Early Bear Polar Identification Guide 1950-1961

[Sacred mt]

ND 133...64"....55#.  Maybe 1958? Needs refinishing, strings and some shooting.  Should keep me busy for now.

[jimneye]

TTT, for a friend.

[Austin]

Great thread! I just picked up a '53 polar, #p7889, has red glass and running bear decal (polar and paf decals are there too). Bow is in really nice condition, except for cracks in the leather grip. This glass is awesome! I really love how it sparkles in the sun! There's a lot of depth to it.
  What kind of value does it have? I'm trying to decide weather to shoot it or view it more as a collectors item..
Also, can anyone tell me the brace height? I figured with a 64" length it would use a string around 61", but it seems that may be as much as two inches too long!

[TonyW]

ttt

[damascusdave]

Nice to have these identification threads brought back up...thanks Tony

DDave

[Air Cleaver]

This is great. Just got my Polar in the mail yesterday. It must be a "58", 46# 64in. Just removed the grip and strike plate. Time to sand and refinish. Not in bad shape but shes going to be a beauty. Can't wait to shoot her.

[warpedarrow]

I only have a few Polars.  I bought one that has bare aluminum on the back.  I figuredthat it was built between 1949 and 1951.  Now I know that it is a 1950.

I really do appreciate the guys that dig up this information.  I just never thought to do a search on the Polars or this thread would have shown up.

[Dorado]

I just picked up a 1958 60# 64" at a swap meet this past weekend. Got it for $30, no cracks splits or delamination. Needs string, rest and plate but that's about it still looks almost new. Are these good shooters?

I don't suppose anyone knows what brace height these like?

[damascusdave]

I had a 1959 Panda which was a less expensive bow than the Polar and it shot fine...I passed it along to a friend who was looking for a trad bow...I would start with a brace height of 7 and a half

DDave

[Horney Toad]

I have a lefty 1953 polar in 61#, that thing is a thumper!

[Larry m]

The Polar is completely under rated!
A very nice shooting bow and can still be found in good condition at a reasonable price....

[Air Cleaver]

What would you guys recommend for the brace height on a "55" Polar?

[Palomino]

Hi all -- new member here. I've been reading through all the posts from the beginning, and learning an enormous amount, this site is terrific.

I have a Polar which, from what I've learned here, I think is probably a '62 or '63.

It's a full recurve, and has what looks like bubinga and zebra wood riser, laminated vertically with the zebra in the middle, so that the zebra wood becomes the surface of the sight window. It has a vertical metal plate in the window which holds a brush rest and the remains of a broken-off white plastic cylinder which was screwed into a hole in the plate above the brush.

Removing the plate uncovered a deep vertical slot in the wood of the window.

Serial number is 22CJ124, and it's marked 66" and 40#, with all the markings in gold. The limbs are sort of ivory-colored, with a sort of very pale greenish-colored tip overlays.

I would like to know the year, and anything else that anyone might know about it. Unfortunately, I'm unable to post pictures at this time.

[TonyW]

1964

Happy 50th Anniversary!

[damascusdave]

Time to run this one back to the top for a bit...I just picked up a very nice 1956 that is marked 77 pounds...everyone ought to have at least one of those

DDave

[Blackhawk]

Dave, this unusual Polar bow must have been a special order for someone going on a real Polar Bear hunt.   :D

[damascusdave]

Pure genius Lon...I knew there had to be a reason why it is such a heavy draw

DDave