Bowie Knife Styles: Clip Point, Australian, Western and More

Bowie knife styles are defined by four things: blade profile, guard, handle and the era or region a pattern comes from. The clip point Bowie is the classic form. Historical styles include the early American coffin handle Bowie, the etched Sheffield Bowie, the Civil War D-guard and the Western frontier Bowie. Modern styles include the Australian Bowie, a large brass-fitted clip point popularized on film in the 1980s, and the oversized survival Bowie. Choose by how you will use the knife first, then by the look you want.

"Bowie" covers more ground than almost any other knife name. Since the 1830s, cutlers in America, England and beyond have stamped it on everything from slim double-edged blades to massive survival knives. The result is a family of styles that share a spirit, a big fixed blade built to do heavy and fine work alike, but differ widely in shape, fittings and history.

Below we sort the main Bowie knife styles by blade profile, historical pattern and modern variant. We also explain the guard and handle details that separate them, and how to choose the right style for your use.

What Defines a Bowie Knife Style?

• Blade profile: clip point, spear point, drop point or double-edged. The clip point is the signature Bowie shape.
• Guard: straight, S-shaped, double, ring or a full knuckle bow.
• Handle: coffin-shaped, straight, stacked leather, stag, horn, wood or modern synthetics.
• Era and region: early American, Sheffield export, Civil War, Western frontier, or modern.

Two knives with the same blade can belong to different styles because of their fittings, and the same style name can cover different blade lengths. Size is a separate question, covered in our Bowie knife size guide.

Bowie Knife Styles at a Glance

Bowie Blade Styles

Clip Point Bowie

The clip point is the shape that defines a Bowie. The spine runs straight from the handle, then drops away toward the tip, either in a curve (a concave clip) or a straight line. The clip removes weight from the front of the blade and produces a fine, controllable point, while the long belly behind it handles slicing. Many clip point Bowies also carry a swedge, a bevel ground along the clipped section that thins the tip further and is sometimes sharpened as a false edge.

Our D2 steel clip point Bowie with G10 grip shows the classic profile in a modern working build, and a compact version comes in our 6-inch clip point.

Spear Point Bowie

A spear point centres the tip on the blade, with both spine and edge curving symmetrically toward it. It is stronger at the point than a clip and better for prying and penetrating cuts, at the cost of some fine tip control. Our spear point Bowie in D2 steel is a good example of the style.

Drop Point Bowie

Here the spine curves gently down to the tip rather than being clipped. The result is a stronger, lower point and a profile closer to a large hunting knife, popular with buyers who want Bowie size with less risk of puncturing during field work. See our drop point Bowie with G10 handle.

Arkansas Toothpick

The Arkansas toothpick is a long, straight, double-edged blade closer to a dagger than a classic Bowie. Legend credits Arkansas blacksmith James Black with the pattern and with forging a knife for Jim Bowie, although the surviving evidence is thin. Today the toothpick is mostly a display and collector style.

Historical Bowie Styles

Coffin Handle Bowie

The coffin handle Bowie takes its name from its handle outline: flat-sided and six-sided, narrow at the guard, widening toward the rear and then tapering to a flat butt, much like the profile of a coffin. American and Sheffield cutlers made coffin-handled Bowies in the 1830s to 1850s, and the style is closely tied to the earliest era of the pattern. Original examples are prized by collectors, and the shape remains popular on historical reproductions.

Sheffield Bowie

English cutlers in Sheffield quickly saw the American demand for Bowies and exported them in huge numbers through the nineteenth century. Sheffield Bowies often featured acid-etched blades carrying patriotic or frontier slogans aimed at American buyers, German silver guards and pommels, and decorative pommels such as the "half-horse, half-alligator" design. Well-preserved Sheffield Bowies are among the most collected antique knives today.

The Musso Bowie

The Musso Bowie is a large clip point knife from the Musso family collection that some researchers link to Jim Bowie himself, although the attribution is still debated. Its imposing proportions have made it one of the most reproduced historical patterns. Our Alamo Musso Bowie in Damascus follows the pattern with a rosewood handle, and a presentation version comes in copper Damascus.

D-Guard Bowie

During the American Civil War, many Confederate soldiers carried large Bowies fitted with a D-shaped knuckle bow running from guard to pommel to protect the hand. Many were made quickly by local blacksmiths and vary widely in quality. The knuckle bow survives today on modern knuckle-guard Bowies such as our Damascus knuckle Bowie with rosewood handle.

