Bowie Knives: US Civil War to WW1 the USA & British Contrast

[@scholagladiatoria]

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[@brittakriep2938]

Mr. Easton, i like to watch your movies. In Germany knife fighting is today in immigrant age a great problem for about ten years. But my father , born 1938, told me, that in his younger years knife use happened not so rare, and when he once spoke with older men, he heared that 1920s had been a rather dangerous and violent time. The knifes used as weapons seemed to have been the ,Nicker', a may be 10/ 12 cm fixed blade. Was formerly a popular EDC and hunting knife in south of german culture region. The ,Lederhosen' still have a small ,Nicker' pocket. A larger type of german hunting knife, the ,Hirschfänger' ( may be last descendant of ,langes Messer') was up to wwll part of Forrestry Officials uniform. Formerly Forrestry officials had been often involved in fights against poachers, smugglers or wood thieves, but i don' t know, if there had been a fighting training with ,Hirschfänger'.

[@chaos_omega]

Where do I get those sheets tho?

[@BUZZKILLJRJR]

The bumps on top can be jimping for choking up on the knife for more precise work, or if it's an all around it could be for scaling fish possibly? Look like the amount would make sense.

[@BUZZKILLJRJR]

@@dick_richards exactly that's what I was thinking

[@Menuki]

It’s funny you talked as if knives are no longer side arms anymore. In the military, a knife will see far more action than a service pistol.

[@jurgenstoll2394]

At Minute 21: The serrations are most likely for scaling fish. Another sign, that this hunting knife was also thought as a fishing knife, is the drop point because this works a lot better for gutting fish than the normal bowie point. With a drop point knife it is easier to avoid cutting the gall bladder (which would ruining the flesh...)

[@andrewsock1608]

As a knife user I can tell you 😉those serrations on the spine are for scraping the scales off fish. Sometimes if the serrations are a bit sharp and saw like they can be used for notching sticks for trap making. It’s not thumb jimping a common term for thumb traction grooves. So it’s known/used as a “saw back” or “fish scaler back” and sometimes “bone saw”. It’s probably just using up the space on the spine as an excuse for no nice decorative file work on the spine like the previous generations had 😊

[@jacktheaviator4938]

They can also catch the blade of a bayonet in warfare, the Confederacy fielded ALOT of irregular troops, especially in the deep south, and they were equipped more like woodsmen, and lacked bayonets.

[@scatman8963]

@@jacktheaviator4938 hope you're joking

[@oldeays5085]

Yes, you are correct! Finally, someone with common knowledge of real use hunting knives. The knife maker that said, it's from grip doesn't know much!

[@oldeays5085]

​@@jacktheaviator4938are you slow?😂

[@2_Trillion_galaxies]

I concurr

[@charles2703]

You know what would be cool, if Matt had a “Pawn Stars” type of show where people bring blades in to his shop and he has to verify them and haggle a good price.

[@dertodesking8379]

I’d totally watch it!

[@a.s.j.g6229]

I’d watch that

[@arctodussimus6198]

Knives are illegal where Matt lives. Don’t think it would be allowed to have that show…. As much as it would be a great thing to see.

[@charles2703]

@@arctodussimus6198 yeah, I’m honestly curious how he keeps his shop with all these laws

[@ericleach7048]

Thank you for this video, Matt. as a beginning knife maker, I see many people struggling with retention options on sheets for Bowie knives. I have already posted the concept of a spring retention clip on a group for Sheath makers and many of them are very excited about it.

[@williamjenkins4913]

As a knife maker I can tell you those "serrations" are called Jimping. It's for grip. It is kinda odd to see jimping on a knife with a guard since its most commonly used to place your thumb on when choking up on the bladed. Though there are several uses for an outdoors knife where you want to brace the back of the knife with your other hand. Those notches are to keep you from sliding down and catching the tip.

[@beowulfshaeffer8444]

@@chuckbowie5833 I second that theory. There is a lot of decorative jimping/spine filework on modern knives, and I feel confident saying that it's not a new idea.

[@andypanda4927]

Have a knife etched w/ Yukon Hunter showing mfr stamping Solingen. Has small area on spine w/jumping where thumb rests . . . Been a very handy hunting knife over last 30+

[@JCOwens-zq6fd]

Usually but as you said it has a guard so idk if that would be why those were there. They are kind of far up on the blade for jimping as well. It would say it was more likely either there for decoration or maybe even there to help w/ blocking/binding w/ the spine rather than jimping for grip. I could be wrong though.

[@williamjenkins4913]

@@JCOwens-zq6fd Yeah I cant defend this case. The guard prevents thumb use and it doesn't go far enough for back handing. It is bad jimping but it is jimping, I am a bit surprised that Matt didnt know about though. It is a common feature on knives.

