The Last Bowie Knife I Would Ever Give Up!
Vložit
- čas přidán 21. 08. 2024
- Showing and discussing my favorite Bowie knives, made by a variety of knifesmiths: Randall, Lile, Puma, Cold Steel, etc.
------------------------ Remember to check out our video clips on the Hickok45Clips channel: / @hickok45clips
Also, check out the Hickok45talks channel for new “talking” content. / @hickok45talks
Please check out and support the people who help make this channel possible:
Become a Gong Club member at our Patreon Page: / hickok45
SDI (Sonoran Desert Institute): www.sdi.edu/hi...
Alabama Holster: alabamaholster...
Talon Grips: talongungrips....
Ballistol: ballistol.com/
The short FAQ Videos playlist will answer most questions you have:
• FAQ Videos
Find us on Hickok45 Twitter and Facebook, as well as “therealHickok45” on Instagram.
Hickok45 videos are filmed on my own private shooting range and property by trained professionals for educational and entertainment purposes only, with emphasis on firearms safety and responsible gun ownership. We are NOT in the business of selling firearms or performing modifications on them. Do not attempt to copy at home anything you see in our videos. Firearms can be extremely dangerous if not used safely.
"I was a friend of Jim bowie." I loved that, wonder how many young people have no idea you're joking. Always love your content and humor. Keep up the great work!
It made me chuckle also.
The humor is great.not to many have that kind of humor and safistication and self depracation
I wonder how many young people even know who that is
Im 23 and i got it so there's hope lol
I gotta admit I was like, wait..what?
I have a special bowie knife my Dad made for me when I was about 7 years old. That was about 60 years ago. Great knives you have.
Wow. Thats a keeper there.
Why don’t you make a video on it.
How do they shoot?
I can’t tell if you are joking or not😂
@@meghankelley6244 that's concerning
Could possibly shove one in a blunderbuss 😂
Angrily
No but they still put real big holes in stuff.
What a beautiful collection
I'm a Scout in the Army & I keep a Randall 1-7 within arms reach at all times, it's definitely the last knife I'd get rid of for more reasons than I could count.
“Oh ya, this is a great gun for da’ fence” will literally never get old
Yeah, John is dead pan hilarious. The old jokes are the best jokes. I watch The Marx Brothers in “Duck Soup” at least once a year. You still see the old jokes coming from a mile away but you still roll in the isles laughing. I’m talking dollars, taxes, yeah that were my uncles from Dallas, Texas!! Love that Hickok 45 style humor!
@@furnacefighter Hell yea friend!
I wish i could spend one day with you and shoot some guns
That Lile bowie is one of the most beautiful pieces I've ever seen. The high satin polish on the blade, and the way the stag handle naturally flares out to aid grip is fantastic.
My Dads Randal fighting knife from the Korean war will never be sold! Still have the booklet and receipt paid 23$ with engravings! In the 50s
I know how you feel. I lost my dad's hunting knife, years ago. But, his Navy MK2 Kabar, will never leave me. It's his from World War 2. It's almost 80 years young, and in excellent condition. Even the sheath, is still original.
@@paulwolf7562 yes I looked up pricing to get one just like my fathers but with my name and holy cow their expensive and have 8 year waiting list for Randall handmade knives and 900.00 US$ to get same as his brand new but because its sentimenal I'll never sell it. I'll settle for the nice Smith & Wesson fighting knife I bought for 100 bucks lol it will serve my utility purposes lol!
That's awesome you still have it. If you don't mind me asking, what's in the booklet? Instructions on how to sharpen the knife?
@@user-hp6pj4sy3k yes it how to sharpen and maintain the knife along with a lot of pictures with fighting techniques for knife fighting .actually after watching this video I dug it out to look at it some more and my Father paid 23 dollar's not 32 lol! And the order form says the Smithsonian 11 inch blade with stag handle and etching so I'm trying to get in touch with Randall inc to see if they have records going back to see if my Father changed his order to the fighting knife stag handle and etching or if he purchased two ,the other being the Smithsonian? That would be good to know for me but I have the catalog for all model Randall knifes filled out from 1950 for my Fathers address and the envelope it came in post marked along with stag handle Knife and sheath ,blade has fathers name etching being the model#1 Fighting knife and it has seen some use because my dad actually wore the hell out a it mostly for hunting deer I believe .and the fighting knife manual with a pretty good amount of pictures and instructions on how to use and maintain the fighting knives.