Western and Wild West Bowie

As the frontier moved west, the Bowie went with it in a form built for camp and range work: broad clip point blades, brass guards and pommels, natural stag, horn or wood handles, and heavy tooled leather sheaths. The Western Bowie is less a single design than a look, practical first and decorated second. Our Wild West Bowie with stag handle pairs that traditional dress with a stainless Damascus blade, and the full range sits in our Western Bowie knives.

Mountain Man Bowie

The mountain man style draws on the large, plain working knives carried by fur trappers and frontiersmen: broad blades, simple guards and natural handle materials, with function well ahead of decoration. Our mountain man Bowie with bull horn handle follows that rugged tradition.

Modern Bowie Styles

Australian Bowie

The Australian Bowie is the large clip point Bowie popularized worldwide by the 1986 Australian film Crocodile Dundee. The style combines a big, broad clip point blade with a polished brass guard and pommel and a dark wood, horn or synthetic handle, usually carried in a substantial leather sheath. Its success in the 1980s revived interest in large Bowies around the world, and "Australian Bowie" and "Dundee Bowie" remain common names for the pattern.

Our Crocodile Dundee Bowie knives cover the style in D2 and Damascus. For example, the Dundee Bowie with brass guard and pommel pairs the signature fittings with a D2 blade and black micarta handle. These are our own handmade designs in the style, not official film merchandise.

Survival Bowie

The oversized survival Bowie emerged in the 1980s: a 14 to 16-inch blade, often a spear or clip point, a full crossguard and a straight grip long enough for a second hand. Built for chopping, batoning and camp work, it sits at the extreme end of the Bowie family. Our oversized survival Bowies represent the style.

Ring Guard Bowie

A ring guard Bowie adds a loop to the guard for the index finger, giving extra control on precise cuts and a distinctive frontier look. The ring guard Bowie in 1095 carbon steel is our example of the style.

Hybrid Bowies

Modern makers also blend the Bowie with other patterns. The kukri Bowie adds a forward-angled blade for chopping, as on our Damascus kukri Bowie. Others combine Bowie profiles with sawback spines, finger guards or tracker features.

Guards and Handles: The Details That Define a Style

• Single and double guards: a straight crossguard on one or both sides of the blade, the most common Bowie guard.
• S-guard: a guard with opposite ends curving in opposite directions, common on Sheffield and Western Bowies.
• Knuckle bow or D-guard: a bar running from guard to pommel, enclosing the hand.
• Ring guard: a finger loop on the guard for control.
• Coffin handle: the six-sided early American handle shape.
• Stacked leather, stag and horn: traditional handle materials on Western and historical styles.
• Micarta, G10 and resin: modern synthetics that grip well when wet, common on working builds.

How to Choose a Bowie Knife Style

Our Bowie Styles

Our range covers clip, spear and drop point blades alongside historical, Western, Australian and survival styles, forged in D2, Damascus and copper Damascus with fitted leather sheaths. Browse the full handmade Bowie knife collection to compare styles side by side.

Frequently Asked Questions

What are the main Bowie knife styles?

The main styles are the clip point Bowie, spear and drop point Bowies, historical styles such as the coffin handle, Sheffield, Musso and D-guard Bowies, the Western Bowie, and modern styles such as the Australian and survival Bowie.

What is a clip point Bowie?

A clip point Bowie has a spine that drops away toward the tip in a curve or straight line, creating a fine, controllable point ahead of a long slicing belly. It is the defining Bowie blade shape.

What is an Australian Bowie knife?

An Australian Bowie is a large clip point Bowie with a polished brass guard and pommel, made famous by the 1986 film Crocodile Dundee. It is also commonly called a Dundee Bowie.

What is a coffin handle Bowie knife?

A coffin handle Bowie has a flat, six-sided handle that widens from the guard and tapers to a flat butt, resembling a coffin's outline. The style dates from the early American Bowies of the 1830s to 1850s.

What is the difference between a Bowie and an Arkansas toothpick?

A classic Bowie has a single main edge and a clip point. An Arkansas toothpick has a long, straight, double-edged blade with a centred point, closer to a dagger in shape.

What is a D-guard Bowie?

A D-guard Bowie has a D-shaped knuckle bow running from the guard to the pommel to protect the hand. The style is closely associated with Confederate soldiers in the American Civil War.