Gorgeous Custom Bowie

[SAFARIKIDD]

Gorgeous Custom JJ McGovern Bowie Knife Great Burl Walnut 440C Satin Polished 11" Blade w/filework 16" oal.. $450 shpd w/sheath

 

[VertigoBE]

Hi @SAFARIKIDD ,

I'm not interested to buy this knife, but would love to ask you a few questions about it. Before you posted this one and several other knives of the same caliber, I did not know these kind of knives existed. What I mean is these very large, almost short-sword length hunting/combat knives. In your expert opinion, do these knives serve a practical purpose, or are they more of a collectable or show case for the skills of a knife maker? Just to be clear, I do not ask this in jest, but very honestly instead.

thanks,

V.

 

[SAFARIKIDD]

No problem!...I love Big Bowies and have collected many...They served a serious use back in the Civil War...look at any of the old photos of the soldiers (mainly Southern) and the huge Bowies they carried for Battle...they were used for self defense and offense..not to mention chores around the camp..There are books on these Historical Bowies with many photos and some make this one look small! Lol
Also in World War II similar large knives were carried besides Bayonets...Large Bowies by Western and other manufacturers too...Also Smatchets were popular and either of these in original form get top dollar now..
I love the look and feeling when I carry one in the woods...even Africa I carried bigger ones and Alaska too...Never know when Grizz may sneak up on ya!!

 

[JPmbogo]

But never bring a knife to a gun fight----->

 

[Red Leg]

Hi @SAFARIKIDD ,

I'm not interested to buy this knife, but would love to ask you a few questions about it. Before you posted this one and several other knives of the same caliber, I did not know these kind of knives existed. What I mean is these very large, almost short-sword length hunting/combat knives. In your expert opinion, do these knives serve a practical purpose, or are they more of a collectable or show case for the skills of a knife maker? Just to be clear, I do not ask this in jest, but very honestly instead.

thanks,

V.

The concept of the Bowie knife was born in the now nearly mythical, but true Sandbar Fight near Natchez, Mississippi in 1827 where Jim Bowie, acting as a second, put his big knife to effective use. He also carried it at the Alamo in in 1837 where the weapon's immortality was sealed.

The Sandbar Fight, Mississippi – Legends of America

The Sandbar Fight occurred just north of Natchez, Mississippi on a sandbar in the Mississippi River on September 19, 1827.

www.legendsofamerica.com

His probably did not have the clip point, but by the Civil War the form was mature, and in all its forms it served to the end of America's frontier period. If you look at the Marine Corps Kaybar, the soul of the Bowie soldiers on.

And any JJ McGovern blade is a superb thing.

 

[Wishfulthinker580]

The concept of the Bowie knife was born in the now nearly mythical, but true Sandbar Fight near Natchez, Mississippi in 1827 where Jim Bowie, acting as a second, put his big knife to effective use. He also carried it at the Alamo in in 1837 where the weapon's immortality was sealed.

The Sandbar Fight, Mississippi – Legends of America

The Sandbar Fight occurred just north of Natchez, Mississippi on a sandbar in the Mississippi River on September 19, 1827.

www.legendsofamerica.com

His probably did not have the clip point, but by the Civil War the form was mature, and in all its forms it served to the end of America's frontier period. If you look at the Marine Corps Kaybar, the soul of the Bowie soldiers on.

View attachment 515344

And any JJ McGovern blade is a superb thing.

Apologies to the OP for the thread derailment here but I read this book a while back and found it really interesting. Larger than life characters for sure

https://www.harpercollins.com/products/three-roads-to-the-alamo-william-c-davis?variant=32207542976546

 

[JeffD]

This thread made my day.

 

[Garrett89]

I'm so tempted right now....

 

[WillMFerguson]

I'm so tempted right now....

Do it or I will lol

 

[zephyr]

Not to hijack your thread here is a Jim Bensinger Ruination Bowie that found it's way to my gun room

 

[Just Gina]

This!

 

[Brent in Az]

Heck of a knife

 

[Red Leg]

In Africa, a client can not take along a carry gun, but he can carry a knife. I am fairly certain Jim Bowie would have been fine with that. If you look closely, even our @Von Gruff 's perfect JT Ranger carries more than a bit of the Bowie DNA. Like all its progeny, a broadly useful blade with tremendous defensive potential.

Someone should buy that knife.

 

[nztimb]

As the time frame drifted from the Sand Bar fight it seemed that almost any large knife got the Bowie name attached to it and while this one is said to be an English dirk, Von Tempsky did spend time in the california gold fields and was influenced by the knives he saw there, so I believe it to have been more inspired by that when he was a leader of the Forest Rangers here in New Zealand during the Moari wars. He had a blacksmith make a dozen of these for his men. Only one was known to have survived and in the years after the wars one old veteran was still using his as his every day carry knife although it had had an inch or two broken (or cut) from the tip and is in the photo with this artical. I have a couple of pieces of Moa bone (extinct NZ bird larger than ostrich) that I had thought to use for the handle if I get round to making one..

 

[Ray B]

Back in the day I carried a Gerber- variation of the Brit stiletto. A guy in our unit was from Florida so naturally he carried a Randall #1, which in 1967 was not yet a household word. A few guys were buying into the darling of the day and got tomahawks- but that seemed too cumbersome to carry along with all the other stuff we had to lug around. Personal weapons were allowed so handguns, generally 357 Pythons or Model 19s were popular. This was before they inspected incoming mail so getting resupplied by way of a box of ammo placed inside a loaf of bread worked well. That said, the main means of self defense on which I relied was being in a Free-Fire Zone and pre-plotted coordinates for air & arty support. Nothing said loving like a well placed155 HE air burst.

 

[VertigoBE]

As the time frame drifted from the Sand Bar fight it seemed that almost any large knife got the Bowie name attached to it and while this one is said to be an English dirk, Von Tempsky did spend time in the california gold fields and was influenced by the knives he saw there, so I believe it to have been more inspired by that when he was a leader of the Forest Rangers here in New Zealand during the Moari wars. He had a blacksmith make a dozen of these for his men. Only one was known to have survived and in the years after the wars one old veteran was still using his as his every day carry knife although it had had an inch or two broken (or cut) from the tip and is in the photo with this artical. I have a couple of pieces of Moa bone (extinct NZ bird larger than ostrich) that I had thought to use for the handle if I get round to making one..View attachment 515380

That is a very lovely looking blade too. Make it double edged and you have something that resembles a forerunner of the Fairbairn-Sykes.

 

[geoff rath]

A hijack of the thread; could I take my Nepalese Kukri in the unlikely chance of a return to Afrika to hunt?

 

[Sourdough]

I too have an affection for "Bowie knives". A guy I know in Canada hand forged these two for me.

It is generally believed that the knife Jim Bowie used in the sandbar fight was actually a large kitchen knife. And it wasn't until after this fight that a "Bowie" style knife came into existence. One belief is that Jim's brother Rezin either made the original or commissioned it from a local blacksmith. Of course there are lots of other beliefs.

Certainly the first knives bore little resemblance to what we now recognize as a "Bowie". But by the time of the Alamo the style had matured to something like the brass guard one in my photo. The brass strap on the back of the blade is believed to have the function of catching the opponents blade as the brass is much softer then the steel of the blade. I have not tested this belief.

 

[SAFARIKIDD]

If you Google Civil War Bowie Photos...
Many photos of soldiers posing with their weapons of mass destruction
Last photo shows a collection of many originals

View attachment 515548

 

[SAFARIKIDD]

Many Originals