On his way to Texas, James Bowie had carved a blade shape from wood and stopped at James Black's Forge in Washington, Arkansas. He paid Black to make this blade for him. Black did this commissioned work, but he also did some improvements on a blade of his own design; which included the back sharp edge. Jim Bowie liked Blacks improvements and used the improved version as the new "Bowie" knife. It was rumored that Black used a meteorite in part of the steel processing. When the blade was found in Mexico, it had been used for many years to cut corn stalks and never needed sharpening. The name "Bowie" came from Scotland and the family there made large knives from broken swords, so the design of the fighting knife is probably centuries old before James and Resin Bowie were born. The "Resin Bowie" is pictured in many depictions of an ebony handled and silver appointed straight back blade (butcher knife type) which was used at the Sandbar Fight and returned to Resin eventually.
One of the best descriptions I have ever heard regarding the legendary Bowie knife. My old uncle had a Bowie his daddy gave him back in the early 1950's. My great grand daddy handed it down to him, Along with a 1873 Winchester in 38-40. They say he had the knife before he, or his daddy, bought the '73 NEW and two boxes of ammo. He passed one whole box down with the rifle....so I'm pretty sure it was probably made back during the civil war. my family came from only a few miles from the Cherokee National reservation in east TN. I lost track of the Bowie around 1970 ish. My uncle left it to my dad..and my dad being as sentimental as he was 😂🤣😂🤣 my guess is that he sold it!! I was able to liberate my '73 from him before he had the chance to sell it. That Bowie had a 10" blade with a back cut for about it 3" that was sharpened. The width was just under 1/4" at the finger guard, the handle was the standard coffin style used a lot back then. I don't remember a name being on it..but it did have two symbols on it..makers marks..I assume anyway. Sorry for going on..history amazes me. Great video!! I subscribed too!
it's a real shame the knife was lost to your family man, at least you still have the gun and I'm betting a real close contender Bowie for the one that was lost. Anyway great story and no it wasn't to long.
I have to agree with Ian Stevens To lose any excellent weapon to a family member sucks. My youngest brother made off with a Bowie I bought off a Cornwell tool truck in the 80's and a 30/30 from a very old man my mother took care of. He said the rifle was old when his uncle gave it to him when he was 14. And a 1890's .22 pump gallery gun. Ever since then. All of my weapons stay under lock and key.
Well now what good's an old coot if he can't spin the folks a tale that goes back older'n him? Thanks for sharing. I wish my family had any such heirlooms of frontier life. It's cool to hear about it from those who do!
I was at Ft Bragg in the early 2000's and one of the things that blew my mind was finding out that some knife fighting expert instructor taught a full bowie knife fighting course to Special Forces soldiers. It was featured in an article of the Sine Pari magazine i saw complete with pictures.
@@TheKnifeLifeChannel Also one thing I distinctly remember was at the Smoke Bomb Hill mini mall there was a man off to the side in his 50s or 60s who ran a permanent knife sharpening lil station and despite obviously as an expert on the safe handling of edged weapons at a powered station, somehow he managed one day to deeply slice himself across his midsection and if I'm not mistaken almost die, right there besides the food court. The soldier that came to his aid and worked on him in the interim to the ems got a Soldiers Medal out of it ..
I was told by my hunter safety instructor that large knives were a total waste and that he could gut a deer with his tiny Swiss Army knife. I told him that might be true, but he would have to stop and sharpen his several times. My Bowie knife can easily gut two deer without stopping. The length of the sharpened edge is the key.
Length and what the blade is made out of is important, as you want good edge retention a swiss army knife is made out of stainless designed more for corrosion resistance than edge retention a good knife is made of high carbon steel as that has the best edge retention same as a sword and ofc the bowie has alot of mass which makes cutting easier as well. Also this instructors a moron seems he doesn't like large blades for some reason.
You should probably specify the deer you are working. I have been told the deer in Texas are on the smaller side. I have seen and used an old timer 152 sharp finger to gut and skin an entire elk.
Dude, you just perfectly condensed like 2 months of mountains of research I've done down into 11 minutes. Instant subscriber! Loving this channel, the in-depth accurate history and the bullshit-busting information. SO SO SO much info about knives these days that gets repeated is just flatout incorrect and I love that you're setting this stuff straight. Same thing with your video on Switchblades.
Literally watched this because I was curious about the use and application of the back cut, totally random and viewed as a suggestion on another unrelated video. I love how much focus and explanation was put into this specific aspect of the bowie in this video and I discovered all I wanted know about it. So crazy, seriously. I just randomly thought about it when I saw the thumbnail, and then this dude spends a solid couple minutes explaining the practical application and history of the back cut clearly and succinctly. I'm just so gobsmacked right now that I can barely see straight lol.
The Bowie actually makes an excellent survival knife. The thick spine and wide blade mean that you can pound on the back with a stick and use it to split wood, while the dainty point makes it great for butchering game.
That's what I read.. I read that when bowie was contracting smith's to make his knives he had specific dimensions. His ultimate goal for it was an all in 1 , sht & get survival tool. A tool that if he only had time to grab 1 thing, it would be that knife. Use the handle for a hammer, or club, chop wood, dress game, kill a human or even a bear if need be
According to books written a long time ago that reference Rezin's knife, they state that Jim used Rezin's knife at the Sandbar Fight and while he was laid up healing from his wounds gained there, he drew and whittled a bigger, better version. Rezin's knife was just a hunting knife made from a file and had a bolster and the blade came down like a chef's knife so the hand wouldn't slip down the blade. Rezin had sliced his hand to the bone while cutting a deer's throat and was said to be annoyed about how the knife's design allowed the hand to slip from the handle down the blade. Hunting knives of that time did not have guards, they were just "butcher knives." Jim took that design and added the guard, the clipped point with the sharpened back edge and increased the size all around, creating a fighting knife and not just a hunting one. He was said to have taken the design to James Black in Arkansas where he crafted a masterpiece. Legends say that Black had rediscovered Damascus Steel and used it to forge Bowie's knife. By all accounts, the "Bowie" knives that were sold commercially were never the same as the one that Bowie himself carried. His was a monster and identified him among other men dressed the same and carrying big knives. Of course all we have is hearsay and while some claim the real Bowie still exists, we know that Santa Ana ordered the bodies burned and he would have either taken the knife himself or burned it with the body. The description of the Bowie was that it was long enough to almost be a short sword, heavy enough to chop wood, wide enough to paddle a canoe and sharp enough to shave with.
You just demonstrated how little you truly know about blades. A blade sharp enough to shave with, would break upon chopping wood. Blades which can chop wood are sharpened to a 20-35 degree angle, much more dull than is required for shaving. There is no blade in existence which can be used to shave AND chop wood without taking significant damage. "Shave sharp" refers to blades in the 10-15 degree range, creating much too fine and fragile of an edge. A machete could fit three of your described uses minus the shaving, however.
@@Aethelvlad How wrong you are. My grandfather was a lumberjack and his double-bit axe was sharp enough to shave with and he used it every day. Any time you grabbed that axe it was ready for shaving or chopping. He kept a razor edge on that badboy. That being said, I have a World War II Navy Ka-Bar that will shave and chop wood if you baton it through the branch and it won't take any edge damage. It won't split wood like a chop axe, but it will split small chunks if you hammer on the back of the blade. Steel quality is what matters. I've gotten my machete shave sharp, but like you said, it won't stay that sharp. However my katana is shave sharp and it retains its edge even if I go out and chop through tree branches.
I only subbed because I just bought a CS 1917 Bowie, I have A Thor, a Modern Bowie & a CS Leatherneck. I sold most of my CRK's and other folders. I don't ever expect to use these knives but they bring me so much joy just appreciating the beauty and history.
@@JohnLemon-xq4pd Its a nice knife and well made. I have mine in my office. You never know. It is made in India, by Windlass Steelcraft, who are very well known for making swords and daggers. It is made from 1080-85 steel, and takes a very good edge. So yes, get one :)
Excellent video! One comment I have is: Bowie rhymes with Louie. (pronounced Boo-wie) That's how Jim Bowie pronounced his name and that's how all Texans do too. It's a Scottish name and that's how it's pronounced. David Bowie is British and for some reason that's how the Brits pronounce it. Ironically a lot of the historic Bowie knives where made in the UK. So I suppose both are correct although the Brits pretty much do everything backwards anyways. 🙂
I'm glad you enjoyed it! I've had a number of comments along the same lines. The Scottish origin of Jim's name is the first actual evidence someone has provided me for that pronunciation. Thank-you for sharing! I've noticed that typically Southerners refer to the knife as rhyming with Louie, and Northerners pronouncing it the same as the British singer. Based upon another comment, it appears the Australians also make use of the "British" pronunciation. I'm of a like mind with you both are probably correct, very similar to the civil war Minnie ball and its French pronunciation, or the Indonesian Kris/Keris. Thanks for the comment!
I’ve talked to some of Jim’s descendants. They told me that the name was mid-pronounced even before Jim made it famous. If you are calling a knife by the name of the man that made it famous, you should pronounce it the way he pronounces his name… “Boo-wee” 👍🏼👍🏼
absolutely love the educational approach towards the topic. I've seen several videos and most having a overly-fan-fiction approach or opinionated theory approach.... but your well versed information along with citations and additional readings give credibility.... and as a person living in San Antonio, 9 minutes away from THE ALAMO itself, i appreciate the work put into this video.
I'm glad you enjoyed the video! I love learning about knives and do my best to present the most accurate info for you guys. I hope to see you around the channel again!
the Bowie, the Parang, the Bolo, the Kukri, the Karambit, the Machete; ever notice how culturally-oriented knife making can be? the Bowie is uniquely American as so many other knives are "uniquely" associated with people & places.
@@LIONTAMER3D you are right, looking at a culture's knives provides an interesting insight into that culture. I'm currently editing a video for the Kukri, which is essentially the Nepalese equivalent of the Bowie. A very effective blade with a different school of thought to solve essentially the same problems. It's why I love working on this channel.
@@TheKnifeLifeChannel going back to the Roman kingdom times (800 BC or so) there were writen descriptions of a blade called the "Iberian Falcata": a forward-curved blade with a thick spine & 30-45 degree forward angle on the cutting edge. the Romans said it could cleave through any helmet & crack any shield. the surviving examples are dead-ringers for Nepalese kukris; pre-dating them by at least 1500 years.
We will be going back to the Kopis from classical Greece as a possible ancestor. There are a couple theories on the evolution of the Kukri and I talk about several.
A good video. Thank you. The Bowie knife is simply what friends referred to as a bush knife. It was very handy as a sort of multi-tool on farms and when hunting in the South. My father served in the US Marines during WW2 and so I prefer the Kbar. During the early 1960's, "Boo wie" was the preferred pronunciation. The military personnel used combat knives. I do not know of anyone directly or indirectly, except during the frontier period, who fought another person with a Bowie knife.
I'm working on obtaining good source material on the Navaja. The Roman gladius is up next, and sometime afterwards will be the Roman pugio, which is likely what killed Caesar. The Swiss saber is another I'll be doing. I have an interview I'll be doing here shortly on Indian switchblades, that interesting. I'm glad you enjoyed the video, and I hope to see you around the channel again!
@@TheKnifeLifeChannel I look forward to seeing the video on the navaja. Roman blades would be really cool too. Huh, never knew Indian switchblades were a thing.
I bought my first Bowie knife for the grand price of eighteen shillings and sixpence at the grand age of thirteen in the 1960s before such things were frowned on. Unfortunately it was stolen more than twenty years ago, but since then I have bought various blades from the same manufacturer in Sheffield (Still going been going since the days of Jim Bowie) every blade is individual and different.
As a fellow Brit, I'd be frightened to put a soup spoon in my pocket in case I'm arrested for carrying an offensive weapon. I exaggerate for comic effect, but not by much.
This was the second of your videos I have watched, the first being the switch blade history. I enjoyed them both and subscribed to your channel. I also commented on the switch blade history. I have been using and collecting knives for over 50 years and regret the many I've sold or traded. I find your views most informative, interesting and well presented. I look forward to watching those you've done in the past. Lately I came across a knife on Kent Rollins Cowboy Cooking Channel that he describe as a hash knife. I had seen pictures and advertisement for a very similar knife called at UTE. I purchased a lower priced model under the Benchmark brand name and tried in my kitchen. I works well. I plan sometime in the future to purchase Rollins version of this knife. He discribed it as being a blade commonly used by chuck wagon cooks. I would like to see you do a video history on the hash knife/UTE . Keep up the good work.
I have held a bowie knife made by Rezin Bowie and owned by his brother Jim (this was confirmed by the museum and not heresay). It fit the description given by Rezin in this video. It had a small crossguard and was solid. Nothing fancy, just made for business.
Fascinating and very informative video! Thank you for taking the time and effort to put this video online. Not a subject I would normally look into, but your very professional presentation combined with the absorbing American Frontier history, make this a video that glues the viewer to the screen to the very end. VERY well done.