@@user-hp6pj4sy3k I would really like to know if my father changed his order because Randall either didn't make Smithsonian with stag handle and etching or my father purchased two one being the Smithsonian and one being the fighting knife because the order form says the Smithsonian with 40.00 check sent and the knife he gave me with it was fighting knife stag handle and etching with fighting knife manual, along with him being a meticulous record keeper I don't see him confusing the two or not telling that at the time he gave it to me. My father has passed and I can no longer ask him and seen as how its from the 50s I'm doubtful but hopeful I can find out more!.
I was honored to have one of my Bowie fighters included in a Knives Illustrated issue back in 2016 about the history of Jim Bowie. It was included in the Knives 2018 annual book as well.
So awesome!
Do you have any advice for someone whose dream it is to become a knife maker?
@@TheBootyWrangler don’t give up
@@TheBootyWrangler My advice is to make sure the blade is sharp enough to shave a vag. You never know when you'll have to shave a split clam.
@@TheBootyWranglermake knives and keep making knives until you could realistically make any knife you can see.
You’ll have to have customers so find a niche of something that people would buy. In my opinion, batch based tool steel fixed blades are a good place to start.
Drum up enough interest for a run of 10 knives, and sell them that way.
It takes all kinds, so make what YOU like!!! Think about imagine the coolest knife you can think of and make it! I’m in the process of that and am making something very special
David Bowie did it all. Singing, acting, knives.
Let's Dance.
@@davesober2093it meant something different when Jimmy said it
🤦
I wouldn’t sell any, but the Lile and the Randalls are irreplaceable and would never be let go. Just my opinion.
The smaller Randall is a Model 1 'All Purpose Fighting Knife' with a 'border patrol' handle, nickel silver double hilt and it IS stainless steel - as indicated by the 'S' stamp on the blade.
@@paladinjme -- of them all, that was the knife I most lusted after.
I had a RMK 14 with border handle. It’s sucked huge and gave it away. In my time with RMK had a 1 and a 25-5. Did not like any of them. It happens. I now use something much different and real custom. And stay away from bone or antler handles. They just break.
@@paladinjme it's a model 16 sp1. the model 1 all purpose fighting knife does not have a full tang which is showing thru the grip on his.
@@g24thinf Most fighting knives have rat tail tangs because it reduces weight. The classic USMC Kabar and Bill Bagwell's legendary Hell's Belle to name a few. Even without a full tang, the Hell's Belle is virtually indestructible thanks to Bill's secret 4 level differential heat treat (he was a founding member of the American Blacksmith Society and could forge a fighting bowie like no other). Cold Steel's Laredo Bowie and their Natchez Bowie (both are fighting bowies) do not have a full tang either.
I’m a descendant of Jim Bowie through his sister, Amaryllis Bowie. My grandma and great aunt told me many stories about her and her brother, Jim. Jim Bowie had a big Bulldog named Tide. My Great Aunt as a young girl was afraid of him because he would jump up on the gate and act so mean when she would approach. The. the dog would lick her and wag his tail, so glad to have some company out there on the prairie.
I find it awesome that all these tactical youtube channels try so hard to appeal to an audience and don’t even have a fraction of Hickoks fan base. Just a guy having fun with guns.
Don't forget about Crocodile Dundee when he was in New York and this guy pulled a Switchblade out and Dundee said you call that a Knife and pulled out a Bowie Knife and cut his Michael Jackson Jacket off him LOL
11:54 i love that quote, "it is always loaded and it'll give you a few extra shots"
_Waidblatt_ might be translated as 'hunting blade' - An old-fashioned word for 'hunter' is _Waidmann._ The Waidblatt was supposed to be able to perform as a chopper, eg. for clearing an overgrown ladder to a tree stand (many hunters in Germany have rather permanent tree stands) or for cleaving the pelvic bone when processing game etc.
'The Iron Mistress' was a great movie. The blacksmithing scene was great. Alan Ladd was also in 'Shane' one of the best movies imo. The nickel, calvary Colt SAA he carried was gorgeous.
