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Author Topic: Bear Kodiak Hunter Stabilizer  (Read 1508 times)

Offline Ssamac

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Bear Kodiak Hunter Stabilizer
« on: May 19, 2009, 05:26:00 PM »
Does anyone have a pic of the stabilizer on a Kodiak Hunter '72 or around that?? What about the insert for it??

How important is the stabilizer and how many Bear collectors and shooters use them anymore?

Appreciate it
Sam

Offline Grant Young

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Re: Bear Kodiak Hunter Stabilizer
« Reply #1 on: May 19, 2009, 05:35:00 PM »
No Fastflight Sam- 56" string was standard equipment. Your choice on EL or Flemish.  GY

Offline Ssamac

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Re: Bear Kodiak Hunter Stabilizer
« Reply #2 on: May 19, 2009, 06:32:00 PM »
Thanks Grant. Glad I asked. I would have gotten 3" shorter 57" which is pretty much the rule. Why do these use a shorter string if I may ask? This will set the brace height up pretty high.

sam

Offline raghorn

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Re: Bear Kodiak Hunter Stabilizer
« Reply #3 on: May 19, 2009, 06:36:00 PM »
3" for a long bow and 4" for recurve is a rough guide. Most Bears work well with a 8-9" brace.

Offline wadde

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Re: Bear Kodiak Hunter Stabilizer
« Reply #4 on: May 19, 2009, 06:38:00 PM »
The rule of thumb is 4 inches shorter than the bow. I like flemish strings. That way you can twist them one way or the other to play with the brace height and find what works best.

Offline Ssamac

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Re: Bear Kodiak Hunter Stabilizer
« Reply #5 on: May 20, 2009, 02:55:00 PM »
Good   He's a regular too. Thanks for the advice guys
sam

Offline frank bullitt

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Re: Bear Kodiak Hunter Stabilizer
« Reply #6 on: May 21, 2009, 11:46:00 AM »
Sam I'm in Indiana and would be happy to make one up for you. Endless or flemish. Send me a pm. Are you going to Cloverdale? Steve

Offline Ssamac

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Re: Bear Kodiak Hunter Stabilizer
« Reply #7 on: May 21, 2009, 04:44:00 PM »
Actually I'm headed to Evansville. Not sure I know about the Cloverdale event. I want to see how it shoots with the one it comes with but then I'll probably get a Flemish string. I'll PM you when I'm ready and know how I want to set the brace height

thanks

Offline PAPALAPIN

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Re: Bear Kodiak Hunter Stabilizer
« Reply #8 on: May 21, 2009, 05:02:00 PM »
There is no standard stabalizer for the Kodiak Hunter.  Most guys don't use one.  IF you do, one of the short 4" models are OK for a hunting bow.

The stabalizer hole is used more for Bowfishig reels, and other possible accessories.  I had a stramlight flashlight that screwed into the adapter hole.  Not that I would use it for poaching and spotlighjting at night or anything.

Not saying no one does it, but I don't know any trational shotters that use stabalizers on a hunting bow.

I could get into the physics of why stabalizers help a bow, but it is 5:00 o'clock and the whistle just blew.  Maybe later on this evening.
JACK MILLET-TBG,TGMM Family of the Bow


"Don't worry about tomorrow.  If the sun doesn't come up in the morning, we will play in the dark" - ME

The most important part of your hunting setup is the broadhead.  The rest is just the delivery system.

Offline Ssamac

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Re: Bear Kodiak Hunter Stabilizer
« Reply #9 on: May 21, 2009, 05:44:00 PM »
:bigsmyl:    :bigsmyl:    :bigsmyl:    :bigsmyl:  

I love it. Thanks Jack. Just got one and there's a hole where the insert was. Was wondering if I should plug the hole or get an insert. I never used a stabilizer so not really interested in starting now.

Sam

Offline PAPALAPIN

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Re: Bear Kodiak Hunter Stabilizer
« Reply #10 on: May 21, 2009, 07:55:00 PM »
You can get a replacement from 3Rivers, or other sources.  I would do that because you don't want to let moisture have free accesss to the inner core of th riser.  If you don't put one in, or plug the hole somehow, at least seal the inside of the hole with some kind of glue as a moisture barrrier.

Why a stabalzer.  They wer mostly used (and still are) on tournament bows, as a long rod (24" +) with a weight on the dnd.  They really keep the bow hand from shaking or drifting.

Grab a door by the handle and try to move it.  Pretty easy.  Now grip the door by the hinged end and try to move it.  Not so easy.

The extended weight of the stabeliser keeps the hand from "drifting off the target.  Target archers will experiment with different lengths and end weights to find which setups work best for them on their particular bow.

Ben Pearson went a step further with stabalizers for their Lord Mercury bows.  The weight at the end of the rod was a small barrel shape containing mercury.  Different manufactorors came outh with their own versions.  Bear came out with the "omni-coupler" which had a rubber bushing at the base of the stabelizer.  This gave the rod mor flex.  Now they have Y-bars that split into two rods with weights.  Hoyt had their "torque flight compensators".  All different marketing "gimmicks" but they pretty much all worked.

I don't know who did it, or when, but someone, probably Bear, came up with the bright idea of a four inch weight to screw into a hunting bow.  If you look at the old catalogs you will see inserts on tournament bows starting around '64.  You didn't see them standard on hunting bows until a few years later.