I'm glad you enjoyed the video! I have another video on the Italian Switchblade you might like, and I'll be releasing one on the Kukri here soon. I hope to see you around the channel again!
Clear summary but Bowies were a large part of the Old West even after revolvers were common, and the Kabar of WW2 passed Bowies into the Modern Age as handy weapons when stealth was needed (ex. sentry removal).
You are correct, the Bowie remained a large part of the West throughout its settlement, but I keep my videos to around 10 min and had to focus on the most important aspects of the Bowie. The K-Bar is definitely a descendant of the Bowie, but it will be getting its own video in time.
A very well put together and detailed video of the Bowie knife for the amount of time allowed. Very well done! I also like the use of video examples you chose ;)
Been using one as my primary knife since childhood. We could use the large oak handled ones we got at gun shows for everything from chopping down small trees to make short term fences/corrals in the woods, make shelter for a week of fencing deep in the wooded back acres, chopping up game etc. Best paired with a small detail knife, either a jack knife or even a 2nd, smaller fixed blade. These days I tend to carry a more simple lg bushcraft knife unless I'm specifically hunting, then it's back to the trusty bowie for sticking hogs and such.
I started taking some martial arts in about 1999. I was particularly fawned of the Filipino stick fighting and knife defense martial art of Arnis. At the time I lived in the Houston TX suburb of Humble. Humble is approximately 45 minutes away from the battle of San Jacinto in Pasadena TX. Anyways Texas battle lore was a thing, especially in martial arts setting. There was an interesting theory at the time, that Jim Bowie sometime in his life was married to a Filipino lady and her brothers taught him Filipino stick and machete fighting. He eventually designed the Bowie knife and had a very skilled knife maker create his design. The 2-3 inch tip was sharpened on each end for stabbing, and cutting up. A thrust and twist motion or a thrust slice up motion was common with the techniques. Then 3-4 inch area the blade widened to the width of a chef’s knife and the thickness of a butcher knife with only one side sharp. Having the top of the blade at that point be the thickness of a butchers knife and flat top area made it ideal to parry and potentially damage the opponents blade. He supposedly got his inspiration from the weapons he trained with and the old style hunting knifes of the time. This has not been substituted or confirmed, and for all I know it could very well be BS. For a 19 year old kid with a lot of Texas pride, it was a fun story.
I am from the same area but heard it was Rezin Bowie who the story was about. Rezin made the knife for his brother Jim because he kept getting in fights.
A Filipino Woman, eh? I thought The Filipinos didn't start coming to America until the end of WWII to escape the carnage generated in The Pacific Theater. In an old Western TV Series called "Jim Bowie", we were informed Bowie married a Mexican Chick named Theresa, and that he already had his Big Knife.
Jim Bowie had his first knife made by Rezin that he used at the Sand Bar Fight . From there he had some other knives made by some blacksmiths which he gave away to friends. He had his knife that he carried when he eventually went to Texas and at the Alamo was made by Blacksmith James Black . He had the knife Black made with him when he settled in Texas and married a Lady from Mexico of Spanish decent. Yes I do know the stories and a lot of the History from the Bowie Family and growing up in Texas myself. I’m from Spring Branch and Timpson Texas in N.E. Texas
The legend of how the Bowie knife came into existence is that Jim Bowie got into a knife fight which he almost lost. Swearing never to be in that type of situation again, Bowie went to a smith and had a larger than normal knife made. It is said that after having the knife made Bowie never had any issues winning every knife fight he got into.
@@socipathicgaming5914 Bowie's original knife still exists. It's had three replacement blades and four replacement handles. Otherwise it's all original. (Joke.)
Fairbairn who had many more knife fights than almost any other human ever took a different view, he invented the fairburn-sykes dagger which prioritised stabbing capability over slashing hacking. He was proven right over time a 6in stab is more effective than a 6in gash. A fighting knife should aim for penetrative damage with a double edge.
Good shit right here... So glad I happened upon this channel/video. I haven't found a good blade channel in so very long, so this is a fabulous find for me. Keep it coming my man...
Groovy and gut-wrenching, in both the metaphor and literal sense's, as most historical facts or legacies often fail to solve long unanswered queries. Thanks for this allusive and often account of just how these treasures went from the implements necessity to merely simple status symbols of an early Civil War Volunteer in the Armed Forces.
The correct way to use a Bowie in a knife fight is to hold it upside-down. The clip is used to break the wrist of your opponent, disarming him. This is followed by a stab to the gut and cut in a single upward motion. This is often over looked in discussions about this knife.
In your opinion. In mine the hammer hold is preferred with the knife chambered at the waist as opposed to held out in a forward pose. Your front hand should be defensive the rear hand is an attacking hand like a jack hammer hit withdraw hit withdraw repeat as quick as you can
I was a Paratrooper in the 82nd Airborne Division during the 80's (Sandinista Wars) I had an EK knife bought in Fayetteville NC, when I got to Central America I discovered the Corona #152 Machete... I was later assigned to the Green Beret's and learned knife fighting their way which included this magical spring steel blade. Speed, reach, cutting power, leverage. There is noting better than a Corona #152
I have a Bowie that is 8 1/2” by 1 1/4”. It has a straight guard. Wooden handle and square nuts holding handle on. Overall length is 12 1/2”. The clip I think that is what it is called is 2 1/2”. My Great Grandfather was the chief deputy in Gonzalez TX. I’m wondering ho old this knife might be, and possibly the value. Not wanting to sell just curious.
As both a bladesmith and an historic blacksmith interpreter for a 19th century living history museam, I can assure you that both my Bowie knife and this info will be taking a forefront position in my interpretation! Outstanding job in such a limited time!
Interesting topic the Bowie knife. My family is from New Orleans and I’ve heard all types of stories growing up. My age is 63 years old. I’ve always loved knives and still have several from a young age. Things were different when I was young and my father commonly would buy me a pocket knife at the hardware store I would have been eyeing, I still have a large western Bowie from when I was 16. I sharpen the clip immediately after bringing it home. I recall beautiful knives my cousin had in New Orleans. I’ll look forward to your next video.
Yes I also enjoyed this video about the origin of bowie knife it was interesting and informative. Over the years I have owned a few different versions of it. Back when I was in my early 20's I trained in some hand to hand self defense technics that also included the use of a long blade knife. I am now in my mid-50's and I would say for myself I have got fairly proficient with said blade. Not two long ago I lived in a state out west were it was legal to open carry a long blade and I did so and I'm certain that the mere sight of it on my belt kept me safe while I was out on the streets. I highly recommend that if anyone feels capable of using a knife for self defence then learn how. Find out if it's legal to carry one were you live and do so it will keep you safe.
Glad you enjoyed the video! I actually have two videos pertaining to this: one on the selection of a good self defense knife, and another interviewin Mike Janich on MBC theory and self defense with a knife.
I am so glad the TH-cam algorithm recommended this to me. I love learning about history. My first introduction to bowie knives was via cartoons I would watch as a kid in Nigeria. I had no idea there was more to them. Great video.
You are so smart on this and other subjects. I appreciate you. I love this video. Being a lover of Bowie knives. And having you talk about them. Makes me love them more. And why. I have one with me all the time. Great job. God bless you.
ive got an outback, the crocodile dundee inspired bowie, i wouldnt call it a fighting knife per say its a bit heavy but its well balanced and sure is pretty, id love a bagwell style bowie, they are beautiful
I have a great one it has a great saw on the back and great for cooking . $19 bucks at Harbor Freight. And as I was typing this your video ran an ad for Harbor Freight. Crazy. Bowie's are also great for cooking bacon
While doing research on the U.S. Cavalry during the Indian Wars for my toy soldier hobby, I discovered that at one point the Army did issue a large and strong knife to these soldiers. I don't know if it was called a "Bowie", but it would certainly qualify as one due to its size. They were imported, if I remember correctly, from Sheffield, England. And almost every existing photo of the cavalry from that period shows them all clearly wearing big knives as back-up weapons. Incidentally this is something Hollywood usually gets WRONG; I have yet to see any Western movie where the soldiers wear knives. The emphasis is always on pistols and carbines. You'll never see John Wayne carrying a Bowie! You would think the technical advisors on these films would do their homework better. Nope.
I am a western movie fan and collect Bowie Knives. I have noticed that the more recent movies do show the characters with Bowie knives. Maybe this is for historical accuracy, but I think it is because Bowie knives look mean and cool, and are rather popular at the moment.
Yes it arraganate arraganate from Sheffield England! Jim's NAME stuck too it giving the knife its legend! When I was a child ther was a BIG glass frame on POND HILL in Sheffield showing different knives jim bowie's was one of THEM on display !I'd image ther on display at the museum?.
I love history but fume over the inaccuracies in period films.YG1 & 2 are prime examples.Enjoyed the films as films,but not much was actually right.Cannot understand why,if a character is interesting enough to make a film about,it has to be Hellieweirded.As for films about the Youngers,Jesse & Frank..Oh purrlease.Often wonder if the guys would've recognized themselves.
@@susanmccormick6022 Yep. Hollywood calls it "artistic license"; the right to play fast and loose with the facts in order to make something more entertaining. A good example is the 1950's movie "Kansas Raiders", starring some really big talent like Brian Donlevy and Audie Murphy and even Tony Curtis. It tells the story of Quantrill's Raiders, a Southern renegade cavalry outfit. While the film itself is good, all throughout you see them using modern "Colt .45" cartridge pistols which, as you probably know, weren't even invented until long after the Civil War was over. During the REAL Civil War they used mainly old-fashioned black powder muskets and " cap and ball" percussion revolvers---no six-guns.
@@kellysnipe9586 Affirmative.Quantrill & Bloody Bill were both strange mixes.Hard to imagine Q as a teacher.And BB is said to have gone crazy after his sister's death in that prison that collapsed.Mrs Samuel & Susie were among those incarcerated there.Did u know that a Pink decided to hire himself out at the Samuel place in order to try & catch Dingus n Buck?He was warned against it.Told that "The old woman (!)will get you if the boys don't."He took no notice & he paid the price.I had heard Mrs S was about 6'tall & took no sass from anyone.The idea of brothers playing brothers was an ace idea.But the film,in my opinion,was terrible.Have u seen it?Where r u based & are you into ACW Reenactments?I love wearing the costumes though my hoop has a tendency to fall down!Am crazy about history from year dot to beginning of (20.And that includes Palo as well.Nice talking to u Kelly.PS Would love seeing the first film ever made about the Youngers & James boys.Partly because Jesse's son played him.What a scoop.I can reccomend the book he wrote about his father,too.
I know Bowie knives were common and popular just about everywhere in the US as a whole and even world wide. However, they did become pretty deeply a part of Southern culture especially by the 1850's and 1860. For all the Southern States from Virginia and Kentucky to Georgia, Florida, and Texas. I've even accounts read where slaves used to remark on the big knives carried by white Southerners. There's an interesting book called Spying on the South, it's a dual story of a historical account as well as the modern guy following in his tracks of a Northerner who traveled through all the Southern States in the 1850's recording his observation of life and culture in the Old South, starting first in Virginia then Kentucky then travels all the way down to Texas and roundabouts through Florida and Georgia. He mentions two accounts in particular which I thought was interesting of how Southerners in Kentucky and Louisiana in particular openly carried Bowie knives in sheathes on their back and their hip. I highly recommend it.
I'll take a look at it. Norm Flaydermann references a number of accounts. The bowie was very pervasive throughout the US, but particularly in the South.
Is there a collection of Olmsted's writing without Horwitz's modern day "anthropology" appended to it? I don't care about Horwitz's thoughts on modern day Southerners, but I'd be interested to read about Olmsted's experiences.
@@susanmccormick6022 Where are you not allowed to carry things for protection? I live in Kentucky in the South and you can carry openly or concealed anything you can legally own for self defense including Bowie knives.
@@dustincarner7427 I now live as an Inlander in UK after making a dumb decision.Although knife crime seems to be a daily happening in places like London, authorities frown on guard dogs,guns etc.And crims who get caught don't seem to get much encouragement to change their ways.Animals don't seem to have protection & children have little.A couple whose cruelty cost their child his legs,r to b released after 5yrs!Lad's around 7 & says he wants to b a policeman & rearrest them both.And as for anti social behavior,the authorities couldn't care less.The true ferals & their spawn get away with everything!It's crazy.
Not sure if you mentioned that quite a few of the very earliest Bowie knives were made in Sheffield. I believe there is some discussion over whether or not they originated in England for the US market or were copied in England for the US market.
That is mentioned in the video. Again it comes down to what is a "Bowie" knife? There are lots of blades that are of the homemade variety from the states, and there were a lot that were produced in England. I'd say they were definitely an influence at least.
