Saturday, December 19, 2009

How is a Bowie Knife Different From a Hunting Knife?

By Dylan Sabot

Bowie knives are hunting knives, aren't they? This is a common question. However, bowie knives aren't technically hunting knives - they are multipurpose tools. Hunting knives are usually very specific in their intended use. For instance, a gut hook knife is intended for an obvious purpose. Likewise, a skinning knife is used for skinning and doesn't perform very well for other uses. Bowie knives, on the other hand, can be used to skin, gut, chop, cut and numerous other things.

First, hunting knives (non-bowie knives) are available in a wide range of blade types. You'll find skinning knives, gut-hook knives, drop point blades and even clip point blades (like bowie knives). Each of these blade types is designed for a very specific task. For instance, a gut hook knife can be used for other purposes than gutting, but it is intended for that purpose alone. What is the difference where bowie knives are concerned?

Now, a bowie knife on the other hand, is designed for many different uses. Originally, the bowie knife was designed for personal protection, as well as general-purpose use in camping, hunting and fishing. This is why the blade is so large and thick - it has to be to deal with such a wide variety of different uses. While you will find that specialty knives do a better job in their very specific field, a bowie knife will outperform other knives, simply because you can use it for such a wide range of different things. You can skin with them, chop brush, gut fish, chop vegetables, cut through bone and more.

You'll also find that bowie knives have very different shapes than other hunting knives. While all bowies share the clipped point design (you'll find this on some hunting knives, too), you will also find a few other features. Some bowie knives have a Spanish Notch on the blade that can be useful when hunting or camping. Some knives also have saw-teeth on the blade's spine, though some users find these cumbersome, annoying and even dangerous in some circumstances.

Choosing to purchase a bowie knife over a hunting knife is an excellent decision. This will ensure that you are able to use your knife in almost any situation and that you will not suffer the limitations brought on by a single-use type of knife.

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