Bear Take-Down Help?

[Fattony77]

I just recently acquired a Bear takedown in a trade & have some questions that I'm hoping that someone can help me out with...

I got a pair of factory recurve limbs with it that shoot well, but I also got a pair of the after-market longbow limbs that are made by Bigfoot bows. The recurve limbs fit & shoot well, but it's the longbow limbs that are presenting issues. And it's the longbow limbs that I'm wanting to use the most.

1st issue: Fitment. The limbs don't quite line up the way that they should. They don't seem to be going into the limb pocket deep enough to allow the "alignment pin" to fully seat. I can get the latches to close, but just barely. I could use a drill to elongate the hole by about an 1/8" and it would probably work, but I'm hesitant to make any major modifications like that, for fear of causing bigger issues than I already have. Since I didn't buy these limbs directly from Bigfoot myself, I know that they're not under any kind of warranty, so I don't believe that they would do anything about making the adjustment.

2nd issue: Noise. The longbow limbs shoot very well for me, but they're VERY loud. I don't know if fixing the fitment issue would help or not, but I'm thinking that it would take care of a significant part of the noise because of the KIND of noise that I'm hearing (sounds like it is the limbs themselves, or contact points with the riser, making the noise). I made my own string for it, and that is probably making some of the noise since I don't have silencers in the string yet, but I don't believe that's the entire issue (again because of the TYPE of noise it makes).

3rd (and least urgent) issue: Finish. The longbow limbs don't seem to have much of a protective finish (if any). I don't know if they came like this, or if the previous owner of the limbs took off the finish for some other reason. So, what's a good protective coating that I can put on without much investment? I don't have a spray booth or anything, but if there's a wax or an aerosol clear-coat that I can pick up at the local hardware store, I'd like to feel like it's better protected against the elements.

As always, any and all advice that y'all can provide would be GREATLY appreciated! Thanks in advance.
-Tony

[BigJim]

Sounds like there is an issue or was an issue with the limbs to start with. Asking here will only get you opinion though and you will still have to decide for your self. Why not contact the bowyer and see what he has to say about them.

I would find a good home for the lb limbs and shoot the recurves but that is just me... the bow was designed to be a recurve.... see what I mean..nothing but opinion.
BigJim

[Fattony77]

Thanks, Big Jim. I knew I'd get opinions, that's kinda what I'm hoping for. Lol. I wasn't sure if Kirk was still making bows or not, but I probably will try to get a hold of him. As far as getting rid of the limbs, I'm afraid I can't do that. In my trade agreement, I made the guy jump through hoops for me to get them, so I'm committed to giving them an honest try. And besides, they shoot VERY well for me. I just need to try to make it work.    

[GregD]

Tony,  you should get a hold of Kirk. I know he made limbs to fit a specific riser and they will not always be interchangeable.

[Orion]

Bear made a few longbow limbs for its TD riser in the past.  They didn't work very well.

The riser really isn't designed for longbow limbs.  Limb pad angles are too acute.  Of course, on a custom made limb, the angles could be changed on the limb.  Bigfoot may or may not have done that.

If you're having difficulty reaching the alignment pins when you insert the limbs, the limb butts are probably just a tad long.  A little sanding on the front of the limb butts would take care of that.  Yes, you could elongate the alignment holes in the limbs, but I think sanding the end of the limb is a better fix.

There could be other fit problems as well causing the noise. If the limbs don't fit snugly, not only front to back, but also top to bottom, they can vibrate at the shot and make noise.  The tight longitudinal fit might be obscuring a loose up and down fit. If you can rock the limbs up and down when they're in the limb pocket with the latches open and the bow unstrung, the fit is too loose.  A little mole skin on the limb base or riser limb pad should take care of that.

All this being said, I agree with Big Jim.  Shoot the recurve limbs.

[Blackstick]

If you think that the alignment screw is giving you trouble, remove it and be certain. I have done this on certain risers and aftermarket limbs with no ill effects.

[Fattony77]

Thanks for the replies, fellas. I just sent Kirk an email. Hopefully he'll get a chance to reply soon.

Orion, I'm fairly certain that Kirk did do some changing on the angles. If for no other reason than they just shoot very well for me. But I know that he posted in the Bear Take Down thread that he'd done some developing for some static tip limbs for the Bear riser.

Does anybody know if the limb pocket is longer on the "B" riser? I have an "A" riser & just got to thinking that maybe these limbs were made for a "B".    

Thanks again for the replies. I'll post on here again when I find a sure solution, for posterity's sake.

[Blackstick]

There are some differences between risers, but I don't believe it to be just between "A" to"B" risers. I have one set of aftermarket limbs that fit all of my risers except a Type 1 "A". I did some clearance checking with some child's clay and found that the slot in the limbs wasn't quite right. I took a Dremel Tool and ground it back some.

It was a different riser and different aftermarket limbs that I had removed the screw on.

[Orion]

Riser limb pockets aren't different between an A and a B, at least not intentionally, but I suppose the alignment screw may not always be drilled the same distance from the butt pocket (in an A or B).

My experience has been that the limbs varied more than the risers. I have several sets of Bear limbs.  Some fit better than others in any given riser.

[Fattony77]

Update:
I exchanged a few emails with Kirk today & he suggested the same thing that Blackstick did. He explained that those screws aren't actually alignment pins, but just a way to identify your top & bottom limbs. I removed them completely. The limbs now fit better, but they're still very loud. I plan on changing my brace height, & adding silencers to the string. Then I'll double check for any contact issues in the slot/groove area. If that doesn't take care of it, I'll start looking at sticking some thin material in the pockets & see where it goes from there.

Again, I thank you all for your help. (I'm still up for suggestions for an inexpensive finish option.)

[Orion]

Hmmmm.  Maybe we're using the term alignment incorrectly.  I don't believe the pins are there to align the limb left/right, but to help keep the limb in place.  Sure the limb will stay there without it, but it will move around and wear the limb more over time. And, as a result, IMO, the limb will make more noise when shot.

Just like other bowyers, Bear writes top and bottom on the T/D limbs. Given that practice, there's no reason for the pin in the riser and corresponding hole in the limb unless it primarily serves another purpose.

[myshootinstinks]

Even some of the Bear made limbs are hard to get in place well enough to close the latches. What I have done is to bevel the edges of the brass grommet that the limb pin fits into. Just a little, I do this with a VSR drill and a countersink bit. The limbs will usually slip into place but have a very snug, firm fit.

[Blackstick]

Originally posted by Orion:


Just like other bowyers, Bear writes top and bottom on the T/D limbs. Given that practice, there's no reason for the pin in the riser and corresponding hole in the limb unless it primarily serves another purpose.

Right or wrong and it's JMO, I think it's so they can be put together in the dark.

[jhk1]

Regarding your question on an easy spray-can finish-- about a year ago, I started using Varathane waterbased Spar Polyurethane satin spray and really like it. It dries so much quicker than oil-based sprays, and I've found that the finish is fairly tough. I spray on light coats, and only have to wait 5-10 minutes or so between coats. I can literally refinish a bow in 1 hour, and after the final coat is applied, the bow can be handled in an hour or so (but I let it cure for at least a day or two before stringing and shooting). I only use the satin-- I've tried the semi-gloss and gloss, and don't like how they turn out on bows.
If I want a gloss finish, I use Minwax wipe-on polyurethane (oil-based). Takes a few days to get 5-6 coats on the whole bow, and because of the longer dry time you have to be more careful not to get dust and stuff on the finish.
The Varathane waterbased Spar Poly satin spray is way easier, and gives a nice finish.