One of a kind Bears by Bill Stewart

[kurtbel5]

Marc
You should post some pictures, Bear bows with exp on them usually mean experimental and are very uncommon, there are people here who can tell you more about them.
 Kurt

[johnnyrazorhead]

Pics!!

[marc5961]

I am unable to post images (not computer literate); but I was able to accomplish the feat this way. Hopefully this does not violate some rule or regulation.     Bear bows

[Lucas K]

Very nice, I like the accent stripe and wedge in the Kodiak Special exp!

[warpedarrow]

The bow on the right struck me at first sight as a magnum and then I saw the length.  Maybe this was a magnum xl that was designed to lessen some of  the finger pinch.  

The other bow was much too nice to inlet a sight into the window.  The sqare lines of the sight covering the graceful cresent just doesn't work for me, and evidently did not make it past Fred either.

[mangonboat]

Very nice find!  From the look of other Bear bows marketed in the 60's, I guess these were '66,'67 vintage.

[damascusdave]

The thing that interests me most about those bows is a completely intact sight rail with both the sight and brush rest...those in and of themselves are pretty rare birds...so what you have is a one of a kind bow with something rare included

DDave

[damascusdave]

The target bow will be a forerunner to either the Tartar or the Temujin I would guess...the riser is too small for it to be a Tamerlane...I think the fact that Fred chose to name his target line after some of the most ruthless killers in history is irony at its finest...Bear continues to mark their bows with EXP...take a look at their current website

DDave

[damascusdave]

Marc those bows are entirely worthy of their own thread...please start a new one so they will attract more attention...just call it a couple of ordinary old EXP Bears

DDave

[damascusdave]

I just noticed the AMO marking on both of those bows...that will help the real experts with dating them...the current Cheyenne is a 55 inch bow if that has any bearing

DDave

[eidsvolling]

I will not be surprised to find out the 58" one is an early Kodiak Hunter. Production on that bow started in 1967, according to info published elsewhere that many here will know about.

Or maybe this is the prototype for the unicorn K-Mag mentioned in another thread?     :D

[ChuckC]

Wow, what is the history behind those two target bows with the double bend.   Any strung pictures ?  did they go on sale or remain prototypes ?
CHuckC

[Blackhawk]

ChuckC, those are a couple of the Tamerlane prototypes developed by the great Bill Stewart.  Story goes that when he showed them to Fred, Mr. Bear hated them and insisted they get out of the shop.  

That is Bill's "multi-cam" design which he kept making after leaving Bear and going on his own.  That's a fast and stable design and popular among some NW shooters since Bill's shop was in Yakima, WA up until his death a few years ago.

[marc5961]

As suggested by DDave, I have started a thread  "A Couple of Ordinary Old EXP Bears" on the Trad History/Collecting Forum.  I thank all that have responded to my initial post.