Post by spence on Nov 16, 2019 11:04:22 GMT -7
I've always found that there are a lot of questionable items and ideas accepted as gospel in the reenacting hobby, which I think is a detriment to it. One I've always thought highly questionable is the myth of the bowie knife. Jim Bowie seems a poor candidate to be thought of as a hero, to me, and some of the "facts" about the knife seem outrageous. All that being said, I have a knife which might be called a bowie. It never saw Jim Bowie, it isn't made out of kryptonite from a meteorite, but it's pretty neat.
It is a commercial version from late 19th century, made by the J. Russell & Co Green River Works. It is 12 3/4" overall, blade is 8 3/8", handle of stag attached with 5 brass pins. In their catalog it was just called a "stag handle hunting knife", but in correspondence with the company historian in the modern version of the company, he refers to it as a bowie.
Spence
It is a commercial version from late 19th century, made by the J. Russell & Co Green River Works. It is 12 3/4" overall, blade is 8 3/8", handle of stag attached with 5 brass pins. In their catalog it was just called a "stag handle hunting knife", but in correspondence with the company historian in the modern version of the company, he refers to it as a bowie.
Spence