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Bowie knives are weapons according to the laws of most states. While carrying smaller knives, even sheath knives, may not garner much attention, a Bowie will almost always get noticed. Whether or not it is actually legal to carry such a knife will depend on where one lives and the exact laws that apply. It will also greatly depend upon whether or not one is on private or federal property.

Carrying a Bowie knife in public is legal in certain states. This would mean, of course, that it’s perfectly fine to walk around any city in Arizona with a Bowie strapped to one’s leg, one might assume. One would be wrong. City laws may trump state laws, in this case, and one may still be committing a crime by carrying a Bowie in certain areas in Arizona.

Federal property should always be considered off limits for carrying Bowie knives. Many of these sites have security which will immediately consider this a threat. Carrying most weaponry onto federal property is a felony, in the vast majority of cases. Leave the Bowie in the car when heading onto federal property.

A Bowie knife may also be prohibited by any private property owner. In a bar, it is generally illegal to have any sort of weapon. The bar and the state will generally prohibit carrying weapons. Always observe these rules, even if able to legally carry the Bowie in a concealed fashion. That final aspect of carrying a weapon addresses a whole other feature of weapons laws.

Concealment is a huge issue where weapons laws are concerned and it applies to Bowie knives. It may be legal to carry a knife on one’s belt but not under one’s jacket, for example. Make sure that the knife is clearly visible, in these cases. Even deliberately covering the knife with a long shirt or jacket tail may constitute concealing a weapon and represent a very serious offense.

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Most people will see many different types of knifes represented as Bowies. Most of these knives have some of the characteristics of a Bowie knife but there are a host of characteristics which make a knife the genuine article. The distinctive sweep of the blade, hilt and size make a Bowie what it is.

Bowie knives have a blade design which will be familiar to anyone who enjoys studying fighting blades. The clipped end of the blade places the spine of the blade above the tip near the end of the knife. This design is intended to provide better penetration. In a thrusting attack, these knives are nearly as efficient as spears. The clipped end also makes them very agile knives and reduces the weight, increasing the user’s accuracy. At the base of the blade is another hallmark of a Bowie knife.

A Bowie knife always has a hand guard. Traditionally, this guard had a forward-swept quillion on the top of the handle. Today, this hand guard may be modified somewhat, and the knife to which it is attached may still be called a Bowie. The famous Marine combat knife of World War 2 is clearly a Bowie-style knife, even though it has an essentially straight hand guard. The curved hand guard provides better protection in blade-to-blade combat and, thus, was favored by Bowie when he designed the original knives.

A Bowie knife is always a big knife. Subtlety cannot be said to be among their characteristics. These knives range from 6″ to 12″ in length, in most cases. There are longer models available, but they’re generally designed more for looks than for practical use. Like most fighting knives, the longer variants of Bowies approach the length of some short swords. These knives are formidable in appearance and efficient weapons, but that was only part of their advantage.

A real Bowie knife always has a wide blade. In fact, this is a defining characteristic of these knives. When these knives were designed, the frontier conditions meant that any tool had to be versatile and tough. The heavy, wide blade of a Bowie meant it could stand up to a great deal of punishment and that it could perform chopping tasks, in addition to cutting tasks. Before steel was of a modern quality, softer metals such as brass and copper were sometimes used to reinforce the blades via a strip along the spine.

Dylan Sabot is the owner of an online bowie knives store featuring SOG bowie knives as well as humidors for storage.

A Bowie knife presents two principal challenges where sharpening the blade is concerned. First, the blade on these knives is anywhere from 6 to 12 inches long. At the longer extreme, this makes the blade almost as difficult to sharpen as is a short sword. The blade also has a significant curve at the tip, which requires some skill to sharpen correctly.

There are several characteristics of Bowie knives that make sharpening them a tough job. They have long blades, which makes them unwieldy on a stone. They also have curved blades, which requires that the proper sharpening angle be maintained, for all intents and purposes, while turning a corner. The knives are also thick-bladed, which means they won’t fit correctly in many all-in-one devices. Because these knives oftentimes are made of very fine steel, they deserve to be maintained with the correct tools and the correct technique.

Many of the high-end all-in-one sharpeners make getting a good edge very easy. There are models large enough to accommodate Bowie knives. Usually, one places the blade in a set of guides that maintain the correct angle between the blade and the abrasive. Some of these devices allow the individual to hold the knife upright during sharpening, which makes the process more comfortable and easier all around.

Many owners prefer to sharpen their knife by hand. This requires coordination and patience. Done improperly, it can ruin the edge on a Bowie knife as quickly as can a bad automatic sharpener. Done properly, many users argue that this manual method produces the best of all results. Some individuals simply like sharpening the blade manually as it more closely resembles the reality of how the original pioneers and fighters who used these weapons would have maintained their own blades.

