THE NOBLE 300 SAVAGE

     The conventional wisdom, as expressed in the most recent edition of Cartridges of the World, is that the 300 Savage cartridge has “lost out to the superior .308 Winchester.” In his 2005 book, Fair Chase in North America (reviewed in the Books section of this site), Craig Boddington  remarks that “the 300 Savage has had its day.”

     Really? Somebody forget to tell several hundred thousand people who still swear by Grampa’s Old Reliable.

     The interesting thing is that Boddington, like all of our best gunwriters, looks up to the late Jack O’Conner as his mentor, and O’Conner’s view of the 300 Savage is very much at variance with today’s conventional wisdom. In 1952, the year the .308 was introduced, O’Conner, considering white-tail rifles, wrote “All things considered, the .35 Remington, the .318 Winchester and the .300 Savage are the stand-outs. All kill better than the cartridges of the .30/.30 class, and all will do nicely for elk and moose as well.” He went on to say, in the same article, that with “180 gr. soft points in the .300, penetration and ability to buck brush are good. Recoil is by no means bad.”

     In his 1957 book The Hunter’s Shooting Guide, O’Conner says of the .308 that “It is an excellent cartridge for military use. Otherwise it is in every way inferior to the great .30/06 cartridge.”

     In 1970 O’Conner remarked that the .300 Savage “is rapidly declining in popularity,” but to this writer’s best knowledge, he never took back the good things he had said about it.

     Cartridges of the World allows that the 300 Savage is “a fine deer and elk cartridge. It is a better choice than the 30-30 for deer under any conditions.” As it turns out, when Cartridges of the World refers to the .308 as being “superior” to the 300 Savage the reference is to pure power. By that narrow yardstick the .308 is “superior” to the 300 Savage and “inferior” to the .30-06. “Comparisons are odious,” that old deer hunter Shakespeare said.

    If you go to the internet gun forums and reference the 300 Savage you encounter scores of remarks by just plain folks along the lines of “I inherited my Daddy’s old Savage 99 in .300 Savage. Daddy used it to shoot everything in Texas and I’m doing the same. Ma used to bag a deer with it every year and now my daughter is starting to shoot it.”

     Remember O’Conner’s remark about the .300 Savage’s gentler recoil? Less recoil equals less flinching equals better accuracy equals more enjoyable shooting and more venison in the freezer.

     More than once on an Internet forum I have seen someone post a message like “I was going through my folks’ attic and found a Savage 99 in .300 Savage. What can I do with it?” Invariably two or three jokers will answer, all saying the same thing: “Nothing! Send it to me – I’ll be happy to help you by taking it off your hands.”

  THE REAL WILD BILL HICKOK
                 
     A famous 1869 photograph of Wild Bill Hickok shows him with a two foot long Bowie knife stuck sheathless under the buckle of his gunbelt, an ivory-handled .36 caliber Colt’s Navy pistol riding butt forward on each hip.

     The b.s. about Wild Bill has piled up so high since he was killed in 1876, you would have to get on the space shuttle to rise above it. What credible historians have come to agree on is that Hickok was, essentially, the real deal, a cool-headed shootist who came in first in at least seven gunfights, maybe many more. Hickok’s work as a Union scout, detective and spy is a matter of government record; he is given much of the credit for recapturing southwest Missouri from the Confederates during the early days of the Civil War.

    Hickok’s superior speed and accuracy with a six-gun is beyond questioning. It is also an historical fact that as good as Hickok was in mortal combat with a gun, he was that good with a knife. Wild Bill may have been the fastest man with a Bowie that ever was or ever will be.
 
    Two documented incidents demonstrate Hickok’s deadly mastery of the “Arkansas Toothpick”. In 1860, at the age of  23, Hickok was employed by the Overland stage and freight company as a  wagonmaster, in charge of leading long trains of freight wagons through the difficult Raton Pass near Santa Fe.
 
     One day, riding back to check on a wagon, he entered a small grove of pine trees and came face-to-face with a female grizzly watching over her two cubs. Hickok’s horse reared in panic, throwing him to the ground, then took off back down the trail. The grizzly charged as Hickok emptied the contents of his six-shooter into her with apparently no effect. Hickok had just enough time to pull his Bowie before the bear was on him. Swinging its huge razor-sharp claws, the bear put huge gashes in Hickok’s scalp, chest , legs and arms. Just as the bear was closing in to finish the job with its jaws Hickok saw his opening and ripped the bear’s belly wide open with a single stroke. “When the next wagontrain came up the trail,” reports biographer Richard O’Conner, “the driver found Hickok lying unconscious under the dead bear.” It took Hickok almost a year to recover from the wounds he received from that enraged mother grizzly.
  
