Bill passed away unexpectedly this afternoon while recovering from successful back surgery.
He was 77 years of age and a true renaissance man.
He had the right stuff, and was the master of many things,
and a master teacher who shared his knowledge freely when asked,
though few mere mortals will ever rise to the level of his capabilities.

Condolences to his Wife whom he dearly loved.

Bill Bagwell will be sorely missed by many.

Over the previous week, some images of Bill's accomplishments, including snapshots from two videos of African Safari with BPCR,
were posted as hero worship by me, not meant as elegy until the unexpected now.
Bill gave his permission for me to do that, while he was laid up in the hospital after the back surgery.
I hoped it might cheer him up while he was rehabbing post-op.
The salute to Bill Bagwell is at latter part of page 10 through page 14 of this thread:

https://www.24hourcampfire.com/ubbthreads/ubbthreads.php/topics/15694480/10

Rest in peace sharpsguy ..

Condolence .

RIP

Awesome rifle!

Godspeed, Bill. Thoughts and prayers for those left behind.

R I P

Lost another good guy...RIP sir.

Always hard to lose a good man. May he rest in the Arms of The Lord.

RIP Mr Bagwell........it was a hell of a run......

RIP Sharpsguy

Rest in pace Sharpsguy.

RIP

A sad loss.

Rest in peace.

He certainly earned his name..

RIP. Mighty good shooter!

Damn....

RIP Bill, may all of your family, friends have solace knowing the man you were and that you’re in a better place! memtb

Sorry to hear this.

RIP

Men who hunt and shoot Sharps rifles are a unique breed........RIP.

RIP Bill.

Told me he went distinguished in early 60's.

Sorry to hear that. RIP sharpsguy.

Sure hate to hear this bit of news. I had the pleasure of making his acquaintance at one of the pig shoots down in Tennessee a few years back. He and I had a lovely conversation one afternoon about his knives, and of course, Sharps rifles. He was very generous, and persuasive. I ended up buying a Shiloh Sharps a few months later. He was a card, and always happy to talk on the phone when I had a question about the rifle. I will lift a bourbon in his memory tonight. Vaya Con Dios, Mr. Bagwell.

I'm sorry to hear that.
I didn't know him, but from what you say, he sounds like a stand up guy.
Amazing Quigley-like skill to use a rifle like that!

You mentioned,
"Bill passed away unexpectedly this afternoon while recovering from successful back surgery."

Something seems strangely related to surgery with the timing. Are you allowed to speculate.? It's not important to me, just curious.

I'll pray for the family.

(It's times like these that I think of my signature....)

RIP

Wow. I asked a question about my sharps one time on here and he pm’d me and said to give him a call. I did and talked for 2 hours the first time. The day after i had emergency gallbladder surgery. He called to check on me and we talked about him hunting with the duck commander back in his youth etc. he mailed me a dvd of him hunting in africa with his sharps. He taught me alot of iron sight shooting and sharps and black powder in our few conversations. Told me if i ever got out his way to come by and shoot some silhouettes. RIP Mr Bill. Glad I got to gain some knowledge and wisdom from

One of the best. See you on the other side fella.

Phone man that was just the kind a guy Bill was. He would allways help a guy.out and share his knowledge. Talked on the phone more than a few times with BILL. RIP Bill you will be missed. Magnum-Bob

RIP Sir

Damn. Rest in Peace Sir.

Dang, Godspeed

RIP.

Very sad indeed.

RIP Sir.

Never knew him, bu he sounds like a great guy, sorry he's gone.

R.I.P.

Sounds like a good man. RIP Sharpsguy.

Rest in peace, sir.

That is sudden for sure.

Prayers for his family.

Sad deal.

Godspeed Sharpsguy and family.

https://www.defensivecarry.com/thre...NxPFC6PxN663F4RQ3oSjWtQQj2IZYcjT9artRcs4

Bill Bagwell was born in Shreveport, Louisiana, on January 11, 1944. He grew up in rural northwest Louisiana and was introduced to the outdoors at an early age by his uncles, who were avid hunters and fishermen. Bagwell was also a talented athlete and lettered in football, baseball, and track during his high school career. His senior year at North Caddo High School saw him named to the High School All-American Football team as a tackle, and he attended Louisiana Tech University on a football scholarship. He also attended Northwestern State University and has an educational background in engineering, English, and history.

Bagwell has always been fascinated by knives. He made his first knife at the age of 10 from an old saw. While he was in high school he began to forge knives in the industrial arts shop, and by the time he was 15 he was forging hunting and Bowie knives as a hobby. He made and sold knives while he was in college and became a full-time professional bladesmith in 1969. Bagwell's skill and talent as a bladesmith is due in part to the fact that he grew up in an area that was rich in the lore of James Bowie and the early history of both Texas and Louisiana. The Bowie knife played a prominent role in the early history of the area, and the young Bill Bagwell wanted a good one for himself. Since none were available for purchase, he began to make his own. Bagwell has always sought excellence, and his early quest for a better Bowie knife has ultimately brought his knives to the point where they are today.