In the other method, the length of the blade is drawn along the stone from base to tip. The knife is flipped over and the process repeated, ensuring an even burr on the blade. Either manual method will take longer than most all-in-one devices, though many knife owners enjoy the process of sharpening their blade. If an abrasive calls for it, make certain to use the correct lubricant for the stone. Some use oil and others simply need to be wetted with water before use. This protects the blade from damage while sharpening.

Dylan Sabot is the owner of an online bowie knives store featuring SOG bowie knives as well as humidors for storage.

Knives are made for cutting and the bowie knife is no exception to that rule. However, when it comes to determining exactly what a bowie knife will cut, it can be rather hard to determine the exact answer. This is, perhaps, due to the fact that different types of knives are good for cutting different sorts of things. Your bowie knife might be ideal for cutting through bone, sinew and muscle. Alternatively, it might be better used to cut through the delicate underbelly of a fish, through the thin skin of a tomato, or through that animal hide that you want to save and use.

Let’s take a look at the question of size. Bowie knives are available in a bewildering range of sizes, from six inches to more than a foot long. Obviously, you won’t want to take a six or seven inch knife out for the task of chopping firewood. That’s better left to a hatchet or an axe. However, if you have one of the longer bowie knives, they can be quite heavy enough to use as a hatchet (if needs be). You’ll find that larger blades are excellent for any task requiring chopping and that bone, wood and even light metal can be cut with consummate ease.

Now, what do these factors have to do with your knife? Why can’t a single bowie knife be used to cut through brush and then used to gut and clean that freshly caught fish? Why can’t you slice a tomato into paper-thin pieces and then use that same knife to cut up kindling for the night’s fire? Well, actually, you can. However, why would you want to? You will find that some bowie knife types are better suited to specific cutting tasks than are others. As an example, a larger bowie knife might be heavy enough and resilient enough to be used as a hatchet, allowing you to clear brush and even chop up small to moderate trees for the night’s fire.

To sum up, bowie knives are capable of cutting through any variety of different materials. You’ll find, however, that what you cut will have a significant effect on the blade’s edge, as well as on the knife’s longevity. The size of the knife is directly related to the materials that you should attempt to cut.

How do you know what your bowie knife can cut? The trick is to buy a knife that is suited to your purpose. Knife blades that run in the middle ground can be used to cut a wider variety of materials, but you’ll find that, while they are good “jacks-of-all-trades,” they’re not good for very specific tasks where a long or short blade should be used. So, the first trick is to buy a bowie knife that fits your needs. This will require that you know what those needs are. Of course, buying more than one knife to fill those needs is always an option, as well.

Dylan Sabot is the owner of an online bowie knives store featuring rubber training knives and butane lighters for camping.

Choosing a bowie knife can be a difficult process. There are so many different options from which to choose that it can be quite confusing. You will need to decide if you want a traditional blade, or one of the more modern derivatives. You will need to determine what sort of handle you want, whether you want a full tang or a rattail tang. You will also need to determine what size blade is right for you. The bowie knife is available in sizes ranging from a modest six inches all the way up to more than a foot in length. What’s right for you?

There is no secret formula to determining what size bowie knife is right for you. You will have to take a long, hard look at how you intend to use the knife. For instance, do you just want something impressive that you can hang on a wall or mount under glass? If so, then the larger, the better! However, if you actually intend to put that knife to use, you’ll find that enormous size is not always better.

Do you plan to skin game with your knife? Bowie knives are well known for their ability to help hunters skin their kills with ease. However, if this is your intended use, you don’t want a large blade. In fact, six inches is likely all you will need to get the job done correctly.
Actually, if you chose to go with a longer blade, you might find that it was harder to control. Control is vital when working with animal skins, as one wrong move with the knife can ruin that pelt. Bowie knives can puncture holes in the hide very easily if you are not careful, so exercise care when choosing your new knife.

As another example of the need for a specific size, you’ll need to determine if you actually want to carry that knife with you when you go out. While a lot of states allow fixed blades of up to five or six inches in length to be carried openly, many states prohibit anything larger. You will also need to consider your own comfort when carrying your knife. Longer blades tend to be less comfortable when strapped to your hip.

You will also find that longer blades are thicker and hold up to the abuse better. Thicker, longer knife blades are perfect for tasks that do not require precise control, but do require considerable durability and resilience. So, your intended use will determine just how long that bowie knife actually is.

Dylan Sabot is the owner of an online bowie knife store featuring the Cold Steel bowie knive.