Some Bradley Bowie pics...

[bearfacedkiller]

So we have had a few days of spring here (well, it's above freezing) and I have been trying to get a few things done here at the chateau before winter comes back this weekend. I guess we are gonna get another foot of snow! Yeah! Either way, even if spring isn't in the air at least it is in my mind. The chickens are starting to lay really well again, I got a boat load of seeds started, I got a couple trees felled for the mushrooms spores, I scavenged enough blow down to finish heating my house for the year, I got all the supplies to put in some more rabbit cages and I have a bunch more rare breed chickens on the way. I have been carrying the Bradley Bowie with it's trusty sidekick the safety orange Delica for all the fun around the feirme and I have been snapping a bunch of pics. The Delica rides in the pouch on the front of the sheath. I tried to find a thread to dump them in and couldn't really find the right thread so I figured I would start one.

For your viewing pleasure....

[bearfacedkiller]

For the sake of consolidation here are a few more older pics of it from last year. The sheath is a becker bk15 sheath. It works great for me.

[hoimin]

My location and lifestyle does not afford me enough time outdoors to use mine to full effect, but I'm going to try to get out this weekend and get some action in (and photos).

I was able to do a bit of fire prep and batonning last year. It's a beefy blade, but a reluctant chopper. The factory grind was a bit too obtuse for my liking, so I've back beveled and convexed it the best I could (not great at it). We'll see how it handles!

[Mushroom]

Nice pictures, its always cool to see a knife being put through the paces! Seriously, sounds like a lot of work. We're supposed to be getting snow this weekend as well, and I'm not looking forward to it...
I still really want to try out this and the Junction. Seeing it next to the Delica actually makes it appear smaller than I would've thought, but thats not a bad thing!
Also, I've seen some great results from those shiitake plugs, good luck with everything. Thanks for sharing!

[murphjd25]

I'm digging it killer! Very nice! Love that sheath too! Good to see some knives actually being put through their paces.

[bearfacedkiller]

Shroom,

Good to hear. I have a lot of experience with all the other stuff but the mushrooms are a totally new one for me. I am pretty excited about it. I was hoping to install beehives but I just don't think I will have the time this year. I am gonna set it all up this summer and do the bees next year. I know a guy that keeps bees for a living so I can get some good guidance. Thanks for the kind words. :D

Murph,

Thanks brother!

[bearfacedkiller]

My location and lifestyle does not afford me enough time outdoors to use mine to full effect, but I'm going to try to get out this weekend and get some action in (and photos).

I was able to do a bit of fire prep and batonning last year. It's a beefy blade, but a reluctant chopper. The factory grind was a bit too obtuse for my liking, so I've back beveled and convexed it the best I could (not great at it). We'll see how it handles!

Feel free to dump your pics here if you want. I was living a much more suburban life a little while ago too so I know how hard it can be to get dirt time. Now that is pretty much all I have is dirty time. Well, that and dirty diapers. :eek:

Mine came at about 40 degrees for most of the edge with the tip being probably at least 50 degrees and that is being nice. You coulda stabbed through a car door with that grind. I reprofiled mine down to 30 degrees along the whole edge and it is much better. It still has a nice robust tip but now performs well. As you can see it handles batoning well with that edge. I have pounded it through hemlock, paper birch, black birch, beech and various maples and oaks. It hasn't complained yet but I also don't push it. If it starts to get stuck I pull it out. You gotta know when to keep pounding and when to stop. I also avoid knots, especially on the harder woods and on hemlock.

Nah, it's not a chopper. I got a Schempp Rock thinking it would be but even it is still a little light weight for that. It is way better than Bradley at chopping though. I just can't really consider a knife a chopper until it gets pretty close to a pound. I would love to see a full sized Schempp Rock like his competition knife. About 15 inches overall and around one pound. I would buy that for sure.

I look forward to your feedback. There hasn't been much talk about this guy.

[Joris Mo]

Looking good! Seems like a really nice working blade, just don't get outdoors enough for an excuse to buy it.
(already quite a couple great outdoors blades waiting for a new trip)

Must be a thing of us city kids but I didn't get the last picture, the edc pocket dump. What do you people hiding in the woods edc squirrels for?

[bearfacedkiller]

Ha!!! That's my lunch.

I actually tried to clean a squirrel with the Bradley and it was terrible. I use the Delica or the Sprig usually now. A dragonfly would probably be perfect. About 90% of cleaning a squirrel is done with your fingers and your boot. A few key cuts, open the cuts with your fingers and then step on the tail and pull.

I have lived in some of the US's biggest cities and some of it's most rural country so I know how both halves live. I am digging in deep here in the woods this time though. No more city life for me...

Thanks for the kind words Joris. :)

[hoimin]

Thanks! I'll definitely dump any good ones I get in here. It was definitely smaller than I expected, even with the numbers on hand. The handle is about the same length as the GB2's.

I think part of the reason it is pretty rare to hear about on the boards is its price. There are way too many more affordable fixed blades in this category. Fortunately, I didn't find out about those (and the more expensive ones) until after I set my heart on the Bowie (love at first sight).

