MikeNY
12-27-2009, 10:18 AM
We have had a few threads on the use of the knife, as a home defence weapon and this thread is about what edged weapon would be wanted and need if firearms weren't available and or use was limited.
Having fenced, the Bowie Knife is appealing on many grounds, it being my thesis that in the Old West and New Orleans they carried large bladed Bowie's for War, medium for hunting and shorter fancy knives in the City for dress. By large bladed Bowie I mean 13 to 13.5 inches and larger, shorter being the Bowies with fancy handles and 8, 9 or 10 inched blades, and medium inbeween those two sizes. I'd guess my two favorite Bowie knives are a 14.5" and a 15.5" blade. Almost a short saber or cutlass, very similar in size to the Roman Gladius, Spartan sword or Viking & Saxon Sax.
It is interesting to see what people selected to carry during the age when the sword was still a weapon and men trained in it. Many American's and European's in Frontier enviroments choose the Bowie knife, men in the Old West, Africa, Asia, Middle East plus Latin/South America choose a Bowie knife and Col. Colt's revolver; it was considered the ideal backup for the slow to load, black powder revolver. Used everywhere from the Alamo to the Indian Mutiny, used to fence in combat with sword armed foes successfully. In some of the sources they record that cavalry swords can not cut off limbs nor a head but the Bowie does; being knife tempered it does not have to be flexible like a sword and is thus harder; rather than flexibility is uses mass. The secret of the Bowie is that it is a magnum weapon, the cutting and shearing power of a meat cleaver or axe and a sharp point for deep thrusts, plus the width of the blade means a thrust leave a hole almost the size of an infantry shovel.
The advantages of the Bowie are cost, reproduction short swords are expensive compared to Bowie knives with similar blade lengths. It is easy to buy in various sizes, the larger bladed models are available at times for reasonable prices, and cheaper if you have one made. Rapiers, Cutlass, Saber, Scimitar and Katana are long and heavy and not on your belt when needed. Ease of use, utility mark the Bowie; it can be used to dig a hole, chop firewood and camp chores; a sword will break if used for chopping wood and that is a forte of the Bowie. People testing Japanese Katana's break them cutting wood and the bowie has been used with ease cutting woods! There are books on using the Bowie.
Another weapon popular in the Old West was the Tomahawk, the weapon loved by Native Americans and Frontiersmen. Simple easy to use and carry, cheap, available and a small belt axe has been the camper's friend for generations, plus it is a serious fighting weapon if studied. There are books available on it's throwing and use. In many ways the Tomahawk lends itself well for use as a martial arts type weapon.
Having fenced, the Bowie Knife is appealing on many grounds, it being my thesis that in the Old West and New Orleans they carried large bladed Bowie's for War, medium for hunting and shorter fancy knives in the City for dress. By large bladed Bowie I mean 13 to 13.5 inches and larger, shorter being the Bowies with fancy handles and 8, 9 or 10 inched blades, and medium inbeween those two sizes. I'd guess my two favorite Bowie knives are a 14.5" and a 15.5" blade. Almost a short saber or cutlass, very similar in size to the Roman Gladius, Spartan sword or Viking & Saxon Sax.
It is interesting to see what people selected to carry during the age when the sword was still a weapon and men trained in it. Many American's and European's in Frontier enviroments choose the Bowie knife, men in the Old West, Africa, Asia, Middle East plus Latin/South America choose a Bowie knife and Col. Colt's revolver; it was considered the ideal backup for the slow to load, black powder revolver. Used everywhere from the Alamo to the Indian Mutiny, used to fence in combat with sword armed foes successfully. In some of the sources they record that cavalry swords can not cut off limbs nor a head but the Bowie does; being knife tempered it does not have to be flexible like a sword and is thus harder; rather than flexibility is uses mass. The secret of the Bowie is that it is a magnum weapon, the cutting and shearing power of a meat cleaver or axe and a sharp point for deep thrusts, plus the width of the blade means a thrust leave a hole almost the size of an infantry shovel.
The advantages of the Bowie are cost, reproduction short swords are expensive compared to Bowie knives with similar blade lengths. It is easy to buy in various sizes, the larger bladed models are available at times for reasonable prices, and cheaper if you have one made. Rapiers, Cutlass, Saber, Scimitar and Katana are long and heavy and not on your belt when needed. Ease of use, utility mark the Bowie; it can be used to dig a hole, chop firewood and camp chores; a sword will break if used for chopping wood and that is a forte of the Bowie. People testing Japanese Katana's break them cutting wood and the bowie has been used with ease cutting woods! There are books on using the Bowie.
Another weapon popular in the Old West was the Tomahawk, the weapon loved by Native Americans and Frontiersmen. Simple easy to use and carry, cheap, available and a small belt axe has been the camper's friend for generations, plus it is a serious fighting weapon if studied. There are books available on it's throwing and use. In many ways the Tomahawk lends itself well for use as a martial arts type weapon.