[@JCOwens-zq6fd]

@@williamjenkins4913 Im sure he's considered it. However I know he knows enough to see the problems w/ it (as we both have) & figure that provably isnt why they jimped it. Though your a knife maker right? Grind some on the back of a similar knife. Then take another blade & simulate a bind like in a knife fight. I bet you'll find that it will allow you to control your opponents blade. I suspect this b/c i used to teach knife fighting/defense & its something I taught my students to do w/ combat knives. The one I use specifically has a spear point w/ a plain edge on front & a partially serrated back. While you can cut w/ them they are also used in defense.

[@andreweden9405]

Oh, the Sheffield knife makers marketed the exploration-themed slogans for North America as well! Many of them alluded to Manifest Destiny, such as the etching that simply said "California Knife". Another political slogan that was very popular for US-bound knives was "Never draw me without cause, never sheath me without honor." 😁

[@tl8211]

@@chuckbowie5833 This is a very traditional phrase in Portuguese and Spanish. Much older than the 19th century.

[@ironpirate8]

(Cuts small thread off shirt) "Honour is satisfied"

[@ronalddunne3413]

Slogan etched on one of George Washington's swords, which last I knew was on display in a military museum at the US Military Academy at West Point, NY.... "Draw me not without cause, sheath me not without honor."

[@chucknorris202]

@@ray.shoesmith It's not. it's just a saying, a quote that resonates with many many people. Both back then and also now. I also imagine that many of the Bowie knives had something like "Dixie" written on the blades and that got Matt Eastons panties in a bunch and he called it "anti abolitionist political propaganda" or something. A blade named Dixie is freaking cool. Same for many of these knives(and Swords; similar things were done with Swords as well, from military sabers to officers smallswords, when Swords were still issued to a great many soldiers and esp officers, instead of Rifles, pistols, and a knife as a last ditch backup like when modern weapons fully came into their own in world war 1).

[@lukyguy1240]

​@@chucknorris202 it's entirely possible, but I also wouldn't underestimate how important anti-abolition sentiment was. That said, I've not seen many knives with such slogans. But then I've not looked very much at fancy Sheffield knives. Mostly just American made.

[@franktower9006]

On modern tracker, bushcraft or survival knives, serrations like that sometimes are being added to help with the preparation of traps - to make notches for triggers, etc. As a jimping it doesn't make sense because you wouldn't be able to place your thumb there with the guard in between and the serrations are placed to far down the blade anyways.

[@Regolith86]

Yeah, on a modern knife I'd definitely say it's for making notches. Not sure about it on that knife though. I never used anything like that when I hunted. Might be an old timey-version of a pelvic saw? Seems a bit thick for that, but that might have helped prevent it from puncturing the bladder. Or maybe it has something to do with processing the hide, maybe helping scrape it down prior to tanning, or for making cord? Dunno.

[@johnkeck1025]

I've used serrations like that for scraping tree bark, anima fat from senuew, and descaling fish. Also if you holding the blade In a pinch grip when skinning big game. it can provide a better purchase on the blade to keep your hands from sliding off. Great examples and video!

[@Uncephalized]

@@johnkeck1025 Fish scaler and flesh scraper was my thought as well.

[@based_prophet]

bush master* trapper...

[@zorkwhouse8125]

You mentioned the Lincoln assassination - in that same incident there were two other targets for assassination, one of which was William Seward - relevant here because his assassin actually did use a knife in their effort to try and kill Seward. It resulted in Seward suffering some pretty nasty wounds but ultimately unlike Lincoln he ended up surviving the assassination attempt.

[@andreweden9405]

I'm glad you mentioned this! Yeah, I believe the assailant actually broke into Seward's home. He survived, but got cut up REALLY badly, and bore some wicked scars thereafter.

[@The_13th_Hussar]

He survived perhaps ironically to being recently injured, he was thrown from a carriage and broke his jaw. As such he was confined to his bed and was wearing a wooden splint.

[@LarryGarfieldCrell]

"That's enough context." Words I never expected Matt to say.

[@adbraham]

The back is possibly a bone saw. Used for sawing down through the sternum of, a deer or other quarry animal, to separate both sides of the rib cage during carcass preparation

[@jamescosimini8364]

From what I recall reading years ago, primary sources tell of Jim Bowie using “a big butcher knife” at The Sandbar Fight at which he gained much of his notoriety pre-Alamo. His brother Rezin took advantage of the family name to sell his knives, which didn’t gain all the characteristics of the “traditional Bowie Knife” for a few years. That spine texture is in the same location as a soldered on brass channel in some period examples, which I’ve seen described as there to catch the opponent’s edge.

[@kevinmorrice]

Yeah, isn't the actual traditional Bowie knife nothing like what we know today

[@jamescosimini8364]

@@kevinmorrice in a manner of speaking, particularly for the first example(s) it seems, but for most people of the time who had a conception of “Bowie knife” would have been thinking of clip points, guards and fullers in varying levels of usefulness for different tasks because that’s what got popular and copied. The WW2 Kabar and some of the pilot knives show these same elements, so with modern examples it’s often something of a guess as to the specific inspirations for the design.