So far, it's been a really sturdy backpack/camp knife that can flex into duties above and below its size, but I'm not sure that it excels in anything in particular other than being an excellent looking generalist.

[Joris Mo]

Ha!!! That's my lunch.

I actually tried to clean a squirrel with the Bradley and it was terrible. I use the Delica or the Sprig usually now. A dragonfly would probably be perfect. About 90% of cleaning a squirrel is done with your fingers and your boot. A few key cuts, open the cuts with your fingers and then step on the tail and pull.

I have lived in some of the US's biggest cities and some of it's most rural country so I know how both halves live. I am digging in deep here in the woods this time though. No more city life for me...

Thanks for the kind words Joris. :)

Off course! Just didn't recognize cuz we carry lunch around in little boxes with superheroes and the like on them.. :D
Sounds like living a good life!
I know very little about cleaning animals apart from occasionally cleaning chicken or seafood on my plate which by then usually has little cleaning left to do. But I can figure how it works enough to imagine that it must be a total pain with a blade that big..
There isn't a lot of outdoors around here and in N-Europe hunting is traditionally much more of an elite thing as opposed to the USA where it's almost more of a poor country boys thing. So very few people around here have ever hunted, we do have a fair bit of water so there is some people still fishing. I think it's a shame, I'm not a big fan of modern meat industries and I think meat is just a wrapped thing in the supermarket nowadays, it's good for people to occasionally get their hands dirty and see what that meat is before you gut it.
(sorry if this is going towards becoming political )

I have travelled quite a bit and usually spend about 2/3 of my time traveling outside of big cities so I have seen some very nice places/living outside of Amsterdam.The most spectacular ones: '06-'07 spend a year going California-Samoa-Tonga-Australia-New Zealand-Thailand/Cambodia and in '09-'10 7 months starting of with a 1 month road trip through the S-W USA then about 6 months living and traveling in New Zealand with stays in Samoa and Japan along the way. Some very nice outdoors along the way!
Unfortunately I'm epileptic which has some extra risks in outdoors, I have to be really careful around water and heights which I both love and I can't drive a car which is essential in most of the places that I would like to live apart from Amsterdam so I guess I'll mainly stick around here. Roadtrip through the S-E of Spain planned for May, luckily my girlfriend has a driverslicence, apparently the least populated part of Spain with a few nature reserves so life isn't very bad anyway! :)

[bearfacedkiller]

Wow! I am envious of your travels. I have been to a couple countries but nothing like what you have seen. I have mostly traveled around the US and have lived in eight different states. Someday I hope to make it to half the places you have been. New Zealand and SE Asia have always been places I have wanted to go.

We have our share of elite hunting here in the states but you are correct that for the most part hunting is very accessible for most of us. I can more or less hunt in my backyard and as long as you hunt in your own state the tags are affordable. If you start hunting out of state, especially for elk or moose, you can get into spending a LOT of money. I have turkeys, deer and bear in my yard all the time. I'll kill 50 squirrels this summer just protecting my garden, fruit trees, bird feeders and chicken feed. Squirrels are cute but they are a nuisance. Luckily they taste good. :) I have been gardening, hobby farming and hunting for my whole life and few things give me fulfillment like eating food I have procured myself.

Sorry to hear about the epilepsy. It seems like everybody has something they have to work around. The important thing is to not let it stop you from living life. It sounds like you are still making the most of it! I get chronic migraines and have a bad back. I have learned how to work around both of them and for the most part I can keep them under control and I make sure to not let either one stop me from living life to the fullest. I have just had to make a few lifestyle changes that seem to help me manage them. Enjoy your trip to Spain!

[roger-roger]

Ha!!! That's my lunch.


There isn't a lot of outdoors around here and in N-Europe hunting is traditionally much more of an elite thing as opposed to the USA where it's almost more of a poor country boys thing. So very few people around here have ever hunted, we do have a fair bit of water so there is some people still fishing. I think it's a shame, I'm not a big fan of modern meat industries and I think meat is just a wrapped thing in the supermarket nowadays, it's good for people to occasionally get their hands dirty and see what that meat is before you gut it.
(sorry if this is going towards becoming political )

You can say hunting in the US is a "poor country boys thing". Or you could say its a living heritage that came from a land that was mostly all wilderness even 250 years ago.

I like the Bradley Bowie, but have chosen the Junction as my next-to-order knife.

[roger-roger]

There isn't a lot of outdoors around here and in N-Europe hunting is traditionally much more of an elite thing as opposed to the USA where it's almost more of a poor country boys thing. So very few people around here have ever hunted, we do have a fair bit of water so there is some people still fishing. I think it's a shame, I'm not a big fan of modern meat industries and I think meat is just a wrapped thing in the supermarket nowadays, it's good for people to occasionally get their hands dirty and see what that meat is before you gut it.
(sorry if this is going towards becoming political )

You can say hunting in the US is a "poor country boys thing". Or you could say its a living heritage that came from a land that was mostly all wilderness even 250 years ago.

