Love/hate relationship with my 1965 Kodiak

[longbow fanatic 1]

First the love part: I love the looks, the feel of the grip and the beauty of the Grayling green lams against the chestnut riser wood.

The hate part: for whatever reason, my arrows impact stuff (left, RH shooter) no matter what I do. I've shot wood arrows with a couple different spine stiffnesses and varying tip weights, aluminum arrows and carbon arrows. Various brace height adjustments... Always left!        

Does anyone else have these issues with Bear bows? I've got a buddy who has the same issue with his Bear bow. I'd prefer to remain focused on arrow & tip combinations that have worked for you. Or if you have the same issues, what did you do to correct it? Let's take form issues out of the equation. Don't get me wrong, my form is not perfect. I'd just like this discussion to focus on the above listed non-form causes.

Here are the specs on my bow: RH, 1965 Kodiak 47# with a Dacron string.

[J. Holden]

I would think a spined wood arrow at 40-45 with a 125+ grain tip would do the trick.  Have you tried that combo?  Also have you tried pushing the trike plate out?  Sometimes slipping a toothpick behind the strike plate can help.

I've also heard of shooters putting one of those feather rests on their Bear bows and that seems to be the ticket.

-Jeremy  

[longbow fanatic 1]

Thanks JH! I have not tried shafts that light. Maybe that's the trick. I like longer shafts and I shoot a fixed crawl. I was shooting 60-65 Fir shafts cut to  30.5" with up to 190 gr tips. Also shot 55-60 Fir shafts with 125-190 gr tips. Also shot GT 35-55 shafts cut to 30.5" various tips as well as  32" 2016 alums. All with the same results.

[Fun4all]

Maybe soften the strike plate with moleskin or velcro.  While it will push you arrow out is works like a cushioned plunger and will move the arrow to the right.

[longbow fanatic 1]

Thanks, Fun!

[last arrow]

My 1966 kodiak, which only differs from the 65 in glass color and my bear takedown are the 2 most consistent and accurate bows I have ever owned, and I have owned quite a few.  I have found that I need to tune on the weak side of perfect by using 25 grains more head weight than what bare shafts perfectly for this to happen.

That being said, I recommend a skinny shaft, I use axis FMJ's with both bows.  I also use a  Tenring String (Fury material) on both.  Also check the tiller and see if it still seams reasonable.  Being an older bow it may be developing an issue.

[longbow fanatic 1]

Thanks, Last!

[cacciatore]

All my Kodiak shoot as a charm, if you have arrow problems and you can't fix them try to check if the tips are straight.

[crazynate]

All my kodiaks and bear bows shoot well with either 49-45# spine or 50-55# both with 125 tip. I have many vintage bears and can usually make either spine work for a particular bow.  Shoot normal split finger though. I have no experience with fixed crawl

[longbow fanatic 1]

Thanks Caccia  & Crazy

[Pointer]

My '65 Kodiak is 47@28" but I'm drawing it to 30". Scales 53 at my draw and I use a GT 400 with a 50 grain brass insert and 125 up front usually in a Magnus Stinger or an original Razorhead with an adapter.
I get great flight but I also played around with the strike plate some. I like to go with the thinnest I can find and then build out a bit if needed with double sided tape.
Good Luck!

[Tedd]

Don't know anything about the left right. ff you shoot only that bow a while you'll start hitting where you want. It probably dines't match other bows in your stable.
But I know how you feel. I had a really nice 66 kodiak but it stacked immediately after 28". I draw close to 30". It was pretty much un shootable for me. Especially since it was 60lb@28. It felt like 80lb at my draw. I tried to sell it but no takers. I broke it doing something really stupid that I won't admit to on here.
Tedd

[The Whittler]

Have you tried raising your brace hight.

[longbow fanatic 1]

Originally posted by The Whittler:
Have you tried raising your brace hight.

Yes, I have.

[Woodpuppy]

I know you didn't want to focus on form, but I'm going to share my experience with the same recent issue. I just got back into archery in earnest this past March after a >5 year hiatus. I was consistently hitting left of my poa with both a recurve and a longbow. Both bows were new to me, and I was also working with carbons for the first time as they are apparently more prevalent now. So I was very frustrated trying to find an arrow that would work with both bows and diagnose why I kept hitting left. One night I read about using a "deep hook" on this forum, and realized I was doing it wrong. I'd always shot off the pads of my fingers. With a deeper hook, my groups snapped to center. And it's completely repeatable, if I shoot off my finger tips again my arrows move left. Deeper hook, back to center. I did find that a GT Traditional 400 works for both bows, the recurve likes a 125gr point and the longbow needs 175gr.

30.75" draw
Recurve 45lbs @ 30"
Longbow 38lbs @ 28"

Good luck, I hope you get it solved!

[hunting badger]

I used to shoot every bow I had to the left, it was very frustrating, then I read somewhere I might her torqueing the bow. I started concentrating on a more relaxed grip and doing that solved my problem.

[hunting badger]

I used to shoot every bow I had to the left, it was very frustrating, then I read somewhere I might her torqueing the bow. I started concentrating on a more relaxed grip and doing that solved my problem.

[longbow fanatic 1]

Thanks, guys. The reason I didn't want to focus on form is that I shoot nearly every day with my string walking ILF bow, my hunting ILF bow or my longbow. I'm not the greatest shot in the world, but I have the basics down as far as form is concerned. I.can shoot my other bows well without the issues I have with the Kodiak. That said, I really think it's an arrow spine selection issue.

[Trumpkin the Dwarf]

Hey Longbow. It may not be form exactly, but the grip is probably pretty different than the rest of your bows (ILF). Could it be that your bow hand is torquing the string out a bit on release, just due to the different grip shape?

[longbow fanatic 1]

Trumpkin, it's possible. I shoot with either a finger sling and my bow hand fingers tucked next to the grip or the "Okay" style bow hand fingers (index finger touching tip of thumb). My longbow grip is vastly different than most my other bows and I shoot that one fine. I'm very conscious of bow torque when I shoot, so I'd be surprised if that were the consistent problem with this bow. Hey, I'm not perfect, so it's possible.