The Bowie knife got its name from its designer Colonel Jim Bowie. He designed this knife with a large blade and unique shape and the design was created by James Black. The knife is considered to be a large sheath knife with a clip point. The knife is best used as a weapon for hunting and fishing and a tool for camping. The bowie knife has improved with the time and need over the years and became the first choice of the people for its utility as a weapon.
The conventional Bowie Knife had a blade made of steel with the thickness between 3/16 and 1/4 .The size of the blade used to be six inches sometimes it went up to 12 inches and more. The blade used to be wide with 1 1/2 to 2 inches. The back side of the blade had a strip of soft metal set on the surface with an intention to catch the blade of opponent. The upper guard was designed to bent forward at an angle served the same purpose of catching the opponent's blade.
Those trained in the European technique of saber fencing used to sharpen the back edge of curved clip point in order to back cut or back slash. The shape and style of the blade was chosen keeping in mind the hunting needs. Later on a new featured was added. Inspired by the Air Force Survival Knife the back side of the blade was machined with the saw teeth. With this type of design one could cut the Plexiglas canopy of a drowned aircraft.
The bowie knife still enjoys the popularity not because it is old and one should treasure it but because they are best and one of its kind and with varied functions.
Bowie Knife Reviews