Steven Rapp custom made Bowie knives. In an era when guns were not dependable, Bowie knives were necessary for protection. As one of the stories of how Bowie knives were invented goes, Jim Bowie was having a duel with someone and their guns mis-fired and as the fight turned into a melee, Jim and his opponent had to resort to using cane-swords and knives. The Bowie knife is an original self-defense knife.