My father had an old Lile knife like that before I was born. It was stolen from him on a camping trip, I plan to buy him one like that soon.
"oh my god Hickok, look at that knife. It's blade is just so big"..... "I like big knives and I can not lie"!
No matter how big, never bring a knife to a gun fight.
Nice collection you have there sir. By far you've got the best channel on commle toobe.
Somebody that knows what they are doing with a knife is dangerous beyond belief. The fact that you have a gun doesn’t mean you are safe from a knife attack.
@@unclegene5372 I agree, I've had knife training on the offense and defense in the Marine Corps and 20 year's of studying a traditional hard-core style of Japanese karate. And I also know that someone that knows what they're doing with a gun, whether it be a hand gun or long rifle, is also dangerous beyond belief. The Marine in me prefers to have both at my disposal, right weapon for the right situation. You can see a knife attack coming, unless of course it's from behind. You cannot see a 9mm or 5.56 round coming at you, no matter how good you are with a knife.
I would definitely bring a knife to a gunfight, but I’d also bring my gun.
Dont bring a gun to a knife fight. KNOW the difference!
I've never been one to except that advice. I aways carry both and always will. Geez who came up with that one !
Fine Choice Mr. Hickok! Mr. Jimmy and I were friends for many years. In fact he sold my very first knife at a Gun show in Alabama in 73-74 iirc. His table was next to mine and he wanted me to learn the trade and sold the first knife right of the table for me. He was a soft spoken man and full of encouragement to budding makers.
I believe you will find both the Bowie and most certainly the Hunter are in D-2 Steel. He was very fond of it.
His advice over the years paid off as I am now retired after 47 years in the business.
I sure miss it. A LOT!
My Wife is German and tells me the translation is roughly wide leaf. Jager is German For Hunter. ;
My major collecting of the past 65+ years concentrating on Big Knives, mostly Bowies. Again store bought, and into custom hand made. Thank you, J
Great show today ! I love seeing the knives that other people use or own just out of sheer admiration for its history or style. Whatever sentiments it holds for you. If for nothing else they are fun to just sit and grin at. Many thanks for sharing some great knives.
I'm glad of your good opinion of the CS Trail Master. I just bought it's smaller cousin, the Recon Scout. Now I can't wait to put it through its paces.
I have always loved Hickok's knives. He has exquisite taste.
I f-in love you hickok45! One of my favorite channels and this was a great episode. Thank you.
I have a Kabar Model 1209, "PX knife". It's a roughly 5.5 inch blade. It was issued to me in 1973..I've been carrying since then, mostly for hunting. It's a good knife, it's tough, holds an edge well, and is small enough to use for skinning and cutting. Wouldn't it be neat if we did have the original Bowie knife. I'm 70 years old and Bowie, Crockett, and others were my heroes growing up in Tennessee.
THIS IS A TRUE TEACHING CHANNEL ,,,YOU WILL ALWAYS LEARN SOMETHING lovin' it
I am the newest SDI student thanks to you two, Gary and John!
I have the trail master, great knife, had it for years. That smaller Randle knife is a fantastic knife for a soldier. Perfect size! Thanks for showing a great collection!
The only hickok45 video the Brits are interested in
I like the Puma’s and the Randall’s , you have some really nice knives!
Those are my favorites too…
Me too...but I never had luck with Randalls - maybe I just had a couple of "lemons"..Vintage Pumas are amazing
We have quite a few knives in common. Have a Randall Bowie on order. Five year wait currently. The other Randall is their "fighting" knife which gained prominent notoriety during the Vietnam War. The Puma was known as the White Hunter. First girlfriend gave me one in 1977 and I still own it. Nice video
@@thefartofgeneralzod6653 it's worth it for a Randall knife.
Puma Auto knife is known as a white Hunter. It is literally etched at the tip portion of the blade. This specimen is as Hicock correctly mentioned: a Weidblatt. Weidmann being a way of reffering to hunters in German.
@@georgegordonbrown9522 not an argumentative guy. In fact I thought I had stuffed my foot in my mouth. A 45 year mistake. My knife is as follows : 6377/Handmade /Puma White Hunter /Genuine Pumaster Steel W. Germany. As new in the box.
Great collection! I don’t have any really expensive knifes like you do, but I do like my Ka-Bar Becker BK9 Bowie. It’s a beast!
