'52 Static

[Wade Phillips]

Bjorn - Glad that you like my simple, corresponding Kodiak comparison method for dating the 1951 and 1952 Grizzly. This is consistent with the Bear Catalogs and advertisements from the era and corresponds to several dozen bows I have examined and documented. Keep in mind the overlay treatment can very within the same year.  

Remember, exceptions can be found for almost any “rule” that is established for dating Bear Bows. The best rules have the fewest exceptions. Nothing would surprise me as far as the occasional “Odd Duck”, actually I expect them to keep turning up.

I am certainly not a Grizzly collector, but have a dozen or so static Grizzlies including one or more from each of the years 1949 to 1954. I have saved these static Grizzlies for photographs in a book, for two primary reasons…

1. To show that the Kodiak and Grizzly have the same glass and metal limb laminations for specific years during Bear's static era.

2. To show the evolution of Bear's top of the line hunting bows.

As I am sure you know, Bob Meaker took over as Bear's Head Bowyer, when Nels Grumley retired from Bear in 1948. A few years ago, I was very fortunate to acquire Bob Meaker's bows. Among these bows are some of Meaker's personal bows as well as several experimental static era Grizzly-Kodiaks.

Meaker's bows play an important part of understanding the evolution of Bear's top of the line hunting bows from the Grumley era, to the transition from hand made to mass produced bows, to the static Grizzly, to the static Kodiak, to Bear's initial working recurves.

Although the static Grizzly is often overlooked by many of today's shooter-hunter-collectors, and has been the subject of much misguided folk lore, it had an integral role in Bear's later success. The first half dozen years of the static Grizzly are more than deserving of an entire chapter in any comprehensive study of Fred Bear's Bows.

Bjorn – When I have time to dig a little deeper in the static Grizzly, I hope it will be OK to call on your expertise as one of the few today with experience as a static Grizzly collector.

[Bjorn]

Thanks Wade  

[SELFBOW19953]

Now that y'all have me totally confused,i'll post some pictures for help.  I have 3 static tip Grizzlys.  One has aluminum lams, the other 2 don't.

First the aluminum (on the far right of the second picture).
   
     

Does the bidirectional glass and the orange color mean that it's a 1950?

The other 2 are the center and left bows in picture 2.  Both have patent applied for.  Are they 1953's (orange glass)?
   

The one to the right has smaller nocks.
   
It is a 52# (sn 25521), the other is a 57# (sn 25121).  Does draw weight indicate nick size?
   
What does the maple on the back of the static tip indicate (all 3 have it)?

Thanks for any help you can give me.

Phil

[tonto]

the two bows with the unidir orange glass do they have both right and left hand shelfs? I have one with the orange uni glass, double shelf and the fine tips like you show. Mine has the standing bear decal not the running bear. I say its a 1953. Mine is a heavy weight 57# with the fine tips.

[SELFBOW19953]

Tonto,

No, they're single shelf (running bear decal). I guess the tip size depends on who made them  I have 2 double shelfs, but they're '57s, I think.

Thanks.

Phil