Factory bow scales

[reddogge]

Here's a question for the older bow afficionados. Do you think the big houses like Bear, Howatt, Pearson, Root, Shakespeare calibrated their bow scales? How often would they be calibrated if they did? Or was close enough, close enough?

[AALLFAB]

I have a theory that Bear intentionally had their scale 3# light so their bows had a 3# edge side by side with other bows. Jim

[bamboo]

on every bear I've had the strike plate off -- the true poundage was written in pencil under the strike plate-and a couple were right on--most were "rounded down"--bow marked #50 was #52 under the strike plate
and when scaled they were right on [the weight under the strike plate]---at least the same as my scale

[TonyW]

Wade Phillips wrote this a couple of years ago:

"Supposedly a letter under the draw weight indicated the employee who measured the draw weight.

Like many word of the mouth statements about Bear Bows, I have never seen any documentation from the factory to substantiate the statement as absolute fact."

Documentation is tough to find, but worth looking for.

Hoping Wade has been busy burning the midnight oil investigating and documenting Bear history.

[Wade Phillips]

Tony,

What a lead in. You are a great straight man.

Last night I was up until after 5:00am working on the presentation about Fred Bear's 1945 Moose Hunt, "Moose Diary" which includes Fred's original film and many of the artifacts from his 1944, 1945 and 1946 hunts in Canada.

Yes much of the really old documentation is hard to find.

[Wade Phillips]

Originally posted by bamboo:
on every bear I've had the strike plate off -- the true poundage was written in pencil under the strike plate...

bamboo,

To be more clear, you might want to specify the range of years of the Bear bows where the strike plates were removed and the draw weights were written on the bow under the strike plate.

I don't remember seeing the draw weight under the strike plate of any Kodiak with a leather grip (last year of leather grip being 1960 for Kodiaks)...

However under the leather grip, you might find the draw weight plus a lot of other information.

[TonyW]

Wade -
Bowdoc thinks the single letter that is found near the draw weight (R, L, B, etc) was the initial of the inspector who weighed the bow.
Any documentation on these letters being the first or last initial of an inspector?

PS - Has the Little Rascal bagged any frogs?

[ozzy1977]

There is nothing under the strinker plate on my mid 70's Grizzly

[TonyW]

By the mid 70s, all bets are off. It could have been missed by somebody at the factory(thousands were made) or somebody could have refinished the bow during the past 40 years. I read that your bow was marked 45X and you weighed it at 50, so it should have a 50 printed under the strike plate.

My first bow was a 73 Super Grizzly marked 40X and 45, so the question of calibration raised by Richard shows a 5 pound leeway on both of our bows.

I just bought another red striped Super Grizzly from that era, and it is a 55 55. My guess is that the scales were good enough for government work, and not under the scrutiny of USDA inspectors. They were probably too busy keeping the butcher's thumb off the scales at the Grayling A&P!

[Mojostick]

Has anyone noticed some of the 1962 Kodiak's are way higher than marked? Like 6-8 pounds higher than marked. Of those I have, have sold or traded and ones buddies have, all 62's scale higher than marked.
When people say the '62 is the "fastest" Kodiak, I wonder if the '62's were scaled first. Because both my marked "40lb" 1962's are both near 44. I had another 1962 marked 40, but I sold it because it scaled at 48. My buddy has a 1962 marked 42 that scales at 46.

[Bjorn]

I have noticed the 1962 Kodiaks are over what is marked-maybe that makes them so fast? They did not have only one scale, and workers likely assumed the scales 'agreed' and they may have calibrated one this month and the other one(s) at another time.
I had that happen with a bowyer fairly recently "oh I must have weighed your bow with the scale out in the barn-it reads light". Turned out it was 5# light-felt great!    
He agreed to replace it no harm done! LOL

[bamboo]

Originally posted by Wade Phillips:
 

Originally posted by bamboo:
on every bear I've had the strike plate off -- the true poundage was written in pencil under the strike plate...

bamboo,

To be more clear, you might want to specify the range of years of the Bear bows where the strike plates were removed and the draw weights were written on the bow under the strike plate.

I don't remember seeing the draw weight under the strike plate of any Kodiak with a leather grip (last year of leather grip being 1960 for Kodiaks)...

However under the leather grip, you might find the draw weight plus a lot of other information. [/b]

wade --I've worked on 5-6 grizzlies-a couple of later polars [recurve]of varied years-so I'm not much help on that--but my point is when I encountered weights written under the strike plate they have always jived with my scale--

and one compass Kodiak did have nothing--but was probably a bad example-as it had an horrendous grip formed from some wood putty substance resembling a grip/shelf--it was formed over the compass!!by chiseling it off I was able to refinish it to reasonably close to original shooter condition
I have 2 '57 Kodiaks to do for myself and will look under the grips---

[Ray Lyon]

My 1957 Kodiak had the draw weight, bow length and 'stock' written under the leather grip when I removed and replaced it.  I'm guessing the 'stock' meant it was a stock bow and not a custom order, but as always, that's speculation. And the weight under the grip was the same as marked on the bow.