     Hickok’s next knife fight was also with a human Bear, a Sioux chief called Conquering Bear. Towards the end of 1860 Hickok signed up as a Union scout. His main job at first was taking dispatches through territory infested with raiding Indians and border ruffians. Conquering Bear, feigning friendship, tried to lead Hickok into an ambush. Hickok escaped, waited a week or so, then used another Indian to trick Conquering Bear into going off alone to meet a fictitious allie . When the Sioux chief showed up at the appointed meeting spot Hickok appeared and challenged him to mortal combat.
  
    The men agreed to fight it out with Bowie knives inside a circle ten feet in diameter. The light barely caught on Hickok’s blade as it flicked out like a snake’s tongue and cut a long, deep gash in the Indian’s chest. With a move of equal speed, the chief ripped open Hickok’s arm from wrist to elbow. Before Conquering Bear saw it happen Hickok moved in and severed the chief’s  jugular vein.
  
     Hickok is one of the few legendary figures of the Old West whose real-life exploits surpass his myth. Free of any political or literary ambitions, he worked unstintingly first for the abolitionist cause, then for the Union. By all accounts, he exhibited boundless nerve and discretion as a lawman. As a gambler, he was honest to the bone. The most likely theory about his death is that his assasin was put up to it by the corrupt gambling element in Deadwood that were afraid Hickok would be made marshall and clean up all the crooked games in town .That Hickok took a thoughtful, meditative turn in his last days is proved in his letters from Deadwood to his new wife back in Missouri. On the night before he was killed he wrote; “Agnes Darling: If such should be we never meet again, while firing my last shot, I will gently breathe the name of my wife-Agnes- and with wishes even for my enemies I will make the plunge and try to swim to the other shore.”

A VISIT TO SAVAGE ARMS
      by Max H. Peters

     It was Jim Carmichel, writing twenty years ago in Outdoor Life, who first explained to the general public how companies like Marlin, Ruger, Mossberg and Savage could make quality firearms at a profit without moving their manufacturing operations to the Far East. The key, Carmichel wrote, was sophisticated new machinery capable of precision milling within a 1/1000th of an inch. These big new machines along, with advances in casting, make it possible to replicate much of  the detailed craftsmanship of the pre-WWII days at a much lower cost. Hand-craftsmanship is still important, but it comes into play at crucial points rather than all along the way. Machine controllers work in sync with handcraftsmen.  Ultimately, quality control is the name of the game.

  Last month (June 2007), this writer toured the Savage plant in Westfield, Massachussets with Savage’s Director of Engineering, Chris Bezzina.  I watched as new barrels make their way through several big machines to the bench of Ray Silva, whose one and only job is checking and straightening barrels. I got to look through one barrel that passed Ray’s inspection and another that was slightly crooked, a barrel that wouldn’t be going anywhere until Ray was satisfied it met Savage’s exacting standard. Farther down the line I got to watch Rudy Wargo assembling and adjusting triggers, another example of craftsmanship coming into play with mass-produced parts. 

Ramblings of a Mountain Man
by Dean A. Hazuka

     "I sometimes appear as a wild Indian- masquerading under the guise of a 19th century American. When the straight-jacket of civilization becomes too oppressive, I throw it off, betake myself to savagery and there I loaf and refresh my soul.
     I love a horse a gun a dog a trout and a pretty girl, I hate a pothunter a trout-liar and a whisky guzzling sportsman. I smoke a pipe and take an occasional glass of wine and never lie about my hunting and fishing exploits more than the occasion seems to demand."

     These words are a fitting autobiography of George Washington Sears Dec. 1821--May 1890. Except for the smoking part they are pretty fitting for me too! These words were sent to the editor of "Forest and Stream magazine in a personal note and eventually published" in May 1918, 28 years after his death,"
His works were published in that magazine under the pen name "Nessmuk." which was actually the name of a childhood Indian friend which helped teach him the skills he would use to live for extended periods of time in his beloved Adirondacks.

      It was there he was a pioneer in ultra-light canoeing and camping. Being a small man just over 5' tall and weighing just over 100# with failing lungs, it was thought that the wilderness retreat would help heal his respiratory problems. Working with the great canoe builder Rushton, they designed several 10' canoes weighing under 20# which he paddled with a double kayak style paddle. He carried a bed roll, a possibles bag with knife attached, and a small knap sack all weighing under 20#.

     It was anything but low impact camping in those days as he would strip Hemlock bark for fire & shelter and lay bows a foot deep for a bed. He lived on fresh venison, trout and Northern pike. No seasons or limits then and he was dismayed at the waist of wild game and fish. He was an advocate for seasons, limits and conservation.

    To maintain this lifestyle for extended periods he had very specific demands for his sharp edged tools. He went so far as to commission a surgical instrument maker to build the double bit belt hatchet he wanted. It was attached to his knap sack but he carried a large folding knife on "his person" and then attached the "strange-looking hump-backed sheath knife" to his possibles bag.

