Using a Bowie Knive as a Throwing Knife

You might think that due to their heft and size, that bowie knives would make an ideal throwing knife. You might even have chanced to watch some of the many YouTube videos that show people using bowie knives as throwing knives (sometimes with some very mixed results). However, the fact remains that bowie knives are not designed to be thrown. They are handheld tools, designed for cutting, cleaning and any number of other uses.

If you've paid any attention to YouTube, you have probably seen a few videos of those using bowie knives as thrown weapons. You might also have noticed that they hit the target (sometimes). However, there are a few things that you might not have noticed. While getting a bowie knife to hit the target and stick is a neat trick, there are some issues here. First, notice how close the thrower must stand to the target. With a real throwing knife, you can be further back, and therefore in a safer area.

Second, you might notice that only some of the throws are successful. While a couple of individuals might have been able to hit the target with sufficient force for the blade to stick, you will also see a very large number of people bounce the knife off the target. This is because the knife is not weighted for throwing - it's designed to be held in the hand. This means that it is quite well weighted for many different uses, but flying through the air with any degree of accuracy is not one of them.

These are only a few of the things that can happen when attempting to use bowie knives as throwing knives. A much better option is to use them as they were intended to be used - as handheld tools. Throwing knives can be purchased in almost any size and you can even find bowie style throwing knives that are balanced correctly for the purpose.

As you can see, using bowie knives as throwing weapons is not the ideal situation. You can damage yourself, your knife or someone else. In addition, you'll simply find that you can gain more enjoyment using a knife designed for throwing, rather than attempting to throw a bowie knife.