yard sale bow help

[kasey]

ok my mom got me a yard sale bow and wanted to know if anyone could tell me about it.ok on the  front upper limb it says shakespeare archery.the the back of the lower limb says +45+ moo8e 50" then a little lower it says the cascade model x29 amo standered.those are the only words on the bow.if anyone could tell me alittle about these that would be great

[**DONOTDELETE**]

45#@29" draw weight & length I would guess moo8e 50" is the N2N length of 50". From reading on here shakespeare are nice bows. Others can tell you more.

[kasey]

ttt

[kasey]

o and i need to find a string for this bow

[Dave Worden]

Just get an AMO 50 bowstring which is actually 47 inches long.  14 strands of B-50.  Get the dacron (B-50), not fast flight.  I have 4 or 5 Shakespeares.  They're all shooters.  It's a shame they don't make them anymore.

[30coupe]

I think the plus sign indicates it is over 45# but under 50#. Many of the bows of that era were marked in 5# increments rather than the measured draw weight. The plus or minus signs were used to indicate whether is was a pound or two above or below that weight.

I'm not sure about the x29. AMO standard would be at 28", so I would guess the x29 has something to do with the model of the bow. I'm sure someone who collects Shakespeares will chime in with better information.

Enjoy the bow!

[Dave Bulla]

Well, not cure about Shakespeare brand bows but for other makers, usually a 45X = 46 pounds, 45XX = 47pounds, x45 = 44 pounds, xx45 = 43 pounds etc.  Meaning, they were going for a 45lb bow and due to uncontrollable things like individual pieces of wood bending different, ended up just over or under the target weight and it was marked accordingly.

You say it is marked +45+ and I don't know what that is unless it means it is within a pound + or - of 45?

Also, I don't think it would be 45# @ 29", rather if it is marked AMO standard, it would be 45# @ 28" and the model is the X29 but I am guessing a bit.  

I did a quick google search and found this site:
 http://www.archeryarchives.com/Sshakespeare.htm

Looks like there was definitely a model X-29 bow.  If you pull up different years, you may be able to determine about when your bow was made.

[Dave Bulla]

Looks like 1969 was the first year for the x-29 Cascade bow.  Black formica riser, black glass, 50" long.

$105 new.

Looks like 1972 was the last year and the brace height is rather high at 8 1/2 to 9 inches.  Cool little bow that would probably be great for hunting from a ground blind or tree stand.

[kasey]

thanks dave.ya it black wide limbsand a short little bow. not bad for $6.now i need to see how it shoots

[George D. Stout]

Yes, it is an X29 Cascade.  The Cascade boasted 2 1/2" limbs at the riser and had a pretty smooth draw for a little bow.  They had fairly narrow tips and often tende to be whip-ended on the shot.  They are nice bows for blinds or tree stand shooting.

[Wednesday Caste]

I have a couple garage sale bows and the biggest concern is the dreaded limb twist.  If you eye down from tip to tip and notice that one tip (or both) may point a little left or right, it's a twist.  Once you string it, you'll see that the string not track centered along the bow.  Careful not to draw if the twist is significant as the string might slip off.  
But don't be too quick to get rid of it though. I've fixed the dreaded twist on a couple of mine and a couple neighbor's bows to be fine shooters.  A quick search on TG for "twist" and you'll find ways to fix it if you indeed have the dreaded twist.
Myself, I've been looking for a Shakespeare Sierra Model #18 (living at the foothills of the Sierras).  As you can see in my signature line, I've been a little sidetrack w/other vintage bows during my search.

[LostNation_Larry]

Don't be afraid to try a lower brace height than 8 1/2.  When that bow was made, high brace heights were the trend.  You might get away with 7 1/2 - 8".