat out of them. 440A was likely the most common stainless in cheaper but still decent knives when I was young and it was tougher than most modern higher carbide steels. Some of the modern generation of powder steels designed with toughness in mind like Elmax easily surpass them but for the money Aus6, 440A, 420HC are probably the most common in bigger knives. I have a Camillus made Model 49 Western in 420HC ( 9 inch blade) that's pretty tough! A "quartermaster" style knife in 440A that is more than tough enough for what it's intended to do.

440C is less tough than the above steels . Still, in the right design it can get the job done as well with greater wear resistance. D2 is pretty tough and in some pretty inexpensive large knives. It's almost stainless.


They'll never be S7, 3V, Infi, 5160 but they are less expensive and much more corrosion resistant.
 
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