Bill Bagwell is one of the true pioneers in the making of Damascus blades in the United States. He completed his first successful Damascus blade on December 1, 1973, after about six months of trial and failure. In early 1976, with the late Don Hastings, B.R. Hughes and Bill Moran, Bagwell became one of the founding members of the American Bladesmith Society and wrote the original charter for that organization. He also served as the society's first secretary and was on its first board of directors.

Bagwell has lectured on blades and forging at the University of Wyoming at Dubois, the University of Florida at Tallahassee, and Texarkana College at its facility at Black's Forge in Washington, Arkansas. Bagwell has also made wootz steel and began work in that field in 1979.

In 1984, Bill Bagwell became the knife editor for Soldier Of Fortune magazine, and the monthly "Battle Blades" column was begun under his byline. He continued to write the column until 1988 when pressing family matters called him to Belize for 18 months. (This November, Paladin Press will release the long-awaited anthology of Bagwell's "Battle Blades" columns, entitled Bowies, Big Knives, and the Best of Battle Blades. Advance copies will be on display at the Soldier Of Fortune Convention in Las Vegas, October 12-15.) Upon his return from Belize, Bagwell resumed his knifemaking career.

In September 1995, Bagwell attended the prestigious Paris Knife Show, where one of his Damascus Bowies won the award for the best fixed-bladed Damascus knife at the show. The following spring he was commissioned to go to Theirs, France, and conduct a forging and knifemaking demonstration by the Theirs Department of Commerce and Industry.

Today Bagwell focuses his knife energies on his "Hell's Belle" fighting Bowies. The Hell's Belle is acknowledged by many to be the finest fighting Bowie knife ever made, and those examples hand-forged and made by Bagwell himself are, without a doubt, in a class by themselves. Bagwell's research and studies into tactics and application of the fighting Bowie knife in a combat environment have not gone unnoticed, and he currently serves as an instructor to selected units of the U.S. Army's Special Forces at Ft. Bragg, North Carolina.

Bagwell is also an accomplished rifle shot. His primary interest is in black powder firearms, and he has served as a consultant to GOEX since 1993. His love of the outdoors has remained strong over the years, and his interest in history has led him to study the arms and weapons of early America. While Bagwell's early studies were focused on muzzleloaders (which ultimately led him to good Hawken rifles), the last 10 years have seen him develop the knowledge and skills necessary to shoot the black powder cartridge rifles. The long-range marksmanship of the buffalo hunters of the plains was not just legend, and Bagwell can today take a Sharps rifle and hit a gallon jug at a quarter of a mile with cast lead bullets, black powder, and iron sights.

Bill Bagwell is a rarity in today's world. He is a man at the top of his game who is doing exactly what he wants to do, when he wants to do it. Happily married, he and his wife, Sidra, currently reside in Louisiana.

Very sad deal. My condolences to his wife, family, and friends.

Bill was a great guy. RIP, my friend.

RIP Mr. Bagwell.

May he RIP.

My condolences, thoughts and prayers are with the family.

I fondly recall reading his work in SOF all those years ago, the man knew his blades and blade history.

Dwayne

The older we get, the more loss we experience. RIP, Sharpsguy. Prayers of comfort for your family.

Quite an accomplished fellow, and based on the many here, a damn fine man to be able to call friend.

I did not know him personally. My loss.


RIP and condolences to all who knew and loved him.



Tim

Godspeed, Sir.

Sounds like a stand up guy I’m sorry we lost him! RIP

Sorry to hear of losing another craftsman and
artist. I met Mr. Bagwell a good while back at
some kind of outdoor show when he was selling
Sharps rifles. He had several there, and a couple
of black powder muzzleloaders that he used for
hunting, and not for looks. I don't remember what
size the one was, but you could almost stick your
thumb in the end. He was a really pleasant person,
and we talked a good while about muzzleloader
hunting, and he was telling me about how accurate
the Sharps rifles were, let me handle the guns, etc.
Really nice man to visit with.
Still have the cards he gave me somewhere.
He was out of Naples, in the ne part of the state
at the time. I can't recall if he said he lived there,
or just did business from there or both.
Good hunting that way, so probably both

RIP Mr Bagwell

RIP Sharpsguy.

Bill helped me getting my C. Sharps shooting. He was more than willing to talk to me about various “tricks” of using cast bullets and setting up my single shot rifles to shoot them. He was interested in my hunting success with lead bullets, black powder and iron sights. He quizzed me about the cast bullets performance when I was successful and chided me about using a modern, scoped rifle the next year.

