All About Pocket Knives

Posted: **Wed May 22, 2024 5:24 pm**

We all love Bowie knives, and most of us have at least one, some of us have many. But does anyone actually use one?
Aside from their original purpose as a fighting knife they're not much good for anything (IMHO) except as a chopper.
Do you use a Bowie?

Posted: **Wed May 22, 2024 7:55 pm**

The closest I can come to a Bowie is this Cat 225Q and it does make a good chopper. Nice Buck Ken.

Posted: **Thu May 23, 2024 2:39 am**

It depends on how you define Bowie. This is the first time that 've seen the Buck in your picture called a Bowie. While I owned the same Buck I never wanted to carry its weight up the slopes of ridges while hunting or on long back packing trips. However, I like knives that heavy for cleaning salmon. A stiff blade is good for cutting through their spine behind the gill and the weight is great for whacking off tails. If your Buck qualifies as a Bowie then so do the knives I usually clean salmon with. I have used much lighter 6" fixed blades for hunting. I don't know if you'd call them Bowies but manufacturers have named their 6" clip point knives Bowies. If you agree with Smith & Wesson naming their famous 1970s Texas Ranger Bowie a Bowie then at least some of the knives I've carried hunting qualify.

On the other hand, unless you are an internet yo-yo battening his knife when he would be better served with a hatchet, huge knives are just to look at.

Posted: **Thu May 23, 2024 2:55 am**

steve99f wrote: ↑Wed May 22, 2024 7:55 pm The closest I can come to a Bowie is this Cat 225Q and it does make a good chopper. Nice Buck Ken.

Steve, that is one of my all time favorites. I found my dad’s 225Q poorly stored all rusty with deteriorated leather handle in the garage when I was a kid and thought it was the coolest knife ever. I still have it. Since then, I have been fortunate to acquire a couple of nice ones. I will have to grab a photo and post it. Too bad the sheaths are not a nice as the knives.

Posted: **Thu May 23, 2024 3:19 am**

In my experience it was rare for sheaths to receive the same care as a treasured knife back in the day. Mine is kind of beat.

It's great to have your dad's knife, take good care of it.

Posted: **Thu May 23, 2024 6:58 am**

steve99f wrote: ↑Wed May 22, 2024 7:55 pm The closest I can come to a Bowie is this Cat 225Q and it does make a good chopper. Nice Buck Ken.

Nice 225Q. I very much like these & the Case 337Q.

Posted: **Thu May 23, 2024 10:43 am**

I have a Buck 124, I have carried it and used it. I

The original Bowie was described as more of a kitchen knife, which makes sense it would be far handier than what we think of as a Bowie now.

Posted: **Thu May 23, 2024 5:36 pm**

I did not mean to be too critical of the Buck 124. It's big and its handle design adds weight for no sound reason but I don't consider it to be huge. Where I have hunted more recently the terrain is flatter and I don't walk miles away from my vehicle so its unnecessary weight would not be objectional. However Buck sells lots of lighter knives that will field dress my deer just as well.

Posted: **Fri May 24, 2024 4:03 am**

Modern Slip Joints wrote: ↑Thu May 23, 2024 5:36 pm I did not mean to be too critical of the Buck 124. It's big and its handle design adds weight for no sound reason but I don't consider it to be huge. Where I have hunted more recently the terrain is flatter and I don't walk miles away from my vehicle so its unnecessary weight would not be objectional. However Buck sells lots of lighter knives that will field dress my deer just as well.

My question really had little to do with hunting, and the picture of the Buck 124 was the first one that popped up in my knife file. I don't know why it's distorted.
Occasionally i see a bush rat sporting a Bowie. They have wandered into Fairbanks for supplies and seem to be making a statement.
Generally, I think Bowie knives are reserved for chores around hunting camp, or kept with the rest of the collection under lock and key.

Posted: **Fri May 24, 2024 4:08 pm**

There seems to be no consensus on what it takes to be a true Bowie. In my mind, the big and beautiful Buck 124 seems to tick off a lot of the boxes in many of the abundant definitions of a Bowie, so I'd consider it a Bowie.

In celebration of the Bowie, Dundee's remark is classic....

[youtube]https://youtu.be/WWl8EbNN8NM?si=P3py9XjWEiT0Dyr9[/youtube]

Posted: **Tue May 28, 2024 2:48 am**

I got an Original Bowie, I use it often when at the farm, it’s a German brute, ( fist holding 3 arrows makers mark. I can quarter a deer in no time- not much good for actually cutting it up n edible portions. I’ll put a pic up when I get home.