      Remember this was the time when the popularity of the huge thick-bladed Bowie knives was still the rage. Sears diverged from this and wanted a thin, fine-edged efficient, utility knife.

     George Wilde, a customer and friend gave me a heads-up that there was a lot of interest in this knife and sent me volumes of internet chat on the subject. 1 ordered the two "Nessmuk" books and by reading them got a feel for what this man was all about.

      At the same time another customer and friend brought me an old Herters knife and wanted me to enlarge it a bit. The similarities were too much to ignore, so I combined handle and blade designs as 1 like to do full tang knives with handle materials I know I can get. While working up this prototype, Linda from Dixie Gun Works sent me a Dixie Hunter which was a down-sized version, and asked if I could produce it.

     I pay attention when so many events come at me from so many directions at the same time. I now offer two sizes of this same basic style of knife. 'The Dixie Hunter has a 4" blade with the finger notch of the. Herter's knife in a comfortable curvy 4" handle with a lanyard on the exposed tang. My Nessmuk is a 5" blade with an oversized handle also with a lanyard attached to the exposed tang. Being the blade flows so smoothly into the handle 1 have included filework on the belly of these knives in the riccossso area at the hilt to prevent wet hands from slipping forward onto the cutting edge.

     For the "thin" blade I use 3/32'' 1095 steel with a long taper so it gives a very fine edge. Fire etching this blade in the forge as I heat treat gives an old time looking patina and contrasts nicely with the brass pinned curly maple handle slabs.

     With both knives I have tried to duplicate the curves of the antler handle making for a very comfortable feel and matching blade position in relation to the handle of the original.

     The debate still rages on about why the hump backed curvy design. Some think it lends itself to using a batton on heavier wood. Others say he had his double bit belt hatchet for the tougher cutting chores. Both are valid arguments, but more than once he was without a knap sack and hatchet for extended periods of time with no ill effects. Would a tapered, push tang knife with antler handle stand up to the constant pounding with a batton??

     He used a lot of Hemlock bark and bows for fire, shelter and beds. This design would be excellent for stripping bows and peeling bark. He survived on venison, trout and Northern Pike. This is a beautiful skinning blade and the humped back could be a useful tool for removing scales from the pike. He most likely used 'the folding knife to gut and gill trout.

     He talks of "Floating" for deer with a jack light. I have heard the terms Jack Light, Spotlight, and Shining as synonyms when talking about shooting deer at night. In this narrative I found out the "Jack" is the iron instrument which attached to the front of the guide boats and held the fire material. They would quietly paddle around the shoreline until a drinking deer's eyes were illuminated by the torch .light, drift up close and then shoot. Sears preferred his muzzle loading rifle and scoffed at the sportsmen with their breach loaders but the guides liked "muskets with ball".

     How many times have you poked a finger on a fractured rib bone when taking out the heart and lungs of a deer? Imagine a dozen buckshot going through the rib-cage at close range! The hump on back of that blade may have helped to protect a tender finger from bone splinters in those rib cages.
He speaks of tasty stews over the camp fire. The wide blade works great for dicing potatoes, onions and carrots. Have you ever tried dicing a carrot with a thick bladed "Bowie." knife'?

     The debate carries on about why he came up with this curvy
Hump-backed design. It has pleasing lines, it's comfortable to use and it is very practical, for a variety of chores. That's good enough for me,

     Now it is time to "Throw off that Straight Jacket of civilization" for a while.

Researched from the Nessmuk books "Woodcraft" and "Canoeing the Adirondacks with Nessmuk" by George Washington Sears.

