Older Bear bows and low stretch strings...

[J. Holden]

A few weeks ago I purchased a used Bear Kodiak Hunter.  I was told it was a 1975 although I don't know enough to confirm that.  Regardless it's tips are not reinforced.  It came with a low stretch string that the seller had made for the bow.  He reassured me that the loops had been padded to protect the bow.  However a friend of mine who's opinion I trust thought that although the loops were padded that maybe the bow design back then doesn't lend itself to being able to handle the "shock" of the low stretch string.  The string is an SBD string for what it's worth.

I really like this bow but have put it up and haven't shot it as I don't want to do damage to it.  So I'm wondering if there is any reassurance, or validation, that I should or shouldn't use a low stretch string on this bow.  Thank you.

-Jeremy

[Pine]

If it were mine, I wouldn't take the chance.
Any speed advantage you might possibly get just isn't worth it.

[yeager]

I’ve made fast flight strings with padded loops for a few of my older Bear bows, but for some reason, didn’t like way they felt. Therefore, I have gone back to using B-50 on those bows. I just like they way they shoot much better. I do use the fast flight strings (8190) on my Bob Lee and RER bows though.

[Captain*Kirk]

Bowstrings are cheap. Why risk it?

[Sam McMichael]

Most of the guys I know who shoot unreinforced vintage bows do not use the low stretch strings, stating that doing so has a strong likelihood of destroying the bow. My older bows have Dacron strings.

[M60gunner]

I use B-55 on my old SK. But I have read guys that swear a padded loop FF string won’t destroy the bow. Unfortunately unless I had that bow from day one I wouldn’t trust that theory. IMO some of that preformance that maybe picked up using FF can be achieved by making a Dacron string with the correct number of strands. My old factory strings can be used for repelling ropes as an example.

[Jon Stewart]

I strictly use B-50 or B-55 on all my bows.

Describe what you mean by the tips are not re-enforced?

[J. Holden]

I was under the impression that low stretch bows are built with different material in the tips to withstand the skinnier string and the stresses?  Maybe I'm completely wrong on this.  However it's a mute point now as I have a B55 string for the bow.

-Jeremy

[Orion]

I've never seen a Kodiak hunter that didn't have limb tip overlays.  If it has those, I'd have no compunction about using a low stretch string.  I've been using D-97 on older Bear TD limbs for more than a half dozen years and plan to continue to do so.  Put the same low stretch string on the older limbs that they're currently putting on new limbs, and the older limbs shoot just as fast. 

[stagetek]

My personal choice with the older bows is B-50 or B-55. I base that on nothing other than erring on the side of caution.

[dbd870]

I agree; I never used anything else on my older Bear’s