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.

Dylan Sabot is the owner of an online bowie knifes store featuring the original bowie knife as well as humidors for storage.

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.

When it comes time to choose that new bowie knife, you’ll have quite a few things to consider. One of the most important is what type of handle material you want. While blade length and the actual style of the blade are certainly vital questions to answer, choosing the right handle is imperative. The right handle choice will give you a bowie knife that offers a great grip, the look and feel that you want, and will also play a role in the durability and longevity of your knife. What materials can you choose from?

Wood – Wood is the traditional choice for bowie knife handles. You might find that the knife you like offers a solid wood handle, though most feature two wood “scales” or halves joined with rivets and other hardware. The hardware might be made of brass, silver or steel, depending on the model that you choose. Some popular woods used for bowie knife handles include walnut, cocobolo, oak and much more.Wood can be shaped easily, so that it has any type of style desired, or it can be made to resemble other materials.

Another type of material that you can choose for your bowie knife handle is wood. This is probably the most popular type of material used, as it’s inexpensive, widely available and stunningly beautiful. Wood can be carved and shaped, patterned, stained any number of colors and can provide a unique handle for your bowie knife. You will also find any number of different types of wood available in these knives, giving you the greatest range of options possible.

Yet another material used for bowie knife handles is bone. You’ll find antler and other bones used to create these handles, though these are often very decorative. While bone handles are quite functional, you might find that you don’t want to take the knife out to use it. As a note, some bone is unsuitable for handle construction, though antler is often a great choice that will provide years of use, as well as considerable good looks.

You should ensure that the knife you purchase has a full tang, rather than a rattail tang, as this provides better durability and solidity for your knife. You should also ensure that the bowie knife that you choose features a good grip – slick handles will betray you in the end and can lead to injury quite easily.

Dylan Sabot is the owner of an online bowie knifes store featuring the Cold Steel rubber training knife.

You might think that due to their heft and size, that bowie knives would make an ideal throwing knife. You might even have chanced to watch some of the many YouTube videos that show people using bowie knives as throwing knives (sometimes with some very mixed results). However, the fact remains that bowie knives are not designed to be thrown. They are handheld tools, designed for cutting, cleaning and any number of other uses.

If you’ve paid any attention to YouTube, you have probably seen a few videos of those using bowie knives as thrown weapons. You might also have noticed that they hit the target (sometimes). However, there are a few things that you might not have noticed. While getting a bowie knife to hit the target and stick is a neat trick, there are some issues here. First, notice how close the thrower must stand to the target. With a real throwing knife, you can be further back, and therefore in a safer area.

Second, you might notice that only some of the throws are successful. While a couple of individuals might have been able to hit the target with sufficient force for the blade to stick, you will also see a very large number of people bounce the knife off the target. This is because the knife is not weighted for throwing – it’s designed to be held in the hand. This means that it is quite well weighted for many different uses, but flying through the air with any degree of accuracy is not one of them.

Yet another reason that you shouldn’t use bowie knives as throwing knives is the simple fact that you can achieve better results with knives designed specifically for that purpose. You’ll find throwing knives are quite affordable and can be purchased in numerous places, both online and offline. Keep your bowie knife for the uses it was actually designed for and pickup a throwing knife or two for your target practice.

As you can see, using bowie knives as throwing weapons is not the ideal situation. You can damage yourself, your knife or someone else. In addition, you’ll simply find that you can gain more enjoyment using a knife designed for throwing, rather than attempting to throw a bowie knife.

Dylan Sabot is the owner of an online bowie knives store featuring the western bowie knife. Additionally, Dylan is also the President of an online humidors store.

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Carrying weapons aboard a plane is a big no-no, isn’t it? If you’re the proud owner of a bowie knife, you might think that there’s no possible way that you’d ever be allowed to carry that knife on a plane. However, while you’re right, you’re wrong at the same time. You can take your bowie knife with you when you fly, but you have to follow some pretty specific guidelines. What’s the system you have to follow? What do you need to do?

First, you will need to make sure that your bowie knife is not packed in your carryon luggage. While you can take bowie knives aboard planes, your carryon bag is most certainly not the right place for them. Where can you put them? The only place that the TSA allows bowie knives is in your checked baggage – your suitcase, for example. This type of baggage is checked at the ticket counter, and then sent down a conveyor belt to be loaded in the belly of the plane. While this will certainly keep you apart from your knife for the duration of the flight, it does allow you to travel with your weapon.

However, the news is not all bad. The TSA does allow you to carry a bowie knife with you if it is packed in your suitcase, so long as that suitcase is checked at the ticket counter and is not a carryon item. Of course, there are a couple of further caveats to this, as well. Your knife must be securely packed, sheathed and safe. It cannot be left loose inside your suitcase, nor can you pack it without its sheath. Interestingly, the same rules apply to swords, razors and other knives. If this seems a bit inconvenient, remember, you shouldn’t have any need for your knife during the flight, so packing it away before hand should be no issue.

Second, bowie knives must be secured within their sheath. A strap holding the blade within the sheath will suffice. However, if your sheath is not so equipped, you can opt to wrap your knife in cloth, bubble wrap or some other material. In fact, the more heavily packed your knife is, the better the chance that it will arrive at your destination.

Carrying your bowie knife with you is more convenient than you might think, but it will necessitate that you plan ahead and prepare for any contingencies that might arise. That said, with a bit of forethought, you can arrive at your destination and have your bowie knife with you at the same time, which is better than many travelers assume.

Dylan Sabot is the owner of an online bowie hunting knives store featuring the Cold Steel training knife. Additionally, Dylan is also the President of an online humidors store.