"Not quite"Every day carry knives................

Ray S · **on:** July 09, 2019, 05:08:48 AM

......otherwise known as too big to carry in your pocket and too uncomfortable to carry on your belt. Commonly known as,"Bowie knives", they can range in size from about 8 inches(200mm)in blade length up to a couple of feet.Originally attributed to one Colonel James Bowie who was alleged to have used such a weapon to dispense with an attacker after being wounded in a duel on the Vidalia sandbar.
No one knows exactly what the original "Bowie" knife looked like but the general consensus of opinion was that it was in the pattern of a large straight backed single edge blade with a unique notch(called a Spanish notch)in the choil(bottom of the tang) of the blade.It has been variously attributed to an Arkansas blacksmith named James Black;a local blacksmith that worked on the Bowie plantation;and a surgical instrument maker named Daniel Searles. Supposedly all of these people made a knife for Bowie and it's possible they did.
As time went on the term "bowie" came to mean any large bladed knife designed for self protection or possibly cutting down small trees.They were a sidearm when pistols were unreliable at best and didn't need to be re-loaded. They were made by local blacksmiths;surgical instrument makers,and imported by the thousands from England.They seemed to reach a zenith in popularity until just after the War between the States(1861-1865)and then declined in popularity as firearms became more reliable and easier to conceal.
Most bowies are defined as having a large clip point blade at least 8 inches long with a long false edge(sometimes sharpened)and a blade width of at least one inch.Some believe that the spine of the blade was covered with an edge of brass to help stop an opponent's blade from cutting but that has never been verified.They do show up on a lot of recreated bowies.
Some have a spear pointed blade that may be single or double edged and all have a cross guard.Whether the originals had such items is open to speculation.
So much for my history lesson;if you are interested in more there are volumes available.As to their accuracy;your guess is as good as mine.
So without further ado I will present a bunch of knives I often refer to as,"big un's" Hope you enjoy them.
#1 is a replica of the so-called,"Bart Moore" bowie. A lot of controversy surround this knife so if you're interested in finding out,Google the name.
#2 is another so-called,"replica" put out by Carvel Hall awhile back. This one features the infamous brass back.
#3 is a Case XX bowie;again featuring a brass back.
#4 is an unmarked bowie that is pretty well made and could be of Chinese origin.

Ray S · **Reply #1 on:** July 09, 2019, 05:18:16 AM

Page two:
#1 is a newly made bowie for Colt.This massive knife has a blade that looks to be made of pieces of wire cable forge welded together and is over 14 inches long.It also has a brass back.
#2 is an eagle head bowie made in Mexico.Just short of an 8 inch blade.
#3 is a German made bowie by Emil Voos.
#4 is a slightly differnet shaped blade made for F.A.Bower in Germany.

Ray S · **Reply #2 on:** July 09, 2019, 05:24:36 AM

Page three:
#1 is a 1960's era horsehead bowie by Fred James.He once worked for Geo. Wostenholm and had many of their old stamps and etching dies.This particular knife is unstamped but was verified by a person who knew Fred very well.
#2 is made by Frost Cutlery and designed by Tak Fukuta;a great Japanese knife designer.
#3 is a Gutmann Cutlery Co. bowie with horn handles marked Buffalo Hunter.
#4 is a stag handled bowie marked,"Hoffritz England"

Ray S · **Reply #3 on:** July 09, 2019, 05:31:31 AM

Page four:
#1 is a large handmade knife with aluminum handles.
#2 is a Manhattan Cutlery Co. bowie.
#3 is marked,"Old Smokey" mad in Pakistan.Actually a pretty decent knife.
#4 the real thing:an 1870's era spearpoint bowie by Jos. Rodgers & Sons.

SteveC · **Reply #4 on:** July 09, 2019, 05:52:55 AM

As always great knives Ray !

RF52 · **Reply #5 on:** July 09, 2019, 06:21:57 AM

Sent fra min FRD-L09 via Tapatalk

Aloha · **Reply #6 on:** July 09, 2019, 06:32:31 AM

Love me some Bowie knives.

Gerhard Gerber · **Reply #7 on:** July 09, 2019, 10:09:40 AM

Oh wow.....

Big knives will always be my first love, excellent Ray

Ray S · **Reply #8 on:** July 09, 2019, 03:52:22 PM

Continuing from yesterday:
#1 Olsen Germany stag with an 8 inch blade.
#2 Ontario SP-10.Knife and sheath are all black;it isn't a bad picture.
#3 More of a survival knife but in bowie proportions;a Parker-Edwards Damascus.
#4 Stag handle marked R.J.Richter(a USA importer)made in Germany.

Ray S · **Reply #9 on:** July 09, 2019, 03:57:42 PM

A few more:
#1 Rambo III replica bowie.
#2 Rigid Santee California.Not quite bowie proportions but a pretty big knife.
#3 Stag handled marked Rosco Japan.
#4 Silver Stag

Wspeed · **Reply #10 on:** July 09, 2019, 04:04:15 PM

Nice knives

Ray S · **Reply #11 on:** July 09, 2019, 04:04:47 PM

OOPS! The last picture in the previous post was supposed to be the first picture in this post. A dagger made of brass with a snake's head and partial body for a handle.Have no idea who made it but it is very well constructed albeit a tad impractical.The first pic here will be the Silver Stag bowie.
#2 is a handmade knife with a cast aluminum handle.The person I got it from said his dad made it just before he emigrated to the USA from Hungary in 1956.
#3 is a large handmade knife with a handle made of multi-colored layers of plastic and aluminum discs.
#4 is an unmarked fantasy knife my oldest son bought for me one Christmas.It has edges everywhere and a stand it sits on.

Ray S · **Reply #12 on:** July 09, 2019, 04:17:08 PM

The last page:
#1 A handmade knife with an aluminum handle and a saw back blade.
#2 A Western W49 Bowie
#3 A group of unfinished(rejected)Western bowie blades.
#4 a very large double edged bowie(more like a short sword)made with pieces of aluminum and brass for a handle and guard.This thing weighs a ton and is sharp enough to shave with.

gerleatherberman · **Reply #13 on:** July 09, 2019, 04:23:58 PM

Wow, Ray. Your awesome blade collection never ceases to amaze me.

Wonderful selection of large fixed blades, Ray!

Wspeed · **Reply #14 on:** July 09, 2019, 04:26:08 PM

Ron Who · **Reply #15 on:** July 09, 2019, 07:29:06 PM

nate j · **Reply #16 on:** July 09, 2019, 11:00:57 PM

Quote from: SteveC on July 09, 2019, 05:52:55 AM

As always great knives Ray !

More history of the Bowie knife if anyone is interested: https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/lnb01

Ray S · **Reply #17 on:** July 10, 2019, 12:52:32 AM

Quote from: nate j on July 09, 2019, 11:00:57 PM

More history of the Bowie knife if anyone is interested: https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/lnb01

Interesting read Nate;thanks for the link. The article mentions various etchings or mottoes on the blades;the Fred James bowie pictured above(page 3 picture#1)has such etches. Here are some closeups of the etching and the horsehead pommel that was so popular on many early bowies.