Bear Kodiak Specials 1955-1967 Identification Guide

[Wade Phillips]

MarkG -

Nice clean looking 59 KS

[MarkG]

[MarkG]

Thanks Wade, it was love at first sight.
Your collection is amazing by the way!

[MarkG]

What do you make of the early style Maple sandwich and the numerical prefixed serial # ? They must have done that to the heavyweight bows, the serial number that is.
Just noticed my bow is the heaviest weight 59 KS so far.

[MarkG]

[MarkG]

[Wade Phillips]

MarkG -

Cool riser with the extra maple lamination. Don't ever recall seeing a 59 KS with a riser like that.

I assume the extra maple lamination ends at the fadeout. Is that correct?

[MarkG]

[MarkG]

[MarkG]

[MarkG]

[MarkG]

Thanks Wade ☺️

[Wade Phillips]

MarkG,

That is the coolest 59 KS ever.

The extra maple lamination goes between the ends of the fadeouts and continues as a limb lamination.

Does the extra lamination go all the way to the end of the limb tips?

[MarkG]

i wonder if the other heavyweight 59 KS have this for increased poundage or is this purely aesthetics?

[MarkG]

All the way to the tips Wade.

[Wade Phillips]

Originally posted by MarkG:
i wonder if the other heavyweight 59 KS have this for increased poundage or is this purely aesthetics?

The heaviest KS that I have, which is similar to yours, is a 65# 1960. It simply has two thick maple laminations rather then three.

I have several 1959 Kodiaks with multiple laminations on the belly side of the riser next to the glass that continue to the limb tips, but the laminations are not between the fade outs.

I would almost have to guess that when the laminations of your bow were glued up, they were unintentionally laid down with thin maple and belly taper laminations reserved. Now, well over 59 years after the fact, it is perhaps impossible to ever know what was intentional and unintentional.

Either way, intentional or unintentional, you have a cool bow.

I have seen two other Bear bows with reversed laminations. One was reversed only on one limb. Of course, that was an obvious error.

[MarkG]

Thanks for your kind words, I think it is a cool bow too, it was love at first sight!

[Wade Phillips]

Originally posted by MarkG:
...When you send your bow in for warranty, Bear returns it with a star stamped in it and erases the serial number...

MarkG -

To my knowledge there is no 1960 era Bear Factory documentation known to authenticate any of the various stampings found on Bear bows from this era, "star", "+", etc.

However, there is much contradictory speculation about these stampings, some of which, is obviously in error.

It seems that you have been told a combination of two generally unrelated events,
1) factory star stamping and
2) removing serial numbers.  

I have seen and presently own several star stamped Bear bows, all of which, have the original serial numbers completely intact.

My limited experience, indicates that your bow is the norm, having a star stamp with the serial number intact.

[Blackhawk]

I've read (or heard) from some of the Bear collectors or "historians" that the "star" stamp and serial number removal were common for the infamous 1961 models and all that stressed glass.

So Wade, what's your take?  Got any '61's with the star AND serial still intact?.

BTW, it's great to see you posting here again.  I'll have to return regularly to continue my Bear education.

[Wade Phillips]

Lon,

Yes, here at the Arsenal there are two 61's with the star stamp and serial number.... both have some vertical stress cracks in the limbs.

6F176 - 60" - 70# - Solid Bubinga Riser
26E169 - 60" - 53# - Solid Bubinga Riser

I do not have any 61 Kodiaks with the serial number removed, although I have some other Bear bows with the serial number intentionally removed and some with the serial number faded away or unreadable.