Posts: 256 Location: Virginia
Fri 15 Dec, 2006 7:54 am
I received the knife last night and it is far and away the best of the replicas that Clyde has done to date. The knife just feels so alive in your hand. The blade is not so thick as on the Dixie replica, but it is more than strong enough. The
balance point is exactly at the front of the guard. This is not so much a chopper as the Musso Bowie or the Iron Mistress Bowie are as it is a thrusting weapon and a slicing weapon. The curious thing about the blade that doen't show in the pics is that there is a section, from the spine and for about 3/4" into the blade that retains the full thickness of the blade before the taper starts. From that point, it is a flat grind all of the way to the edge.
I had wondered at the swell in the hilt, but it makes the grip that much firmer and the checkering works very well.
The sheath is all leather with metal trim and considerably lighter than the sheaths that come with the Musso and the Iron Mistress. I much prefer it and it is very much in keeping with the historicity of the piece. I assume that the metal trim is stainless steel as it is on the Irom Mistress, but whatever it is, it is very well done. The overall image of the knife and sheath is that of something that a sophisticated gentleman would carry in a time and place where duels were common and knives were one of the prime choices before the arrival of Col. Colt's revolver.