Bill was an intelligent, generous man. My sincere condolences to his family!

Godspeed Bill!

So sad... RIP

A gentleman, very willing (and able) to pass along his knowledge and craft.

Spent hours talking to him one day....I remember it very well and it seemed just the other day.

RIP my friend. May the powder be black and the shot true on the other side.

Didn t know him at all, but can offer condolences to those left behind.

if that is a 10 shot group at 500 yards in the OP, with open sights, holy schit! The fella was a hell of a rifleman!

RIP Sharpsguy . I met him at one of the Tennessee hog hunts. Good guy!

Sorry to hear this news. Prayers on the way.

RIP Bill!

I heard about it from mutual friend gunner500 (member here) about 4:30 PM, about an hour after Bill passed today.
Gunner500 lives closer to Bill and is one of his most distinguished trainees in the art of the Sharps rifle.
I never got to meet Bill in person, sorry to say.

I had talked to Bill several times while he was recuperating from surgery some weeks ago.
He was in a physical rehabilitation/medical facility/hospital, which is common following such surgery on a man of Bill's age with chronic spine issues.
They were probably keeping him for the maximum duration for such a stay, 21 days post-op sounds familiar, I am a retired physician.
They kept one of my relatives for the full 21 days and then some, after major surgery: Rehab.
So, Bill and his Wife were there practicing getting him in and out of a motor vehicle/transport simulation today.
He was walking and talking and expecting to go home in 2 days.
After a bit of walking he collapsed and his heart stopped beating.
Pulmonary embolus is most suspect, of course.
I cannot speculate anymore than that most likely thing.

Remember Peter Hathaway Capstick deceased after cardiac bypass surgery (CABG) ?
He was 56, and also might have died due to pulmonary embolus, or some other complication. Blood clot travels from lower extremity to lungs and blocks heart and lung circulation.
Don't know if cause was ever reported for sure.
Unlike Capstick, Bill Bagwell did not drink alcohol to excess nor write fiction.
Bill Bagwell was a clean-liver and truth-teller.

God bless Bill and his loving Wife.

Ron, Thank You Sir for putting these up, was so glad I spent the weekend with him a week before his surgery, I wore his steel out to 500 meters with my old 15 pound 45-110 bull barrel rifle and 518gr paper patch bullets, he had the biggest time laughing his butt off watching through the spotter, it was a great weekend, but sadly now, the last.

What he could do with rifle and blade was mind blowing, I will dearly miss my old Friend.

Will go cry myself to sleep now, and say a prayer for the Bagwells.
Good night.

So sad to hear. I remember talking to Bill for hours multiple times after getting my first Sharps. He never seemed to mind sharing the knowledge he’d spent a lifetime acquiring. I’m forever grateful for that. He’ll surely be missed.

RIP Sharpsguy

🦫

RIP Sharpsguy...his bio proves that he lived a good life and contributed greatly to society. Prayers for his family and those closest to him.

Bill was quite the fixture around here, it won't be the same.

Those of you who knew him well, I'm sorry you lost a friend.

Condolences to his family and friends, Rest in Peace Bill.

RIP Bill, one of the good guys gone, but not forgotten.

Riflecrank,


Thank you very much Dr. for your report and kind words of this exceptional man. They make me wish that I took time to know him. No doubt that many others here would say the same.

Best regards to you in health and happiness.

This for sure....

RIP, good sir.

Condolences and Godspeed.

RIP sir!

Thanks for these posts regarding sharpsguy - it is rewarding to know about men so accomplished and good at what they do - and in life. I appreciate and admire great shooters and he, obviously, was that. My condolences go out to his wife and to those here who knew him as a friend.

RIP Sir!

As some others I met him at a Campfire hog hunt.....condolences and prayers to friends and family

RIP and condolences.

My condolences.

Sorry to hear. May he rest in peace.

My condolences to his entire family......Godspeed Mr Bagwell

Vey sad to hear. My condolences to the family.

rest easy Sir . condolences to the family

Rest In Peace Brother.

Heavy heart this AM after hearing of his passing..Bill was a great friend,mentor and downright nice guy.

.He took me under his wing shortly after ET,Jorge and Gunner gifted me my rifle back in 2010..,I'll always be indebted for his knowledge of all things Sharps !

Rest in peace old friend !

well damn. I sure hate to read this. Bill will be missed.

Rest in peace.

Another great one has indeed passed and we are all lessened by this loss. Bill kindly invited me to his place in Texas shortly after I retired and when another great one, Evil Twin, gifted me a 45-110 Sharps when I retired. Within a few minutes, he had ne "gouging" that exact ram at 500 yards. He taught me how to cast, roll paper patch bullets, in short, everything I needed to know.