Posted: **Tue May 28, 2024 3:37 am**

I’ve had this Bowie since my dad gave it to me for Christmas when I was 11 (26 years ago). I have used it for everything from chopping kindling to field dressing an antelope to using it to hand cut ice cubes into diamonds when I was a Mixologist in Texas. It’s definitely my favorite piece in my collection, and one of the first things I grab when I’m going camping or hunting. The story of how my dad got it is interesting. He was working for the sheriff’s office in Jackson, WY in the 90’s, when he got a call to the Cowboy Bar. A 7’ tall drunk had just beat the crap out of a bunch of other drunks and then took his shirt off and was cutting his own chest up with the Bowie knife to show everyone how tough he was. My dad and a female officer who wasn’t much over 4’ tall, then had to subdue the hulk before he hurt himself too bad. The details of the story get a bit hazy here, but my dad and his partner were able to subdue him and get him in the back of the squad car. The next day, when he had sobered up, he told my dad to keep the knife.
It’s a Ruana 31BA ‘M’

Posted: **Tue May 28, 2024 3:18 pm**

Here’s my Original Bowie. Pretty sure it’s been re-handled, I cut the finger grips- whomever put the wood on must have had Andre the Giant sized handles- Cause I got a pretty big hands and it was uncomfortable to work with.

Posted: **Tue May 28, 2024 4:17 pm**

Danhandled wrote: ↑Tue May 28, 2024 3:37 am I’ve had this Bowie since my dad gave it to me for Christmas when I was 11 (26 years ago). I have used it for everything from chopping kindling to field dressing an antelope to using it to hand cut ice cubes into diamonds when I was a Mixologist in Texas. It’s definitely my favorite piece in my collection, and one of the first things I grab when I’m going camping or hunting. The story of how my dad got it is interesting. He was working for the sheriff’s office in Jackson, WY in the 90’s, when he got a call to the Cowboy Bar. A 7’ tall drunk had just beat the crap out of a bunch of other drunks and then took his shirt off and was cutting his own chest up with the Bowie knife to show everyone how tough he was. My dad and a female officer who wasn’t much over 4’ tall, then had to subdue the hulk before he hurt himself too bad. The details of the story get a bit hazy here, but my dad and his partner were able to subdue him and get him in the back of the squad car. The next day, when he had sobered up, he told my dad to keep the knife.
It’s a Ruana 31BA ‘M’

Great story and welcome.

Posted: **Tue May 28, 2024 7:00 pm**

Dullest_knife wrote: ↑Tue May 28, 2024 3:18 pm Here’s my Original Bowie. Pretty sure it’s been re-handled, I cut the finger grips- whomever put the wood on must have had Andre the Giant sized handles- Cause I got a pretty big hands and it was uncomfortable to work with.

I sure hope that Bowie tip does not slip off that steering wheel!

Posted: **Tue May 28, 2024 7:40 pm**

Jeepergeo wrote: ↑Tue May 28, 2024 7:00 pm
Dullest_knife wrote: ↑Tue May 28, 2024 3:18 pm Here’s my Original Bowie. Pretty sure it’s been re-handled, I cut the finger grips- whomever put the wood on must have had Andre the Giant sized handles- Cause I got a pretty big hands and it was uncomfortable to work with.
I sure hope that Bowie tip does not slip off that steering wheel!

Haha- good point- believe the little lady would pissed or throwing a party. Wonder which

Posted: **Wed May 29, 2024 3:17 pm**

Danhandled wrote: ↑Tue May 28, 2024 3:37 am I’ve had this Bowie since my dad gave it to me for Christmas when I was 11 (26 years ago). I have used it for everything from chopping kindling to field dressing an antelope to using it to hand cut ice cubes into diamonds when I was a Mixologist in Texas. It’s definitely my favorite piece in my collection, and one of the first things I grab when I’m going camping or hunting. The story of how my dad got it is interesting. He was working for the sheriff’s office in Jackson, WY in the 90’s, when he got a call to the Cowboy Bar. A 7’ tall drunk had just beat the crap out of a bunch of other drunks and then took his shirt off and was cutting his own chest up with the Bowie knife to show everyone how tough he was. My dad and a female officer who wasn’t much over 4’ tall, then had to subdue the hulk before he hurt himself too bad. The details of the story get a bit hazy here, but my dad and his partner were able to subdue him and get him in the back of the squad car. The next day, when he had sobered up, he told my dad to keep the knife.
It’s a Ruana 31BA ‘M’

Cool!

Posted: **Wed May 29, 2024 3:18 pm**

Dullest_knife wrote: ↑Tue May 28, 2024 3:18 pm Here’s my Original Bowie. Pretty sure it’s been re-handled, I cut the finger grips- whomever put the wood on must have had Andre the Giant sized handles- Cause I got a pretty big hands and it was uncomfortable to work with.

Posted: **Wed May 29, 2024 4:56 pm**

My experience has been that anything with a blade of much over four inches tends to be awkward for many tasks. A knife is not a hatchet, so chopping wood with a knife is not something I'd do. I field dressed a deer one time using a vintage Case bowie style knife that had about a five-inch blade. I found it a bit of a challenge to use and never took it on another deer hunt.

Posted: **Sat Feb 08, 2025 11:00 pm**

I love using the knives I collect to make the food I enjoy. It always seems to taste better when using some great collectible to slice stuff up. One thing that's always a crowd pleaser is to bring out your bad boy bowie when slicing up a smoked brisket or pork sholder.

Nothing gets the "ooh's & ahhh's" at my grill like my Colt Bandit Bowie when serving it up! Smoked meat and a great bowie just seem to go together. If you think collecting it is fun, try eating with it!

: Colt CT823 Bandit Bowie.jpg (48.59 KiB) Viewed 4777 times

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