1849 Rifleman's Knife

By: Cold Steel

(USD) $121.99

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Product Code: 6774

Price (USD): $121.99

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Rosewood Handle

We have long admired the timeless good looks and pure functional design of the American Rifleman’s Knife. This rare blade was originally issued in extremely limited numbers, and has the distinction of being the first knife officially designed for, and purchased by, the U.S. Army back in 1849. Our blade takes inspiration from an antique in the private collection of Cold Steel President Lynn C Thompson, and while our blade is not an exact replica, it features many of the design nuances that make this knife such a classic! It’s big, stout spear point blade is stiff enough to oppose even much larger weapons, making it an ideal complimentary knife to carry and use alongside a saber or cutlass. Plus, its beefy 12” blade and solid guard make a more than capable stand-alone blade in its own right! It’s easy to see why it was chosen as a back-up blade for our nation's riflemen. The Cold Steel 1849 Rifleman’s Knife is hand forged from 1085 High Carbon steel, with a solid brass guard and beautiful Rosewood handle that encapsulate the sturdy full tang. The Rifleman’s Knife is sold complete with a high quality hand-stitched leather sheath and belt frog, with polished brass throat and chape. Perfect for re-enactors and collectors alike. Add one to your collection today!


Specifications

Reliks Product ID 6774
Manufacturer SKU 88GRB
Blade Length 12"
Blade Material 1085 High Carbon Steel
Blade Thickness 6 mm
Full Length 17 1/2"
Handle Length 5 1/2"
Handle Material Rosewood
Weight 24.2 oz


Reliks Customer's Rating

All ratings & reviews are from verified customers read more

4/5 average from 2 reviews


Reliks Customer Reviews

Reviewed by verified owners of this product

T - Verified Buyer


"This was a custom order, it took longer than expected due to the COVID-19 virus affecting the order coming from Cold Steel. This is a big knife with a great deal of forward balance that in a sword might feel like too much, but since this is a knife and it's total weight 1 1/2 pounds it's still good handling if one wants what would be a heavy chopper. Although the design does not have a clip point one could see it when designed/issued in 1849 as being a form of Bowie Knife, but of the spear point sub-type. The look of the knife it very close to the original 1849 design. The knife came with a good finish and was very sharp out of the box, the false edge at the point is sharp for the first 1 1/2". In use I could see this as very much a heavy duty camp knife good for processing wood, making tent spike and some brush cutting. It would also be a good fighting knife in period, but not as agile as a less forward balanced blade but more useful as a dual purpose survival and fighting knife like most heavy and big Bowie Knives. Since I have a belt sander, and I can't resist doing a bit of DIY modifications, I reprofiled the tip and upper false edge of the knife to extend the cutting length of the false edge to about 2 3/4": This is not needed, just a personal choice, I also gave the knife a nice forced patina using lemon juice to give it a used but not rusted look. ( Protected with Renaissance Wax ) The scabbard is thick leather and very attractive, it doesn't use any retaining straps but it has a good friction fit with the knife and wouldn't fall out of the scabbard unless one was doing cartwheels .... LOL. A little hand honing got the edge to near razor sharpness. The tang is hidden inside the one piece solid wood handle and it probably a stick tang but using a strong magnet shows that the tang extends to almost the full length of the handle, and at least beyond the last of 3 pins near the butt end of the handle. Oh, the handle is flat on the sides but very rounded around the top and all around the handle and is very comfortable and very secure in the hand. The guard is thick and wide brass. Bottom line I'm very happy with the knife as a collection piece and theoretically as a camp or survival knife. ( One could consider that this knife handles almost like a short sword ! )"


C - Verified Buyer


"Too heavy"



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Tactical Survival Knives