Introduction To Boating

Purchasing a bowie knife is an excellent way to gain a powerful tool that can be used around your home, on camping trips, hunting expeditions, fishing trips or even adventure exploration. These famed knives have been in widespread use for almost 200 years and during that time, numerous modifications have been made to the original design. One of these is the blade length available. What blade length options do you have for your new bowie knife?

Short – You’ll find that some bowies are quite short, coming in at about four inches in length. These are not technically true bowies, though they might share the blade design. According to most purists, a bowie knife must have a blade of at least six inches in order to lay claim to that vaunted name. What other lengths might you find available?

First, consider the shorter blades. These are generally between six and eight inches in length. These are ideal for any number of tasks. You’ll find that the shorter blades offer benefits if you need to clean and gut a fish, as well as if you need to skin a deer, moose or elk. Because the blades are shorter, you have greater control over the blade’s direction and movement. You will not find this control with larger blades, so you should certainly opt for a smaller blade if you anticipate performing these types of tasks.

Midrange blades, those between eight and twelve inches, are good for a variety of different tasks. While they might not offer the same degree of control as their shorter brethren do, these bowie knives make up for it with greater versatility. In fact, you can use these as butcher knives quite easily, or to chop small sticks for the fire. Of course, you will find that these blades are not the limit to bowie knives. Larger blades do exist.

Larger than Fourteen Inches – You will find bowie knife blade lengths exceeding fourteen inches by a wide range. Some are even over two feet long. However, these are truly more like a machete than a knife and have fewer uses than their shorter brethren do. Of course, they do make impressive displays, though!

Dave is the owner of an online bowie knives and glock grip extensions store.

Before you purchase that bowie knife, you might have a few questions that you want answered. One of the most frequently asked questions about these knives is whether or not you need a permit to own one. Do you have to have a permit if you keep your bowie knife at home? Do you need a permit if you will use it on a hunting trip? These questions are vital, but the answers might be far from enlightening.

Bowie knives are rather special cases in many states. You’ll find that quite a few southern states still have laws on the books that cite these as “illegal” weapons. That means that you cannot carry them openly or concealed outside of your home. However, many other states do allow you to carry these knives without a permit. No states require that you have a permit to carry one on your person in an unconcealed capacity, though (in those states where these knives can be carried in public).

In most states, you do not need a license to carry a knife, unless you plan to carry it concealed on your body. For instance, the state of Arizona allows you to conceal your bowie knife on your person in public, so long as you have a permit to carry a concealed weapon. That said, some states take a very dim view of bowie knives and other large knives. Take Washington DC for example: you cannot carry any knife over 3 inches long, whether concealed or in the open. Therefore, you need to check with your state’s laws before you take your knife out in public.

The question of taking your bowie knife on a hunting, camping or fishing trip is quite different from “carrying it in public”. As these knives are designed for outdoors use, most states do not prohibit you from using them or carrying them without a permit if you will be engaged in an activity for which the knife was designed (a legal activity, of course).

So, before you venture out of your home with that bowie knife, you need to know the lay of the land, so to speak (or the law of the land, as the case may be). Basic research can ensure that you remain on the right side of the law and are able to enjoy your knife.

Dave is the owner of an online bowie knives and glock grip extensions store.