Love the BK 9 the workhorse of my collection.
I also have a Ontario Marine Raider that is a awesome knife , it's a huge fighting knife .
I think the only factor should be is how do they fare against the gong!
If hickock could throw any of those all the way to the gong my jaw would be on the floor lol
Would have been funny if at the end he said “now let’s see if we can hit the gong with this thing” as he pulls out his handgun and nails it first try lol
Itd take a good arm to make that throw!
Would love to see more of this kind of stuff. I own a Schrade-Walden Buffalo Bill bowie made in the 70s. Back when Schrade made them here in the USA.
Awesome knife but given to you by your son makes it a true treasure!
Linder Solingen made a beautiful Bowie called the Big Eagle 1. It stood out amongst other Bowies with its nickel eagle head pommel and dog head guard. I picked one up fortunately before it was discontinued a few years ago. Big Eagle 2 is currently available.
You must be proud of a son that blesses you with such bounty.
My concern would be the rat tail tang on the Lile. I would lean more toward one of the full tang knives for more dependability under extreme use.
That Lile is worth a few thousand, easy. It's also pretty much irreplaceable, nobody is doing any extreme use with one. Chopping up that pumpkin in the video is the hardest use that thing is ever likely to see.
If it is quality made, rat tail tang i not big of a problem, some gurka kukris are rat tail tang made, and they choped heads down with those.
rat tail tangs are incredibly durable, especially if the user knows the difference between a knife and a log splitting axe. People should attempt to break the handle off of a farrier’s rasp to see what it takes.
Every samurai sword made has a "rat tail" tang......just saying......
@@richardwebb9532 That is not a rat tang in samurai swords, it is full tang in tsuka.
Rat tang is in files.
I have a Randall Smithsonian. Bought in the 90s even then it took 2 years from ordering it. Get it sharpened often. Beautiful leather sheath.
Knives, guns little brother. We love them. 🇺🇸🗽🌆🤠
Us English love them more apparently
@@DasMonke no your weak and handed over your guns, they are all you have. Don't make us kick your ass again. 🇺🇸🗽🤠
I didn’t even want to give up guns. Why do I even bother, CZcams comments are full of idiotic know-it-alls.
@@DasMonke you make a broad swelling statement about Brits loving them more, and then whine when someone debunks that statement. And you use the example of one person, yourself, not wanting to give them up, to represent an entire country. Derp. The portion of Brits not liking guns is far bigger than Americans not liking guns. (Thinking civilians shouldn't own them.) That's an undeniable fact. It's not a matter of opinion.
The gun community can really suck. Guns are probably going to banned in the U.S too if the pro-gun community won’t stop fighting each other. Go argue with some fucking commie. Plus, knives have been most British people’s weapon of choice far before the U.S even bloody existed.
That is the Bowie Knife, i would pick. Great choice, Hickok45 !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I appreciate you taking the time to do these videos. Anyone can tell the joy it brings you and conversely, the rest of us.
The Puma Waidblatt (hunting blade) is one of the historical hunting knifes, or so called "bare weapons" in Germany, very traditional.
It goes alongside with the Nicker, the Saufeder and the Hirschfaenger.
The Waidblatt is the traditional dispatching knife for game you could not kill with the first shot. More often than not it is carried together with a Nicker.
The Puma Waidblatt is a childhood dream knife of mine, but I only was able to make it to a Puma Automesser I was issued when I was in service at the Bundeswehr back in 1983. It was issued to the flying personal of the Heeresflieger, the German "Air Cavalry" with the Bo 105 anti tank and the CH 53 transport helicopter as survival knife and is a cheaper version of the "White Hunter", another traditional Puma hunting knife. I know that the Luftwaffe (Air Force) Jet Pilots had the Automesser, too. Actually they gave the knife a reinforced leather sheet to avoid injurys for pilots who had to pull the emergency seat and eject from the plane.
The knife was given to me from my Major when I left the Bundeswehr.
I have lots of big fixed blades, so I decided to give my Automesser to my younger son, who loves the knife a lot. With his now 25 years he sure is old enough to take care of the knife.
My to go knife for the outdoors this days is either my late 80's Cold Steel Trailmaster or my early 90's Fallkniven A1.
