Throwing Bowie Knives

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Bowie knives are versatile and tough, but they're not universal tools. One of the more specialized types of knives are throwing knives. There are some individuals who, because of great skill in general, can throw a Bowie with some impressive results. However, these knives never were and are not intended for use as projectile weapons are target knives. These knives have several qualities that make them very bad choices if one wants to learn to throw blades.

Throwing knives are typically small, light and spear-pointed. While individuals do enjoy throwing knives for sport, the usual romantic appeal is that one can develop the skills to be a deadly martial artist where knife-throwing is concerned. Bowie knives definitely have a martial history and design to them, but they are designed to be held in the hand and used either as very versatile and practical tools or as weapons whose lethality rivals that of a short sword. Today, of course, the former application is much more common!

When an individual releases a throwing knife, the knife flies in such a way that it can be counted upon to reliably hit its mark. A Bowie knife that is thrown tumbles randomly. The handle is as likely to hit the target as is the blade if a Bowie is thrown by a novice. This can be very dangerous. When the handle hits the target, remember that a very large, wide and sharp knife may be sent bouncing in a random direction!

A Bowie knife has a clipped point and a curved, single-edged blade. While these are excellent qualities for a melee weapon, they are horrible qualities for a thrown weapon. The spear-shaped point on most throwing knifes ensures that it penetrates deeply into the target when thrown. The tip on a Bowie is designed to provide an efficient thrust, not a throw. The curved blade increases the risk of a ricochet when the knife hits the target, as well.

Those who own Bowie knives and who have an interest in pursuing the art of throwing blades would do well to purchase a purpose-built knife for the latter endeavor. Most Bowies are far too expensive to risk damaging by throwing them. They are also simply not made for this task. The danger to one's body is very real as is the potential to have a very good knife destroyed. High-carbon steel blades, in particular, should never be used as thrown knives.