I love the Seax both the straight seax and the later curved blade seax. I think the shape of the seax and other features are very similar to the Bowies.
bowies will always have a special place in my heart, my great grandfather used to own one, and one night while he was out at his cabin, 4 guys came along to rob the place (my great grandfather was a fur trader and always had a full sack of coin), he took out his knife instead of his gun to avoid spooking his horse, and killed all 4 thieves, many many years later, i inherited the knife from my father, and it has 4 notches on the handle and an inscription on the blade "luck favours those who do not steal from a man holding a sharp knife"
New to the channel and love it. Can you do a video of the Arkansas toothpick? According to this video it would be a "Bowie knife " but they're used in the same point in time. The book crow killer (story about Jeremiah Johnson) talk's about both knives differently in the old times frontier.
A pleasure to have you with us! The Arkansas Toothpick is a planned video for a little ways down the road. I need to decide how to approach it for the reason you mentioned: a Toothpick could be a Bowie. Nowadays we typically think of an Arkansas Toothpick as a large double edged toothpick, but back during the 1800's "Arkansas Toothpick" was in the same boat as "Butcher Knife" and "Bowie Knife." The terms are sometimes interchangeable, but other times there is talk about carrying a both a Bowie and a Toothpick... I need to talk with my connections in that area and do some in depth research so I can get you good information!
I'm only 58 years old, but the best balanced Bowie I've ever held was a Western brand. Really wish I would have picked one up when they were reasonably priced.
Jim Bowie along with Travis are my 5th generation uncles. I own the most impressive knife that survived the Alamo and San Jacinto. I left it in numerous museums for a while and then sent it to Indonesia to be reproduced. A deal couldn't be reached and it was shipped back to Texas only days before the Tsunami hit. It was almost lost again. It appears that Phil Collins will be getting his Alamo collection back soon as the misfits in San Antonio have failed to build a museum for it within the time constraints. If this happens perhaps my knife will join his collection in the future. Perhaps I'll find a suitable manufacturer to reproduce it, it was sent to Indonesia because at the time the best quality blades were being produced there in very limited small quantities.
I purchased a Bill Bagwell Bowie knife made by Ontario Knife Works and it is a great quality knife! I used it for Show Only while I was a member of SAS and I received many Fond Compliments and many Offers to buy this knife from me! I never will sell this Knife!
Glad you enjoyed it! Thanks for the feedback as well. The glare off my glasses is super annoying for me. I'm looking at picking up a filter to cut down on glare when photographing knives. Using it to cut my glasses' glare hadn't occurred to me. Sometimes I'm dense.
@@TheKnifeLifeChannel Well you simply can't know everything! The more you learn the more you realise how little you know, always stay humble and eager to learn.
Thank for the very anthropological history of the knife. It has always interested me as to the origins of this knife. One item that may not have anything to do with its history but is an intriguing idea is if you look at pictures of the Viking seax in its smaller forms the shape of the blades are similar to the Bowie. Thanks again.
From my understanding of the Bowie, it was basically the bushcraft knife of its time, except with a focus on creature killing - be that animal or human. It was the primary cutting tool for all large tasks when portability and weight was the name of the game for an individual.
I'm certain there is an optimal knife size for knife fighting (much bigger and it either becomes unwieldy or one must learn sword fighting) but a big damn knife probably offers a lot of intimidation value.
Can you do a video on All the Bowie knives designs. I love the case xx Bowie. But I'm looking for one in the same design. But better for my camping and survive situations. But I want that blade design. Any recommendations??
The best Bowies I'm aware of are the Bill Bagwell and James Keating designed knives, but they are rare and very expensive. Honestly I would say have one custom made, or look at the Cold Steel bowies for a cheaper option.
Another historic figure who used the bowie, and allegedly wrote an instructional book about fighting with it, was Cassius Marcellus Clay of Kentucky. He is know to have carried one most of the time and did kill a man named Brown with it in a fight at Russell Cave in Lexington. Brown was armed with a gun, so this is one time someone brought a knife to a gun fight and won. Read more about the fascinating life of Clay in the biography "The Lion Of Whitehall". For a mildly amusing, but still entertaining Hollywood interpretation of the origins of the knife, see "The Iron Mistress" starring Alan Lad. In this telling, Bowie has a blacksmith forge the knife to his own specifications. The blacksmith, in an effort to ensure this would be as Bowie requested a knife "that must not fail", alloys the steel with a piece of meteorite. Typical Hollywood BS, but still kind of fun. I've had one of the old Western brand bowies for about 45 years. They were cheap, I think I paid about 35 bucks for it back in the 70's, but it still keeps a razor edge after all these years. It is great for camping and bushwhacking, like a short machete'. I believe I have seen that same knife in some Hollywood films too.
Bringing a knife to a gunfight was a legit strategy back in the days of muzzleloaders. There are many accounts of such fights. I haven't seen the Iron Mistress yet; its on my to do list. Thanks for sharing!
The "Western" bowie was a very popular & well - made knife in the '60's & '70's...many say that incarnation is what a Bowie should look like...it was used extensively in 'Nam by S.F. who sometimes used it in camp or to break trail...it was also used as a fighting knife...May I suggest a program demonstrating fighting with a Bowie frontier - style? I have heard that one method combatants used was to tie their left wrists together with a bandana & fight with their right...I believe Bowie had a blade that was double - edged(at the point, clip) so as to better disembowel his opponent as he did at the Sandbar Fight...I imagine if you get under your opponent's guard & have the blade in reverse, you could slash across & gut them; reverse & thrust in & up, taking advantage of the double - edge to cause further damage...I read that the singer knew the proper pronunciation of the name, so that's why he went with "Bow - we..." May I also suggest a video on the Fairbairn - Sykes & how it was used? Many thanks for this interesting video...subbed...
Not only is the curved swedge better for backslashing, when you stick the torso, the tip moves (think of a ball bouncing once and staying up) and the swedge causes additional damage inside the torso, esp if you extract the blade with upward pressure on the tip. (If you're thinking about sharpening the swedge, check the state and local laws, first.) Even the mild curve in the Kabar's swedge is noted for this.
As blood kin of Jim Bowie (his aunt was my great, great grandmother)...the knife was pronounced BOW-ee, the family name was pronounced BOO-ee, at least in the family.
Brother, so appreciate your scholarship and clearly a well-honed edge on the discipline historiography! We are all better for being beneficiaries of your vocational skills! Blessings to you!
The Bowie Knife was first a tool. Its size and heft allowed it to be used to fell smaller trees with which to build a shelter. Well suited for skinning and cleaning fish and animals for food, clothing, as well as profit. As with any tool. It didn't take terribly long for someone to devise strategies for using it as a weapon.
Figures.Typical human behavior.I read some time ago,Davy Crockett begged for his life & Jim Bowie was a coward!Could not BELIEVE it!Why do people enjoy pulling heroes down?Is it jealousy?Wish it hadn't been allowed to put all those modern buildings around the Alamo.Developers have no ❤️.All they see is $!
@@susanmccormick6022 Agreed. I don't understand why some people want to tear down these historical heroes. I think their ignorance makes them feel good. I do not believe Davy Crockett begged for his life at all. And that goes triple for Jim Bowie.
@@thaynealexander8986 Nice someone agrees.Being a history goof n doing archaeology makes some people yawn.Don't know what they're missing.Fascinated by Dino's too.In fact,from yr dot to about 1910.Then it gets boring for me.Although I love the 50s hair styles n clothes.I wonder if a time machine will ever b possible & will people meddle if it is.Which seems to be a strong possibility given homo sapiens track record with things.
@@TheKnifeLifeChannel just bought the 1917 Frontier,comes in mail. I have the Laredo Bowie and can highly recomend it, it's just a fantastic piece of historic steel. I want the Natchez Bowie too, but never in stock where i buy knives(Lamnia) I am Norwegian by the way, we love Bowie knives too. Bought the 1849 Riflemans knife and that is one hell of a knife, just fantastic. Would maybe be called a Bowie too, in the old days? It has a sharp spine,clip,tip or whatever and a guard.
I agree with him. I teach the use and fighting aspect of the Bowie. And concur that it is the best big knife to fight with. Considering someone knowing how to use the back edge and motions of the snap cut well. If you had a curved cross guard for "blade catching" it starts to leave all other knives in the dust.
@@TheKnifeLifeChannel Yep, that's queued up next :) It's always interesting that successful designs often have a lot more in common than they have differences. I like seeing realistic discussions about something, so keep on doing what you're doing.
Jim Bowie's first knife did not look like what we commonly know as the Bowie knife ..No clip point..no guard .. it was given to him by his brother RESIN BOWIE ( pronounced reason)..Resin submitted a design to a blacksmith and had the knife made custom for him.. The description as follows: a large chef's knife.. with a 9 and 1/4 in STRAIGHT BLADE ..NOT CURVED sharpened on one edge.. ( No guard NO clip point ).... This is most likely the knife that was brought to the melee at the Sandbar dual.. where Bowie was attacked stabbed and shot in Bowie killed one man and severely injured another with his huge chef knife.... Eventually the clip point was added & the guard.. giving us the knife we all know and love today the Bowie knife
Resin's account is the most likely description of the real "Bowie Knife," which is why I included his quote in the video. Whatever it was though,l it has since evolved like you stated.
yeah , not quite , The Bowie knife that Jim Bowie was famous for was made from a meteorite rock made of nickel iron in Arkansas , there's only 1 bowie knife ,
I like the Laredo Bowie and its derivatives. The 1917 in this video is ok, but I'm not a big fan of it. Back edge isn't sharpened, and the grip is uncomfortable. Good Bowies are hard to find. The best are usually custom made.
@@TheKnifeLifeChannel Always heard that the Bowie knife evolved from the Viking Sax which originally was remade broken sword blades they would rework the top cutting edge and fold it to give the blade a stronger brace so it wont break agajn. Leaving the tip sharp and the bottom edge sharp. Anyway hope you can find some information about this being the orginal design. I like the idea that the Viking were involved.
@@lonknight3197 With respect, the Bowie knife had it's evolution from a few sources. But the Viking Sax wasn't really one. It got most of it's roots from the Spanish hunting knives and Navaja's. With some Mediterranean influence. And even more so with the German hunting knife called the Bauernwehr. But the Sax is an amazing knife on it's own.
Im using a bowie for literally any and everything I use it as my primary cooking knife even! Great Knife. For Outdoorsman activities, Self defense, Homelife, Carpentry, you name it a good bowie will do an A-Grade Job at it.
I read somewhere fighting Bowies many times had a soft copper spine soldered to the steel spine. This was for when fighting and an enemy slashes at you, you could stop the blade with it. It was soft so his edge wouldn't slide down and it would stop his attack. Basically for perrying. It also just plain looks awesome lol. I don't see them hardly tho. What type are these called as I'd like to own one someday
Bowies with a copper or brass back don't have an explicit name as far as I'm aware. But they do look cool, they are meant as blade catches, and they are a legit thing.
@@TheKnifeLifeChannel yeah they look awesome. I wonder too how well this feature would work on large bushcraft style knives as well. Seems like the copper or brass spines would make baton work on with them alot more effective and efficient, better for the batons too. Then over time if they get mushroomed any you can just sweat the old one off and sweat a new one on.
@@TheKnifeLifeChannel another quick question for you since you seem to know cutlery well. I was at the Ghangus Khan exhibit a couple years ago. They had the emperor's sword there, Marco polos sword and so on. They also have one or two fancy Damascus swords. Not sure of thier exact name or origin. Anyways it appeared on those that they has some gold features inlaid into the swords blade somehow. They was tiny gold circles. They looked as if they went thru one side to the other. It was a round rosette of sorts with smaller round rosettes. So you see a cross section that appear as if a steel cable was cut in half sorta, but they were decorative gold instead. It was so tightly done it appeared as if it was forged that way with it inside. But gold or brass melts faster than steel and that likely wouldn't work out. So it must have been drilled and then added in later. What's the name of those decorations like that? I've tried to search Google for that type of decoration but all I see instead is inlays and engravings etc. Very beautiful swords. Top notch quality. Even tho they was Chinese and not Japanese. They kind of resembled tiny coins impeded into the blades. That's what I called them ever since too. Coins, but I'd like to know the right term so I can search and see how it done
Here in Alabama, the Bowie is the only knife that has any mention in the law and is prohibited to carry in public. Everything else is fair game. It's an old law that's still on the books.
The law regarding Bowies in Texas (Texas!) was the same until just a few years ago. Now you can legally carry blades of any length in Texas, up to and including swords. Local laws may apply.
Hi Martin. Those videos were from me. And my Bowie Knife classes and demonstrations at events. The event one at the end of the video may be up on TH-cam, I can find the title for you. I don't own that one. But I always need to ask why people want to the full videos. Hope you understand.
As a descendent of Jim Bowie, I gotta say this video has many errors. One being that the Bowie knife has several very distinct features shoot as blade length blade shape as well as the quickpoint on the blade. Several pictures you’ve shown in this video closer resemble the Texas toothpick knife rather than a Bowie knife. I’d also say that the Bowie knife originated in Texas however it is unclear whether it was Jim Bowie or his brother who made the knife. However yes it did that is the concept of the Bowie knife the shape and size did originate in Texas not from sword fighting.
