bear 76er limbs...

[Warberg]

 man o man those are super. Nice work sir. Takin orders yet?? Thanks for sharing

[Hoof]

Oh man I think your on to something... Great job!  :D

[d. ward]

hummmmmmmmmmmmmm with a lot of mmmmmmmmmmmmm looken good looken good don't stop now.I'd love to see the step by step you used to preserve this old beauty bd

[Workaholic1]

updates?  am curious how successful you r limbs came out

[kuch]

Don't want to speak for Monte but I know he's made a few with some minor headaches and I'm sure he's chasing a big buck about now. Hopefully He'll see this.

[KHALVERSON]

bttt
im also interested in how this is progressing
kevin

[inrut]

OK guys, I didn't hunt the past few days and was able to spend a little time in my shop. I cut out a set of limbs today and I'm headed back down to put the tip overlays on now. I think I have all the bugs worked out and will post my results in the next couple days! One of the problems with the 76er riser is Bear used two different size limb pockets on the butt section of the limb (and no I'm not confused with the Minuteman). The blue riser above has pockets of .375" and another riser has pockets of .330". More in a day or so!

[Snakeeater]

The laminated limbs look great, but has anyone tried to recreate the solid fiberglass limbs with the black plastic limb tip covers?

[hardwaymike]

Well guys my 76'er turned into a light bill payment but I am still interested in how these limbs turned out. So if you have come up with anything new let's see some pics. Happy holidays folks, Mike.

[KHALVERSON]

ok guys
this is just killin me
any up dates?
id just love to see a few more of those 76ers back in action
kevin

[kuch]

I don't want to speak for Monte, but he has had more headaches than he ever anticipated . i think he knows more about these risers and their differences than most.  Hopefully he'll  chime in and explain.....'cause i can't....I just shoot 'em.

[Frisky]

I think inrut should back off on bow weight. The 76er riser can handle a maximum of 60# if you remove the clips and bolt on new limbs. Bob Savage and the late Paul Schafer were the experts on this. Working with the 76er riser led to the development of Paul's Silvertip TD.  Slip in replacement limbs probably should not exceed 55#. There's a reason Fred limited the limb weight to 50# in these bows.

Joe

[inrut]

Ok guys here is a little information on the 76er limbs. The problem other than my short attention span on this project is the 76er riser. There are a few variations made of this riser. Pictured below are some pictures of the different riser variations.  The biggest problem is the limb pocket. There were two sizes that Bear released. One had a limb butt thickness of .380” +or- .010” while the other was .330”. This .050” difference does sound like much but, when trying to build a limb with a limb butt already really thin .050” makes a lot of difference! I don’t have any problem making limbs with the .380” pockets. After a few tries I now have made limbs that are ridgid enough in the butt of the .330” size to make a 56” bow that is #60@28”. I agree with Frisky #60 is the maximum weight that a 76er is strong enough for (although I have a set of #70 limbs for “my” wide pocket riser). If any of you have a 76er and your limbs have an overlay on the back side of the limb butt it is a .380” model. From looking at a Bear catalog Bear was using the thick limb butt in 1974. I think it was changed to make the riser stronger sometime after that.  Bear also added a circle shaped boss on the belly side of the riser near the ends to make the riser stronger. I’m going to finish the tips on the set I built last week and get them to kuch for his testing. He and I will determine if I’m going to work on this project anymore as I have “other” projects in mind! More to follow as I’m at slow typing!!!!!!!
 
 

[Frisky]

Do you think the limb pocket size difference could be due to some limbs being light weight and others in heavier poundages? Poundages ran from about 30-50#. Bob Savage told me he wouldn't go with 60# unless bolted in place. The steel pocket clips are not very strong. Paul Schafer went too heavy and got knocked down when he blew up a riser. I do know the Minuteman riser is similar and can handle 55#. Any way you look at it, the 76er can benefit from custom limbs. Bob told me his custom-limbed 76er is 60" and is one of the finest shooting hunting bows he has ever owned.

Joe

[kuch]

I've said it before , the  76er is underrated with stock limbs, my 50# limbs with 6 strand FF shoots surprisingly well......so can't wait to put Monte's through a few paces.  I'm in no way a bowyer,but the Bear takedown limbs are not bolted in place and have seen 80+ limbs and have a set of 76#.  regardless , i'm excited and know Monte has been pulling his hair out with this seemingly "simple " job of retrofitting custom limbs......Again, that's why I just choot 'em. I would be interested to know what were the deciding factors and reasons for Bear making so many changes to a seemingly simple ,"entry level" takedown.

[Frisky]

Kuch: you might have 80# and 76# Bear TD limbs, but not for the 76er as I assume you know. If you take off the pocket clips, grind the riser ends flat and bolt on new limbs, you can safely shoot 60# using these risers. Personally, I wouldn't trust custom made slide-in limbs over 55#. I've seen risers with broken clips that probably broke with the stock 45 or 50 pound limbs.

I agree with you regarding the 76er, with stock glass limbs, being an underrated bow. These bows can be made whisper quiet and are accurate. I have the Custom and the Deluxe. I bought one when they first came out in 1973. Some folks mistakenly believe they were introduced in 1976. They are not a fast bow but are no dogs either. Back in 1976, I preferred my 76er over my brother's 1976 Grizzly. The Grizzly was just a bit faster but not as smooth.

Joe

[kuch]

Joe , me too, like 'em better than the grizzly. Still wonder why Bear had  so many differences .....was it Bear making the changes or the foundary .I know it is kinda apples to oranges ,but the Amag didn't change much over the years....look how many variations of the "cheap" bow there are ....why?why not keep the thicker limb butts ?

[Cyclic-Rivers]

Great Bows None the less.

   

[Frisky]

I have to admit I've never seen one of these bows fail. I've only seen risers with missing pocket clips on the auction site. These risers could have suffered abuse. I think Fred did not anticipate the bows being used as project bows. They were marketed with the beginning shooter in mind. Mine cost $25 and did not come with an add on grip. 50#, even when shot by someone with a long draw, was probably considered within the safety limits of the pocket design. Many of the 76ers I've examined have slightly twisted limbs. Both of mine were twisted right from the box. Just a slight twist. Being mass produced, limbs didn't always fit perfectly into risers. Also, the glass limbs lacked string grooves. These slight imperfections have no effect on performance. I've read complaints of limb rattle and hand shock and have never experienced either in these bows.

Joe

[tuscarawasbowman]

Are those clips riveted or welded on?