Rec and Sports

What Makes a Knife to Be a Bowie Knife?

The Bowie knife is one of the most remarkable tools to ever be created. This knife serves equally well during camping, fishing, hunting or as a form of personal protection. While most people are familiar with the general shape and form of a Bowie knife, understanding what actually qualifies a knife to claim that particular name can be a little difficult.

Actually, Bowie knives got started in Louisiana. The first one was actually commissioned by James Bowie’s brother, Rezin. The original knife was a little over 9 inches long (blade length), had no cross guards and did not have the clipped point that is such a hallmark of Bowie knives today. The next version of the knife differed slightly. In fact, the number of versions between the knife commissioned by Rezin and what you would recognize today as a Bowie knife are truly not known. What is know is that James Bowie eventually commissioned a blacksmith by the name of James Black to create a knife based off a wooden version that Bowie had made. The result was unique.

The “original” or “true” Bowie knife today is actually based on the “Sheffield” Bowie, which differs from the version used by James Bowie at the Alamo. Today’s version has a much less pronounced clip at the front, with a longer, though shallower, curve leading from the tip of the point to the top of the spine. The knives are also usually thinner than the one that James Black produced and the false edge is usually sharpened (though not always).

The classic look is what most purists accept as a true Bowie knife, though even here, there is much disparity. Some collectors even accept Sheffield Bowies as true Bowie knives (these feature a sharpened back curve on the point, where the clipped portion curves up to meet the knife’s spine).

Finally, the knife should have only a single edge, though some versions with saw-teeth on the spine have been produced, based on a military design that saw use during the Vietnam war (and featured in films such as the Rambo series). Of course, the status of a particular knife will vary with each person, depending on whether they are purists or just knife lovers.

Dylan Sabot is the owner of an online bowie hunting knife store featuring the Cold Steel jim bowie knife. Additionally, Dylan is also the President of a specialty lighters store.