Bowie knife
| Bowie knife | |
|---|---|
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| Information | |
| Weapon type: | knife |
| Designations: | Bowie knife |
| Use: | Weapon, tool |
| Creation time: | circa 1826 |
| Working time: | til today |
| Region of origin / author: |
United States , Colonel James Bowie |
| Distribution: | United States, today worldwide |
| Overall length: | up to approx. 50 cm |
| Blade length: | approx. 15 - 30 cm |
| Blade width: | approx. 4 cm - 5 cm |
| Handle: | Wood, horn, ivory, metal |
| Lists on the subject | |
Bowie knives are a type of heavy work and combat knives that were first popular in the USA . They are one of the legends of the Wild West and are named after James Bowie . They were worn by soldiers in the American Civil War and later by cowboys and buffalo hunters. The Arkansas Senate has named the Bowie Knife the state's official knife.
description
The name of the knife goes back to James "Jim" Bowie , who was involved in knife fights in the early 19th century. Legend has it that the first of these knives were designed by his brother, Rezin P. Bowie, so that they could be used as a field knife and hunting knife, as well as a combat knife . It is known that Rezin P. Bowie had a number of these knives made by Searles in Baton Rouge to give as gifts to friends.
The most common shape of the Bowie knife has a blade of at least 15 cm, whereby individual blades can also have a length of up to 30 cm. The width is usually 4 to 5 cm. The back of the blade is often provided with notches (so-called ' filework' ) or a layer of soft metal (e.g. copper or brass ) in order to be able to intercept the blade of opposing knives. A single-edged clip-point blade with a duckbill or pandur point is considered typical . This shape is also called pike-mouth tip and has historically been widespread in Europe in the early modern era for large hunting knives. Between the blade and the handle there is a mostly large guard made of nickel silver or other non-ferrous metals, the handles are often riveted and made of wood, ivory or antlers . There are just as many designs with a pointed tang and full handle.
The main supplier for Bowie knives was the knife industry based in Sheffield, England. One of the best-known manufacturers was George Wostenholm & Sons, Washington Works , Sheffield, who labeled his knives IXL (I excel). Also known among the dozen of manufacturers are W. Butcher , Rogers & Sons, and Wilkinson W. & Son .
Bowies made in America are less common. Before the American Civil War, many were handcrafted by cutlers. Industrial manufacturers were the Bridgeport Gun Implement Company , C.Roby, and later the John Russel Manufacturing Company in Deerfield, Massachusetts. After the outbreak of war in 1861, combined Bowie bayonet knives came on the market, and the US Navy introduced the Dahlgren-Bowie bayonet proposed by Admiral John A. Dahlgren in 1856. After the Civil War, the Bowie knife gradually disappeared as it was no longer used as a combat knife. At the end of the 19th century, the Springfield Armory, Massachusetts, manufactured 2,800 Bowie bayonets for the Krag rifle used in the Spanish-American War and the Philippine-American War .
Often decorated decoratively, they sometimes serve as a piece of jewelry and a status symbol for the owner.
modern bowie
Krag Bowie bayonet, US stamped, dated 1900
Legal situation in Germany
Since an amendment to the German Weapons Act in 2008, the accessible carrying of fixed knives with a blade length of more than 12 cm has been prohibited in accordance with Section 42a WaffG unless there is a legitimate interest . Possession is still allowed.
literature
- Matthias Recktenwald: Bowie knife - an American myth. Stuttgart: Motorbuch-Verlag, 2003, ISBN 978-3-613-02320-8 .
- Harold L. Peterson: American Knives Highland Park, NJ: The Gun Room Press, 1993, ISBN 0-88227-016-8 .
- Richard Washer: The Sheffield Bowie & Pocket Knive Makers 1825-1925, Nottingham, England: TA Vinall Publisher, 1974.
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ KATV: Arkansas Senate names Bowie knife state's official knife , accessed February 21, 2019.
- ↑ §42a WaffG : Prohibition of carrying fake weapons and certain portable objects