[@jeremynedrow7003]

I love Bowie knives.They are my favorite design , followed by the kukri.

[@joelcopeland3018]

Very nice video... I am an American and love this type of knife. I really enjoy your historic knowledge and your videos. Thanks for what you do.

[@one_schizfreud]

The sawlike back end looks to be an early "Fish scaler" you can often find as a separate tool on a Swiss army knife though most often tapered to a false edge

[@TheFuriousScribbles]

I own a knife that was made by my great-grandfather, somewhat similar to a bowie knife in form. This was over 100 years ago, and he made it mainly out of things he found along the farm he worked at. The blade was ground down from a saw blade, and it has a stag antler grip. The sheath was made from an old boot. The stitching on the latter wasn't amazing, so this knife had a habit of biting people if it wasn't drawn carefully. Still sharp after all these years too.

[@kevinahern7818]

The saw is for notching wood for traps or camping stakes ext.

[@koosh138]

For those ridges on the back of that one blade, I've Usually seen it being used to process fine tinder. Like, to get super fiberous materials make it easier to catch fire.

[@rogerlafrance6355]

Just like the Seax with the clipped point is what makes it an all around bush and hunting knife. There are different styles but you need that fine point for all sorts of tasks including field dressing a beast and a hand guard for applying force. Also, commercial fishing and boat knives have interesting variations.

[@TristanBehrens]

But he literally showed 2 other knives that were designed more for utility and hunting that didn't have the clipped point. The one with the clipped point was more for fighting.

[@Regolith86]

@@TristanBehrens It really depends on how it's clipped. A lot of bowie knives have clipped points that sweep up into an almost trailing point, which is not as great for stabbing as the last one he showed, but is very good for skinning and processing game. For a modern version, look up the Becker BK9 Combat Bowie. Combat is in the name, but a LOT of bushcrafters like it because it's makes a very good utility knife. It has a stubbier point closer the spear points he showed, but still with a clip. Don't fixate on the clip as being the differentiator, because it's a lot more subtle than that.

[@edwardpate6128]

If you were living on the American frontier in the 19th century a Bowie knife was very much a all purpose survival tool that nobody wanted to be without.

[@KALISAMERICANO]

“Saw backs” like that are not for cutting through any thing but rather notching branches and such to lash them together. Think of it as a very aggressive wood rasp.

[@AngeloCarceroni]

Hi, Matt! I'm from Brazil. Could you bring a video about South American knives or swords? In Brazil, Rio Grande do Sul and the Northeast have a tradition in the manufacture of knives.

[@nevillescott3658]

as an australian, my dad carried a rodgers pocket knife and so did i, i still have my dads its over 80 years old, the large blade was nearly sharpened away, but as a soldier in the 70s 80s and 90s i always carried a good sheath knife.

[@adamshaw8955]

I believe the sedation on the spine of the second knife are used more for bushcraft than hunting. I think it is used for notching when making a pot hanger for example.

[@truntbeefwell9784]

Also it's hella handy when you want to lift a kettle or pot of the fire (if for some reason you are not using a pot hanger, or it's too unwieldy to handle). The notches prevent the handle from sliding off the blade.

[@theeddorian]

The knives were occasionally also eating implements. The serration on the back was introduced to me as being for scaling fish. I never have tried that. Later they evolve into actual saw teeth.

[@mateoocampo3165]

Even once the double action revolver was most common into the 80's, reload time was considered to slow. The snub nose revolver replaced the Bowie. When the primary revolver was empty, it was dropped and the snub nosed revolver was drawn to continue the fight. This was most commonly referred to as the "New York reload". Carrying a secondary or even a tertiary weapon is very prudent.

[@dillonbuford]

What are you on about

[@eldorados_lost_searcher]

@@dillonbuford He's making a point on how pistols eventually superceded knives as a self defense tool in the US, despite the disadvantages of reload time.

[@dillonbuford]

@@eldorados_lost_searcher but none of it is correct.

[@eldorados_lost_searcher]

@@dillonbuford Please explain.

[@dillonbuford]

@@eldorados_lost_searcher what part: that the double action revolver was most common in the 80's, carrying two revolves for self defense was common in the 80's, that a snub nose revolver was supplemental to a full size revolver for self defense, or that the snub nose revolver specifically replaced the Bowie knife for self defense? This is well pass incorrect. These aren't misconceptions or myths. These are insane ramblings with no source of reference.

[@stevenkobb156]

I believe the serrations can be used to de-scale fish. For a hunting knife, skinning also is important.

[@charlesdrew3947]

As a relative of Joseph Rodgers, great to see one of their knives.

