Bowie Knife, Hand Forged High Carbon Steel with Black Horn Handle

A bowie this size earns its place around camp and at the end of a hunt. The wide belly takes long slicing cuts through hide and meat, and the clipped point stays fine enough for careful work. It is forged from 1095 high carbon steel, dark forge finish on the flats, polished edge. A polished steel guard sits ahead of a black cow horn handle on three steel pins. Full tang, with a brown leather sheath.

Specification

The blade

1095 is the steel we reach for when someone wants the sharpest edge we can put on a knife. It takes a fine edge off the stone quickly and gives it back just as quickly in the field, which matters on a long day. The trade off is worth saying plainly. This is carbon steel, so it will patina, and it will rust if you leave it wet or sheath it damp. The forge finish on the flats helps a little, but the polished edge is bare steel and wants oil.

The handle

Black cow horn, shaped and fitted by hand, with faint amber streaks running through the dark. Horn warms in the hand faster than steel or bone and stays comfortable in cold weather, which is part of why it has been used on big knives for so long. Three steel pins hold it to the tang, and the guard gives your hand something to stop against. Horn is a natural material, so the streaking and the depth of the black change from knife to knife.

Who it suits

This is a working camp and hunting bowie first and a display piece second. It suits people who take a big knife outdoors and expect it to earn its place on the belt, and collectors who want hand forged carbon steel with real horn.

• Hunters who want one large blade for field work
• Campers who split kindling and cook over a fire
• Collectors of hand forged carbon steel bowies
• Anyone buying a gift for a hunter

What comes in the box

• The bowie knife
• The leather sheath
• A care card
• A free engraving quote on request

Every piece is different

These are forged, ground and finished by hand, so the forge finish, the grind lines and the streaking in the horn vary from one to the next. The photographs show one knife. Yours is the same shape and steel with its own markings.

Looking after it

Wash by hand and dry it right away. Never the dishwasher, never left soaking, and dishwasher damage voids the warranty. Carbon steel wants dry storage and a light coat of oil, so do not leave it sitting in the sheath. Let leather dry slowly, away from heat. Sharpen on a whetstone at roughly 20 degrees per side, then strop. No pull through sharpeners. More on our knife care and sharpening page.

Put a name on it

Laser engraving is 20 dollars per blade and you add it on this page. Around 30 characters fits on a blade, and a longer message sits better on the sheath. We send a proof image before the laser runs, so you see the layout first, and it adds 3 to 5 business days. Clean line art engraves well, photographs do not. Details on the engraving page.

Questions buyers ask

Is it big enough for camp work? Yes. The belly and the weight suit splitting kindling and food prep, and the clipped point still handles finer cutting.

Why is the finish left dark? That is how the steel comes off the fire. The edge is polished because that is where the cutting happens.

Is the horn dyed? No. It is natural cow horn, which is why faint amber streaks show through the black.

Will this steel rust and how do I stop it? 1095 will patina and can rust if left wet. Dry it after use and keep a light coat of oil on it.

Is it full tang? Yes. Every fixed blade we make is full tang, steel unbroken from tip to butt.

How long until it ships and can I return it? Most US orders arrive in 5 to 7 business days with USPS, free over 99 dollars. Returns within 30 days, unused and unsharpened, with the sheath.

For the same shape with a lighter handle, see the bone handle bowie in high carbon steel, or the Damascus hunting knife with turquoise horn. More big blades sit in bowie and camp knives, the carbon work is in 1095 high carbon, and the full range is under hunting knives.