I always heard it was his brother, Rezin, I think that's how his name is spelled, that made the knife, and gave it as a gift to Jim. Or that's what I remember reading in the book: Three Roads To The Alamo. Been a long time since I read the book, so my memory isn't real good.
I absolutely agree with you...this guy is full of shit. Sheffield of England added the cross-guard that wasn't on the original Bowie, and by all accounts Bowie 's knife had a straight back, not a clip point.
Fascinating video, and very interesting. Small point - I was always told it was 'Boo-eee', when speaking of the frontiersman James Bowie. The pronunciation 'Boh-eee' related to the musician David Bowie.
A fun story that I've encountered is that David Bowie took his stage name partially because of the "Bowie Knife." He found out later that many people pronounce it Boh-eee. I've encountered both, people claiming to related to James Bowie have been on both sides, and it seems to really be a regional thing. Southerners call it one way, Northerners and Australians call it another. I honestly don't know which is correct historically.
Three ways to start a fight that can rival a race riot: "I've got the best multitool!" "My EDC knife is the correct one!" "My Bowie knife is the ORIGINAL pattern!"
Thank you for the very anthropological history of this knife. I have always been interested in the origins of this knife type . A intriguing supposition is if you loo at the shape of the Viking seax in its smaller forms the blade shapes are similar to the Bowie. Thanks.
Seax blade is more akin to a large Wharncliffe blade. The most popular frontier Bowie style blade has a large Clip Point (not Wharncliffe) blade. Very different blades.
I'm glad you enjoyed the video. I've heard numberous suggestions that the Bowie draws from the seax, but I believe that the German Lange Messer is more likely.
You mention 'The Sheffield Knife Company', which is perhaps an error, as there were numerous Sheffield knife-making firms in the periods discussed that exported knives to the US. But anyway this was an intriguing look at the history of the Bowie, thank you 😁
That was an error that I need to make a note of in the video. The cool thing about doing this channel is that I learn a lot from it. I'm glad you enjoyed the video, and I hope to see you around the channel again!
First question - is there any difference between a Bowie Knife and an Arkansas Toothpick? Second question - isn't it pronounced Boo-E and not Bow-E? Third question - Isn't the James Black Bowie knife, made in Washington, Arkansas in 1830 considered the first actual Bowie?
First Answer - Yes and no. Like the Bowie there isn't really a hard set definition, especially for back in the day. But today we would typically consider a large double edged dagger an Arkansas Toothpick. Second Answer - Honestly, its whichever you prefer. The Boo-E advocates say its a Scottish name and that's how its pronounced, but all the Scots I've asked contradict this. I had a Texan tell me that its just the way its pronounced because Texas has some weird pronunciations, but Jim Bowie was originally from Kentucky, then Missouri, then Louisiana. Short answer, if you are a Texan, than its a Boo-E. Other than that I usually hear Bow-E. Third Answer - This is delving back into the myth and legend surrounding Bowie and James Black. According to Rezin's account, no. The first Bowie was the blade at the Sandbar Fight. A lot of people consider the James Black bowie to be the improvement upon the original. But here is another kicker; there are a number of blades that were supposedly made by Black, but they cannot be definitively tied back to him. So we don't even know completely for sure what Black's knives look like.
Hey Win, good questions. 1. In actuality many toothpicks and Bowies were indistinguishable. And some just called a Bowie, a toothpick. But there was some differences, one being the toothpick was a little thinner. More of a Dirk look to it, it also was fully double edged. It wasn't curved or had a belly. 2. It varies, many in the south pronounced it Boo-we. But most referred to it as Bow-ee. 3. The first official "Bowie" is unknown. The video does explain where the knife got the name Bowie. But the knife itself, is influenced by the Spanish and the Navaja first. But took other influences from German Messer, the Sax and the Bauernwehr.
Thanks for the answers. It's my understanding that James Black did indeed improve upon the Bowie knife, and did so for Jim Bowie himself before he left for The Alamo. Black also supposedly rediscovered some knife steel making technique that made his knives extra tough, but the secret died with him. I know there are more Knifesmiths in the state of Arkansas than any where else in the world, or at least in the US. It's a big-time traditional heritage thing in Arkansas. Jimmy Lile is a legend around here!
@@redleg1971 Rezin Bowie (Jim's brother) actually made a number of big knives for Jim. Jim would lose a few during his exploits. I have never heard of Black knowing or rediscovering any knife steel techniques. Something I will enjoy researching though.
It doesn’t matter where, or how it was invented. If you are calling a knife by the name of the man that made it famous, you should pronounce it the way he pronounced his name … “Boo-wee”
Nice vid- Case bowies are my favorite to look at but I can only get three of my fingers on that handle. My Western W49 bowie has a much more generous handle but it’s still too thin & pretty for hard use. My go to knife is the Ontario SP10- the marine raider bowie, with its .255 blade thickness (6.5mm for you metric types) and the super generous molded handle. This knife has never failed me, and is my constant companion when I’m out and about in the woods. I use a Buck 110 for smaller tasks, I find these two a hard to beat bushcraft combo.👍🏻
Boo'-ee ...Boo'-ee...Boo'-ee please. James Bowie was of Scottish ancestry and his name was at the time and is pronounced Boo'-ee. (Not like the English rocker!) It's Gaelic /Scottish form is Buie and means "light" or "Yellow". Great information and interesting to get your take on the style and use of the knife, but it sure "grates" on my nerves and ear every time you say his name...and mispronounce it. Don't spoil your good information.
I'm glade you enjoyed the video! As a Northerner I'd only heard it pronounced the way I said it. A couple of people like you have pointed out the Scottish connection, which makes a lot of sense. Thanks for letting me know!
I don't have one, but here is my experience with Cold steel bowies for what its worth: Cold Steel seems to be the only one producing ok fighting bowies. I do really like the Laredo bowie, which the Trailmaster seems pretty similar too. The 1917 Bowie I have is alright, but its a bit forward heavy and the grip isn't that comfortable. The main issue I see with the Trailmaster is its made with VG1. For a bowie I would say something like 1095 or 1085 steel, S7 Shock steel, or something comparable would be best. VG1 is not a go to steel for me for a blade that could be subjected to serious abuse. Summary: I don't have one, but I don't think you will go too wrong with one.
@@TheKnifeLifeChannel Thx! I have the O1 Version and the grip and balance are, like you said, the points that need a bit of work. I am planning on putting a new grip on it , if I ever find time...
Ah, I like the idea of O1 a lot better. A large part of the reason I got the Frontier over the Trailmaster was the grip actually. The Frontier grip leaves a lot to be desired, but I don't want a rubber grip on a Bowie. Something like a wooden coffin grip would be much preferable.
Its ok. I greatly prefer the Laredo. The grip is not particularly comfortable and the clip isn't sharpened, but its about the best one you'll get for the price.
Glad you enjoyed the video! I hope to see you around the channel some more! As for the Bowie, it is a 1917 Frontier Bowie from Cold Steel. You can find one here: amzn.to/3P4b5xY
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Man, musician, actor, activist
And blade maker!
David Bowie did it all
You forgot to mention "fruit loop"
and Mariner.
😂 💀
@@brawndothethirstmutilator9848 and septic tank.
I heard he used his time machine to go back and create it. Dude's a genius!
On his way to Texas, James Bowie had carved a blade shape from wood and stopped at James Black's Forge in Washington, Arkansas. He paid Black to make this blade for him. Black did this commissioned work, but he also did some improvements on a blade of his own design; which included the back sharp edge. Jim Bowie liked Blacks improvements and used the improved version as the new "Bowie" knife. It was rumored that Black used a meteorite in part of the steel processing. When the blade was found in Mexico, it had been used for many years to cut corn stalks and never needed sharpening.
The name "Bowie" came from Scotland and the family there made large knives from broken swords, so the design of the fighting knife is probably centuries old before James and Resin Bowie were born.
The "Resin Bowie" is pictured in many depictions of an ebony handled and silver appointed straight back blade (butcher knife type) which was used at the Sandbar Fight and returned to Resin eventually.
One of the best descriptions I have ever heard regarding the legendary Bowie knife.
My old uncle had a Bowie his daddy gave him back in the early 1950's. My great grand daddy handed it down to him, Along with a 1873 Winchester in 38-40. They say he had the knife before he, or his daddy, bought the '73 NEW and two boxes of ammo. He passed one whole box down with the rifle....so I'm pretty sure it was probably made back during the civil war. my family came from only a few miles from the Cherokee National reservation in east TN. I lost track of the Bowie around 1970 ish. My uncle left it to my dad..and my dad being as sentimental as he was 😂🤣😂🤣 my guess is that he sold it!! I was able to liberate my '73 from him before he had the chance to sell it.
That Bowie had a 10" blade with a back cut for about it 3" that was sharpened. The width was just under 1/4" at the finger guard, the handle was the standard coffin style used a lot back then. I don't remember a name being on it..but it did have two symbols on it..makers marks..I assume anyway.
Sorry for going on..history amazes me. Great video!! I subscribed too!
it's a real shame the knife was lost to your family man, at least you still have the gun and I'm betting a real close contender Bowie for the one that was lost. Anyway great story and no it wasn't to long.
I have to agree with Ian Stevens To lose any excellent weapon to a family member sucks. My youngest brother made off with a Bowie I bought off a Cornwell tool truck in the 80's and a 30/30 from a very old man my mother took care of. He said the rifle was old when his uncle gave it to him when he was 14. And a 1890's .22 pump gallery gun. Ever since then. All of my weapons stay under lock and key.
@@Jagg61 L
Gary,I am a history nut too from Earth's beginnings to the late C19.How could your dad have sold such a treasure?So sad.BTW,do u ever go on digs?
Well now what good's an old coot if he can't spin the folks a tale that goes back older'n him? Thanks for sharing. I wish my family had any such heirlooms of frontier life. It's cool to hear about it from those who do!
I was at Ft Bragg in the early 2000's and one of the things that blew my mind was finding out that some knife fighting expert instructor taught a full bowie knife fighting course to Special Forces soldiers. It was featured in an article of the Sine Pari magazine i saw complete with pictures.
That would have been Bill Bagwell. He has passed away since then, but his work was part of my references for this video.
@@TheKnifeLifeChannel Also one thing I distinctly remember was at the Smoke Bomb Hill mini mall there was a man off to the side in his 50s or 60s who ran a permanent knife sharpening lil station and despite obviously as an expert on the safe handling of edged weapons at a powered station, somehow he managed one day to deeply slice himself across his midsection and if I'm not mistaken almost die, right there besides the food court. The soldier that came to his aid and worked on him in the interim to the ems got a Soldiers Medal out of it ..
I was told by my hunter safety instructor that large knives were a total waste and that he could gut a deer with his tiny Swiss Army knife. I told him that might be true, but he would have to stop and sharpen his several times. My Bowie knife can easily gut two deer without stopping. The length of the sharpened edge is the key.
A hunter safety instructor can’t see the utility of having a large knife? You need to find a different one cause clearly he was incompetent.
@@John-doe955 .why do you americans always think bigger is better?
Length and what the blade is made out of is important, as you want good edge retention a swiss army knife is made out of stainless designed more for corrosion resistance than edge retention a good knife is made of high carbon steel as that has the best edge retention same as a sword and ofc the bowie has alot of mass which makes cutting easier as well.
Also this instructors a moron seems he doesn't like large blades for some reason.
You should probably specify the deer you are working. I have been told the deer in Texas are on the smaller side. I have seen and used an old timer 152 sharp finger to gut and skin an entire elk.
Love a Bowie very good do all knife.
Dude, you just perfectly condensed like 2 months of mountains of research I've done down into 11 minutes. Instant subscriber! Loving this channel, the in-depth accurate history and the bullshit-busting information. SO SO SO much info about knives these days that gets repeated is just flatout incorrect and I love that you're setting this stuff straight. Same thing with your video on Switchblades.
I'm glad you enjoyed the videos! I have some others you might enjoy on the Kukri and the Fairbairn Sykes dagger! Stay safe!
@@TheKnifeLifeChannel Excellent, I'll definitely be checking those out!
Literally watched this because I was curious about the use and application of the back cut, totally random and viewed as a suggestion on another unrelated video. I love how much focus and explanation was put into this specific aspect of the bowie in this video and I discovered all I wanted know about it. So crazy, seriously. I just randomly thought about it when I saw the thumbnail, and then this dude spends a solid couple minutes explaining the practical application and history of the back cut clearly and succinctly. I'm just so gobsmacked right now that I can barely see straight lol.
I'm glad you enjoyed the video and got what you needed from it. I hope to see you around the channel again!
The Bowie actually makes an excellent survival knife. The thick spine and wide blade mean that you can pound on the back with a stick and use it to split wood, while the dainty point makes it great for butchering game.
This is very true. It's as much a utilitarian tool as is a weapon.
indubitably... its a great multi tool
That's what I read..
I read that when bowie was contracting smith's to make his knives he had specific dimensions.