With that knowledge in hand, I went bison hunting with ET and Doc Rocket and was fortunate enough to pole-axe my bison with one shot. Another great resultant od this friendship was he introduced me to two other great Americans, FlyBoyFlem and Gunner 500. We all cherished his friendship and way of life. I will toast him tonight and let him know I will look for him when it comes time for me to cross. Bill, you will be easy to find, I'll just look for the smoke and the ringing of steel. J

Sad News


Mike

Godspeed, Bill, and blessed be. Say hi to my dad if you see him, and let him shoot one of your toys.

We are diminished. Godspeed, Mr. Bagwell.

Sad news, RIP sir. Prayers for the family.

I don't post a lot, but I read a lot and have been coming to this site for a long time. It was obvious that Bill was one of the good guys. RIP and condolences to your family.

Raising a glass to him.

Condolences to his family.

FC

My condolences to his family and friends.

Amen.


Just when you think 2021 has got to be better than 2020, Bill Bagwell and Rush Limbaugh returned their talents to God on the same day, 2-17-2021.
I didn't start looking for Bill Bagwell Bowies on the internet until the next day and they had all been sold soon as they were put up.
But I kept googling and being more amazed at the prodigy from Louisiana.
Bill made a trophy Bowie at age 14 y.o. in 1958. It was seen pictured in the collection of a Frenchman, # 1 in the spread below to which I have added the numbers,
clockwise in a a circle of 21 Bagwell Blades apparently owned by one Frog:



This might be the guy who owns them, wearing the gold and jewel encrusted one (# 18 above) like a pendant on a gold neck chain:



Gunner500's Bagwell Bowie:



Back in time to the cover shots on the 1983 Bill Bagwell catalog/brochure, offered for sale for $295, or will trade for another year the owner does not have:





From his book that includes his 1984 to 1988 SOF feature articles and a later compilation of history and techniciana,
I think I was able to order one of those: BOWIES BIG KNIVES AND THE BEST OF BATTLE BLADES





Snapshots from Bill's youtube "shoptalk, etc." videos, circa 2007:







I do have a couple of Ruana Bowies that I will trade for a Bagwell Bowie, sumbuddy please, just let me know how much boot you want.
I should have got out more and learned about Bill Bagwell Bowies before there was a 3-year wait for one in 2017.

Subtitle of the magazine below: "The Cutting Edge of Survival"





If Bill took one rifle to the Happy Hunting Ground, would he want this .45-70 or a .40-65 ?



He did what he loved and he did it better than anyone else.
In the process he brought joy to many.
What a great life.
His Mama should be proud.

R.I.P. Bill

What a fascinating and knowledgeable guy.

I had inherited a 50/70 Sharps carbine.
It was suggested that I bring it along to one of the 24 Hour Campfire Hog Hunts and show it to him.
Bill was kind enough to educate me on its proper care and feeding.

I'd always hoped to meet up with him again.

R.I.P.
Sadly another name to add to the Rest in Peace Brothers sticky.........

R.I.P. Mr. Bagwell.

R.I.P.

Condolences to his wife, family and friends, you just never know when the bell tolls for you.

RIP Bill Bagwell.

RIP Sir

Just saw this. While I never met the man, we had more than a few conversations over the years. Always gentlemanly.
Condolences to his family and friends, eternal rest, Bill.

RIP

May he RIP and condolences to his family.

I was one of the fortunate ones to call Bill a friend and mentor. As with others here, Bill reached out to me via PM when he found out that I had bought a Shiloh Sharps and offered to mentor me. I couldn't turn that one down!

It was really appealing (and easy) to go see him since he was less than an hour's drive from where I was living at the time.

During my visits to his house I got to meet his lovely wife, Sidra, and also stand in awe of her abilities with a Sharps! She, too is/was a world-class BPCR shooter.

Bill, being a life-long scholar, researched deeply into the "hows and whys" of the successes of the buffalo hunters of our Old West. He was intrigued by their long range shooting abilities using only the barrel sights, since tang sights were too fragile for everyday use on the killing fields. He also researched into the lubes, alloys, molds, paper patching, primers, powders, cleaning routines, loading techniques, tools, and bullet designs.

Bill introduced me to all things Sharps, including fitting and installing a copper penny front sight for me, how to properly use it, and the care and feeding of a BPCR rifle. He also introduced me to the Lyman #457121-PH bullet. Cast in a 20:1 allow, mine drops right at 485gr. Although it comes out at 0.456", that alloy readily "bumps up" when fired with Holy Black and is an incredibly accurate bullet in my Sharps.

Bill was a man of strongly held convictions and opinions, and could be counted on to give you the plain, unvarnished truth.

My wife gave me a copy of his book this past Christmas and I'd been meaning to send it to him for an autograph, but I couldn't find that "round-to-it" and then, it was too late.

I miss him, but I know I'll see him on the other side.

Ed

RIP Sounds like he was quite an accomplished man.