[@davidcritchley8424]

My fathers scout knife was made by Rodger’s circa 1943-44, similar, but narrower clipped blade leather washer stacked grip :-)

[@JackBlack-gh5yf]

Such knives, of various sizes, are Sheffield 'Town Patterns', known locally as 'Whittle-Tang Bowies, and still produced today. Cutlers were a 'protected occupation' during WW2, and officially limited to doing 'war work', so it's more likely that your father's knife was produced prior to 1939 or after 1945.

[@ariadanzig434]

Serrations on the spine are used for scoring bone for a more convenient way to extract marrow.

[@kenkan6837]

The notches on the spine are used to cut lashing notches into tree limbs/saplings to make snares and camp furnishings

[@MadNumForce]

It seems unlikely this knife ever saw the Front. Because : shiny fittings. Apparently, they were dead giveaway. At least soldiers believed it, and as a result as many metallic surfaces as possible were paintedor blued. The scabbard of the French Le Vengeur trench dagger, which had been specifically designed for trench warfare (and over half a million has been made, not to be sold to clients, but to be directly distributed to soldiers) had a painted or blued sheet metal scabbard.

[@itsapittie]

Many if not most people who had some need or desire for a knife didn't anticipate actually participating in military campaigns. Just like today people liked fancy and shiny stuff.

[@brendandor]

There's a good chance it could have been polished off, but yea that is a good point.

[@answeris4217]

@@brendandor I was thinking the same. I sharpen and polish my knives all the time ..why not the person who owned that one

[@artnucicncus1005]

Matt, can i i just point out how awsome and convenient it is you have created this "sword-hub/community" over all these years? I'm a beginner blacksmith, i've yet only made some tools and am still improving my makeshift forge. I have studied quite a bit about bloomery steel and many different kinds of historical production methods from the Emilliano way to the Japanese way. But i wouldn't have gotten even halfway as far if i didn't have your channel to quickly fact check/second opinion some information. So thank you for that! I intend to keep on improving my techniques and equipment so i can maybe one day create proper medieval replicas out of genuine bloomery steel. You spark great passion and motivation in people and i hope you'll never stop doing what you do!

[@davidrobinson4553]

Thank you Matt I really enjoyed that, as a long time fisherman/ hunter the serrated edge was as someone mentioned advertised as a fish de-scaler on many so called hunting knives in the late 60's/70's it does not work at all well, I did try it on Trout etc, 👍

[@davidrobinson4553]

@@BahbahKaduche Well Dude I was a kid trying out this Dopey fish scaler on a utility/scout knife thing I'd been given, and it was a fish and had scales and I've just been looking at internet images of trout scales in their thousands so hey there we go but I know what you mean they are tiny 👍🇬🇧👍

[@M.H.D.actual]

Bowie knives were also carried commonly by special operations troops in Vietnam, most notably MAC-V SOG and LRRPs. SOG is now the name of a popular knife manufacturer in the US, They got their start with the SOG Bowie kinfe and very popular SEAL Pup models of knives. Various forms of these can still be seen carried by troops in the US to this day.

[@dustinhedglin2657]

Started watching the channel because I'm a khukuri nut..those aren't jimping marks on that knife there triangular for cutting..they I believed are used to score bone then make it it more easier to smash and break bone in half to quarter out larger game if halving to pack a distance...or they can also perfectly carve notches for making traps and break down tree bark for making fluffy birds nest for fire....probley all the above...keep up the great work I have learned alot from you

[@tedstrong3235]

The serrations on the back of the blade are for choking up with your thumb. They're different than the root saw type thing that sometimes is on the back of survival knives. They're completely dull, and would not work as a saw at all. They're also not long enough to work as a saw. Usually you get about an inch or so, just enough to fit the pad of a man's thumb.

[@-RONNIE]

Thanks for the video. Without the Bowie knife I don't think the Ka-Bar would have been invented so I can appreciate it.

[@shovelchop81bikeralex52]

I know fish de-scalers are common on the back of 'survival' style knives which I guess is what these were in their day, could be used used for that too.

[@gregarusbiloxicus]

The Bowie is my favorite. At at least an 8” blade, I think it’s one of the best all around knives to bring to the woods.

[@robsarnowski6313]

I think the serration might be for scaling fish. There are a lot of Bushcraft uses for textured edge’s depending on the spine thickness and how fine the serrations are

[@jelkel25]

What are now called Green River knives from Sheffield have the spear point blade and only sharpened on one edge. They have a fish descaler on the spine but I'm not sure how effective it would be as it is fairly shallowly ground. It might be more of an affectation. The saw teeth on the spine of your Bowie might be alluding to the ones on a Sappers short sword. It might just be a bit of a gimmick to help sell the things.