Adapting Old Patterns for Today's Uses

     Being fairly new to the knife-making world, my perspectives are changing and growing all the time. I am at great risk of showing my ignorance here but those that know me understand I have never been afraid of doing that so why change now!
     There are some incredible artists in the knife world and the field is so diverse it allows room for everyone. I am certainly no expert and I am not a great student of knives or knife makers, but I am more that happy to share what I have learned over the years.
     I thought Rudy Ruana had a great philosophy when he started gaining fame. He thought a good hunting knife should cost no more that one day's wages for the average working man.
     I like to think of my knives as affordable, functional, comfortable, and practical. I like full tangs, carbon steel and Maple handles that fill the hand.
     I would like to thank Dean Oliver, Charles Sauer, Tom Rogers, and Earl Pruitt plus countless others that offered advice, encouragement, and critique when I first decided to make knives for a living.
     I gave away my first 100 knives and now I realize it would have been better to bury those first 100 and give away the second 100!
     I've made my living with historical reenactments for so long, I am naturally drawn to the traditional old styles and pattern of blades. I like to up-size and tweak them to fit various needs for today.
     I don't like big guards as I find they just get in the way and I am not fighting with my knives so I don't really see the need. There are ways to incorporate a type of guard or protection from sliding forward onto a blade and I will discuss some of those as we go. I don't like upswept blades, they look really cool and are usually the first to sell but I find that point gets me in trouble poking and cutting things I don't want cut including the sheaths.
     The first knife I made myself was a drop point back in the 70's. Was Bob Loveless famous yet? I had not heard of him.
     I kinda snuck in the back door of making knives by first making sheaths for other knife makers so a lot of my designs incorporate that. I don't like straps and snaps but instead a pouch style sheath that the knife fits deep into has always made a lot more sense to me.
     Big heavy knives have never been a personal favorite although there is a place and a time for them and the market seems to be huge for the camp knives. More and more I find customers prefer these big knives to belt axes or hatchets. A good friend, guide, trapper and knife maker from Canada told me, once I learned how to use a big knife in the "bush" I would never be without one. We spent some great time at rendezvous together but cancer got him before we got to spend much time in the bush together. I miss you Dave.
     I prefer a lighter blade with a long taper to a thin edge so it will really cut however these are more fragile and a bit of finesse has to be used instead of brute force.
     Long pointy knives have their place but they like to poke through sheaths and seem a bit too fragile to me.
     I am convinced a lot of blades were designed for ease of production as well as function. I find myself designing blades to fit in sheaths I am already making.

English Trade Knives

     Let's look at one of those classic, basic, functional old knife patterns, the English trade knife. In the original dimensions with a 41/2" blade it is a great kitchen or belt knife.
     A bit of trivia. Did you know that Kitchen and Butcher were two of the most famous knife makers in Sheffield England? Did we name the room we cook in and the carving we do there after them?
     Back to the English trade knife. With a step in the blade dropping down from the handle to the edge, it creates its own form of guard to help prevent the finger from sliding forward onto the blade.
     I down-sized it for a cute handy little neck Knife with a 2 1/2" blade. It makes a nice patch knife handy for gutting and gilling trout or dressing birds, letter opener or what-ever.
     Increase the blade to 3 1/2" and it is a great pairing knife in the Kitchen. Add another 3 inches to that blade and you have the "scalper". With 1/8" steel and a long tapered edge it is a pretty nice carving or chef's knife. So you can see this one pattern, up sized, down sized, thicker or thinner can meet a whole variety of needs.
     I only have one question about this design. With the sharp angle where the blade steps from the handle hilt to the blade I feel this creates a stress point, add the square front of the handle slabs and it seems to compound that stress point.
     You engineers out there may be able to figure all that out but it bothers me that these old craftsmen would let something like that slide. Under normal use it will never cause a problem and like my friend Matt Denison of North Star West says, "This would still be strong enough to jack your car up with"!

Editor's Note-

      Ed Fowler holds a unique double position in the world of custom knives, as a craftsman and as a writer. A master bladesmith, he has been the mentor of many mentors. Ed has been in the forefront of those who have, in recent times, passionately sought the full meaning of mankind’s experience with blades. This website was inspired by a reading of Ed Fowler’s book Knife Talk II. “Man and knife, soul mates, know a bridge across forever,” Ed has written. The following is an excerpt from an article that appeared in the June, 2005 issue of Blade magazine:

LADY KNIFE
By Ed Fowler

     There are many knife makers who can craft the surface of their knives very well; their work is beautiful. There are always a few who know the undercurrent of lady knife, what some call her “soul.” The soul of lady knife comes from all the life experiences of the maker, his teachers, events he has lived and casual comments that have made an impression on his dreams of lady knife.

     The artist in the undercurrent seeks perfection in what he wants to do. His work sincerely reflects his honest life experience; when you truly see and touch his work, you come to know him.

     Events or fashion, such as new steels, handle materials and styles, create excitement and sometimes turbulence on the surface of the world of knives. These “great advances” seem more significant at the time than they usually are, for the soul of lady knife evolves slowly and grows steadily through knowledge and the thoughts of her maker, along with the many who knew her long ago. Friendships among those in the undercurrent are never separated by time and space.

     Beneath the Surface

     There are many kinds of people in our world, including those who believe that what they think is right, but who would prostitute their values for the sake of success or security within their brotherhood. These are dwellers on the surface. The other extreme, the deep and devoted undercurrent, consists of those who absolutely hold to their values without fear of the consequences. Through feast or famine, they hold true to their vision and devotion to the soul of lady knife. The first kind consists of slaves; the second are free and will remain so.

     On the surface, some individuals in some institutions battle for supremacy over and through their members and associates, seeking to force their opinions on others who visit the world of knives. The surface knows a lot of fire and brimstone, debate follows debate, and rules and judgment abound. Some things changes but real progress comes via those who, through their honest quest, have developed an awareness and emotion that brings meaning to the soul of lady knife.