Not one of a kind but close

[johnnyrazorhead]

sticknstring+(Greg)- I wondered too if Bill Stewart wrote those specs on the bows as well.Hard to say.I talked to a gentleman that worked in the R&D Dept. and although he is very talented himself he spoke very highly of some other bowyers he worked with at the time.one of them inparticular was Owen Jeffrey.I will have to see if he worked with Bill Stewart as well.He may know who wrote the specs on the bows.
 Thanks for the kudos on the collection and the K'Mag,but it has taken me years to find half the unique Bear bows that came out of Bear that you found in one fell swoop.That must have been an amazing feeling to open each of those boxes and anticipate what each one held.Yes,the R&D Dept.was really at the top of their game back then.If I ever make it out to Oregon,I'm stoppin' over!!

 Missaukee-Yes,some outdoor pics of that little Magnum would have been great.Maybe next time.Still some great photos and thanks again for including them with this thread.

[Hobow]

Awesome bow John!  Are one off/unique bows the focus of your collection or are you just getting lucky with these gems?  

Thank you for sharing!

[johnnyrazorhead]

Hobow-That's a good question.I,like alot of other collectors,really enjoy collecting nice,clean examples of some of Bear's classic production bows,either to shoot or to simply enjoy.But over the years I have come to aquire a few what I like to call "oddball" bows.Bows maybe not necessarily experimental or prototypes but not the run of the mill Bear bow.For example,I have a couple of real heavyweight Kodiaks,one being a 123# 1959 Kodiak.I doubt it was an experiment but Bear simply filling an order for someone that wanted an extremely heavy bow.It's unique in appearance due to it's massive proportions and wedge sight window.I have seen or owned several Kodiaks with this wedge sight window so that's not really a one-of-a-kind feature,but 123# '59 Kodiaks are quite uncommon.On the other hand I do have some rather unique experimental and protype bows that I have been fortunate to come across,like this white glass Kodiak Magnum.I have posted pictures of some of the other unique Bear bows in my collection on this forum in the past for others to enjoy as I do.After seeing all those wonderful Bill Stewart bows that sticknstring+ showed us all,it really stirred my interest even more in the brainstorming that was coming out of Grayling back then.Fred had some very talented people working for him at the time and it shows in these bows.
 So,to answer your question(finally)I would say the answer to both of your questions is "yes".Lately my focus has been on these one off/unique bows that I have shown and I have gotten lucky in aquiring a couple lately.But they have always been some of my favorite bows in my collection as well as in others.I'm waiting for sticknstring+(Greg) to send me all of his Bill Stewart bows now to keep my lucky streak going.C'mon Greg,you don't want to break my streak now,do you? LOL
 When I get some time I am going to try to post all of my oddball bows in one thread,like sticknstring+ did,just to make it easier to view them all for anyone interested.  

[oldbohntr]

That EXP magnum in the Museum was my bow.  It's one of three EXP magnums that I picked up from one family in the early 90s.  I still have one and will post some pics of it later in the day.

[johnnyrazorhead]

Tom,
 Sounds like a nice catch of bows.Wish I had known about that other one in the museum beforehand,I would have a nice set of bookends.
  Tom,you have a PM.
   John

[oldbohntr]

Well, it’s interesting that the museum still has my black/white tag on the bow after all these years.    None of the three was in very good shape.   All were a bit different, glass colors, overlays, etc.   But all had nice small tips, like the ’59-60 Kodiak Deluxe, and it’s interesting that the ’61 magnum came out with the wider tips that we saw in the other  sixties Bears.  The deceased Bear employee whose family I got them from,  apparently used his stuff pretty hard.   He was a huge man, the Bear camo clothes and boots that I also got were big enough for at least two of me!    And he had apparently drawn all these experimental mags quite a long distance…all were badly checked with finish in generally poor condition.   I never liked the Magnum bow model very much anyway, so I wasn’t overly concerned with keeping more than one.    But, I would never turn down an EXP Bear, regardless of model or condition.   I let the museum have the best one, and traded away the second best, so my remaining one is pretty rough.    
Actually I’m going to list another EXP model on the classifieds later today.  It’s kind of interesting too.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Hobow]

John, I think that would be a great idea.  I love seeing all bows but low production or one off unique models are the best.  I am lucky to live in the NW which has a rich archery history of it's own, but when it comes to Bear Archery you Michigan guys have it made.

Sticknstring+, your thread of  Bill Stewart bows is amazing and I kick myself because I heard after the fact that it was on display at the Traditional Archers of Oregon banquet a couple of years back and I wasn't able to attend...  

Oldbohntr, The grip on that brown glass Magnum is interesting, I love the thin limbs and early style tips.

Thank you all for sharing!

[sticknstring+]

John that would be great if you could get some inside info from Mr. Jeffrey! As far as the feeling that day opening those boxes awesome is a good start! I thought I would pick 2-3 out if the lot and be pretty happy. Ah ya right... Every bow was/is  in near perfect condition, virtually untouched and no fading. I couldn't choose, and after a couple of hours and finding the EXP for a serial numbers and the R&D/Bill Stewart writing on the boxes ( and a quick google search that almost gave me a heart attack!) I realized I had to  keep them together and made a deal to buy them all. Long story short I really didn't know exactly what each box held for awhile. The fun was really drawn out as I dove into the history of the recurve and learned about the legends of my sport and what a key role Bill Stewart played. 
  If your ever anywhere close to this coast please do stop bye!! 
  As far as your lucky streak goes I was thinking almost the same thing... except I thought maybe your proto/EXP's could come this way (back to the rest of there Stewart/Bear family) and revitalize my lucky streak! Lol
I would love to see you post your collection  pics together in a single thread!

Oldbohntr  can't wait to see your pics! Do you know any of the back story on how the family acquired the EXP Magnums?

[oldbohntr]

Yes.

[CavScoutArcher]

Purdy........awesome find and a great addition to any collection!

[sticknstring+]

Originally posted by oldbohntr:
Yes.

Wow! That's so interesting and helpful.  I'll add that to the other info I've gathered about the some of the other EXP's that got away from Mr. Stewarts stash. Thanks for sharing