@@kongandbasses8732 I've owned about 100 vintage Puma knives.They are not typical in design and are very difficult to make - plus they are 100% "forged" knives...the Waidblatt, as you said, was considered a "sidearm" and a last- ditch weapon, as well as perfect for camping and chores. I've never had issues with the edge of those Pumas, but I've had many chipped/damaged edges on Trailmasters and Randalls that were not perfectly heat treated...don't want to say too much negative stuff about popular brands though!
I believe the Smithsonian is made from 3/8" stock, so just a tad thicker than the Trailmaster's 5/16". I love big thick honkin' knives too. 👍
The lile and Randall are the bomb!
Love Bowie knives, one of my favorites that I own is a Rigid Bear Paw designed by Take Fukuta in Seki Japan RG62 AUS8 steel 9 inch blade with original thick leather sheath. Tak Fukuta was the Japanese to become a member of the American Knife Guild and student apprentice to Bob Loveless. This is a beast of a knife with the Bear Claw medallion inlaid in the wood handles.
I enjoy Tak Fukuta's work!
@@brandensutton2324 Really nice blades come out of Japan !.
can never have too many bowie knives
Aggzacly so!
Just as with guns, the ideal number of knives is one more than you currently have. 😉
Can't have to many of any type of knives lol.....I got like 15 benchmade griptilian with upgraded micarta scales.
👌👌💪💪
Oh you got a Randall knife in a Micarta border patrol handle, awesome hickok45! That Jimmy Lile Bowie must worth quite a bit of $$$$ in today's value! I really like Randall knives especially its Model 14 attack in SS (in a Micarta finger grooves handle with brass hilt). Saw it in a Squadron Signal book back in 1986. One of the Green Berets favourite non-issued personal effects during the Vietnam War era. Man, really blew me away! Must hand it to the southern boys, they do make great knives!!!👍👍👍
That puma is my age I was born in 74! That Lile is worth a pretty penny! Cool knives
I want to make one out of an old leaf spring.
That would be fun 👍 you can get a blacksmith oven on Amazon cheap
oh I waited for this video so long , now I will think about this knives all the day
Love from Greece. You are the best !
A friend of Jim Bowie 😆😆😆😆
That stag handle fits well with the stag grips on your three colts. In my opinion any way. Thank you and John for all your hard work and all the information you have given us.
Sure glad it was ! I had one in early 80 and it was stolen from Indiana older brothers house .Never got to replace it . Thank you for sharing . Made a great camping knife .
Ooh! Shiny! Does Hickok have swords too?
5th one from the right is bomb
5 & 6
My uncle used to work for Bo Randel and I have a fair collection of them. My favorite would have to be a model 12 little bear Bowie that he made special for me. My next favorite would have to be a Randel folder with ivory slabs. You cannot go wrong with any Randel!
As a knife maker, it's nice to see someone that knows the right way to care for carbon steel, not surprisingly it's a individual from a time nearly forgotten it seems.
Jed can you tell me what he says about wiping the blades down with some kind of a stone 5:20? What do you prefer to use to prevent rust?
Wow 3 years ago we went to the Alamo neat place saw some original guns & knives that was used there. There really know way to know what ever happen to Jim Bowie knife But I sure glad people kept the original format. FYI Jim Bowie tv show can be seen on Amazon Prime
Greetings from Cape town South Africa! Love the Puma in the middle! Got one too! Love Bowie knives.
Love the dry humor.
You knew Jim Bowie almost went over my head, almost !
Very good at what you do
Hickok45 !
Waidblatt doesn't mean 'hunter', it's a knife type just like 'Bowie'. And all Puma knives are made in stainless steel, even those manufactured in China.
I'm 45yrs old and I remember around mid 80s at 7-8 yrs old envying Rambo. My. Mama got me a Rambo survival knife from the local flea market! I was sh*thing in high cotton. Tiny compass, three or four matches, two fish hooks and 8-10 ft of fishing line. The knife was actually nice and aluminum handle with threaded end cap. And rite after I was given my grandpas 9422 lever action Winchester 22lr rifle! Still have the knife and the rifle. The rifle is like new and it is slick as a old Cadillac! Nice video!
Wow, a real Jimmy Lile bowie.... beautiful!!!!! Not only an iconic knife, but a damn well made one.
