Author Topic: Bear Kodiak Specials 1955-1967 Identification Guide (Read 28136 times)

Brent Hill · « **Reply #80 on:** June 01, 2009, 06:06:00 PM »

450, thats a beautiful 59'er. If anyone has any leads or has just lost their sense and wants to let go of one of the 59 or 60 lefties, I'm your man. Bhill

jcar315 · « **Reply #81 on:** June 01, 2009, 06:25:00 PM »

Brent, Between us there must be 75% of all lefty "collectors" looking for the same bows!

Wade Phillips · « **Reply #82 on:** June 02, 2009, 12:19:00 AM »

Doc - Your name will never be taken off my list... However, you may not always be at the top... LOL

Lamont - With all our lefty shooters around now, tomorrow when you open up the shop, there may be two or three of them waiting at your shop door to make you an offer for that LH 64" 59 KS, especially if it is a heavy weight.

jcar315 · « **Reply #83 on:** June 02, 2009, 08:20:00 AM »

How far is it from Maryland to Minnesota????

Lamont Granger · « **Reply #84 on:** June 02, 2009, 09:16:00 AM »

OK, this shows how good my memory is.
I have a LH '59 Kod Spedial, 66", 45#, sn 4R21 and no underlays. I always remembered it as a 64". I have been shooting LH for 15 years now so not much chance until I can't shoot. Lamont

TRAP · « **Reply #85 on:** June 02, 2009, 10:13:00 AM »

Hmmmmm I dont have a 68" 59 KS, Is that one for sale Lamont?

Trap

Lamont Granger · « **Reply #86 on:** June 02, 2009, 11:38:00 AM »

Trap, a local fellow has spoken for it already. Lamont

TRAP · « **Reply #87 on:** June 02, 2009, 05:40:00 PM »

story of my life

Trap

Wade Phillips · « **Reply #88 on:** June 26, 2009, 10:13:00 AM »

Removed photograph 6-9-09, refer to first page of this thread.

damascusdave · « **Reply #89 on:** June 26, 2009, 04:27:00 PM »

Pictures worth way more than a thousand words, Wade.

I could not figure out what "shelf in front of caps" meant for the 1963 version. The picture makes it obvious.

And by the way thank you for posting the pic at the end since that is where I have been checking the thread.

I have a bow on the way that I bought a while back on **** which is probably a 63, although it could be a 64 or 65 from the pics as well. I am hoping to have it in my hot little hands later today as I am a teacher and school is out for the summer. If not I am going to have to wait around until Monday or later since I cannot "bear" the idea of not having the bow to shoot this summer.

Just a quick question on the 63 riser; is the one in the pic light coloured bubinga or zebrawood?

Thanks so much for taking the time to do what you do so well. As soon as I can I will send you the info on my bow and pics.

damascusdave · « **Reply #90 on:** June 26, 2009, 04:29:00 PM »

Oops, and you guys taught me this, it cannot be a 65 because that is the year they started the serial number with a 5 right?

Wade Phillips · « **Reply #91 on:** June 26, 2009, 07:55:00 PM »

Dave - Seems there are exceptions to any rule made about cosmetic features such as serial numbers, coins, tip overlays, etc.

The form the bow was built on really determines the year, not an incorrect number an employee wrote on a riser for one of a hundred or more reasons, e.g., first or last day on the job, filling in for someone who was sick, mad at the boss, hung over, in a hurry, lost a contact, goofing off, etc.

The 63 in the photo has Brazilian Rosewood Caps and Bubinga Riser.

damascusdave · « **Reply #92 on:** June 26, 2009, 08:29:00 PM »

I just hit the post office a while ago and no bow, so I am going to be here until at least Monday looking for it. No telling how long it will take Canada Customs to process it. A hat that I got at the same time was shipped the same day and I got the hat on Tuesday.

I now have a pic from the **** listing loaded in Photobucket and I am trying to sort out how to attach it. One thing that it shows is that the coin is aluminum which is, as you say, not the "conventional" coin for a 63.

One of the reasons we buy these old bows is that they, like us, are a throwback to an earlier and less complicated time. Guess we should just be happy that they are available to us. Oh, and that we can post pictures of them for all to see!

damascusdave · « **Reply #93 on:** June 26, 2009, 08:47:00 PM »

Lets give this a try.

damascusdave · « **Reply #94 on:** June 26, 2009, 08:58:00 PM »

And again.

damascusdave · « **Reply #95 on:** June 26, 2009, 09:08:00 PM »

The serial number on the bow is 248A110, it is the 66 inch model and 42# draw weight, which hopefully at my roughly 30 inch draw length will give me about 45 or 46 pounds.

Unfortunately I am on the move next week so it may be September before I can get some more pics taken and sent. Fortunately I am headed to the Lake Windermere area in southeastern British Columbia which has a rod and gun club that includes archery. I am hoping there are at least a few traditional shooters there. If not then I will simply have to re-educate them!

Wade Phillips · « **Reply #96 on:** June 28, 2009, 06:22:00 PM »

Dave - I looked at your photograph in photobucket, which is much larger and clearer then shown on this thread. Your bow is a 1963 for sure and the riser is bubinga. From the coin side it looks like a nice clean bow. Yes, you should get 45 or 46# with a 30" draw length.

damascusdave · « **Reply #97 on:** June 28, 2009, 07:29:00 PM »

Thank you, Wade, for taking the time to check things out a little further and confirm what we kind of already knew.

Got to thank Joe St. Charles for getting me interested in buying a bow from the Sixties. Or I guess I should say my second bow from the Sixties since I am pretty sure my Ben Pearson Junior Jet came from the era as well.

Now since I seem to have become a 66 inch bow collector I think maybe my next bow ought to be a 1966 bow as well. I kinda like the Polar from that year better than the KS and I think it ought to be a left hander at about 36 to 38 pounds nominal.

damascusdave · « **Reply #98 on:** June 29, 2009, 08:11:00 PM »

The bow arrived in the mail today.

Two things are immediately obvious, the coin really is brass colored as would be expected for 1963 and the serial number is actually 24BA110, not 248A110.

It is not as clean as I would have hoped with quite a few small character marks in various places. Still the grain in the bubinga is rather nice and the top rosewood cap has some very pretty grain. There are some characteristic vertical lines at both the top and bottom belly fades, but only one small bit where a nail catches.

For now I will just shoot it the way it is and then maybe one day take a serious look at stripping the finish, patching the dings and refinishing it.

Once again, Wade, thanks for your help and I will post some more pics as soon as I have the technology readily available.

Wish I could tell you what it shoots like, but for now everything I need to shoot it is either packed or already moved. I do like the feel of the grip, which I would guess is what Bear refers to as a pistol grip style. Feels quite a bit like the grip on my DH Ventura.

450 marlin · « **Reply #99 on:** June 30, 2009, 04:45:00 AM »

Picked up a 1959 Kodiak Special..silver coin
70" 50# serial #5VX26

News:

Author Topic: Bear Kodiak Specials 1955-1967 Identification Guide (Read 28136 times)

Users currently browsing this topic: