The Fighter's Knife: Mossy Oak Hunting Knife

The Bowie knife has been known in history to be a knife of a fighter.

Popularized by the first owner of this knife, Jim Bowie, this knife was used to win in the Sandbar duel. It was a knife that earned its reputation not only because of its appearance but also because of how Jim Bowie handled it with skill in the field.

Today, the Bowie knife is an essential hunting and survival knife. Moreover, it's a knife known to be wielded by fighters, both in the hunting grounds and in life.

Here's why the Mossy Oak is the knife for fighters like you.

In Focus: The Mossy Oak Bowie Hunting Knife

The Mossy Oak brand has crafted many hunting knife lines, but our focus is on this Bowie hunting knife that looks modest yet has curves and outlines that would put up a fight. 

Design

Blood groove

The blood groove has perplexed many knife enthusiasts until today. Most of them do not know what its function is. It is, however, agreed to be an aesthetically pleasing design feature of the Bowie hunting knife.

The hollow groove on top of the blade is more than just icing on the cake of what makes the Mossy Oak knife cool. Bowie knives tend to be heavy. For the knife to have a good handle-to-blade balance ratio, the blade's weight must be reduced. Shaving off a little chunk of steel material on the blade's cheek makes that possible.

Another function that most knife enthusiasts agree on is related to hunting. A blood groove allows the outflow of blood from a stabbed game without having to remove the knife.

Hollow grind edge profile

The razor-like grind profile of the Mossy Oak knife is another familiar characteristic of a Bowie knife. The hollow grind will make chopping and shaving easy. Although the hollow grind can clean the outer layer of your game's hide, it's also the perfect knife to shave off small wood pieces for kindling fire.

Clip point blade profile

The function of the clip profile is to make stabbing easy. Amongst the point profiles currently in use, the clip point is the only profile that allows efficient puncturing and slicing. The swedge is tapered downward to create a narrow tip, yet the belly is curved and encourages a thorough slice.

Branded sign

To prove the knife's authenticity, the Mossy Oak brand is stamped on the lower half of the spine. It also adds a certain style to the Mossy Oak's rather modest physical features. The Mossy Oak logo and brand is situated between the ricasso and the blood groove, making it appear like a bona fide hunting knife.

No scale rivets

The Mossy Oak leather handle knife is dressed in stacked leather, so there are no visible rivets on the handle. This is rightly so because rivets are normally present on hard handle scale materials such as wood or hard plastic. Having no rivets and a leather scale is a design statement that reinforces the modesty and toughness of the Mossy Oak.

Covered pommel

A covered pommel is a good indication that the steel material extends down to the bottom of the knife. The pommel serves as a cover for the bulging tang and also holds the handle intact. It's also a neat touch to the knife's design as it makes it look like a dagger from ancient times.

Material

Nylon

The Mossy Oak's sheath is made of impact nylon that brings the same flexibility of leather with the toughness of plastic. The nylon sheath looks more tactical than its hunting-inspired leather sheath counterparts. In addition, nylon's plastic material makes this sheath repel environmental moisture.

Stainless steel

The metal used for Mossy Oak is a stainless steel blade that is proven for corrosion resistance and ensures lasting durability. Steel is also a capable metal material that makes for long-lasting edges. With a Rockwell hardness level between 51–60, you are assured of a knife that won't bend or break on high-impact scenarios.

Leather

Mossy Oak's handle scale is wrapped with stacked leather. The strength of this scale type is its sturdy grip capacity. Holding the Mossy Oak with a leather handle feels stable. It holds on to your palm well as you swing it hard and fast on tough material. 

Aluminum

This material is corrosion-resistant, similar to stainless steel. The knife's handle guard below the ricasso and the pommel is composed of aluminum material. It is wise for Mossy Oak to put pieces of aluminum on the knife's parts that matter and use stainless steel as its main material. Aluminum tends to be more malleable than steel but equally as tough. These characteristics of aluminum are needed to ensure that your hand is guarded and your knife is safe from pommel impact when hitting the ground.

Features

Hidden full tang

This full tang profile is also called rat-tail tang. The tang stretches down to the handle's bottom tip, but the metal material is thin compared to the blade. The rat-tail tang gives two benefits: a sturdy knife and a lightweight one. It also allows a lot of room for creativity in terms of sculpting the handle profile. That's why you'll always see curved or round handles on most rat-tail tang, and Mossy Oak is no different.

Sheath secure carry

The nylon sheath of the Mossy Oak knife has a belt loop so you can strap the knife to your waist. The handle guards wrap around the knife's handle and prevent it from accidentally slipping out of the sheath whenever you're moving around. This secure nylon sheath will ensure the knife will be where you expect it to be when you decide to use it.

Agile blade length

The blade's 6-inches length makes it light and short enough for you to move this knife with agility. Knives that are longer tend to weigh more and take some effort to swing and slice. With the Mossy Oaks' 6-inch blade, you'll be moving the knife around with less effort. This is a blade that lets you slice, cut, and skin your game as fast as possible.

Highlights

• The top of the knife sheath has a liner on the opening, and it makes it easy to put the knife inside. It also acts as a good safety measure when you're unsheathing the knife—preventing the blade from cutting your fingers when you pull it out.
• The Mossy Oak Bowie knife has a flawless edge and spine. There are no burrs seen on the edge, and you’ll never feel any uneven or rough parts when touching the blade's spine.
• The blade length is adequate for most hunting and bushcraft activities. It's capable of dressing, skinning, and cleaning game and can also be used to cut ropes, slice sticks, or make wood shavings for fires.

Lowlights

• The Mossy Oak skinning knife's hollow grind can be problematic if you're going to use the knife for food preparation. It attracts the food ingredients towards the blade, and it doesn't encourage a straight and fine cut as opposed to a flat grind, which many kitchen knives use.
• The handle length may be too short for someone used to a larger handle. The knife's handle measures 4 ½ inches. It is sufficient enough to be held by anyone, but if you're looking to put some force, the short handle may not deliver as well as knives with longer handles.
• The stacked leather handle scale is not suitable for hunting on marshlands and rivers. It must be kept well-oiled for it to remain sturdy.

Fight The Wilderness

The Mossy Oak hunting knife is an amazing tool for you to bring on your adventure in the wilderness. If you're out hunting for game in a mock fight for survival in nature, this Bowie knife won't let you down. It can be used for hunting, camping, food preparation, and other tactical functions in the wilderness.

Water is what intimidates this weapon, mainly because of the handle scale composition. But even if you choose to subject this knife to such conditions, the leather scale, stainless steel, and aluminum will hold their own. The Mossy Oak is sure to put up a fight alongside you in the great outdoors.