Description
Vietnam War Western W49 bowie knife; rare early manufacture “rosewood handle scales/skinny pins” type. Not cleaned with original patina on the blade, great overall condition, considering the age.
Scarce Western Cutlery model W49 Bowie – an early manufacture type with high-carbon steel blade, solid rosewood handle scales and “skinny” brass pins. Manufactured in the late 1960’s – no model number on the guard; handle scales are solid exotic Rosewood on “skinny” pins (later issued have laminated wood and thick pins). This is a nice full-size working Bowie. Because of its wide and heavy blade which would chop through just about anything, Western Bowies had quickly developed a large fan base with the GIs serving in Vietnam. A lot of these handy Bowies were privately purchased by the troops heading to Vietnam and saw action in the jungles of South-East Asia – see a period photo of a serviceman holding a Western Bowie just like this one (the photo is a curtesy of Wikipedia and is not included with the lot). This exact type is illustrated on page 48 in KNIVES OF THE UNITED STATES MILITARY IN VIETNAM book by Michael W. Silvey – a well-established expert an author of many books on the subject of US military edged weapons (see the page scan attached).
This big boy is about 14-1/2″ / 37 cm overall; the blade is about 9-1/4″ / 23.5 cm; it’s about 2-1/8″ / 5.3 cm wide at the widest point. The blade has not been re-sharpened; original factory edge is razor-sharp; the tip is intact; sight surface pitting near the tip is noted for accuracy. Thick solid brass S-guard is unmarked; ricasso is stamped WESTERN / BOWIE/ U.S.A. on one side. Solid exotic rosewood handle scales are in excellent condition – no chips, cracks or scratches; all parts are tight with no play. The sheath did not survive. These vintage 1960th Western Bowies are getting harder and harder to find; this attractive Vietnam War Western W49 bowie specimen would make an excellent addition to any collection.
This original Vietnam War Western W49 bowie / fighting knife has not been cleaned or tampered with in any way, it is in 100% original “as is” condition; these are the actual photos. I have a number of vintage American-made collectible knives in the store, please take a look at the store’s American Blades section. Also, please don’t forget to check out our Militaria section for other WW1 and WW2 era combat knives, including German WW1 era trench knives, vintage USAF WW2 Pilot Knives and a couple of nice WW2 era British fighting daggers available for sale.
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USPS PRIORITY MAIL SHIPPING WITHIN THE U.S. WITH SIGN-FOR DELIVERY CONFIRMATION WILL BE $17 FOR THIS ITEM
International shipping for this item will be $65 and up to most countries on our “ship-to” list.
