Bear & Son Bowie Knife

Bear & Son Cutlery makes some fantastic, classic American knives.  The Bowie knives they produce with smooth white bone handles are no exception.  In common parlance, a Bowie knife is described as any sheath knife that has a clip point and a crossguard.  While this definition is fine for our uses, there are much more specific definitions that can be found as to what actually constitutes a Bowie knife.

A quick history–the bowie knife was first made popular by Colonel Jim Bowie back in the early 19th century.  Contrary to many people’s belief, the knife was not designed by him, rather it was first designed by James Black.  Jim Bowie just made this fighting knife famous when he used his during the Sandbar Fight duel.  The duel was between two men.  Jim Bowie supported one and Major Norris Wright supported the other.  Each man fired, neither hit and the men shook hands to settle the duel relatively amicably.  The story goes that Jim Bowie ran up to greet his friend, Wright and his friends also came forward to meet their friend.  Two other men, who had previously fought with each other, decided on the spot to settle their differences.  One of them fired, missed, and hit Bowie in the hip.  Bowie got up and ran at Crain (the man who had fired and hit him) but Crain hit him so hard on the head with his empty pistol that he knocked Bowie down to his knees.  While he was down, Major Wright took a shot at Bowie and missed.  He then drew his sword cane and stabbed Bowie in the chest while he was still on his knees.  Oddly enough, the thin sword was stopped by Bowie’s sternum bone.  The sword was stuck–in Bowie’s sternum.  Wright tried to pull his sword out.  While he was doing this, Bowie reached out and grabbed his shirt.  He then pulled Wright down, right onto the point of his Bowie knife.  Wright died immediately.  Bowie, still on the ground with a sword sticking out of his chest, was shot by another member of Wright’s group and he was stabbed again by another.  He stood up and was fired on twice more.  One of the bullets hit him. At the end of the fight, six men were dead and four wounded.  The legend of the fight grew and the Bowie knife became an American icon.

The Bear and Son Bowie knife is built with a bone handle and comes with a leather sheath.  Made with a high carbon stainless steel blade, this knife exhibits all the characteristics you would expect from a Bowie knife.  Check out this USA made American classic and “Bowie up”.