[B]1960 Kodiak Special Deluxe Info?[/B]

[etbuckethntr]

Looking for any/all info on 1960 Kodiak Special Deluxe all original. 22 steel stamped. serial# 5wx11 66" 44#. The only flaw in this bow are the vertical glass lines. What quantities came out with/w/o 22 stamp? All info would be appreciated.

[damascusdave]

Do a little reading on here and you will find yourself in some rare air when talking about any of the 1960 Deluxes...as I recall the 22 stamp means the bow was sent back to the factory for repair and so stamped when returned...I would say what you have is a very rare bow that would be almost unsaleable because of all the legend about delamination of those bows...the previous two owners of my Kodiak Deluxe (no need to specify 1960 since they were only made that one year)never fired a single arrow because of the legend surrounding that bow...not being all that interested in legends I have put quite a few arrows over its original featherrest...sorry for posting another pic of that bow but I just cannot help myself...that is a bow of a lifetime for me and I have owned some great ones

DDave
 

[damascusdave]

Please post at least one picture of your bow...we love pictures of any of the Kodiak Specials here and the Special Deluxe is,at least in my view, the ultimate Special just as the Kodiak Deluxe is the ultimate Kodiak...which reminds me...just as the Kodiak Specials were priced higher than the Kodiaks, the Special Deluxe was priced higher than the Deluxe which was lot of money to spend on a bow in 1960...pretty sure a Special Deluxe was either 75 or 80 dollars when a regular Kodiak sold for 60...Wade Philips, Jack Shanks, or Chuck Dougherty could tell you way more about the bow but lately none of them has been posting here...there are others like Bjorn or Larry or Dave Harby who may show up and share their considerable knowledge...it may take a while so keep bumping this thread to the top from time to time

DDave

[warpedarrow]

I have four Deluxes and one Special Deluxe.    [/url] [/IMG]
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top bow is 27XX18 60" 50# silver coin 22 stamp
next to top is AO14AA  60" 42# and it is a coinless bow that was restored by Al Harford Sr.
it is marked 62" but is a 60" bow

Middle bow is 1A153 left hand 60" 47# stamped 22
copper coin

next to bottom is LA337 64" 45# copper coin

Bottom bow is a Special Deluxe restored by me  
RA375 66" 37#  coin was missing and it now has an aftermarket replacement coin

I see now that a couple of the pictures are showing sideways. Right would be the top in the description.

[damascusdave]

Thanks for posting those pics...I thought I was doing well having one KD...you not only have four you have some very interesting variations

DDave

[warpedarrow]

The Deluxes are one of my favorites.  I have yet to string one up and use it.  I may try out the middle bow.  It is in bad cosmetic shape and I paid less than $200 for it.  If it blows up that wouldn't be the end of the world.  I may do at least a partial restore on that one.  The collector value on it is pretty much ruined as it is, so I may as well give it a makeover.

I was thinking that there is another Special Deluxe around here but I'm not seeing it.  I did find four 1959 Kodiak Specials which are very pretty bows and probably laid the groundwork for the beautiful contrasting wood cresent in the Deluxes.  I do shoot them and they are smooth...

[etbuckethntr]

Here are a few pics of the closet find that came with 8 others in a package deal. The previous owners father owned a sporting goods store. I have just gotten interested in the traditional bows a few years ago. 15-20 bows have crossed my hands in that time and as soon as I picked this  one up I knew I had something "Special" "Deluxe".
What do I really have here?

     
And now the BAD
 
The vertical glass lines

[warpedarrow]

Your bow looks fairly typical.  I have yet to see a Deluxe that is devoid of stress lines and at least a little glazing of the clear glass.  That is just a fact of life with that year of bow.  You still have a pretty rare one even if it is not one of the best examples that survive.

I am curious about how many Deluxes and Special Deluxes were made.  We do know that a good many of them delaminated and were returned to Bear.

[2ndTimeShooter]

Hi, I just received a Kodiak Special Deluxe I bought on the auction site for $280. 64", 36#, serial #GA215. After a little cleaning it is in almost perfect condition. It is stamped 22. There is no clouding in the limbs. There are 2 very minor stress cracks in the limbs, one above and one below. You almost can't see them, unless you turn the bow at angles to a strong light. The finish in the grip area is slightly worn. I don't have a string for it yet so I have not shot it, but it has obviously been used a lot. The feather rest was almost completely worn off, as was the strike plate. String wax was all over it. I plan to use it! What a beautiful bow.

[warpedarrow]

I am glad that it is everything that you expected.  Perhaps you should send it to me to be photographed and I will the post some pictures for you.

[2ndTimeShooter]

Brad, thanks for your being glad and your offer to photograph it. Got the string today and will shoot it tomorrow. I put a new feather rest and strike plate on it. I think I will be too busy shooting it to send it to you. But if you have a spare Kodiak Deluxe, Special or Special Deluxe you could send it to me, then I'll see if I can spare my KSD for a while. However, I might be too busy shooting two bows to remember to send you one of them.

[warpedarrow]

I only have five total so no spares here.  I will be here when you finish shooting and finally get around to posting some pics.
Or maybe you are just pulling our legs about what great shape it is in and pictures just won't happen.

[D.Sheppard]

Ouch ! warpedarrow went there    :eek:

[2ndTimeShooter]

Brad, just looked at this thread and saw your reply. I'm not pulling your leg. I have some pics from the original listing on the auction site. I have some better pics of my own on a new phone, but I have as yet to figure out how to upload or download them. I'm working on that. I also though have not used photobucket yet so I would have to figure that out to post here. I did send some pics by email to Rick Rappe who restores vintage bows and has written about the history of them. He has one also which he shoots all the time now, which is why I emailed him. When he saw the pics he said, "It's almost too good to be true." I may have posted this on another thread but I wanted to complete the story on this one. I'm still waiting for arrows I ordered that are the right spine, but meanwhile I've been shooting 45-50 lb. arrows and adjusting the brace as the string stretches. I LOVE this bow, of course the beauty of it but also the grip, weight, balance, how it shoots, even how it sounds. I also found a 1961, 63" Kodiak Special w/zebrawood riser, 30#, that I'm getting and will use as a practice bow, replacing my 29# Cub. The KS needs some refinishing on the riser but that should not be a problem. Now I'm still envious of your Kodiak Deluxe so I'm looking for one 45-55# to replace my 2014 45# Super Kodiak... which is a lovely bow but different. I like the lighter, more traditional style of the early 60s Kodiaks better. Also apparently they had really fast limbs for an old recurve, so shooting them is more like shooting a modern bow with modern strings.
Brad, - or anyone - if you send me your email address I will send pics of my KSD or any bows. I'm not sure how you do that on this forum but I'm guessing you know how.
Thanks!

[warpedarrow]

http://tradgang.com/cgi-bin/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic;f=14;t=006707#000000

Every now and then I get the urge to clean up an old bow.  Here is my '61 Kodiak Special.  This is the first bow that I painted the glass because of stress cracks that were dis colored.  I have since done several paint jobs, most recently on a couple of Wade's bows that were in need of a facelift.

You seem to be a collector in the early stages from what you have written.  Keep in mind that you can purchase an ugly but sound bow and put a few hours into cleaning it up, and end up with a beauty.  I paid about $87 for my '62 Kodiak Special and piddled  around most of last summer fixing it up.  Once I got past the sanding stages I seldom spent more than ten minutes at a time working on it.  You might consider finding a really cheap bow to learn on.  My first two or three restores were somewhat less than stellar examples of what can be done.