"About Cowboy knives." Topic

Did all the Cowboys carried their own knife?
We see on movies that all of them had pistols but not all carried knives on their belts.

I ask these question because here, on the far South of our Continent, people on that era had not money to carried a gun, but all of them had a very good knife.
I'm speaking to those who lived on the open country or work on ranchs as the cowboys did.
Even today, those "Cowboys" (we called "gauchos")carried their long knives with proud at the view of anybody.
Of course, duels were always with those knives (long, strong and VERY sharp).
With their knives those people not only eat their food, they defend themselves against indians and used it as a tool.

So, was it common too that a cowboy carried always his own knife?.
I supose that not all of them had a "Bowie" on their belt!.
Dit they carried razors too?

Thanks in advance for your guidance.

Amicalement
Armand

I imagine almost all cowboys and men/boys carried a knife.

At a bare minimum, a pocket knife, and/or hunting knife.

Bowie knives are very large, and somewhat impractical for many things, but are impressive to look at. Smaller hunting knives would probably be more prevalent, but I'm no expert on the subject.

I would suspect that working types (like, working a herd of cattle) would most certainly have a knife, although as noted probably a utility type – the big "Bowie" knives were, I think, more for show

Bowie knives were fighting knives, they were designed to be weapons and weren't particularly good for much else. Even today, cowboys and those who work around horses and live stock tend to have a knife handy. In the old west you were prbably more likely to find a cowboy with a knife than a pistol.

All real men here in the West still carry a knife, and usually a gun.

Mike "Bunkermeister" Creek
bunkermeister.blogspot.com

Which brings in the American adage, "never bring a knife to a gun fight."

It was only a few years before the golden days of the Old West when guns were often still single-shot affairs. Even six-cylinder pistols were merely six little cap-and-ball chambers, requiring a long time to reload. If you were expecting a fight, having a knife was just standard equipment.

Hi

Everyone carries a knife, working tool. Actually, in one way, this is "backwards". In that what we think of in modern times as a "chef's knife" is typical of all times, all kitchens everywhere. Only in very modern times is the concept of "he's got a knife" a new idea.

As for the "knife to a gunfight". Not always that simple, among other things, a knife in hand is superior to a gun in a holster or pocket. In addition, a knife never needs to be "reloaded" or "cocked".

I have books on 19th century equipment in americas, and frankly, the "Bowie" is more famous and common now than then. Commonly, people in the country had a working knife such as the "green river" knife which was made in the hundreds of thousands and traded to everyone, white or indian. Fighting knives were often what is called the "Arkansas Toothpick".

I have a Bolo from the philippines that I piked up as a kid which is sort of a "bowie" on steroids. Looking like a classic bowie, it is 24" long with the classic clip point. The mountains of Luzon,one commonly sees this knife as THE carry bit(well back in the 60s) by men and women. The thing has an axe type edge at the end for chopping, and a razor sharp section by the hilt for peeling and the like. In my youth in college, I would often "vacation" cheap in the desert relying on my bolo as the universal camp tool as I had seen philippinos use it.

The long way of saying don't make assumptions about the bowie as a work tool.

Rocky

Slightly off topic but Doc Holliday carried a large knife for a while. Once he saw a man drawing on him and whipped it out, nearly taking the guy's head off. The knife could certainly beat the gun if at the right range. On the other hand there is an account of a gunfight in which two men unloaded guns on each other at nearly point blank range with, as I recall, only one bullet finding it's mark. Sometimes it wasn't even smart to bring a gun to a gun fight.

I still carry a knife. I used to work as a stock boy in a book store where I learned the value of a locking folder.
In the Army, I carried my own knife also.
In the old West, the fighting knife became less prevalent as metallic cartridges came into being. These cut down the reloading time and the need for a fighting knife as an always loaded backup.
Count Natokina.

Were there "specialist" which carried many knives as principal weapon?
I'm speaking of a man who carried maybe six or more knives and used them as bullets with extraordinary skills when he throwing them.
Or there were only in some Circus?

Amicalement
Armand

Why disarm yourself?
One specialist who carried a few of the Green River type skinning knives would have been the man skinned the buffalo killed by the hide hunters.
Count NAtokina.

Tango01-Listen up. Cowboys are agricultural workers. Nothing more, If one of them offers to give you a ride in their pickup truck, or offers you a candy bar, just run away and call a responsible adult. I could go on. Just remember, anything west of Boston is wierd and they are all liars.
Folding knives i.e. swiss army types are all that matters.
Every thing elese is pure nonsense. …And remember this…sleep on your back!

Hi

I have seen chinese martial arts movies with such multi knife guys. I don't know of any such in the american west.

R

Captain Beefheart, many thanks for your recomendations!!!!

Amicalement
Armand

Tango,
Ck out the paintings of Charley Russell. He was a cowboy himself--altho he started out herding sheep.
Count Natokina.

Most cowboys would have carried at least one knife. Probably two one small one & one large enough for doing many of the chores that would have to be done regularly. His knife would have always been close at hand for all kinds of emergencies not just for a fight. Most farm or ranch hands that I know today carry a belt or boot knife as well as a pocket knife.

Most "wargames" set in the western frontier were between professional gunfighters -- lawmen or outlaws, with a few civilians thrown added, in towns. Most of these types did not carry knives in sheaths while at work. So not often seen in our primary research source for American Frontier games -- the movies. Paladin does not carry a sheath knife, but prefers a hide-away derringer for close work.

How good of a view into South American "cowboys" is Savage Pampas?

Dear Bob, up today on the "Savage Pampas" our "gauchos" ("cowboys") were exactly the same cloth and weapons of origin.

The regular weapon is the "facon" (big and long knife") that they put on their belt at their back.
They had many fights and disputes and they always used their long knifes.
You didn't want to fight with one of them with a knife!.
They are expert since 5 years old.

The next step (if the "gaucho" had a little more money) they used a 38" revolver (NEVER other calibre)again at their belt under their coat.

Those only two weapons are for our "cowboys".
Never rifles or long weapons.

Up today, some families (I'm a regular visitor of outdoors and ranch)had buyed a 22" carbine to hunt rabbits ("liebres")fox, pumas, etc.
They usually never spend ammo if it is not estrictly neccesary (defense).
If they hunt, ducks, rabbits, etc is only for food.

Amicalement
Armand