BEAR Polar recurve...no string grooves (?)

[TSP]

(to the top...see question below, on 8/21/09  TSP)

A friend gave me what appears to be a late 50's BEAR Polar recurve, one he had as a kid and didn't want to see trashed during cellar cleanout time.  Nice bow in very good shape, but there are no string grooves at the tips...which appears to promote limb twist at the tips.  The tips are fairly narrow, worsening the problem.  Its a shooter but sure would like to remedy that problem without having to file in some string grooves (which basically would take away the 'originality' of the bow.  Have already 'bumped' the tips...the twist problem still persists.  Any ideas?

[d. ward]

I would love to see a pic of it.I may be able to help.bowdoc

[Jeremy]

The late 50's Polars were semi recurves... no string contact at the tips. The '59-60 was barely a recurve. At the recommended brace (7-8") the string barely makes contact with the belly - and there are no string grooves. It's more like a longbow than a recurve.
here's the profile of a '59 (low ~7" brace)
 

All the late 50's Polars had red glass. The '61 Polar didn't have any more limb contact that the '59-60s did... can't remember the glass color though. One of my '59s has a twisted tip, but it's because whoever was tillering it in Grayling ground down the glass to almost nothing on one side of the limb in the curve. There's no fixing that (and it shoots great anyway)

I like the Polars  :D

[TSP]

This Polar is 64", 48#@28" with white glass back and belly and white-on-black overlays, serial #JJ254, the medallion is a flat bear and bronze-colored.  The riser has two types of wood (dark/light), not sure what they are but one is 'slotted' into the other in the center of the bow...an interesting look.  At a 7.25" brace the string does touch the limbs...not nearly as much as a true recurve but a fair amount.  I'll try and post a photo or two of the bow later.  Will also try bumping the limb a little more with a hot towel, maybe I can get it to straighten out.  Still think it looks odd without string grooves!

Thanks for the feedback.

[Wapiti Chaser]

If you put stick some velcro on the limb the string will make a little groove in the velcro and may make you feel better. But ya really don't need it. I know I had one like it.

[d. ward]

Jeremy nailed it down.They were more like a long bow then a recurve.Is it twisted ? bowdoc

[Bear Heart]

my 64 polar has yellow glass and string grooves.

[TSP]

Here's a few pics of the bow.  The brace is at 7.25" and you can see that the string does have a fair amount of contact with the limbtip.  The tip twist (lower limb) is a bit better after having 'bumped' it with a hot towel, but as you can see it needs more work.  Wapiti, thanks for the velcro tip.  Had thought of that already but it won't work unless I get the twist out.

This one feels good in the hand and shoots amazingly well even with the tip twist and a 'fat' 16 strand dacron string, no string nock and too-tight-on-the-arrownocks string.  I plan to make a new 12-strand dacron for it which should help.  Even with 565 gr. cedars and the poor string its no slouch for accuracy...groups were good at 17 yards...and the speed was better than I expected.  With 490 gr. cedars it really started to perform, might make a decent 3-D fun bow with that ammo.  For a 64" bow the draw does feel a bit stiff, though...feels heavier than the marked 48# (I usually shoot 52# and its pretty close to that feel).  

Now to get the rest of the twist out.  Nothing like a new bow to make for happy times...especially when its  FREE!            

 
 
 
 

[Jeremy]

1961 Polar.  Quite a few of the old Bears are a few pounds heavier than marked... kind of a marketing ploy by Bear      7.25" is at the low end of the recommended brace... I'd raise it a bit and leave it be      Good luck trying to get the twist out... the narrow deep limb is a pain to correct.

[TSP]

Jeremy, thanks for your help and info on the bow.  Its tricky trying to figure out the year of manufacture on BEAR bows.  

After bumping it again I'll raise the brace a little when the new string goes on.  With luck it'll be as good as new.

[TSP]

I'm bringing this thread back up to ask if this particular bow can be braced higher than 8".  I've had it at 8" for awhile but there's still a fair amount of string/limb contact which doesn't affect arrow flight but might promote the slight handshock I'm feeling.  Wondering if the design requires as little contact as possible, so can it be moved up to 8.5" or 9" for that without damaging the limb/bow?  

Jeremy, I saw your recent thread looking for 50's Polars so I assume you are lurking.  Can you comment on this question?  Thanks.

[Jeremy]

Yup, I'm still here     Did you get that twist out?

The '61 is a full working recurve; it just doesn't have the deep curves that the other Bear recurves had.

I'll check the catalog when I get home, but I believe the recommended brace is 7-8".  You should be able to bump it up to 8.5" if you need to without damaging the bow, but I'm not sure about 9".

If you're having problems with handshock (it is dacron afterall   ) try swtiching over to an endless string.  It has less stretch at the shot than the flemish strings and should tame what's left of the bump.  If that doesn't do it, these old Bears are completely different animals with a skinny low-stretch string on 'em      

[TSP]

Hmmmm...I'd better keep it between 7.5 and 8 or try an endless.  Re the limbs themselves the top looks ok but still have a bit of twist on the bottom (last 4"-5 " it seems) that bumping hasn't removed.  

To be honest this is a pretty little bow but I really don't like the limb design. Why they engineered a 'semi-recurve' that way seems odd to me.     :(