I have a WW2 USMC Corpsman Bolo that was theater modified into a Bowie blade. The handle was kept original as well as the sheath. It is a hoss of a knife. I have been a knife freak since a very young age. The knife is the basic survival tool. Never go anywhere without a knife. I enjoy your videos. Thanks for making them.
Something about watching Hickok45 stab a pumpkin with a knife thats worth my paycheck is hilarious
Nice! Before I collected guns I collected knives. My largest portion are skinner knives.
My brother lives right near you and said he seen you in a gun store
Bought a Randall #14 many years ago, and for some insane reason, traded it for a shotgun (Boo Hoo). regretted it to the max, so I took up knife making, and job one for me was to clone one, rather two. I have 42 custom knives that I've made. Some I sell or even give away (reluctanty), some I've collected (Gerber BMF and LMF Buck 1984) etc. but of my entire collection, it's the Randalls I would never give up- such a classic design. Love your videos!
As soon as I saw the knives I thought, "is he going to hit the gong"?
Those are really nice knives. It would be real tough choice, for me. I've lost, sold or gotten rid of a lot of things, over the years. Those are some really good ones.
Those are some great knives there Sir. Love watching your channel by the way. Have a great day.
The “he was a good friend of mine, I met him at the Alamo” line made me laugh!
These two do not know how to make a boring video !
Fantastic.
I love bowies in traditional style with a sharpened false edge. The backcut is probably one of the fastest movements the human body can make
Your the best big guy! Thank you for all your and jr's insight in our world . God speed! Good choice on the crown stag!
Bowies are definitely my favorite, I have like 15 that I personally made
What a beautiful collection of Bowie knives hickok !! That Lile is my favorite as well !!
Now that's a knife!
Very cool knives. Best regards from Germany 😀
hi guys!!
up here in Michigan we have SNOWWWWWW
ABSOLUTAMENTE Fantastical scenery then?
I would have picked that same knife immediately. What a knife.
I, for one, appreciate these non-gun videos. I LOVE the gun videos and most of what I know has come from hickok45, but I'm positive he has other wisdom to share, and we all need more of that.
"I was a friend of Jim Bowie's" that deadpan gets me every time.
Thank you Hickok!!!!!
I'd seen one video reply to their opinion that a Bowie was Too big. He proceeded to skin a squirrel for lunch! the squirrel skin coulda been tanned. Expertly done. UNFRIGGNREAL techniques
Hi iam a big fan of you i love firearms
Love JC from the Philippines
I was glad you picked the Jimmy Lile knife as I lived in Russellville Arkansas from 1975 until 1980 and drove by his shop everyday. I loved his knives but sadly at the time I could not afford one.
I purchased the Smithsonian Bowie from Randall Made Knives on 12/2015 based on Mr Hickok45's YT review... to the same specifications seen here. Arrived 04/2020 (for those of you living in the 'sticks'... that's 4 1/2 years)! Currently, it sits in an acrylic display made by RCS Plastics.
i forgot for a second that 76 was the United States Bicentennial birthday, and when you said "I got that as a bicentennial gift to myself" i choked on my coffee cause i thought "HICOCK IS HOW OLD?!".
You have some nice examples there H45!
Don't know how I missed this video. I have carried a 14 Randell for almost 50 years. Talked to Bo when I ordered it. Came with a $25 option. An arched cross gaurd. It cost me $125 and took a week to get it. At time I was in 101st AB. Still a few years until I can tell where I spent time. Love big knives. I want one that in an unfriendly situation I can chop. Take fingers or hand off.
The winner definitely fits you perfect
Great collection and great video!! Thanks H-45 Guns & Knives just go together.
I got into collecting hollow handle survival knives when I saw the first "Rambo" movie featuring a Jimmy Lile knife. The crown in my collection is my Lile "no dot" Sly II. I also have custom hand made examples from Jack Crain, Gene Baskett of Kentucky, and Randall.
How cool would have it been to have Mr. Hickok as a school teacher.
I was typing that I would call the Randal a fighting bowie as well. It is beautiful. Big fan of your channel and I'm a gun and knife guy but a true knife lover please do more knife videos! Just more videos lol thanks
Local Man defends self against Pumpkin.