Knives

[ZVP]

 This might not be the right section for knife info but I chose it because I want to know about multiple carry.
Just curious what type of knives do ya'll carry?
How do you carry them?
I just bought a 10" Bowie (13" overall) and am finding that several options are available to emulate old time carry. Scabbards, Indian trimmed and Beaded scabbards, and some just carry the Bowie passed under the gun belt or through a sash.
Now I realize that we're not talking about wearing the knife over a Cattle Drive but  what methods and knife sizes do you carry?
I am beginning to think that maybe a 4"-6" fixed balde might make more sense than a Bowie...
I know that the Bowie was more of a fighting knofe than a "Utility" blade and as a back-up for a revolver it would rate first cabin! I just wonder that due to it's sheer size, where and how does one carry a Bowie on a two gun outfit?
In old photos it seems that the Bowie was often carried on the right and the revolver on the left. This leads ma to wonder if the wearer was more of a knifefighter than a gunfighter?  It seems like the average cowboy would not have both a left and right handed holster for just one gun. In some cases the Bowie was just  carried tunder the belt across the wearers front.
Was this just a "Pose"?
ZVP

[Bob R.]

I carry a Buck folding 'multi-tool' as a simple, cheap pocket knife I can walk  into the Post Office with in my pocket, and not be accidentally commiting a felony by having too long a blade. Box-cutter one side, stubby knife blade the other, and a little screwdriver and a bottle opener. All blades under the maximum length specified.

I otherwise sometimes carry an Applegate-Fairbane combat folder from Gerber. I can't see a use for carrying a fixed knife blade unless I am hunting.

[The Elderly Kid]

ZVP,
This subject has been much discussed on this forum. What period are you interested in? It is generally agreed that the really big bowies, 10"+, are seldom seen after the Civil War period. They were much in fashion from the '30s through '50s. Frequently tucked into a belt or sash with a belt stud to keep them from slipping through, they might also be worn on the belt in a frog, similar to those used to hold bayonets and such on a military belt. Sometimes you see a modern-style belt-loop scabbard. Clearly, carry was a matter of convenience and personal preference, just as there are many ways to pack guns today.

[Dr. Bob]

I carry a Will & Fink [San Francisco, CA] cutlery handled Bowie knife that has a 7 1/8 inch blade and is 11 1/4 inches overall.  I carry it behind my strong side

holster usually.  I have carried it on my left side, but I only use one revolver [NCOWS].  It is likely from the 1870's.  Have a real big bowie, but don't carry it very much at all.  A plain old 5 pin butcher knife is real authentic for most anyone but a dandy!  A dandy, that would be ME!! 

[Bob R.]

In the case of any sort of historical reenactment, or 'Dress up', I carry a 19th century style pocketknife.

I sometimes carry an M 1840 light artillery saber, mounted or dismounted for Civil War artillery reenacting (Actually, an original French St. Etienne that was imported for the War), but I don't generally carry a belt knife, again, unless I was hunting. Mounted, a knife can be a personal health-hazard if you are unexpectedly dismounted in a hurry. Even a saber can come unscabbarded in a bad fall travelling at speed - ask me how I know...

[ZVP]

 Thanks for the replies folks I really am too new at this to even know which specific period I would want a knife for. I didn't know thaqt it identified your era so preciselly!
I have both Cap and ball guns (1850's) and a Ruger Vaquero which would put a beltmate in the 1870's era.
ai didn't know that the long Bowie was so period specific. I thought a bowie was a bowie but since reading of the great SandBar Battle I can see how a large Bowie would be used in battle.
I have been thinking about what several of you have said and now think that a much smaller fixed blade belt knife would suffice for period correct clothing and armiment.
It appears that during the time of the large Bowie, pistols were of the single shot variety and that the knife was the primary weapon. As revolvers came about and were more frequently owned, the knife took second place and was the back-up.
Thanks again for your help and I think I need to set a period costume more precisely and then choose the knife.
Well at least I have a large Bowie to use as a conversation starter...
ZVP

[WaddWatsonEllis]

ZVP,

Large knives are generally dated to cap and ball time periods ... so that if your powder was not as dry as it should be, one at least had a backup.

The beginning of cartridge (read dependable) pistols was like a slow death for large, heavy, hard to carry knives.

Knives eventually dropped into the 4-6" blade catagory, and then to a 'Case' style folding knife towards the turn of of the 20th century...

But there was always somebody carrying a big Bowie ... regardless of time period or pistol ...

And again, I am but one voice and opinion ... what say you fellas?

[Curley Cole]

A guy once asked me if I had a knife. (I usually have a folder in my pocket.) so I said no...Musta thought I was a real  butt. You see I have a neck knife around my neck. (scout image has a bone handled obsidion blade in beaded deerskin.) thenI have one of 3 bowies on my gun belt. So, have a minimum of 3.

your mileage may vary

curley

[ChuckBurrows]

While the big knives were generally more popular pre-1870, that does not mean they were not used later:

1) Cap and ball revolvers contiued to be used well into the 1880's and even later by some

2) Major knife makers such as J Rodgers and Russell, all continued to catalog 7-10" length Bowies through the entire western frontier period (up through the 1890's) so there was a definite market for them. See some of MJB's earlier posts on suppliers in whihc he inluded blade lengths.

Some how the idea that a knife should be a multi-purpose tool is IMO part of the "modern" mindset amongst many re-enactors, when in fact during the period there were fighters including Bowies, butchers, skinners, camp knives, pocket knives (often carried even when carrying a big knife). While many of these types can be used mult-purposely they were often purpose designed. Like anything else using a big knife is a learned skill. On the other hand many (if not most, especially the commercial models) of the modern repros of big knives are too thick without the proper tapers, etc. and too heavy making them awkward to use. Yes there were period built big and awkward knives (i.e. many of the D guards from the ACW period), but in general the period big bowies/side knives made by the English for instance are well balanced and not overly heavy or awkward to use. Good for skinning game, etc? Not necessarily. but then they weren't designed for such uses anymore than a 16" butcher knife was designed to peel carrots.......
Another part of the "story" is as always who, when, and where you are from - in the SW and California for instance where there is a heavy Spanish influence, big knives (many belduques are over 10" with thick spines) continued to be widely used throught the period more than other parts of the country.