[@sharps1532]

I believe the jimping or notches on the back of the blade are for grinding a groove in wood for primitive Trap making and for snares

[@rene-davidduplessis8766]

Interesting discussion. I suspect the British vs American ideas surrounding the “Bowie” knife part ways because of their (surprise, surprise) contexts. To Americans of the prewar frontier, living in lawless areas with unreliable sidearms, they had heard the accounts of the famous ‘Sandbar Fight’ and started asking their local outfitter for a knife like Bowie’s, understood from the accounts of the time as a knife nearly as thick as a cutlass, with a sharpened clip-point and a soft brass cross guard, thought useful for catching an opponent’s blade. Preferably made by Mr. Black, who allegedly made the original. Faced with the real possibility of violence, we humans often sensibly think, “I’ll have one of what *that* guy’s got.” On the other hand, a LOT of commercially available knives were made (probably to a much higher standard) in Sheffield, and in the face of all these requests for ‘Bowie’ knives the term started to be applied to pretty much any broad hunting knife, most of which had been common well before the ‘Sandbar Fight.’ So probably within a couple decades the definition was pretty muddied by commercial concerns. So now you say “Bowee” and I say “Booie” and we mean slightly different things. ;)

[@rene-davidduplessis8766]

Also, while I *really* don’t care how anyone pronounces it, “Bowie is a Scottish name, *and down here in England we pronounce it BOW-EE, and I’m English, so…”* is about the funniest rationale I’ve ever heard. And now I want to know how Scottish people pronounce it, ‘cause I suspect ‘ol’ Jim might have been pronouncing his name right all along. Who knew? :)

[@rogerwilliams2629]

I carry a Bowie and ha e for many years. I'd love to collect them. Thanks, very informative.

[@georgegardner1111]

The serations on the back of the knife is for notching wood such as for bushcraft or making traps

[@camerongunn7906]

The Bowie knife connect all the way to modern battlefield. I carried a Bowie knife that was made for me on all three tours to Iraq.

[@redfishsurvival1413]

Spine saws on more modern survival knives were for pilots to cut out of wreckage sheet metal. On the Glock 81 knife they call it a root saw. Makes fast notches for cordage for bushcraft which saves your edge and saves a lot of time and safer for the fingers. Saw can be used to score bone or wood for breaking, used to scrape a ball of fine tinder, used as a rasp to shape wood and bone soaked in water, used to strike a ferro rod. But in a lot of cases a smooth spine is better if it has 90 degree corners....like when using as a draw knife, putting your thumb on the back of blade, scraping, using a baton, ferro rod life etc. The problem with machetes with sawbacks was the troops getting injured and cutting themselves with the saw. The saw also introduces many sharp angles where a crack or break can happen much easier. A broken blade in survival or combat isn't a risk I want to take so smooth 90 degree spine for me always. Thanks for all the truly great videos. All the best, Mike.

[@onereddfoxxx]

Very interesting glimpse into history. Thank you!

[@rossjohanson8115]

The saw is for making traps 🪤. Dead fall traps , trigger traps, etc are much easier to construct through notching with a small saw.

[@richardmcginnis5344]

the first knife you show i have an I*XL version, the hunters companion with mother of pearl scales german sinver guard and bolsters it came with a paper scabbard that was disintegrating. i have an ha bower bowie like the third one to

[@Leftyotism]

21:02 I am not a hunter, but that "serration" looks like a jimping to me. For a jimping is it quite long and oddly placed, especially because the parrying element seems to be in the way to put your thumb on various places on the jimping/serration. At the bottom of the edge might be enough room to place your index finger, for a different grip. Might be able to utilize the jimping for better blade control, for better accuraty while working with the knife. A jimping certainly would make sense for skinning, since you want better control of the blade and not accidendally cut into the hide.

[@craigcook9884]

Great video as usual. Several thoughts, 1) knives never need to be reloaded. 2) once sharpened correctly, knives rarely fail. Revolvers, at least in the US did not become widely available, in reliably man stopping calibers, until just prior to & during the US civil war. You also mentioned the basic shape of the grip of the flintlock/ caplock pistol. These were thusly shaped because in the mist of prolonged chaotic combat, the single shot inevitably reverts to a club. Just as a single shot musket devolves into a spear when the bayonet is attached. 3) The sawback is a marketing ploy. I can't speak to the fish scale premise as the cart majority of fish in the western US do not have scales. Jumping on the spine past the guard makes no sense. The sawback may have limited use in bushcraft, notching ect, but all one has to do is try sawing thru a 2" or so limb to realize it is an exercise in frustration. Also, the ribs are connected to the sternum by cartilage, otherwise breathing would break ones ribs, a a reasonably sharpened knife will cleanly & fairly easily separate the ribs from the sternum. No bone sawing is required to dress & process an animal. Commercial interest use saws to reduce processing time. Individual & small scale relys on cutting cartilage at the joints, including the pubic bone & hip joint. Let me know what you think

[@garyhiggins6718]

In point of fact, there was another short lived type of Bowie Knife made by the company of Whittler and Sons from Sheffield village near Keighley! They wanted to produce a knife specifically for the Australian market, and for those wanting to explore the Outback! After much research they decided to go for a particularly Australian design and.came up with a knife based on the boomerang! However, they had to cease production PDQ when it was found that a large proportion of their Customers were returning, minus their hands!

[@jamestheeggplant5446]

Being someone that lives in the city where Jim Bowie died. I know really the Bowie knife was influenced by Spanish culture. The Spanish often carried large knives for protection. Jim Bowie popularizes the knife after getting into a duel with two men armed with sword cains he gutted a man he was dueling. Of course the history we learn can be tweaked in the history book in favor of a country or national hero.

[@shaidrim]

Corsica also had a very strong passion for knife fight as a medium to settle disagreements, family feuds, and veddettas

[@Trustme722]

Love these historical dives

[@robertmedina5850]

Coolest thing ever is the relationship between a pistol and a knife or a pistol and a saber or any kind of sword really

[@andrewnawarycz3026]

The gimping is for visual and tactile reason. Visually so you know where the cutting edge is... Also if you pick up your knife in the dark and carefully feel up the blade you'll know what side is your cutting edge

[@johnturner7811]

On the 2nd knife you showed the saw like part could be jimping, you put your thumb on it for grip

[@ziggarillo]

But it can't be used by the thumb, the guard is in the way.

[@johnturner7811]

@@ziggarillo Jimping is for chocking up on the blade, so the handle doesn’t matter

[@MichaelMalxAlexander]

I believe as a hunter that uses knives that the serrations is to put your finger on it. Could be wrong but that is what do for a more precise cutting the animals hide as not to ruin the meat.

[@karlyoung5089]

On the Bowie knife and Speaking of the Lincoln assassination. His Secretary of State William Seward was attacked and almost killed by Lewis Powell. He used his Bowie Knife after his pistol misfired.

[@pelewads]

Jim Bowie (and he pronounced his name the same way that you do) died, at the alamo, in 1836. That is the same year that Samuel Colt patented the Colt Patterson. At this time, a knife was very much used, as a backup. After you had fired your single shot. Jim Bowie designed it specifically for fighting. And, this was in the early 19th century. So the genesis, would go back to the Spanish-American war. Much earlier than the civil war. However, the one identifier for a Bowie knife is its clip point. That first one is more like a "Tennessee toothpick". Great video.

[@oldeays5085]

That spring catch on that sheath is amazing that it's still there! Great piece!

[@toddellner5283]

Interesting how good designs keep repeating. I have a 1940s or 50s era Randall Model #1 knife, one of the best sellers of that most iconic American custom knife maker. And what does it look like? A 20 cm. point Bowie-style knife with a forward-curved stag handle and fairly simple brass crossguard. Clip rather than drop point, but there are many of both on both sides of the Atlantic. It could be a half-sibling to the first knife you showed.

[@peteric100]

Hello Todd, would you like to sell or trade your Randall knife

[@toddellner5283]

Thank you, but no. It has sentimental value@@peteric100

[@peteric100]

You have a great piece of Americana history

[@antiquebowieknifechannel4611]

Your Joseph Rodgers is after 1891. The “ England” stamp puts it after the Bowie era. Also the stitched leather sheath is late 1890’s-1920s

[@MichaelMalxAlexander]

I'd love to hear your thoughts on buck knives.

[@stormiewutzke4190]

The serrations may have been for scaling fish. Not everything made back then was always perfectly functional. As with the etching it may have been marketed as a saw. We still see that in some knives although on the cheap end. I think it's important to keep in mind how marketing has changed things. With high end products they are usually all stripped down and not flashy probably because marketing was so effective that it was possible to sell very cheap products still if they looked flashy. When cosmetic work all has to be done by hand the core product is probably really nice. So I'm saying that there is a good chance that they called it a saw as a marketing feature. For hunting a saw is a nice thing to have. As you clean the animal you want to pull out everything in the stomach cavity. That is attached to the rectum and urinary tract. The best way to free all of that is to cut through the pelvic bone. Lots of knives are broken trying to hammed them through the bone especially if you end up in a heavy part. I make knives and am super interested about them. However I don't even know where to look for a lot of history here in the United States. Like you bring out most high end knives were imported until industrialization became a thing. It's always so funny when we are looking at old hand tools and to keep in mind that tools make tools. With so much access to machines now hand made products and usually the top tier but in history often what we would see at production quality knives were the top ends since an area needed to be built up with special tools to produce the best quality tools. That meant better steel and better heat treatment probably involving some sort of standards could be obtained. Without modern ovens testing different methods is needed to get the best quality heat treatment. Thats possible with large volumes of the same steel and can still change in every batch and it is industry standard to record heat and batch numbers so if later problems are found they can be fixed. The samll blacksmith with a small random chunk of steel can't do that.

