bear bow sereal numbers

[Johnny Reb]

Wher can a person check the numbers on a bear bow to find out what year it was manufactured ?

[Bjorn]

Post this in the archery history/collection section-lots of Bear experts there.

[Johnny Reb]

bump...anybody have any info ??

[Bjorn]

Most serial numbers are pretty unreliable for dating purposes. Is there a specific bow you have in mind we can help with?
Glass color and riser shape are generally used to date the Bear bows.

[reddogge]

You can only tell '65-'69 what year from the serial number.

[Johnny Reb]

Thanx guy's, I was just wunderin in case, I find some here and ther at yard sales, flea markets and pawn shops, figured it mite be somethin good to know.

So is it safe to say that most of the people that post a bow for sale with a date in the add is guessing or have "known" the bow for some time ???

[Migra Bill]

I think more Bear bows are listed as 1953 than any other year! Of course they are mistaking the Patent date found on the limb for the date of production.
As Reddogge said - real tough to go by serial numbers when it comes to dating Bear bows. If I couyld freccomend anything I would tell you to get the Bear Archery Catalogue Collection on CD sold by 3 rivers. Study the pics and in no time you will be able to roughly date Bear bows just by looking at them.

[Johnny Reb]

AH !, thanx man, I see the adds and figured that they could do the numbers and tell the year, so ther just "guess DU mating".

[Bjorn]

There are a number of publications on the internet you can google for. It is not cookie cutter and you will have to invest some time to get good at dating the bows, it is done primarily by riser shape, wood type, and glass color. But it is all out there you just have to start looking if you are interested.