Shooting a Fred Bear Signature Bow!

[TimberlineX]

Originally posted by aromakr:
Several years ago my good friend Bill Krenze was shooting one at Denton Hill, my first question was "why" are you shooting that bow. He said "I want too" will you make me some arrows to match it. Which I did, I had some beautiful Rosewood to match the riser and I footed some shafts and made some real fancy arrows for him. Everyone has there own needs I guess.
Bob

I was searching through some old threads on Fred Bear Signature bows and noticed the above post by aromakr.

Gosh that was a long time ago, but here is the Fred Bear Signature bow I was shooting that year at Denton Hill.

     

And here’s a word to the wise on shooting and hunting with any of the Fred Bear Signature bows…something I’ve done a fair amount. You risk breaking the limbs! Bear experienced a MUCH, MUCH higher than normal breakage rate on those “Yew Core” Signature limbs. The old Bear Signature records are littered with limbs that were returned and had to be replaced.

   

I’ve since become very skeptical of shooting any Fred Bear Signature with its original Yew Core limbs. It can be done, but the risk of destroying those irreplaceable limbs is high. Here’s what I do today. The Signature risers are good, and so I shoot the riser with any good set of regular Bear takedown limbs. That doesn’t quite have the panache of the riser with the original yew limbs, but then again it probably won’t fly apart in my face. And that great wood, Fred's signature and those gold latches still bring a smile.  

   

By the way, here are the arrows that Bob made for me after that event. Today they hang on the wall of my office. They’re beautiful! Bob really knows how to build wood premium arrows.

Bill Krenz
Colorado

   

[d. ward]

Bill was'nt that around 1996 or 1998 ? bd

[TimberlineX]

Bowdoc,

Yes, I believe you're right. Which means that you and I and Bob must have been about 18 years old at the time!!!

Bill

[Grant Young]

Right Bill, I bought that set of 70# Green Tippers from you when I was six or so, LOL. I wanted to add that around 1983 one of my best friends was fond of my old StyleII and decided to buy one of the sigs. to use. He broke three sets of limbs before he got p###ed and returned the entire bow. Like you, I didn't care for the limbs (except to look at)but it shot my standard #1s real well. In the case of his yew wood limbs, they were splitting out around the locator pin holes in the wedges. After the second failure I started to look at the problem more closely and found that the wedges hadn't been drilled quite deep enough and the limb was rocking slightly on the locator pin in the socket. I recall even trying to get him to wallow the hole out a little (in the limb) and fix the problem. He said for $1000.00 nothing should need "fixing" and sent it all back to Bear. When he died a few years back he was still shooting an A mag riser and a set of limbs I had originally bought from you. He was still mad about that Signature.....Grant

[Cody Roiter]

Bill, Very nice bow my friend... Your the only person I have ever seen who dose or have shot there Signature Bow.. But I am sure more people have shot them.. Is that gold plating ?

Great bow Bill,

Cody

[TimberlineX]

Originally posted by cody roiter:
Is that gold plating ?

Cody,

That depends on if I'm buying or selling.

If I'm buying, it's gold plated. If I'm selling, it's SOLID gold.

 

[Cody Roiter]

Bill, That is still a bow on my wish list.. I don't care if it's plated or SOLID gold..LOL.. Still a drop dead bow.. I have only seen one in real life.. All the other's  I have seen where just photo's..

How dose it shoot ?....

Cody

[d. ward]

Time flies like an arrow...bd

[TimberlineX]

Cody, with good limbs it shoots just exactly like all the other Bear TDs - really well! And it does so with some small measure of extra class.