What Are The Various Parts Of Bowie Knives?

Your bowie knife is a quintessential element in much of your life. Those who use these knives for any period of time quickly find that they are indispensible. They serve general usage needs, are vital when hunting, camping or fishing and make astounding fighting knives (as they were designed for self-protection). However, understanding the features of the blade can be a bit of a quandary. What do all of those specific areas do, anyway? You'll find that different bowie knife models feature different uses.

Clip Point - Your bowie knife has one defining feature; it has a clipped point. This is the end of the blade and it looks like someone cut a section out of the tip. This is an important feature and serves several purposes. First, it serves to narrow the point of the knife, giving you greater control during use. Second, it ensures that the bowie knife has better penetrative (stabbing) power. As you might imagine, these benefits come in quite handy.

Another element of bowie knife design is the clipped point. In fact, if a knife claims to be a bowie, but does not have this distinctive feature, it is not a bowie knife. The clipped point was one of the original innovations that helped to cement this knife's reputation in the Western world. It allows immense control of the point during general use or during combat, and provides greater penetration when using the knife for stabbing. A sharpened false edge on the clipped point offers extra cutting power, as well.

Your bowie knife might also include a runnel or blood groove. These are not found on all bowies, but serve a purpose nonetheless. The runnel, or blood groove, serves to release blood pressure from around the blade of the knife when the knife is inserted into an animal. This ensures that the blade does not become trapped and can be easily free on the reverse motion of the stroke.

You will find a bowie knife that offers features that fit your needs with a bit of searching. Make sure that you understand the different uses of all the blade areas, prior to making any purchase decision, though. This is the only way that you can ensure you get the right bowie knife for your particular usage needs.