The Bullet Knife

Don't bring a bullet-knife to a gun fight. Or a knife fight. Or to any fight, really. It's just plain dumb.

Original ad here.

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Alex Boese Alex is the creator and curator of the Museum of Hoaxes. He's also the author of various weird, non-fiction, science-themed books such as Elephants on Acid and Psychedelic Apes. Paul Di Filippo Paul has been paid to put weird ideas into fictional form for over forty years, in his career as a noted science fiction writer. Contact Us

Posted By: Paul - Wed Feb 19, 2014
Category: 1910s | Weapons

Comments

Reading the original ad does rather make me wonder how our grandfathers survived childhood!

Posted by TheCannyScot in Atlanta, GA on 02/19/14 at 11:24 AM

Oh, come on! This was a fun item for a kid to have. It's not supposed to be the most practical iteration of all edged weapons everywhere. It was a novelty. The bullet portion is just for looks - the blade folds out and then you have this knife. It LOOKED like a bullet, but it's really a knife.

Weren't you ever a kid?

Posted by Innocent Bystander on 02/19/14 at 11:36 AM

Gee, a boy's life sure isn't what it was. Today's kids are punished for just drawing a picture of a bullet.

Posted by KDP on 02/19/14 at 12:47 PM

The knife blade is maybe 1 1/2" long. I have a set of 'The Boy Mechanic' from about the same time. The chemicals used in some of the projects are toxic or corrosive and can no longer be bought at your local drug store. Some you would need a special permit to obtain.

Posted by BMN on 02/19/14 at 01:37 PM

I've seen ones that look like this, and they're actually very handy. The blade is on the back end of the bullet. You pull it out, turn it around, and stick it back into the shell.Safe to carry, and the shell is large enough to give you good control when cutting intricate shapes.

I saw one a guy had modified so it held an eXacto blade. If I had any artistic talent and dexterity, I'd definitely want one like that.

Posted by Phideaux on 02/19/14 at 02:37 PM

I've carried a pocket knife since my uncle gave me one when I was 7 and, so far, I've only managed to slash and stab one person. Kids today need to be turned loose to grow, make mistakes, and learn. Sure, some of them are going to get hurt but that (was, at least) life!

Posted by Expat47 in Athens, Greece on 02/20/14 at 12:27 AM

I still have the pocketknife I was given by my dad's brother when I was seven. Today I carry a Paragon OTF (Out The Front) switchblade.

Posted by BrokeDad in Midwest US on 02/20/14 at 03:55 PM

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