His ultimate goal for it was an all in 1 , sht & get survival tool.
A tool that if he only had time to grab 1 thing, it would be that knife.
Use the handle for a hammer, or club, chop wood, dress game, kill a human or even a bear if need be
According to books written a long time ago that reference Rezin's knife, they state that Jim used Rezin's knife at the Sandbar Fight and while he was laid up healing from his wounds gained there, he drew and whittled a bigger, better version. Rezin's knife was just a hunting knife made from a file and had a bolster and the blade came down like a chef's knife so the hand wouldn't slip down the blade. Rezin had sliced his hand to the bone while cutting a deer's throat and was said to be annoyed about how the knife's design allowed the hand to slip from the handle down the blade. Hunting knives of that time did not have guards, they were just "butcher knives." Jim took that design and added the guard, the clipped point with the sharpened back edge and increased the size all around, creating a fighting knife and not just a hunting one. He was said to have taken the design to James Black in Arkansas where he crafted a masterpiece. Legends say that Black had rediscovered Damascus Steel and used it to forge Bowie's knife. By all accounts, the "Bowie" knives that were sold commercially were never the same as the one that Bowie himself carried. His was a monster and identified him among other men dressed the same and carrying big knives. Of course all we have is hearsay and while some claim the real Bowie still exists, we know that Santa Ana ordered the bodies burned and he would have either taken the knife himself or burned it with the body.
The description of the Bowie was that it was long enough to almost be a short sword, heavy enough to chop wood, wide enough to paddle a canoe and sharp enough to shave with.
You just demonstrated how little you truly know about blades. A blade sharp enough to shave with, would break upon chopping wood. Blades which can chop wood are sharpened to a 20-35 degree angle, much more dull than is required for shaving. There is no blade in existence which can be used to shave AND chop wood without taking significant damage. "Shave sharp" refers to blades in the 10-15 degree range, creating much too fine and fragile of an edge. A machete could fit three of your described uses minus the shaving, however.
@@Aethelvlad my bowie can shave and chop wood. When its crafted correctly it can do these things. Dont get uppity just because you bought cheap steel.
@@Aethelvlad How wrong you are. My grandfather was a lumberjack and his double-bit axe was sharp enough to shave with and he used it every day. Any time you grabbed that axe it was ready for shaving or chopping. He kept a razor edge on that badboy.
That being said, I have a World War II Navy Ka-Bar that will shave and chop wood if you baton it through the branch and it won't take any edge damage. It won't split wood like a chop axe, but it will split small chunks if you hammer on the back of the blade.
Steel quality is what matters. I've gotten my machete shave sharp, but like you said, it won't stay that sharp. However my katana is shave sharp and it retains its edge even if I go out and chop through tree branches.
Rezin designed it , was made by Jessie Clift.
@@Aethelvlad Wrong.
I only subbed because I just bought a CS 1917 Bowie, I have A Thor, a Modern Bowie & a CS Leatherneck. I sold most of my CRK's and other folders.
I don't ever expect to use these knives but they bring me so much joy just appreciating the beauty and history.
I'm saving for a 1917 myself should I get it?
@@JohnLemon-xq4pd Its a nice knife and well made. I have mine in my office. You never know. It is made in India, by Windlass Steelcraft, who are very well known for making swords and daggers. It is made from 1080-85 steel, and takes a very good edge. So yes, get one :)
@longrider42 First I'm saving for a von tempsky
Excellent video! One comment I have is: Bowie rhymes with Louie. (pronounced Boo-wie) That's how Jim Bowie pronounced his name and that's how all Texans do too. It's a Scottish name and that's how it's pronounced. David Bowie is British and for some reason that's how the Brits pronounce it. Ironically a lot of the historic Bowie knives where made in the UK. So I suppose both are correct although the Brits pretty much do everything backwards anyways. 🙂
I'm glad you enjoyed it! I've had a number of comments along the same lines. The Scottish origin of Jim's name is the first actual evidence someone has provided me for that pronunciation. Thank-you for sharing! I've noticed that typically Southerners refer to the knife as rhyming with Louie, and Northerners pronouncing it the same as the British singer. Based upon another comment, it appears the Australians also make use of the "British" pronunciation. I'm of a like mind with you both are probably correct, very similar to the civil war Minnie ball and its French pronunciation, or the Indonesian Kris/Keris. Thanks for the comment!
I’ve talked to some of Jim’s descendants. They told me that the name was mid-pronounced even before Jim made it famous.
If you are calling a knife by the name of the man that made it famous, you should pronounce it the way he pronounces his name… “Boo-wee”
👍🏼👍🏼
@@arctodussimus6198 man you must be getting on in years then
Agreed.
Im aussie, its david bowie!
absolutely love the educational approach towards the topic. I've seen several videos and most having a overly-fan-fiction approach or opinionated theory approach.... but your well versed information along with citations and additional readings give credibility.... and as a person living in San Antonio, 9 minutes away from THE ALAMO itself, i appreciate the work put into this video.
I'm glad you enjoyed the video! I love learning about knives and do my best to present the most accurate info for you guys. I hope to see you around the channel again!
the Bowie, the Parang, the Bolo, the Kukri, the Karambit, the Machete; ever notice how culturally-oriented knife making can be? the Bowie is uniquely American as so many other knives are "uniquely" associated with people & places.
@@LIONTAMER3D you are right, looking at a culture's knives provides an interesting insight into that culture. I'm currently editing a video for the Kukri, which is essentially the Nepalese equivalent of the Bowie. A very effective blade with a different school of thought to solve essentially the same problems. It's why I love working on this channel.
@@TheKnifeLifeChannel going back to the Roman kingdom times (800 BC or so) there were writen descriptions of a blade called the "Iberian Falcata": a forward-curved blade with a thick spine & 30-45 degree forward angle on the cutting edge. the Romans said it could cleave through any helmet & crack any shield. the surviving examples are dead-ringers for Nepalese kukris; pre-dating them by at least 1500 years.
We will be going back to the Kopis from classical Greece as a possible ancestor. There are a couple theories on the evolution of the Kukri and I talk about several.
A good video. Thank you.
The Bowie knife is simply what friends referred to as a bush knife. It was very handy as a sort of multi-tool on farms and when hunting in the South.
My father served in the US Marines during WW2 and so I prefer the Kbar.
During the early 1960's, "Boo wie" was the preferred pronunciation.
The military personnel used combat knives. I do not know of anyone directly or indirectly, except during the frontier period, who fought another person with a Bowie knife.
every pre-industrial culture has some sort of big knife used as both a farm tool and a weapon. machete, bolo, barong, parang, golok, kukri, saex, etc.
@@joesmith6199 Ah yes, you know of the Saex. Not many do.
I absolutely love these style of videos. It would be cool to see more of them on other iconic knives and designs.
Or even some more obscure ones. One on navajas or the Arkansas toothpick would be cool.
I'm working on obtaining good source material on the Navaja. The Roman gladius is up next, and sometime afterwards will be the Roman pugio, which is likely what killed Caesar. The Swiss saber is another I'll be doing. I have an interview I'll be doing here shortly on Indian switchblades, that interesting. I'm glad you enjoyed the video, and I hope to see you around the channel again!
@@TheKnifeLifeChannel I look forward to seeing the video on the navaja. Roman blades would be really cool too. Huh, never knew Indian switchblades were a thing.
I bought my first Bowie knife for the grand price of eighteen shillings and sixpence at the grand age of thirteen in the 1960s before such things were frowned on. Unfortunately it was stolen more than twenty years ago, but since then I have bought various blades from the same manufacturer in Sheffield (Still going been going since the days of Jim Bowie) every blade is individual and different.
I'm sorry to hear it was stolen! I'm looking to eventually add one (as many as I can) of the classic Sheffields to my collection.
As a fellow Brit, I'd be frightened to put a soup spoon in my pocket in case I'm arrested for carrying an offensive weapon. I exaggerate for comic effect, but not by much.
what is the Sheffield maker?
@@tourmalines Jack Adams, Jack Adams himself passed away a few years ago, but his sons keep up the business, they are a pleasure to deal with.
I was "forged" in sheffield 😅😅😅💪🏻💪🏻💪🏻💪🏻🙏🏻👊🏻
Very well spoken , those Big Blade are some of the best blades especially if it's a battle blade.
Its hard to image life with a knife.
Knife Life 101
I'm glad you enjoyed the video! Bowies are among my favorites. I need to see about collecting the Bill Bagwell battle blades.
Great to hear Bill Bagwell referenced. I loved reading his articles in Soldier of Fortune magazine back in the 80's. Peter G. Kokalis too.
James Keating was also kind enough to share his knowledge and proof watch this video for me. I try to find the best info I can.
GR8 times
Interesting presentation, I do like how you expIained the back cut with the top edge.
I'm glad you enjoyed it!
This was the second of your videos I have watched, the first being the switch blade history. I enjoyed them both and subscribed to your channel. I also commented on the switch blade history. I have been using and collecting knives for over 50 years and regret the many I've sold or traded. I find your views most informative, interesting and well presented. I look forward to watching those you've done in the past. Lately I came across a knife on Kent Rollins Cowboy Cooking Channel that he describe as a hash knife. I had seen pictures and advertisement for a very similar knife called at UTE. I purchased a lower priced model under the Benchmark brand name and tried in my kitchen. I works well. I plan sometime in the future to purchase Rollins version of this knife. He discribed it as being a blade commonly used by chuck wagon cooks. I would like to see you do a video history on the hash knife/UTE . Keep up the good work.
I have held a bowie knife made by Rezin Bowie and owned by his brother Jim (this was confirmed by the museum and not heresay). It fit the description given by Rezin in this video. It had a small crossguard and was solid. Nothing fancy, just made for business.
Were you an archivist or employee there?
@@TheKnifeLifeChannel neither. I am a zooarchaeologist and my wife knows someone that worked there.
Not hearsay? Amber Heard's lawyer begs to differ!
One of Bowie's brothers and a close family friend Ciaphas Ham said the knife Bowie had at the Sandbar Fight was mad by Jesse Clift.
@@jdgoade1306 interesting. I am pretty sure this wasn't that knife.
Fascinating and very informative video! Thank you for taking the time and effort to put this video online. Not a subject I would normally look into, but your very professional presentation combined with the absorbing American Frontier history, make this a video that glues the viewer to the screen to the very end. VERY well done.
I'm glad you enjoyed the video! I have another video on the Italian Switchblade you might like, and I'll be releasing one on the Kukri here soon. I hope to see you around the channel again!
Good video. The Marine Raider Bowie issued to Marines during WW2. The marine bayonet and the kabar are both modeled after the Bowie knife.
Clear summary but Bowies were a large part of the Old West even after revolvers were common, and the Kabar of WW2 passed Bowies into the Modern Age as handy weapons when stealth was needed (ex. sentry removal).
You are correct, the Bowie remained a large part of the West throughout its settlement, but I keep my videos to around 10 min and had to focus on the most important aspects of the Bowie. The K-Bar is definitely a descendant of the Bowie, but it will be getting its own video in time.
Both less effective than the fairbairn-sykes commando knife as a combat knife
Kabar love here too.. any old sailor knows a damn good knife is lifesaving.
@@jimmyyleee3333 Great all rounder mine is 24 years old beaten and worn but still does the work I need it for when camping and outdoors.
A very well put together and detailed video of the Bowie knife for the amount of time allowed. Very well done!
I also like the use of video examples you chose ;)
Thank-you! If you get more bowie footage in future, shoot it over to me. More bowie b-roll can't hurt.
@@TheKnifeLifeChannel You know it. I got more.
@@thaynealexander8986 Good clip of you Thayne.
@@christopherfisk1706 Hey, thanks Chris! I got to try and look as good as James Keating ;)
Been using one as my primary knife since childhood. We could use the large oak handled ones we got at gun shows for everything from chopping down small trees to make short term fences/corrals in the woods, make shelter for a week of fencing deep in the wooded back acres, chopping up game etc. Best paired with a small detail knife, either a jack knife or even a 2nd, smaller fixed blade. These days I tend to carry a more simple lg bushcraft knife unless I'm specifically hunting, then it's back to the trusty bowie for sticking hogs and such.
Very nice! Thanks for sharing!
I started taking some martial arts in about 1999. I was particularly fawned of the Filipino stick fighting and knife defense martial art of Arnis. At the time I lived in the Houston TX suburb of Humble. Humble is approximately 45 minutes away from the battle of San Jacinto in Pasadena TX. Anyways Texas battle lore was a thing, especially in martial arts setting. There was an interesting theory at the time, that Jim Bowie sometime in his life was married to a Filipino lady and her brothers taught him Filipino stick and machete fighting. He eventually designed the Bowie knife and had a very skilled knife maker create his design. The 2-3 inch tip was sharpened on each end for stabbing, and cutting up. A thrust and twist motion or a thrust slice up motion was common with the techniques. Then 3-4 inch area the blade widened to the width of a chef’s knife and the thickness of a butcher knife with only one side sharp. Having the top of the blade at that point be the thickness of a butchers knife and flat top area made it ideal to parry and potentially damage the opponents blade. He supposedly got his inspiration from the weapons he trained with and the old style hunting knifes of the time. This has not been substituted or confirmed, and for all I know it could very well be BS. For a 19 year old kid with a lot of Texas pride, it was a fun story.
