Using Vintage Bows

[d. ward]

Hey Killie,I'am pretty certin the bow in your pic is actuly a 1964 or 1965 K mag....Bubinga(African Rosewood) and Brazilian Rosewood.....bowdoc

[Earl E. Nov...mber]

My newest bow is a mid 70's SK, Oldest I hunt with is a '59 Kodiak,, Go to bow is a Bear "A" Mag TD, "Early 70's" I did cheat and pick up a new set of limbs for it, but really don't like them and haven't taken them afield yet.

[myshootinstinks]

Some of my Bears & Howatts
 

[sticshooter]

59 GRIZ will be with me next season. Bought it as a 62 and found here that it's a 59    Great shooting bow.<><

[George D. Stout]

I hunted last year with a late 1950's Tri-State Jaguar.  Shoots great and keeps on tickin'.

 

[Yolla Bolly]

Oh yeah---please heed Jon's warning re: metal limbed old bows.  My friend gave me two old Bears---1950's era which looked like longbows with radically reflexed tips.  The heavier of the two contained a metal lamination.  Out of a sense of nostalgia, I wanted to take a buck with it before retiring it, and it shot sweetly with Easton 1816's and old style Razorheads.  It delaminated in a spectacular, bloody and painful manner.  Steve Touray told me that that bow model nearly bankrupted Bear Archery: something about the adhesives available then were not able to bond well with metal.

[Willow]

Haven't hunted yet but I use a 70's (not sure which year) Grizzly. Works great. Just wish I could use fast flight string.

[J.Williams]

Bowfish carp and bunny hunt with a 1970 50#@28" 56" Bear grizzly.Might try and take a deer with it this Fall.

[myshootinstinks]

One more time with my question...How about the '59 or'60 Kodiak Special, the one with clear glass over zebra? Is there a delamination problem with this particular model, anyone know?
    The bow in question hasn't been strung years...probably 30 years. It's a looker and I'm leary.

[myshootinstinks]

[myshootinstinks]

[Killdeer]

Bowdoc, y'ol curmudgeon...can't you let a gal lie about her age?

Looking at the serial again, yup, she's a '65. You have a good eye for age spots.

Killdeer  

[Gordon martiniuk]

I also have a vintage 1968 k mag great shape would hunt any day with it still farly fast and also accurate  

[Grant Young]

All of my hunting bows are thirty years old or older with the exception of a Saxon built for mr last year. '69 Bear B riser TD-wood, '71 wooden B riser, '72 A mag. '70 Super K, '68 Super K. The '69 is my primary bow. I can't find anything else that shoots as well.For me, that is.
                                      Grant

[Frank V]

I have a 1969 Bear Super Mag. refinished by Bowdoc that I use in thick brush & tight places. Frank

[d. ward]

Stinkie shooter,I read the rest of your post about the 1960 deluxe and special D's.Actuly those bows did not break or delaminate any more then any other bow did or does.One reason Bear stopped production of that model,is because you could see the stress cracks in the clear fiberglass real easy....Bear Archery would paint the limbs on some bows the same color as the fiberglass before putting the silk screens and final clear finish on(to hide stress cracks)...The bows were cracked right out of the forms,beleave it or not,those are really more of an expansition crack then stressing....But Bear could not hide the stress or expansition cracks in the clear fiberglass so they dropped the KD's and KSD's,after one year....but thats not to say any old or new bow could break,it just happens sometimes...I will say this...I've shot about 20-25 different KSD's at least up to 55#'s and have never had one break..well not yet! Hey Killie,I think they just get better and more beautiful with age...thats a good looken mag ya'got there....bowdoc

[myshootinstinks]

Thanks Doc! That sounds logical. I doubt that we'll shoot this one very often but it will be nice to string up and shoot occasionally. I was told that even stringing it is a risk, funny how these rumors start and perpetuate. When, (what year, approximately), did Bear get the glass quality refined so that there were no stress or expansion cracks? I've never seen it on modern bows.  Thanks, Doug

[redfish]

Went hunting last week with a 40 year old Shakespeare Kaibab.

[alaskabowhunter]

1959 Kodiak, 60" 54#, bowdoc replaced the limb tip overlays and gave it a new finish. sweet shooter...
 

[fredbear92]

I hunt with a 1969 Bear Grizzly. Shoots as good as any new bow