advice for new collector/wannabe?

[Mountain_Man]

hey fellers, i just bought my first 70's Grizzly couple days ago and i think i'm hook'd, i am wonder'n if y'all could steer me toward vintage/collector bows that are functional(not known  wallhangers, strait from the factory).. bows that i can get good use out of hunting and target... longbow and RC ..also things i should be look'n for such as condition. i hear the term stress refer'n to the bow alot...but, i have no idea what it looks like... just things like that.

 Any Bows that i should never pass up?
How to date em, prices.... just basically all the AGGRAVATING/IRRATATE'N general newbe ?'s y'all probably hear all the time      

[reddogge]

I'm not a collector, per se, but I'd recommend hanging out here and reading all the posts and archives to glean your informtion.  These guys seem to have a lot of knowledge in old equipment and there is a lot of information out there.

I'm trying to recreate my stable of bows I had in the late 60s and early 70s so I guess I'm trying to be something of a collector.

[Blackhawk]

There's a wealth of information on collecting bows, especially Bear.  Articles by Al Reader, Joe St. Charles, and others can be easily found with "google" that give great advice and plenty of pics.

Sites and forums like this one are regularly visited by very knowledgeble "collectors" that seem to be very helpful with advice and answers.

If you have extra bucks (and with the current economy),  there are plenty of pretty good deals to be had.

[PAPALAPIN]

Keep a good idea on e8ay.  Cruise it a lot and learn a lot before you start jumping in on the bids.

E8ay is your BEST and WORST source for collecting bows.

Many sellers find great bows at yard sales and don't know what they have.  Many pick up bows and want to sell them for ten times what they are worth.  You need to ducated yorself on what is a good deal and what is not.

As far as wht to collect...that depends on you.  Different collectors favor different bows.

Personally, I never met a recurve I didn't like.

[kenscollick]

Be specific in your collection you have a Grizzly why not just collect Grizzlys? It does limit you but you wont end up with just a bunch of old bows. I have been collecting 1969 Bears a great year for them as well as all of them being shooters. I know of a few friends that just collect bows made in their birth year. and always remember it is not the person that dies with the most toys wins, but the person that got to play with them the longest.

[Chuck_Delsandro]

Be prepaired to make mistakes! I bought a few bows right off the bat that are nice bows, but not what I ended up wanting (wrong model or to light in weight), then I passed on a 60# 63 Kodiak this summer that I kick myself everyday for letting go! Like you I am very new to this game. I decided to buy bows that I am going to use in the field. It wasn't until I shot several different Bear models that I decided which ones performamce I liked the best.

[wadde]

Good luck with your new hobby. As far as stress marks go, they are just that. cracks in the finish that run up and down the limbs from top to bottom. sometimes they are short and sometimes they are long. sometimes there are just a couple and sometimes there are lots. In the older 50's and early 60's bows this was a common occurence and usually did not hurt the bows shooting. If they are on later 60's and 70's bow they cold be problematic. My rule of thumb is if you see them run your finger across them. If you can feel them with you nail they are usually in the glass as well as the finish and could be a problem. If you can see them but can't feel them they are in the varnish finish and should not pose a problem for shooting. That is just my own policy. Hope it is helpful.

[Mountain_Man]

thanks guys, i have already been learn'n alot from this site...and i really like the whole concept of having a collection of different makes and styles. But, to start out i believe i want a couple bear bows. just something about bear bows and the history to me. i would love to have a few bows that i can hand down to my son later on...

and dagburn that w-eeepay!!! i thought i won a what looked to be a 56 kodiak last night and lost with 2 sec to go    :mad:   .. so thanks alot bearbowman(if you frequent the site)!!!haha ..lol ..i learn'd a good lesson last night      ..bid what your willing to pay  .. ahhhh, it might have saved me alot of headaches anyway..dont even know if it  was a shooter ..but, it looked like a perfect bow that i could hand down to my boy later... as he is a righty and im a lefty.
YEP, I'M HOOK'D    

[Mountain_Man]

i know what ya mean ... i am actually just switch'n from one addiction to another. I have always bowhunted. But, i have been chase'n hounds/dogs for a long time now and have had to put myself in check a few times. So, the wife knows my addictive nature and is pretty understand'n..haha. I cant run with the dogs as much anymore..pun intended..haha. So, i figure i'll get a few traditional bows to fool around with... believe me i'll be aggravate'n y'all plenty. ..btw, i've seen your mugshot somewhere???? .. deer 101 maybe?

[Horney Toad]

There is a CD available of all the old bear catalogs.

[alaskabowhunter]

best advise anyone could have given me when I started bow collecting... "get a second job"... good luck!

[Shleprock]

You can spend all your time on the auction site. You need to watch for a long time to learn what bows go for. For whatever reason they run in cycles. Right now the Grizzley's have been a hot item. They will cool down again and you can get them for a better price. No need to hurry unless It's a special bow. There will be another one like it. If you have a favorite save that search and subscribe to the email alerts. They will let you know when new listings come up. The weekend and wed night bows go for the most. Odd ending times are better deals. It's hard to buy if your not watching the end of the auction, unless you want it so bad that you bid extremely high. After awhile you may find that the only ones you need to look at are Ending soonest. 24 hr period. No need to look through 15 pages except to learn a little. Once you start buying the last 24 hrs are all that matter. They say they discourage sniping. For one if that's the case then why have a one click bid? Two try to get a deal on something with out watching it and possibly bidding on it in the last 10 seconds. Oh one more thing. There is no reason to bid high early or to keep bidding just to see that your the high bidder. Bid once early to watch it easier. then watch it, set a price. Be there when it ends. High bidding early just convinces others to pay more for it. Good luck and start working overtime you sound like your going to need alot of extra money for your new hobby.

[d. ward]

abh-Chuck said it best and trust me on this one too......get two jobs.I actually have 5 jobs to support my habits..I know but just about the time one comes up for sale you really really want bad.The price can sometimes skyrocket on them good en's.In the last 6 months and it may be do to things just being slow and folks kind of keeping a closed walet right now....but I personaly had to pass twice on Fred Bear signature bows and several other good'ens...which I don't want a signature really really bad,but for the price my customers were asking I could have bought it and used it for hunting....of which I surely would love to hunt with one of them.But I'am kind of like lots of other collecters right now.My 5 jobs just ai'nt cutting it.......ya'gotta love em huh ?.....bowodc

[Mountain_Man]

Originally posted by Horney Toad:
There is a CD available of all the old bear catalogs.

where can one get this cd ... and bowdoc, what are the "signature" bows? ..just curious.

is this greenish color glass original on this kodiak? ..wonderin' what would cause it to spreckle as the seller calls it, kinda looks like paint peel'n... item number: 320311305897
is that a fair starting price on a bow of this condition? ...i am assuming it is a '57 because of the silk screen.. right? ..full of ?'s .. just glad i found people that can answer them.  

[Horney Toad]

I'm not sure who is selling the CD, 3rivers maybe? Someone will chime in.

[TonyW]

Item number: 180135068043

[Mountain_Man]

thanks TonyW