I am from the same area but heard it was Rezin Bowie who the story was about. Rezin made the knife for his brother Jim because he kept getting in fights.
@@matthewmorrisdon5491 I think people make stuff up to promote the lore. That sounds just as plausible.
A Filipino Woman, eh?
I thought The Filipinos didn't start coming to America until the end of WWII to escape the carnage generated in The Pacific Theater.
In an old Western TV Series called "Jim Bowie", we were informed Bowie married a Mexican Chick named Theresa, and that he already had his Big Knife.
@@designertjp-utube Like I said its lore. I just viewed it as a myth.
Jim Bowie had his first knife made by Rezin that he used at the Sand Bar Fight . From there he had some other knives made by some blacksmiths which he gave away to friends. He had his knife that he carried when he eventually went to Texas and at the Alamo was made by Blacksmith James Black . He had the knife Black made with him when he settled in Texas and married a Lady from Mexico of Spanish decent. Yes I do know the stories and a lot of the History from the Bowie Family and growing up in Texas myself. I’m from Spring Branch and Timpson Texas in N.E. Texas
Outstanding post sir, very informative and entertaining, really scratched the frontier and history itch. Thank you !!
Glad you enjoyed the video!
The legend of how the Bowie knife came into existence is that Jim Bowie got into a knife fight which he almost lost. Swearing never to be in that type of situation again, Bowie went to a smith and had a larger than normal knife made. It is said that after having the knife made Bowie never had any issues winning every knife fight he got into.
I recall a stupid movie from the 1950s, in which it was claimed Bowie made his first knife from a meteorite which had fallen to earth.
@@raypurchase801 - The irony to that is with no actual historical data on Jim Bowie's first knife that movie may be telling the truth. 🤣
@@socipathicgaming5914 Bowie's original knife still exists.
It's had three replacement blades and four replacement handles.
Otherwise it's all original.
(Joke.)
@Socipathic Gaming Thats pretty funny, and also true. Got a good laugh out of that.
Fairbairn who had many more knife fights than almost any other human ever took a different view, he invented the fairburn-sykes dagger which prioritised stabbing capability over slashing hacking. He was proven right over time a 6in stab is more effective than a 6in gash. A fighting knife should aim for penetrative damage with a double edge.
Good shit right here... So glad I happened upon this channel/video. I haven't found a good blade channel in so very long, so this is a fabulous find for me. Keep it coming my man...
Thanks for your support! Keep an eye out for the Kukri video coming out soon!
Groovy and gut-wrenching, in both the metaphor and literal sense's, as most historical facts or legacies often fail to solve long unanswered queries. Thanks for this allusive and often account of just how these treasures went from the implements necessity to merely simple status symbols of an early Civil War Volunteer in the Armed Forces.
The correct way to use a Bowie in a knife fight is to hold it upside-down. The clip is used to break the wrist of your opponent, disarming him. This is followed by a stab to the gut and cut in a single upward motion. This is often over looked in discussions about this knife.
that's but one technique, and a very good one, but just one.
LOL
Unless, of course, it's a d-guard, as one of mine is.
In your opinion. In mine the hammer hold is preferred with the knife chambered at the waist as opposed to held out in a forward pose. Your front hand should be defensive the rear hand is an attacking hand like a jack hammer hit withdraw hit withdraw repeat as quick as you can
@@sanderson9338 the best hold is on a S&W
I was a Paratrooper in the 82nd Airborne Division during the 80's (Sandinista Wars) I had an EK knife bought in Fayetteville NC, when I got to Central America I discovered the Corona #152 Machete... I was later assigned to the Green Beret's and learned knife fighting their way which included this magical spring steel blade. Speed, reach, cutting power, leverage. There is noting better than a Corona #152
I'll have to check it out. Thanks for sharing!
I have a Bowie that is 8 1/2” by 1 1/4”. It has a straight guard. Wooden handle and square nuts holding handle on. Overall length is 12 1/2”. The clip I think that is what it is called is 2 1/2”. My Great Grandfather was the chief deputy in Gonzalez TX. I’m wondering ho old this knife might be, and possibly the value. Not wanting to sell just curious.
I've seen original bowies go for several thousand dollars at auction. You should talk to an appraiser to get an accurate estimate of age and value.
I'd like to see a picture of it
As both a bladesmith and an historic blacksmith interpreter for a 19th century living history museam, I can assure you that both my Bowie knife and this info will be taking a forefront position in my interpretation! Outstanding job in such a limited time!
I'm very flattered as a fellow reenactor and bladesmith! Thank you for your kind words and support!
all you need now is a meteorite large enough to make a duplicate LOL
@@tomjones2121 You got one I can use?
@@TheKnifeLifeChannel there was only one Bowie knife , it's probably in the possession of some Mexican family now .. or simply lost to time .
Interesting topic the Bowie knife. My family is from New Orleans and I’ve heard all types of stories growing up. My age is 63 years old. I’ve always loved knives and still have several from a young age. Things were different when I was young and my father commonly would buy me a pocket knife at the hardware store I would have been eyeing, I still have a large western Bowie from when I was 16. I sharpen the clip immediately after bringing it home. I recall beautiful knives my cousin had in New Orleans. I’ll look forward to your next video.
Glad you enjoyed it, and I look forwards to seeing you on the channel again!
Yes I also enjoyed this video about the origin of bowie knife it was interesting and informative. Over the years I have owned a few different versions of it. Back when I was in my early 20's I trained in some hand to hand self defense technics that also included the use of a long blade knife. I am now in my mid-50's and I would say for myself I have got fairly proficient with said blade. Not two long ago I lived in a state out west were it was legal to open carry a long blade and I did so and I'm certain that the mere sight of it on my belt kept me safe while I was out on the streets. I highly recommend that if anyone feels capable of using a knife for self defence then learn how. Find out if it's legal to carry one were you live and do so it will keep you safe.
Glad you enjoyed the video! I actually have two videos pertaining to this: one on the selection of a good self defense knife, and another interviewin Mike Janich on MBC theory and self defense with a knife.
@@TheKnifeLifeChannel Thanks I will check them out.👍
I am so glad the TH-cam algorithm recommended this to me. I love learning about history. My first introduction to bowie knives was via cartoons I would watch as a kid in Nigeria. I had no idea there was more to them. Great video.
Awesome educational video. Well done bro. Cool to see Thayne rockin’ it out too!
Thanks for watching!
Thanks brother! Always highly appreciate your thoughts and comments.
You are so smart on this and other subjects. I appreciate you. I love this video. Being a lover of Bowie knives. And having you talk about them. Makes me love them more. And why. I have one with me all the time. Great job. God bless you.
I'm glad you enjoyed the video and I hope to see you around the channel again!
ive got an outback, the crocodile dundee inspired bowie, i wouldnt call it a fighting knife per say its a bit heavy but its well balanced and sure is pretty, id love a bagwell style bowie, they are beautiful
Thanks for sharing! I too desperately want a Bagwell bowie!
I have a great one it has a great saw on the back and great for cooking .
$19 bucks at Harbor Freight.
And as I was typing this your video ran an ad for Harbor Freight.
Crazy.
Bowie's are also great for cooking bacon
Glad you enjoyed the video!
While doing research on the U.S. Cavalry during the Indian Wars for my toy soldier hobby, I discovered that at one point the Army did issue a large and strong knife to these soldiers. I don't know if it was called a "Bowie", but it would certainly qualify as one due to its size. They were imported, if I remember correctly, from Sheffield, England. And almost every existing photo of the cavalry from that period shows them all clearly wearing big knives as back-up weapons. Incidentally this is something Hollywood usually gets WRONG; I have yet to see any Western movie where the soldiers wear knives. The emphasis is always on pistols and carbines. You'll never see John Wayne carrying a Bowie! You would think the technical advisors on these films would do their homework better. Nope.
I am a western movie fan and collect Bowie Knives. I have noticed that the more recent movies do show the characters with Bowie knives. Maybe this is for historical accuracy, but I think it is because Bowie knives look mean and cool, and are rather popular at the moment.
Yes it arraganate arraganate from Sheffield England! Jim's NAME stuck too it giving the knife its legend! When I was a child ther was a BIG glass frame on POND HILL in Sheffield showing different knives jim bowie's was one of THEM on display !I'd image ther on display at the museum?.
I love history but fume over the inaccuracies in period films.YG1 & 2 are prime examples.Enjoyed the films as films,but not much was actually right.Cannot understand why,if a character is interesting enough to make a film about,it has to be Hellieweirded.As for films about the Youngers,Jesse & Frank..Oh purrlease.Often wonder if the guys would've recognized themselves.
@@susanmccormick6022 Yep. Hollywood calls it "artistic license"; the right to play fast and loose with the facts in order to make something more entertaining. A good example is the 1950's movie "Kansas Raiders", starring some really big talent like Brian Donlevy and Audie Murphy and even Tony Curtis. It tells the story of Quantrill's Raiders, a Southern renegade cavalry outfit. While the film itself is good, all throughout you see them using modern "Colt .45" cartridge pistols which, as you probably know, weren't even invented until long after the Civil War was over. During the REAL Civil War they used mainly old-fashioned black powder muskets and " cap and ball" percussion revolvers---no six-guns.
@@kellysnipe9586 Affirmative.Quantrill & Bloody Bill were both strange mixes.Hard to imagine Q as a teacher.And BB is said to have gone crazy after his sister's death in that prison that collapsed.Mrs Samuel & Susie were among those incarcerated there.Did u know that a Pink decided to hire himself out at the Samuel place in order to try & catch Dingus n Buck?He was warned against it.Told that "The old woman (!)will get you if the boys don't."He took no notice & he paid the price.I had heard Mrs S was about 6'tall & took no sass from anyone.The idea of brothers playing brothers was an ace idea.But the film,in my opinion,was terrible.Have u seen it?Where r u based & are you into ACW Reenactments?I love wearing the costumes though my hoop has a tendency to fall down!Am crazy about history from year dot to beginning of (20.And that includes Palo as well.Nice talking to u Kelly.PS Would love seeing the first film ever made about the Youngers & James boys.Partly because Jesse's son played him.What a scoop.I can reccomend the book he wrote about his father,too.
Really Great Informative video! Thank you for sharing and for the reading suggestions! Keep it up!
Glad you enjoyed the video! Keep an eye out for the next one!
I know Bowie knives were common and popular just about everywhere in the US as a whole and even world wide. However, they did become pretty deeply a part of Southern culture especially by the 1850's and 1860. For all the Southern States from Virginia and Kentucky to Georgia, Florida, and Texas. I've even accounts read where slaves used to remark on the big knives carried by white Southerners. There's an interesting book called Spying on the South, it's a dual story of a historical account as well as the modern guy following in his tracks of a Northerner who traveled through all the Southern States in the 1850's recording his observation of life and culture in the Old South, starting first in Virginia then Kentucky then travels all the way down to Texas and roundabouts through Florida and Georgia. He mentions two accounts in particular which I thought was interesting of how Southerners in Kentucky and Louisiana in particular openly carried Bowie knives in sheathes on their back and their hip. I highly recommend it.
I'll take a look at it. Norm Flaydermann references a number of accounts. The bowie was very pervasive throughout the US, but particularly in the South.
Is there a collection of Olmsted's writing without Horwitz's modern day "anthropology" appended to it? I don't care about Horwitz's thoughts on modern day Southerners, but I'd be interested to read about Olmsted's experiences.
And now u are not allowed to carry things for protection.Sickening.
@@susanmccormick6022 Where are you not allowed to carry things for protection? I live in Kentucky in the South and you can carry openly or concealed anything you can legally own for self defense including Bowie knives.
@@dustincarner7427 I now live as an Inlander in UK after making a dumb decision.Although knife crime seems to be a daily happening in places like London, authorities frown on guard dogs,guns etc.And crims who get caught don't seem to get much encouragement to change their ways.Animals don't seem to have protection & children have little.A couple whose cruelty cost their child his legs,r to b released after 5yrs!Lad's around 7 & says he wants to b a policeman & rearrest them both.And as for anti social behavior,the authorities couldn't care less.The true ferals & their spawn get away with everything!It's crazy.
Not sure if you mentioned that quite a few of the very earliest Bowie knives were made in Sheffield. I believe there is some discussion over whether or not they originated in England for the US market or were copied in England for the US market.
That is mentioned in the video. Again it comes down to what is a "Bowie" knife? There are lots of blades that are of the homemade variety from the states, and there were a lot that were produced in England. I'd say they were definitely an influence at least.
I love the Seax both the straight seax and the later curved blade seax. I think the shape of the seax and other features are very similar to the Bowies.