Bear used the inserts to market their Convert-a-quiver which used and adapter to mount the bottom of the quiver to the stabalizer hole.  Then they came out with the screw in bowfishing reels instead of the tape on or spring arm reels.

I have an adapter that you screw into the hole and you can mount a standard spinning reel.

Most wheelie bow shooters use a variety of stablizers that are as varried as any of the other high tech gadgets they hang on.

Go to e8ay archery and search "stabelizer"and see what pops up.

Sorry to rant on so much...now you see why  did't want to start this at 5:00 o'clock at work/


Bottom line...in my opinion...on a hunting bow...they are worthless.  All they do is add dead weight to the bow, and without and extended rod, you wont get much stabelization

OK all you old knowledgeable experts...where did I go wrong.
JACK MILLET-TBG,TGMM Family of the Bow


"Don't worry about tomorrow.  If the sun doesn't come up in the morning, we will play in the dark" - ME

The most important part of your hunting setup is the broadhead.  The rest is just the delivery system.

Offline reddogge

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Re: Bear Kodiak Hunter Stabilizer
« Reply #11 on: May 21, 2009, 08:09:00 PM »
I'm not disputing that but I had one on my Damon Howatt Super Diablo in the early 70s and used it successfully.  It smoothed out that bow's shooting and I noticed the difference when I took it off.  Maybe the main benefit was to add a little mass out front and a slight counterbalance.  Just one man's observations though.
Traditional Bowhunters of Maryland
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Mayberry Archers

Offline Ssamac

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Re: Bear Kodiak Hunter Stabilizer
« Reply #12 on: May 21, 2009, 11:19:00 PM »
Jack   Terrific explanation. I'm really not interested in a stablilizer although might be fun. So get an insert just to plug and seal the hole and prevent a crack and I'll do that.

Thanks so much for taking that time

sam

Offline jester

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Re: Bear Kodiak Hunter Stabilizer
« Reply #13 on: May 22, 2009, 04:36:00 AM »
I guess that is a discussion that will never end.
You know the funny thing about them wheels? They work too – you draw some 25 lb, your arrow flies off with 75 lb. Now, isn't that great?
Well, it is to some, and I occasionally make fun of them, but otherwise leave them alone. Let them shoot their way, I shoot mine.
Same with stabilizers: if it works for you, why not use them?

But I think we as traditional archers and especially here in history and collecting should always keep in mind:
- The compound bow was invented ca. 1969
- stabilizers came up in the 1960s
- glass fibre is an invention of the 20th century
- the art of archery dates back to at least ca. 8,000 BC …

For more than 10,000 years people have used bows and arrows – of the most primitive make at times – to hunt game and fill their pots to survive. Which they did.
It is not wrong to strive for perfection in equipment. But that is always easier than to strive for perfection in yourself.

Not meaning to offend anyone. That's just my 2 (Euro-) cents anyway …

Primitve greetings from Germany,
Jan

Offline PAPALAPIN

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Re: Bear Kodiak Hunter Stabilizer
« Reply #14 on: May 22, 2009, 08:01:00 AM »
A bushing will look better, but at least seal the hole off from moisture.

JAN

You make some very valid points.

Can you imaginethe advantage the one stone age guy would have had if he possessed a Ben Pearson Lemon wood Sherwood bow.  He would have been the Mac Daddy...at least until the guy from the next tribe snuck in with a Mathews Outback.

If Sitting Bull and the boys had been outfitted with jack Howard bows we would all be living in Tee Pee's and you wouldn't  be considered a hippie if you had long hair, smoking piote'.

Archery has come a long way since the premier weapon was the Atlatl, or just a rock.

If you handed someone one of todays tournament bows with a 3' stabaliser, they would have taken at least a month to figured out how to unscrew it from the riser and use it as a club.

As you said...to each his own how he enjoys the sport.
JACK MILLET-TBG,TGMM Family of the Bow


"Don't worry about tomorrow.  If the sun doesn't come up in the morning, we will play in the dark" - ME

The most important part of your hunting setup is the broadhead.  The rest is just the delivery system.

Offline TonyW

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Re: Bear Kodiak Hunter Stabilizer
« Reply #15 on: May 23, 2009, 12:19:00 PM »


James Dickey watching Burt shoot Jon Voight's Kodiak Hunter with the Bear chrome stabilizer.
Burt also used this on his BMag, and the chrome stabilizer has a green leather cover with a snap button.

Got two of these stabilizers for my Deliverance collection.

Offline TonyW

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Re: Bear Kodiak Hunter Stabilizer
« Reply #16 on: May 23, 2009, 12:25:00 PM »


 

Offline Ssamac

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Re: Bear Kodiak Hunter Stabilizer
« Reply #17 on: May 24, 2009, 12:34:00 AM »
OK I got the idea of the stabilizer
Thanks
I'll put the insert anyway

sam

Offline Tom I.

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Re: Bear Kodiak Hunter Stabilizer
« Reply #18 on: May 24, 2009, 09:28:00 AM »
Jim.....That's a really nice looking A-mag riser....did you refinish it?  
Tom I.

Offline Ssamac

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Re: Bear Kodiak Hunter Stabilizer
« Reply #19 on: May 25, 2009, 01:40:00 AM »
Take a close look at the pic. Where's the arrow?  :confused:

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