Hunting sword

[juancho]

I decided that i NEEDED a hunting sword.After looking for some time I found nothing I liked.
I decided then to make my own at my own style, and this is what I came up with.
I put on the blade the same mark I have on my gun, kind of a prsonal touch :grin:

 

[Bon Sauvage]

Interesting. So is the cartouche.

 

[Birdman]

what did you use for the blade. Looks a lot like an old military bayonet. I like it
:thumbsup:

 

[MSW]

i like it, too - eveyone should have at least one sword.

two, perhaps...

 

[Stumpkiller]

That ought to deliver the coup de grâce effectively. Very nice.

 

[juancho]

Indeed, a military bayonet is what it is based on.It is a mix between a hunting sword and a "facon argentino" , the 6 shoter equivalent of the gaucho from Argentina.
They where made useing old swords and bayonets.As Darwin put it : they are equally used to open an animal or close an argument.
Now for this one , I made the blade out of flat ground stock 01 tool steel harden to 58 rockwell c , and holds an edge pretty good.THe wood is some fancy wood I got from LeeValey tools, can't remember the name, but is way harder that the hardest maple.THe blade is 15 3/4 inches long and is 21 in over all length.
I like the balance of it , and even though is 1/4 inch thick, it only weigths 20 ounces.
I,m thinking of making a second one a bit bigger.

 

[Supercracker]

that'll stick some pigs!

 

[Birdman]

great info n a great job, sweet looking blade. I've always liked the lines of the Gaucho knives n the mind set they had during fights, just went to first blood, didn't have to "always" be a fatal confrontation :thumbsup:

 

[GunnyGene]

Nice blade :hatsoff: . The wood looks like it might be Bocote. Good choice.

 

[Rifleman1776]

Swampy hinted at the use.
I never heard of a hunting sword. How were they used?

 

[chance]

Really Nice!!!!!

 

[Bon Sauvage]

Judging from the paintings I have seen they were used with a one handed grip. The point was used to dispatch the animal (often a boar) while it was being held by the hunting dogs.

I saw the same thing while hunting pigs on the Big Island of Hawaii. If the shot did not kill the pig the locals would often wade in and kill the pig with a big knife to save the dogs from being cut up.

 

[cynthialee]

I learned something and got to look at a really neat sword.
:hatsoff:

 

[juancho]

Bocote it is! Thanks for the complements guys.
The big bowie next to the sword is the one I used to put down a deer some 10 or so years ago.
If it were to come to that again, I now have a bigger one.I am really happy with it. It is my first try at making a knife.
Here is another pic.

 

[GunnyGene]

Thought it was. Did you smell dill pickle when you were working it?

 

[hawk]

:thumbsup: :thumbsup: nice!

 

[Rifleman1776]

Arkansas used to be called the Bear State. The black bears were so numerous harvesting them was an industry.
I have a reprint of an old article in which an old timer describes killing his bears with a knife. The dogs would get to the bear and force it to make a stand. Then the hunter would go in and kill the bear with is knife. Was not considered sporting shoot the bear. I do not fully believe the story. These were professional market hunters. "sport" was not a motivation for the hunt. Plus, a live angry bear is nothing to mess with using only a knife. True or not, it is a good story.

 

[Bon Sauvage]

Good story indeed. I'm guessing that a good bear dog was worth a considerable sum of money to those old professionals and they did not want to accidentally shoot it.

 

[jamesthomas]

I think it looks more like a Roman Gladius to me. Its very neat! :thumbsup: I have a Viking sword, spear and a mace from the web site Arms&Armour.Com I really want one of thier Rapiers.

 

[dyemaker]

I never heard of a hunting sword. How were they used?

this is a site with plenty of them to look at...
http://swordlinks.com/courtswords/intro.html