I've gotten a number of similar comments regarding the seax.
Plus the seax is probably a bit more useful in the utilitarian sense.
bowies will always have a special place in my heart, my great grandfather used to own one, and one night while he was out at his cabin, 4 guys came along to rob the place (my great grandfather was a fur trader and always had a full sack of coin), he took out his knife instead of his gun to avoid spooking his horse, and killed all 4 thieves, many many years later, i inherited the knife from my father, and it has 4 notches on the handle and an inscription on the blade "luck favours those who do not steal from a man holding a sharp knife"
Very cool story! Thanks for sharing!
@Laurence O'Connor well maybe some of us folks are just a tad more interesting than folks callled Laurence
New to the channel and love it. Can you do a video of the Arkansas toothpick? According to this video it would be a "Bowie knife " but they're used in the same point in time. The book crow killer (story about Jeremiah Johnson) talk's about both knives differently in the old times frontier.
A pleasure to have you with us! The Arkansas Toothpick is a planned video for a little ways down the road. I need to decide how to approach it for the reason you mentioned: a Toothpick could be a Bowie. Nowadays we typically think of an Arkansas Toothpick as a large double edged toothpick, but back during the 1800's "Arkansas Toothpick" was in the same boat as "Butcher Knife" and "Bowie Knife." The terms are sometimes interchangeable, but other times there is talk about carrying a both a Bowie and a Toothpick... I need to talk with my connections in that area and do some in depth research so I can get you good information!
I was taught as a young man the Bowie knife was forged in Washington, Arkansas by a blacksmith name Robert Black.
There was no Jeremiah Johnson, it was based on the real John Johnston.
What a great video! I'm very happy I found this one. Thank you for posting this.
I'm glad you enjoyed the video! I hope to see you around the channel again!
I'm only 58 years old, but the best balanced Bowie I've ever held was a Western brand. Really wish I would have picked one up when they were reasonably priced.
Its hard to find a good bowie these days that won't break the bank.
Jim Bowie along with Travis are my 5th generation uncles. I own the most impressive knife that survived the Alamo and San Jacinto. I left it in numerous museums for a while and then sent it to Indonesia to be reproduced. A deal couldn't be reached and it was shipped back to Texas only days before the Tsunami hit. It was almost lost again. It appears that Phil Collins will be getting his Alamo collection back soon as the misfits in San Antonio have failed to build a museum for it within the time constraints. If this happens perhaps my knife will join his collection in the future. Perhaps I'll find a suitable manufacturer to reproduce it, it was sent to Indonesia because at the time the best quality blades were being produced there in very limited small quantities.
I purchased a Bill Bagwell Bowie knife made by Ontario Knife Works and it is a great quality knife! I used it for Show Only while I was a member of SAS and I received many Fond Compliments and many Offers to buy this knife from me! I never will sell this Knife!
I'm jealous of your Bowie! I wanted to snag one for this video. Had to make do with the 1917 Frontier though...
Hi! Great video! On an unrelated note I would recommend using a polarising filter on your camera to reduce the reflections in your glasses.
Glad you enjoyed it! Thanks for the feedback as well. The glare off my glasses is super annoying for me. I'm looking at picking up a filter to cut down on glare when photographing knives. Using it to cut my glasses' glare hadn't occurred to me. Sometimes I'm dense.
@@TheKnifeLifeChannel Well you simply can't know everything! The more you learn the more you realise how little you know, always stay humble and eager to learn.
excellent historical video on our beloved bowie
Glad you enjoyed it!
Opening scene was a Cold Steel 1917 Frontier Bowie. Beautiful beast of a blade.
Good spot!
Thank for the very anthropological history of the knife. It has always interested me as to the origins of this knife. One item that may not have anything to do with its history but is an intriguing idea is if you look at pictures of the Viking seax in its smaller forms the shape of the blades are similar to the Bowie. Thanks again.
From my understanding of the Bowie, it was basically the bushcraft knife of its time, except with a focus on creature killing - be that animal or human. It was the primary cutting tool for all large tasks when portability and weight was the name of the game for an individual.
That is a good description.
I'm certain there is an optimal knife size for knife fighting (much bigger and it either becomes unwieldy or one must learn sword fighting) but a big damn knife probably offers a lot of intimidation value.
The bowie guys typically say around 10 to 12 inches is about right. Larger ones like the confederate D-guards get be be unwieldy.
Can you do a video on All the Bowie knives designs. I love the case xx Bowie. But I'm looking for one in the same design. But better for my camping and survive situations. But I want that blade design. Any recommendations??
The best Bowies I'm aware of are the Bill Bagwell and James Keating designed knives, but they are rare and very expensive. Honestly I would say have one custom made, or look at the Cold Steel bowies for a cheaper option.
Another historic figure who used the bowie, and allegedly wrote an instructional book about fighting with it, was Cassius Marcellus Clay of Kentucky. He is know to have carried one most of the time and did kill a man named Brown with it in a fight at Russell Cave in Lexington. Brown was armed with a gun, so this is one time someone brought a knife to a gun fight and won. Read more about the fascinating life of Clay in the biography "The Lion Of Whitehall". For a mildly amusing, but still entertaining Hollywood interpretation of the origins of the knife, see "The Iron Mistress" starring Alan Lad. In this telling, Bowie has a blacksmith forge the knife to his own specifications. The blacksmith, in an effort to ensure this would be as Bowie requested a knife "that must not fail", alloys the steel with a piece of meteorite. Typical Hollywood BS, but still kind of fun. I've had one of the old Western brand bowies for about 45 years. They were cheap, I think I paid about 35 bucks for it back in the 70's, but it still keeps a razor edge after all these years. It is great for camping and bushwhacking, like a short machete'. I believe I have seen that same knife in some Hollywood films too.
Bringing a knife to a gunfight was a legit strategy back in the days of muzzleloaders. There are many accounts of such fights. I haven't seen the Iron Mistress yet; its on my to do list. Thanks for sharing!
Love that movie.
"Iron Mistress" I read that book when I was a kid. Good read, better than the movie!
The "Western" bowie was a very popular & well - made knife in the '60's & '70's...many say that incarnation is what a Bowie should look like...it was used extensively in 'Nam by S.F. who sometimes used it in camp or to break trail...it was also used as a fighting knife...May I suggest a program demonstrating fighting with a Bowie frontier - style? I have heard that one method combatants used was to tie their left wrists together with a bandana & fight with their right...I believe Bowie had a blade that was double - edged(at the point, clip) so as to better disembowel his opponent as he did at the Sandbar Fight...I imagine if you get under your opponent's guard & have the blade in reverse, you could slash across & gut them; reverse & thrust in & up, taking advantage of the double - edge to cause further damage...I read that the singer knew the proper pronunciation of the name, so that's why he went with "Bow - we..." May I also suggest a video on the Fairbairn - Sykes & how it was used? Many thanks for this interesting video...subbed...
Not only is the curved swedge better for backslashing, when you stick the torso, the tip moves (think of a ball bouncing once and staying up) and the swedge causes additional damage inside the torso, esp if you extract the blade with upward pressure on the tip. (If you're thinking about sharpening the swedge, check the state and local laws, first.) Even the mild curve in the Kabar's swedge is noted for this.
As blood kin of Jim Bowie (his aunt was my great, great grandmother)...the knife was pronounced BOW-ee, the family name was pronounced BOO-ee, at least in the family.
Thanks for sharing!
Thats exactly the same as I was always told by Your Family that I knew and would visit as a kid .
Go to Scotland and ask around how the name is pronounced. 99 out of 100 will not say Boo-ee
Brother, so appreciate your scholarship and clearly a well-honed edge on the discipline historiography! We are all better for being beneficiaries of your vocational skills! Blessings to you!
Thank-you for your kind words and support!
The Bowie Knife was first a tool. Its size and heft allowed it to be used to fell smaller trees with which to build a shelter. Well suited for skinning and cleaning fish and animals for food, clothing, as well as profit. As with any tool. It didn't take terribly long for someone to devise strategies for using it as a weapon.
Figures.Typical human behavior.I read some time ago,Davy Crockett begged for his life & Jim Bowie was a coward!Could not BELIEVE it!Why do people enjoy pulling heroes down?Is it jealousy?Wish it hadn't been allowed to put all those modern buildings around the Alamo.Developers have no ❤️.All they see is $!
@@susanmccormick6022 Agreed. I don't understand why some people want to tear down these historical heroes. I think their ignorance makes them feel good. I do not believe Davy Crockett begged for his life at all. And that goes triple for Jim Bowie.
@@thaynealexander8986 jealousy because they know they'd never cut the mustard?
@@susanmccormick6022 I'll be surprised if they can cut that. ;)
@@thaynealexander8986 Nice someone agrees.Being a history goof n doing archaeology makes some people yawn.Don't know what they're missing.Fascinated by Dino's too.In fact,from yr dot to about 1910.Then it gets boring for me.Although I love the 50s hair styles n clothes.I wonder if a time machine will ever b possible & will people meddle if it is.Which seems to be a strong possibility given homo sapiens track record with things.
I LOVE that 1917 Frontier Bowls you're using in this video. It's an excellent blade and one of my personal favorites!!!
I'm looking to pick up a Laredo bowie once the new ones are available. The 1917 is my girlfriends favorite blade in the collection though...
@@TheKnifeLifeChannel bro, she's a keeper!!! Lol! You've got a great channel btw. Looking forward to doing a lot of viewing!
@@TheKnifeLifeChannel just bought the 1917 Frontier,comes in mail. I have the Laredo Bowie and can highly recomend it, it's just a fantastic piece of historic steel. I want the Natchez Bowie too, but never in stock where i buy knives(Lamnia) I am Norwegian by the way, we love Bowie knives too. Bought the 1849 Riflemans knife and that is one hell of a knife, just fantastic. Would maybe be called a Bowie too, in the old days? It has a sharp spine,clip,tip or whatever and a guard.
Good synopsis. Check out the Southern Comfort sheath for Bowies and large knives by Mike Sastre of River City Sheaths.
I'm glad you enjoyed the video. I'll take a look at that now.
JAMES KEATING .. the modern master of fighting with a Bowie knife.. this guy is awesome he's the real deal 👍
Keating is very cool. I'm hoping to get him on the channel for a livestream.
Head instructor of Pekiti-Tirsia Kali International. Said these are the one of the best knifes to fight with.
They are very dangerous in the hands of someone who knows how to use one.
I agree with him. I teach the use and fighting aspect of the Bowie. And concur that it is the best big knife to fight with. Considering someone knowing how to use the back edge and motions of the snap cut well. If you had a curved cross guard for "blade catching" it starts to leave all other knives in the dust.
Interesting Video. Nice work👍🇺🇸
Glad you enjoyed it!
Wow. Killer looking blade. It’s a lot like the KBar I still haul around when camping from my Marine Corps days
Being from Sheffield it was interesting to find out how these knives were used. Thanks for the video.
You can't be a cowboy without a Bowie knife.
Cowboys of TH-cam, take note!
@@TheKnifeLifeChannel Also need spurs that jingle jangle jingle.
You can't be a cowboy period without the Spanish Vaqueros, who always used knives for work and defense.
Good stuff. Thanks. Some of the "longer, heavier" sound very similar to Kukri.
Glad you enjoyed it! If you haven't seen it already, I actually just released a video on the Kukri!
@@TheKnifeLifeChannel Yep, that's queued up next :) It's always interesting that successful designs often have a lot more in common than they have differences. I like seeing realistic discussions about something, so keep on doing what you're doing.
@@mikeremski2102 awesome! Thanks for your support!
Jim Bowie's first knife did not look like what we commonly know as the Bowie knife ..No clip point..no guard .. it was given to him by his brother
RESIN BOWIE ( pronounced reason)..Resin submitted a design to a blacksmith and had the knife made custom for him..
The description as follows: a large chef's knife.. with a 9 and 1/4 in STRAIGHT BLADE ..NOT CURVED sharpened on one edge.. ( No guard NO clip point ).... This is most likely the knife that was brought to the melee at the Sandbar dual.. where Bowie was attacked stabbed and shot in Bowie killed one man and severely injured another with his huge chef knife.... Eventually the clip point was added & the guard.. giving us the knife we all know and love today the Bowie knife
By the way I made a mistake it's not chef's knife it's butcher's knife sorry
Resin's account is the most likely description of the real "Bowie Knife," which is why I included his quote in the video. Whatever it was though,l it has since evolved like you stated.
yeah , not quite , The Bowie knife that Jim Bowie was famous for was made from a meteorite rock made of nickel iron in Arkansas , there's only 1 bowie knife ,
Interesting video. Any thoughts on the Coldsteel Bowie? If it's not something you care for, do you a favorite current Bowie? tx
I like the Laredo Bowie and its derivatives. The 1917 in this video is ok, but I'm not a big fan of it. Back edge isn't sharpened, and the grip is uncomfortable. Good Bowies are hard to find. The best are usually custom made.
Fantastic video
I'm glad you enjoyed it!
