HELP! What do I have here?

[johnnyrazorhead]

Alright fellas,I need some help.I just received a bow today that I bought on *****.I wasn't sure what it was when I first saw it and still don't know after seeing it first hand.I've taken a few photos of the bow along with some others to help decipher the puzzle.Also,there is another bow that is a bit strange in the group.The first bow in question is second from the top in all of the photos.We'll call it bow #2.The other bow in question is 3rd from the top so we'll call it bow #3.
 Top bow is a standard production 1954 walnut Kodiak II as can be seen in the photos.All decals intact,leather grip going right up to the bottom of the shelf,round limb tips,double-shelf,specs written underneath grip on back side of bow,compass in grip.Looks like most KII's I have seen whether walnut or maple.
 Now bow #2- Compass in grip,riser shaped very similar to '54 KII,somewhat tan color glass,double shelf,leather grip stops short of arrow shelf similar to '55 or '56 Kodiaks.Specs written on side of riser instead of back CB359,60",47#,limb tip overlays somewhat different and tips much pointier than '54 KII.And this bow has silkscreens instead of decals.Silkscreens didn't appear on the Kodiak until 1956.Strange?
 Bow #3-When I first bought this bow it was advertised as a KII or compass Kodiak,and from first glance it appears to be just that.But after comparing it to other marked KII's like the walnut version shown here it appears to be somewhat different.Compass in grip,leather grip again stops short of shelf,two of three decals standard and intact,the "KODIAK" or "KODIAK II" decal is missing.Specs written in black underneath grip on back side,limb tips pointy unlike most '54 KII's,and the riser is shaped more like a '55 or '56 Kodiak than the '54 KII.Appears to have features of both a '54 KII and a '55 Kodiak in my opinion.
 Bow #4(bottom)- I mentioned this bow in another thread about the EXP marked Kodiak.It appears to be a standard '56 Kodiak with a factory installed compass in the grip.The bow has a small piece of white tape underneath the grip that has EXP written on it.I got this bow along with several other EXP marked bows from a former Bear employee.Standard brown glass,silkscreens,specs written in black on side of riser CW768,60",52#.Small,pointy limb tips,dark accent stripe through riser.Mainly in photos for comparison purposes.
 My first question here is,what year production would you consider bow #2? Where would it fall in order of production between the '54 KII and the '56 Kodiak?Why the silkscreens?Sent back to factory and re-finished?
 My next question is,where would you think bow #3 would be put in order of production?Would it be considered a "transitional" bow from the KII and the '55 Kodiak with this different shaped riser? Any opinions?    
 
 
 
 
 
 

[Wade Phillips]

John -

I have a Kodiak similar to you Bow #2 with odd tan glass and silk screens built on the 60" 1954 Kodiak II form. Mine has a maple riser but the limb cores are not maple, it looks like solid glass. The overall weight of the bow is noticeably heavier than a 60" Kodiak II, which confirms the solid glass limb cores. An odd duck for sure. I have had the bow for many years and have never seen anything like it so was especially pleased to see that you have one that is similar to it.

Bow #3 is what I call a 54-1/2 Kodiak. I have three of them, all are a little different and each is 60". Two are trimmed with the accent wood around the maple riser and one is not trimmed like yours. All have tan glass like a 1954 Kodiak II, all have a compass and all are marked on the back below the grip like a Compass Kodiak.

The two that are trimmed have a grip like a 1954 Kodiak II with the leather going to the top of the grip where the shelf begins. The one that is not trimmed has a grip like yours which is like a 1955 Kodiak with a space between the top of the leather and the shelf.

Cool bows.

Will try to get some photographs tomorrow.

[Jack Shanks]

John,

 I just traded a 60" '54 that had glass color similiar to the #2 bow. There was a spot by the decal that should have indicated a different color but I didn't realize that the glass was actually that color until I tried removing a tiny bit of tape residue and it took the finish off in that spot. The finish made it appear the same color as any other 54 Kodiak II I have seen.

 
 
 

[johnnyrazorhead]

Jack- I thought the same thing,sorta like te glass color where the KODIAK II or KODIAK decal was on bow #3.But the color is still a little different..Cool little bow for sure.
 Wade- I thought I had seen one similar to this one years ago.Wasn't sure who had it.