[@therealdestructicus]

The serrations: Someone called it jimping, usually jimping is only big enough for the thumb (also useless IMO), the longer ones I've heard explained as for using like a saw on bones (the buck hoodlum was designed for this specifically with a single notch) to open them up to access the marrow, without rolling or chiping your edge on a hard femur. But idk, if it was jimping it was way too much, also jimping is essentially useless on knives with a cross guard, as the guard gets in the way.

[@ExUSSailor]

The US Civil War actually had a HUGE, very palpable influence on WW1, because, all of the major European powers sent observers. It was the first use of aerial surveillance (in the form of balloons), it was the first use of telegraph for instant communication over long distances, the first (arguably) effective combat use of a submarine, the first use of railroads to move large numbers of troops quickly around the battlespace, and, the first combat use of proto-machine guns.

[@nate665]

Serrations can also be used for sawing bone, for example on a deer you have to split the pelvis, Many hunters carry a small saw with them for this purpose. Though on this knife maybe not.

[@MrRugercat45]

I hope you make more videos on British Bowie knives! I’m a huge bowie aficionado and I’m always looking for good content on this subject.

[@williamarthur4801]

I had a knife almost identical to the one you held at least the handle and sheath, but the blade was longer and basically a pronounced spear point, not much use as a tool but I'd say pretty good as a thrusting weapon. Had some nice filigree type etching on the pommel. Bought it at Alexandra palace antiques fair new years day

[@kavemanthewoodbutcher]

Nice job on the ad read Matt!

[@alexanderguesthistorical7842]

So I wonder if Ka-Bar used the Rodgers design as the basis of their US Marine Corps model (at least in terms of blade shape)?

[@kevinharrigan2727]

Perhaps as someone mentioned, the serrations could be jimping, but seeing as it has a guard and it was most likely a hunting knife, most likely it’s for scaling fish. As well as simple aesthetics.

[@hermespino9985]

Those serrations are used to make notches in pieces of wood. There are still many knives that are made with serrations like those with that purpose.

[@midshipman8654]

notches for what?

[@carebear8762]

@@midshipman8654 traps, string connections

[@ravendon]

Sorry to correct you, Matt. It hurts me to say this. But, it's Boo - ee. David Robert Jones based his stagename on the Bowie knife. And the Scottish do not pronounce it Bow-ee. They pronounce it as Boo-ee, as in Scottish liqueur Drambuie. “Dram” means drink in Scottish Gaelic, and “Buie” (rhymes with gooey) is a variant on buidhe, the same root word that gives us the surname Bowie. "Over a century later, similar words were spoken by an Englishman born David Robert Jones. “The name Bowie just appealed to me when I was younger,” David Bowie once said to William Burroughs, Beat Generation cult writer (and one-time Texan pot farmer). “I was into a kind of heavy philosophy thing when I was sixteen years old, and I wanted a truism about cutting through the lies and all that.” Two years later, Bowie told People that he settled on the name because it was “the ultimate American knife,” and claimed that the persona it created in him was “the medium for a conglomerate of statements and illusions. I have no confidence in David Jones as a public figure.” When the singer adopted the Alamo fighter’s name, he pronounced it “Bow-ey,” to rhyme with “showy.” This is confusingly verified by the fact that he named his son Zowie Bowie, but pronounced that first name as “Zo” rather than “Zow-ee.” Even so, half of England pronounced his stage name as if rhymed with “wow-ee.” It was enough to befuddle even David himself. In 2000, a BBC interviewer asked him if he felt more like “Bowie [pronounced like ‘wow-ee’] or as David Jones, the boy from South London?” “Less and less as Bowie [like ‘boh-ee’], Bowie [like ‘wow-ee’], Bowie [like ‘boo-ee’] - I don’t even know how to pronounce it any more, I’ve lost track,” he replied. “I always thought it was ‘boh-ee,’ I thought it’s a Scottish name, it must be ‘boh-ee,’ but no-one in Scotland pronounces it like that, they pronounce it ‘boo-ee’ I think.” Indeed they do, as in the Scottish liqueur Drambuie. “Dram” means drink in Scottish Gaelic, and “Buie” (rhymes with gooey) is a variant on buidhe, the same root word that gives us the surname Bowie. According to company legend, the honeyed and herbed Scotch whiskey-based liqueur’s name means “the drink that satisfies,” so in that sense, with “dram” meaning drink, “buie” must mean satisfaction. According to the surname history for the name Bowie, that same root word means “fair-haired” (which describes both Bowies, James and David)." -- www.texasmonthly.com/being-texan/talk-like-texan-pronunciation-bowie/

[@scholagladiatoria]

And when will Americans start pronouncing all English words correctly? ;-)

[@shaolinshoppe]

@@scholagladiatoriaas soon as Britain wins a war with us :^)

[@dystopianparadise5916]

As a natural-born Texan, I can say unequivocally and with full and unbiased confidence say that I have always preferred the History Channel special, that would (sometimes) precede any Hollywood movie based on historical events. That Bowie modified an existing knife to facilitate his penchant for getting into fights is a given (IMO) and just like George Foreman and "his" grill the "Bowie" name or legend rather, was used to sell more units. Plus "Bowie knife" sounds better than "A standard camp knife with the point ground down to where it is more conducive for poking folks in the gizzard".