@@TheKnifeLifeChannel
Always heard that the Bowie knife evolved from the Viking Sax which originally was remade broken sword blades they would rework the top cutting edge and fold it to give the blade a stronger brace so it wont break agajn. Leaving the tip sharp and the bottom edge sharp. Anyway hope you can find some information about this being the orginal design.
I like the idea that the Viking were involved.
@@lonknight3197 With respect, the Bowie knife had it's evolution from a few sources. But the Viking Sax wasn't really one. It got most of it's roots from the Spanish hunting knives and Navaja's. With some Mediterranean influence. And even more so with the German hunting knife called the Bauernwehr.
But the Sax is an amazing knife on it's own.
Thanks for the information, my dad got me one as graduation present it was really fun to build the grip on it.
Glad you enjoyed the video! Thats a cool graduation present!
Yeah I never go into the woods without it.
Im using a bowie for literally any and everything
I use it as my primary cooking knife even!
Great Knife. For Outdoorsman activities, Self defense, Homelife, Carpentry, you name it a good bowie will do an A-Grade Job at it.
Bowies are some of the most versatile blades out there!
I read somewhere fighting Bowies many times had a soft copper spine soldered to the steel spine. This was for when fighting and an enemy slashes at you, you could stop the blade with it. It was soft so his edge wouldn't slide down and it would stop his attack. Basically for perrying. It also just plain looks awesome lol. I don't see them hardly tho. What type are these called as I'd like to own one someday
Bowies with a copper or brass back don't have an explicit name as far as I'm aware. But they do look cool, they are meant as blade catches, and they are a legit thing.
@@TheKnifeLifeChannel yeah they look awesome. I wonder too how well this feature would work on large bushcraft style knives as well. Seems like the copper or brass spines would make baton work on with them alot more effective and efficient, better for the batons too. Then over time if they get mushroomed any you can just sweat the old one off and sweat a new one on.
@@TheKnifeLifeChannel another quick question for you since you seem to know cutlery well. I was at the Ghangus Khan exhibit a couple years ago. They had the emperor's sword there, Marco polos sword and so on. They also have one or two fancy Damascus swords. Not sure of thier exact name or origin. Anyways it appeared on those that they has some gold features inlaid into the swords blade somehow. They was tiny gold circles. They looked as if they went thru one side to the other. It was a round rosette of sorts with smaller round rosettes. So you see a cross section that appear as if a steel cable was cut in half sorta, but they were decorative gold instead. It was so tightly done it appeared as if it was forged that way with it inside. But gold or brass melts faster than steel and that likely wouldn't work out. So it must have been drilled and then added in later. What's the name of those decorations like that? I've tried to search Google for that type of decoration but all I see instead is inlays and engravings etc. Very beautiful swords. Top notch quality. Even tho they was Chinese and not Japanese. They kind of resembled tiny coins impeded into the blades. That's what I called them ever since too. Coins, but I'd like to know the right term so I can search and see how it done
@@hughgrection3052 can you provide me a link to take a look at it?
Here in Alabama, the Bowie is the only knife that has any mention in the law and is prohibited to carry in public. Everything else is fair game. It's an old law that's still on the books.
The law regarding Bowies in Texas (Texas!) was the same until just a few years ago. Now you can legally carry blades of any length in Texas, up to and including swords. Local laws may apply.
@@stefanlaskowski6660never bring a knife to a gunfight tho
Where can i view the source videos of the clips on bowie sparring?
Hi Martin. Those videos were from me. And my Bowie Knife classes and demonstrations at events. The event one at the end of the video may be up on TH-cam, I can find the title for you. I don't own that one. But I always need to ask why people want to the full videos. Hope you understand.
As a descendent of Jim Bowie, I gotta say this video has many errors. One being that the Bowie knife has several very distinct features shoot as blade length blade shape as well as the quickpoint on the blade. Several pictures you’ve shown in this video closer resemble the Texas toothpick knife rather than a Bowie knife. I’d also say that the Bowie knife originated in Texas however it is unclear whether it was Jim Bowie or his brother who made the knife. However yes it did that is the concept of the Bowie knife the shape and size did originate in Texas not from sword fighting.
I always heard it was his brother, Rezin, I think that's how his name is spelled, that made the knife, and gave it as a gift to Jim. Or that's what I remember reading in the book: Three Roads To The Alamo.
Been a long time since I read the book, so my memory isn't real good.
I absolutely agree with you...this guy is full of shit.
Sheffield of England added the cross-guard that wasn't on the original Bowie, and by all accounts Bowie 's knife had a straight back, not a clip point.
Sureeeee buddy and I'm trumps son
Fascinating video, and very interesting.
Small point - I was always told it was 'Boo-eee', when speaking of the frontiersman James Bowie. The pronunciation 'Boh-eee' related to the musician David Bowie.
A fun story that I've encountered is that David Bowie took his stage name partially because of the "Bowie Knife." He found out later that many people pronounce it Boh-eee. I've encountered both, people claiming to related to James Bowie have been on both sides, and it seems to really be a regional thing. Southerners call it one way, Northerners and Australians call it another. I honestly don't know which is correct historically.
Three ways to start a fight that can rival a race riot:
"I've got the best multitool!"
"My EDC knife is the correct one!"
"My Bowie knife is the ORIGINAL pattern!"
(Laughs) Oh yea, I've got some of that going on in the comments now...
@@TheKnifeLifeChannel Yup! Good vid, though.
@@philupdegrave731 glad you enjoyed it!
😂 OMG You nailed it!
In the gun world to start all pistol arguments.
GLOCK is the best & only EDC to have.
Or you could start an AR vs AK fight, or 9mm vs 45...
Thank you for the very anthropological history of this knife. I have always been interested in the origins of this knife type . A intriguing supposition is if you loo at the shape of the Viking seax in its smaller forms the blade shapes are similar to the Bowie. Thanks.
Seax blade is more akin to a large Wharncliffe blade.
The most popular frontier Bowie style blade has a large Clip Point (not Wharncliffe) blade.
Very different blades.
I'm glad you enjoyed the video. I've heard numberous suggestions that the Bowie draws from the seax, but I believe that the German Lange Messer is more likely.
Now that's a knoife
😅 Can't cut a yellow balloon,though.....😂
You mention 'The Sheffield Knife Company', which is perhaps an error, as there were numerous Sheffield knife-making firms in the periods discussed that exported knives to the US. But anyway this was an intriguing look at the history of the Bowie, thank you 😁
That was an error that I need to make a note of in the video. The cool thing about doing this channel is that I learn a lot from it. I'm glad you enjoyed the video, and I hope to see you around the channel again!
@@TheKnifeLifeChannel Really enjoyed, thanks ))
First question - is there any difference between a Bowie Knife and an Arkansas Toothpick?
Second question - isn't it pronounced Boo-E and not Bow-E?
Third question - Isn't the James Black Bowie knife, made in Washington, Arkansas in 1830 considered the first actual Bowie?
First Answer - Yes and no. Like the Bowie there isn't really a hard set definition, especially for back in the day. But today we would typically consider a large double edged dagger an Arkansas Toothpick.
Second Answer - Honestly, its whichever you prefer. The Boo-E advocates say its a Scottish name and that's how its pronounced, but all the Scots I've asked contradict this. I had a Texan tell me that its just the way its pronounced because Texas has some weird pronunciations, but Jim Bowie was originally from Kentucky, then Missouri, then Louisiana. Short answer, if you are a Texan, than its a Boo-E. Other than that I usually hear Bow-E.
Third Answer - This is delving back into the myth and legend surrounding Bowie and James Black. According to Rezin's account, no. The first Bowie was the blade at the Sandbar Fight. A lot of people consider the James Black bowie to be the improvement upon the original. But here is another kicker; there are a number of blades that were supposedly made by Black, but they cannot be definitively tied back to him. So we don't even know completely for sure what Black's knives look like.
Hey Win, good questions.
1. In actuality many toothpicks and Bowies were indistinguishable. And some just called a Bowie, a toothpick. But there was some differences, one being the toothpick was a little thinner. More of a Dirk look to it, it also was fully double edged. It wasn't curved or had a belly.
2. It varies, many in the south pronounced it Boo-we. But most referred to it as Bow-ee.
3. The first official "Bowie" is unknown. The video does explain where the knife got the name Bowie. But the knife itself, is influenced by the Spanish and the Navaja first. But took other influences from German Messer, the Sax and the Bauernwehr.
Thanks for the answers. It's my understanding that James Black did indeed improve upon the Bowie knife, and did so for Jim Bowie himself before he left for The Alamo. Black also supposedly rediscovered some knife steel making technique that made his knives extra tough, but the secret died with him.
I know there are more Knifesmiths in the state of Arkansas than any where else in the world, or at least in the US. It's a big-time traditional heritage thing in Arkansas. Jimmy Lile is a legend around here!
@@redleg1971 Rezin Bowie (Jim's brother) actually made a number of big knives for Jim. Jim would lose a few during his exploits. I have never heard of Black knowing or rediscovering any knife steel techniques. Something I will enjoy researching though.
@@redleg1971 his knife was made from a meteorite rock , consisting of iron and nickel
Well...finally a YT video on the Bowie that does not make me nauseous!
Well done!
I'm glad you enjoyed! I hope to see you around the channel again!
It doesn’t matter where, or how it was invented.
If you are calling a knife by the name of the man that made it famous, you should pronounce it the way he pronounced his name … “Boo-wee”
Nice vid- Case bowies are my favorite to look at but I can only get three of my fingers on that handle. My Western W49 bowie has a much more generous handle but it’s still too thin & pretty for hard use.
My go to knife is the Ontario SP10- the marine raider bowie, with its .255 blade thickness (6.5mm for you metric types) and the super generous molded handle.
This knife has never failed me, and is my constant companion when I’m out and about in the woods. I use a Buck 110 for smaller tasks, I find these two a hard to beat bushcraft combo.👍🏻
Glad you enjoyed the video, and I hope to see you around the channel again! I'll have to take a look at the Ontario Bowie.
Boo'-ee ...Boo'-ee...Boo'-ee please. James Bowie was of Scottish ancestry and his name was at the time and is pronounced Boo'-ee. (Not like the English rocker!) It's Gaelic /Scottish form is Buie and means "light" or "Yellow". Great information and interesting to get your take on the style and use of the knife, but it sure "grates" on my nerves and ear every time you say his name...and mispronounce it. Don't spoil your good information.
I'm glade you enjoyed the video! As a Northerner I'd only heard it pronounced the way I said it. A couple of people like you have pointed out the Scottish connection, which makes a lot of sense. Thanks for letting me know!
Many Scots pronounce the Scottish/Irish surname Bowie just as it is spelt, you should know this. We can't exactly ask Jim Bowie now can we.
Thanks that was really informative and interesting and accurate.
I'm glad you enjoyed it!
Not sure if it's considered a Bowie, but you can definitely see the Bowie influence in the USMC's Ka-Bar knife
The K-Bar is a direct descendent of the Bowie. Its essentially a scaled down version.
Ist eine Mischung zwischen Säbel und Bajonet?
Ich würde das nicht sagen. Ich glaube es ist ein kurzer Säbel.
Fantastic video. Very well-presented. Enjoyed this a lot.
I'm glad you enjoyed it! Thanks for your support!
Thx, great Video! What do you think of the Trailmaster?
I don't have one, but here is my experience with Cold steel bowies for what its worth: Cold Steel seems to be the only one producing ok fighting bowies. I do really like the Laredo bowie, which the Trailmaster seems pretty similar too. The 1917 Bowie I have is alright, but its a bit forward heavy and the grip isn't that comfortable. The main issue I see with the Trailmaster is its made with VG1. For a bowie I would say something like 1095 or 1085 steel, S7 Shock steel, or something comparable would be best. VG1 is not a go to steel for me for a blade that could be subjected to serious abuse.
Summary: I don't have one, but I don't think you will go too wrong with one.
@@TheKnifeLifeChannel Thx! I have the O1 Version and the grip and balance are, like you said, the points that need a bit of work. I am planning on putting a new grip on it , if I ever find time...
Ah, I like the idea of O1 a lot better. A large part of the reason I got the Frontier over the Trailmaster was the grip actually. The Frontier grip leaves a lot to be desired, but I don't want a rubber grip on a Bowie. Something like a wooden coffin grip would be much preferable.
Great vid very entertaining and informative.
Noticed that is the cold steel bowie you got.
Would you recomend it?
Its ok. I greatly prefer the Laredo. The grip is not particularly comfortable and the clip isn't sharpened, but its about the best one you'll get for the price.
I have the bowie machete...wonderful workmanship..🏴☠️
Great video! I would like to know where you got your fine specimen I love the blued blade.
Glad you enjoyed the video! I hope to see you around the channel some more! As for the Bowie, it is a 1917 Frontier Bowie from Cold Steel. You can find one here:
amzn.to/3P4b5xY
Just came across this vid/channel…informative video and awesome content…keep up the great work…subscribed 💯🤙🏽