Cold Steel Ames Rifleman's Knife

[Niederlander]

Gentlemen,  Has anyone seen or have one of the Rifleman's Knives by Cold Steel?  If so, how do they look?  I would think that, being Cold Steel, the quality would be pretty good.  How close are they to the original?

[LongWalker]

Not to get picky but there are a "few" minor differences.  The grind is wrong, the handle is wrong three ways from Sunday, and the scabbard is wrong.  But it is a big knife, if that's what you want.  Steel on the originals might have been better than Cold Steel's repro (not sure, no one has ever let me sharpen an original).  Cold Steel is admittedly building a knife inspired by the original, rather than a reproduction, and they'll probably do well with them. 

[Niederlander]

I like the fact they just come right out and say it's not an exact replica, but is "inspired" by an original.  I had a "reproduction" several years ago, and it wasn't that close.  I'll probably stick with the reproduction Bowie I'm building, but this does intrigue me.

[Tsalagidave]

The Ames Rfileman's Knife is a cool pattern and I'd like to see it. If it isn't historically accurate, maybe I can use it for the punishment of my modern camping. 

That said, it bothers me when a maker says "we're making (insert historic product here)" but the finished product is not a faithful reproduction.  I think that these makers forget that historical reenactment is an academic pursuit to replicate history as reasonably as possible. At the same time, each camp, trek, etc., becomes a field laboratory in testing the methods and gear of the past.

-Dave

[Niederlander]

Yep.  That's why I like fact they call it a reproduction.  I DO wish they'd have made a really high quality, spot-on reproduction, though.  (By the way, I've only seen originals in pictures, not "in the flesh" so to speak.)

[LongWalker]

A collector friend has an original that was re-handled in the Pacific Northwest style sometime prior to 1902.  He somehow conned me into copying the handle, and picked up one of Cold Steel's repros as a blade donor.  When side-by-side, the differences in the blade and crossguard were obvious. 

That doesn't mean it is a bad knife, just that it isn't an exact copy of the original.  The steel is reportedly 1085, which is a decent steel.  Properly heat-treated (and Cold Steel is pretty good about that), it works well for big hackers.  I don't know if I'd trust the handle for hard use, but that is easily corrected--the handle looks like it is pinned and epoxied.  A guy could replace the handle scales and rivet them on in the original manner.  You'd want to examine the scabbard and see if it would work for your purpose, maybe modify or replace it, or use it as-is. 

If it was offered for sale back in the day, someone who wanted a big knife might have selected one--it just isn't one he would have been issued. 

[1961MJS]

Hi

Well, look up Kult of Athena (Knives not P*rn, not some weird religion).  They have Rifleman's knives and 1880 Hunting knives that are way too long.

Later