[@johnkeck1025]

Loved the video! Thanks

[@davidfletcher6703]

My grandmother had some knives that were Solingen make, they were pretty nice ones too

[@jagrench62]

I was told the serrations are for moving sinew down the it could not be jimping in front of the guard.

[@1971irvin]

I have a Sheffield made Fairbairn-Sykes fighting knife or commando knife...

[@RandoCalrisiann]

I might guess that saw like area could be for fish descaling

[@itsapittie]

I've read two different origin stories for the name Bowie. One is that it is of Highland Scottish origin from the Gaelic word "buidhe" (boo-eed) meaning a person with blonde hair. The other is that it is a Lowland Scottish name being a corruption of the surname Bowen (long O). It's entirely possible that both are true and in the 18th century a person pronounced his/her name according to his/her ancestry. Nevertheless, regardless of origin it's usually pronounced Boo-ee in the United States, likely because of the cultural influence of the James Bowie legend.

[@UtahSustainGardening]

I didn't hear the Boo-ee pronunciation until I was in my 20s. Don't know what rock I was hiding under.

[@extrasmack]

@@UtahSustainGardening neither did I and I grew up in San Antonio. As far as I can recall everyone used to pronounce it bow-ee around here until Internet and widespread cultural "pronunciation reform" took hold, pretty much homogenizing the usage of English here in the States since about the 90s. Since then it became much more common to hear boo-ee.

[@ironpirate8]

Bow-ie in an English accent would probably sound like Boo-ie in a Scots (and maybe Canadian?) accent, even if everyone thought they were saying the same thing. If that makes any sense.

[@cptsmkwgn]

In your experience, did the 19th C bowies (esp. those Civil War big ones) have a distal taper, or were they pretty well straight until they narrowed toward the tip? I know some bowies today (esp. Bagwells &fighters ) use a distal taper, but I wonder if it was common then?

[@jagrench62]

There is a video on the internet where a man uses a ka bar to "disarm" his attacker his hand was flapping around. And this was in a big city.

[@theduke1833]

Could you do a video of the different types of keepers on the sheaths and how they were retro fitted or repaired

[@dertodesking8379]

That saw-like thing on the back might be to remove the scales of fish, if you know what I mean. English isn’t my first language though.

[@sigutjo]

I really enjoy those knife videos. Keep 'em coming.

[@janeycole3327]

Gustavas Von Tempsky was in California during the 1850s. He reports in his writing that he was trained by a French fencing master.

[@brianwinters5434]

The serrations are for breaking bone when skinning the animal.

[@donbrown2391]

The serrations can be used to process wood. Mainly for putting in a fire starting kit. Overall though, I think it takes away from the functionality of the blade as one could use the edge of the spine to process wood as well. Most likely it is just blade bling.

[@notthebeaver1532]

I'm from Texas, and both pronunciations are correct. I have spoken.

[@raphlvlogs271]

large knives this size are very suitable or even important for a frontier type context

[@werftv4580]

Any chance that serrated back could be for scaling fish? looks almost like a fish scaler..

[@andrewsock1608]

Most often the old time bush men carried something closer to a slightly stiffer butcher knife such as the modern Ontario knife co butcher knife. It’s light weight for all that walking and riding, it’s thin and flexible enough to process fish and game yet still stiff and pointy enough to stab a bear or boar or man, in a pinch. They used their knife every day for regular tasks and only used them in fights because that is what they had on them ( the equivalent of you fighting off an attacker with your keychain). The style of bowi knife Matt has here is a English rendition of what they thought bushmen carried. The English version is very much a killing version suited best for fighting animals or men. Real Jim Bowie types carried knives suited for every day use in camp. They are both multi purpose knives but one leans towards fighting the other leans towards butchering. The man in London and the soldiers want the English design. The man in the mountains wants the OKC style design. Davy Crockett & Jim Bowie’s knife were probably much thinner and more flexible (wimpy) than the dreamers wanted or want to admit.

[@samhead4542]

Hey Matt, just wondering if there I any records of people in the "frontier" carrying kukri, given how much the victorians loved them it seems like a natural fit

[@lunacorvus3585]

Finally, a video about Bowie knife!

[@jaggers8908]

I really like the leaf retention on the sheath. I tried to google more about it but i keep getting info for folding knifes. do you have a resource where I can view specs about it? or how it is made?