I like the Bradley Bowie, but have chosen the Junction as my next-to-order knife.[/quote]

[roger-roger]

There isn't a lot of outdoors around here and in N-Europe hunting is traditionally much more of an elite thing as opposed to the USA where it's almost more of a poor country boys thing. So very few people around here have ever hunted, we do have a fair bit of water so there is some people still fishing. I think it's a shame, I'm not a big fan of modern meat industries and I think meat is just a wrapped thing in the supermarket nowadays, it's good for people to occasionally get their hands dirty and see what that meat is before you gut it.
(sorry if this is going towards becoming political )

[/quote]


You can say hunting in the US is a "poor country boys thing". Or you could say its a living heritage that came from a land that was mostly all wilderness even 250 years ago.

I like the Bradley Bowie, but have chosen the Junction as my next-to-order knife.

[bearfacedkiller]

I haven't handled the Junction but it is, despite it's similar looks, a totally different knife that the Bowie. The Bowie is a seriously robust knife which to me is an ideal backcountry hunting knife that could be used as a survival knife. I can't say it really excels in any one area but rather that it is capable in many areas. It would not be my first choice as a camp knife, bushcraft knife, game processing knife, self defense knife or survival knife but if you needed one knife that you could press into service into any of those roles it would certainly do well enough at all of them. Of course, that pretty much epitomizes the American Bowie knife, a do it all belt knife. If I was going to go on a backcountry tent camping elk hunt and I was only gonna bring one knife this would be it.

I want to pick up the Junction. With it's 2mm stock it half the thickness of the Bowie and should be a much more precision tool. There just aren't enough knives that size with thin stock like that.

If you had a piggyback sheath that held both you would be prepared for almost anything.

[Joris Mo]

Wow! I am envious of your travels. I have been to a couple countries but nothing like what you have seen. I have mostly traveled around the US and have lived in eight different states. Someday I hope to make it to half the places you have been. New Zealand and SE Asia have always been places I have wanted to go.

We have our share of elite hunting here in the states but you are correct that for the most part hunting is very accessible for most of us. I can more or less hunt in my backyard and as long as you hunt in your own state the tags are affordable. If you start hunting out of state, especially for elk or moose, you can get into spending a LOT of money. I have turkeys, deer and bear in my yard all the time. I'll kill 50 squirrels this summer just protecting my garden, fruit trees, bird feeders and chicken feed. Squirrels are cute but they are a nuisance. Luckily they taste good. :) I have been gardening, hobby farming and hunting for my whole life and few things give me fulfillment like eating food I have procured myself.

Sorry to hear about the epilepsy. It seems like everybody has something they have to work around. The important thing is to not let it stop you from living life. It sounds like you are still making the most of it! I get chronic migraines and have a bad back. I have learned how to work around both of them and for the most part I can keep them under control and I make sure to not let either one stop me from living life to the fullest. I have just had to make a few lifestyle changes that seem to help me manage them. Enjoy your trip to Spain!

Sounds like a good life! Yes we all have are share of stuff to deal with but like you say it's most important how you deal with it and keep going.
I've always heard squirrels were a total pain but nice to hear that they taste good, never knew that! :D
New Zealand is my favorite country I've ever been but travelling the US is also very interesting and very diverse, still hoping to make a few more trips over there someday!
Thanks and enjoy your great outdoors! :)

[roger-roger]

I haven't handled the Junction but it is, despite it's similar looks, a totally different knife that the Bowie. The Bowie is a seriously robust knife which to me is an ideal backcountry hunting knife that could be used as a survival knife. I can't say it really excels in any one area but rather that it is capable in many areas. It would not be my first choice as a camp knife, bushcraft knife, game processing knife, self defense knife or survival knife but if you needed one knife that you could press into service into any of those roles it would certainly do well enough at all of them. Of course, that pretty much epitomizes the American Bowie knife, a do it all belt knife. If I was going to go on a backcountry tent camping elk hunt and I was only gonna bring one knife this would be it.

I want to pick up the Junction. With it's 2mm stock it half the thickness of the Bowie and should be a much more precision tool. There just aren't enough knives that size with thin stock like that.

If you had a piggyback sheath that held both you would be prepared for almost anything.

(My bold, above)

When I saw the (mid-baton) pic showing tang thickness, that was a "holy cow" moment. Thanks for the description of your sheath--I definitely want one like it.

[Joris Mo]

You can say hunting in the US is a "poor country boys thing". Or you could say its a living heritage that came from a land that was mostly all wilderness even 250 years ago.

I like the Bradley Bowie, but have chosen the Junction as my next-to-order knife.

Sorry, I didn't mean to offend, just wanted to explain sort how big the difference is. I personally do consider it a great heritage and am quite jealous of a country with such beautiful outdoors so trust me, I didn't mean it in a bad way!
I think it's a big miss that it is such an upperclass thing here and has been like that for a very long time. I think it's a healthier mindset to know where your meat came from and it's good to spend time out in nature.

[SuckSqueezeBangBlow]

I want a Bradley Bowie so bad but can't justify the price for the little use it would get.
Thanks for the pictures!