Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire The Bowie Knife

Ethan Edwards had one of those. I guess it's his son's now.

I’m perplexed to wonder if the clip pint feature is more of a post James Bowie thing. Something brother Rezin possibly had more to do with in the evolution of the knife. Definitely feel those Sheffied makers really profited from its further development. Just my rambling. I really don’t know.

Mike I am pretty sure that the original Bowie was made at Old Washington, Arkansas, a few miles West of Hope. Rezin on owned land near Hwy 71 South of Texarkana, according to a sign that used to be along the Highway. miles

I have the top of the line Cold Steel Bowie knife. Very well razor edge sharper. Lay a 2 ought error welding cable on a oak skid and cut it in half with 1 chop

A true double edged blade seems like more of a purpose-specific fighting knife to me. Even if the top edge is only partial length. It should be more than ‘clipped’, it should be sharp, edged, able to be honed. For stabbing and sweeping/slashing both directions.

Miles, something else to remember when discussing "original" Bowies is that Noah Smithwick, while still the blacksmith and gunsmith at San Felipe discussing in his monumental "The Evolution of a State" that James B commissioned for him to fabricate a new fighting knife while he (Bowie) was in town. Smithwick goes on to say that he believed this was the knife He had at the Alamo. But he didn’t know for sure.

Hard to say as Smithwick was exiled from San Felipe for assisting a friend to escape a murder charge in 1831. Lots could have happened in those years btwn 31-36.

Mr. Bagwell explained this was the primary use and advantage to the sharpened clip point. Especially when deployed by an experienced blade man.

johnw;
Top of the morning to you, I hope the day finds you well and you're getting the weather you're needing.

Thanks for the thread and for the responses, since as a lifetime knife guy it's a subject I've studied for at least a half a century now.

In my experience there's likely more opinions about Bowie knives than there are types so a qualified "it depends" is a logical place to start.

Over the years I've ground out at least four fairly big Bowie type blades, two for other folks and two for me.

The one on the left is actually heavier than the one on the right and feels too heavy and poorly balanced to most people who pick it up. The one on the right is better, but there's a bit too much curve in the antler handle.



At one point in our lives we used to do a fair bit of backpack camping and while I started with a big knife, fairly early on I quit bringing it and brought a light folding saw and a tomahawk instead for camp chores and firewood.

Then I had opportunity to correspond with a fellow who'd been beat up and chomped on by a female grizzly - he and his sheep hunting partner were in a tent, in mummy bags and she collapsed the tent onto them and started the melee. Anyways he was very generous with his time in sharing what went wrong and what went somewhat better in the aftermath. One of the takeaways he had was that he began carrying a larger fixed blade which could be used for defense in a pinch, but would be kept in the same place of the tent every night so if one needed to cut one's way out, one had the means.

After a bit of searching and horse trading I ended up with the two on the left.



The top one is a Carl Schlieper "Sportsman's Bowie", likely from the '60's at latest and it's got a really nice balance and fairly lively feel to it. The bottom one isn't a Bowie truly, it's a Gryphon M30A1 but for my needs fits the bill better than the Schlieper Bowie when a bigger knife is called for.

We're not allowed handguns for wilderness carry and in National Parks no firearms are allowed, so out here when we're hiking in one I'm usually carrying bear spray, the Gryphon and using Cold Steel Irish Blackthorn for my hiking stick instead of a lightweight one that I use other places.

Anyways sir, that's just one old Canuck's thoughts on "using knives" which are sort of Bowie sized.

All the best and thanks for the thread again.

Dwayne

Chef's knife.

Bingo. Apparently very popular then too!

No clue who Carl Schlieper is, but dollars to donuts the knife shown in top left is Puma brand. Lanyard to rivets to Sambar stag to finger guard to blade. If that ain’t a Puma, I’ll eat my shorts. If that’s the knife you’re speaking about. Bottom photo.

Sheath too. No question.

Is it to be left to the vitiated taste of the brutal few to give mind to the tone of a community in setting up the code of the Bowie knife against the code of common law?....

...are we to tolerate this Bowie knife system under the false pretense of self-defense? ...Many a woman is made a mourning widow, many a child made a pitiable orphan, and many a father childless through the use of this accursed weapon ..

The good ol’ days, you’re a Judge, you go to a tailor with your brother the Doctor to get some suits made. You feel the tailor is rude, so you go at the tailor with a poker.....

Bloodshed, death and the Bowie knife.

IMG_3364 by Sharps Man, on [bleep]

15" blade! Razor sharp also!

Mr. Harry;
Top of the morning to you sir, I hope you're getting decent weather down in your area which I'll guess is New Hampshire.

With apologies for not mentioning this about that, the Carl Schlieper did come with a Puma marked sheath, so it fits but isn't original to the knife.

The Carl Schlieper Eye Brand was a Solingen knife making firm that still looks to be in business. Here's a link from the Knife Center.

https://www.knivesplus.com/EYEBRAND-KNIVES.HTML

While I wish it was a Puma because of the value, it isn't, but it's not a poorly made knife to be clear.

All the best and Happy Father's Day.

Dwayne

Why, Good morning Duane!

My favorite Deflave alter ego!!

Those are some cool knife displays, and deserve discussion beyond the bounds of a Bowie knife thread, but without going fully off the rails can you tell us about the next Bowie you're gonna build for me?

Also... Two spots below each Bowie in your top pic are a couple of similar looking knives. Narrower blade profile. Antler or bone handles. Spectacular looking knives and Please tell about them...

GR

One of my few crew served knives. 30/06 ctg for scale



Shed horn for handle courtesy Rio7

Wonder how many men have ever achieved that level of experience as a "blade man"? It's not what most guys aspire to.

Yep. Everything I've ever read about the original Bowie knife indicates it was likely a large chef's knife.

Miles! Great to hear from you! I’m sure you’re right.

There doesn’t seem to be any State more invested in Bowie knives than Arkansas.

Arkansas senate names the Bowie knife as the official state knife