Vintage Bows- shoot or not to shoot?

[GameGetter]

I have a question that Longbowman got me wondering from his post. I have a few vintage bows that are all fromthe mid 1950's or older. All with that old brick red colored glass, with two of them a early Stotler Recurve and a Howard Hill Recurve with white class on the belly. All are in great condition with all decals. Question is, do I shoot them? Is it safe for the bows? They are lighter wt. and was thinking of useing them to work on my and my 13-yr old sons form so a lot of arrows would be getting shot out of them! Do you think that would be too much shooting for them? Thanks.

[varmint]

I say shoot 'em.

Just like my 50-100 year old bamboo fly rods,they were made to fish,be a shame to let them sit.

[Dick in Seattle]

I shoot several bows of that vintage or earlier... lemonwood selfbows, though, not glasssed.   I would follow the same procedure with yours.    Examine very carefully for any cracks, flaws, separations,etc.    Then start flexing slowly.  Take a couple of days to get to full draw, letting the bow rest and re-examining between sessions.  If you're talking about using it for youngstsers, their draw is likely to be shorter, which is good.   if it's for you and your draw is longer, or if your boy is a 6'5" basketball player, then be extra, extra careful.   First few times you take it to full draw, seriously consider wearing a bicycle helmet and eye protection.   Might look dumb, but not as dumb as getting hit in the head with a broken limb or catching a broken glass fiber in the eye.

[woodchucker]

They were meant,to be bent.....SHOOT 'EM!!!!!  

[GameGetter]

Thanks guys. I have built a few self bows and now build lam. bows and yes I have been clobbered a time or two! I will mess with them a bit and see how it goes.

[Brian Krebs]

I am thinking that it took a long time for certain bowyers to make a bow; like Nels; and he was only working for Bear Archery for a short while.
 I have one of his bows; with his signature; and Fred Bears signature just before his passing.
 Now; should I shoot the bow?

See I don't think so. I think if you have a relic; and shoot it and break it; you have broken a part of history.
 If you had a bow that Ishi made; would you shoot it?
 If you had a painting like a Monet; would you paint over it to see if the canvas still worked?
 If there are ten thousand of a certain kind of bow out there; and you break it; well its not a loss to the history of bows.
 But if you went into the Pope and Young museam and started stringing bows; would it be OK ? Would it be OK to take the chance of breaking one by shooting it?
 Because I do not see the difference between walking into the P&Y museam; and stringing up one of the bows there and shooting it; and shooting a rare bow out of curiousity that you find in your travels.
 If you had the sword that General Lee had; or General Grant; would you get into a playful clanking of the swords with a friend to see what that felt like?
  Would you fly the Wright brothers plane if you had the money to buy it?
 
I don't get the part where shooting a really old bow would tell you what it was like to shoot it when it was new. After 50 or 60 years; the wood - seems like it would shoot differently than when it was made anyway.

 I have a bow my father got in the 1930s an Indian Archery bow. It is in the original birch box it came in. I did use it in 1977 on my first real attempt to hunt deer with a bow.
 It hardly tossed an arrow. If I had broken it; I would really be mad at myself at this point.
 It was 40 years old then at least; and now its over 70 years old. You really think I should shoot it?

 I don't understand why so many people would have shot it until it broke. Maybe because then YOUR bow would be worth more?

 Please ! think it out!!  

[Gene Wensel]

Brian makes some good points. Anytime we are dealing with history, we have to weigh the risks. I used a Bear Super Kodiak for my hunt yesterday. I killed a doe last year with a '56 static recurve signed by Fred Bear. I once killed a doe with an arrow personally made and owned by Saxton Pope. But then again I had more than one of them. Would I string up a 500 year old bow? No way. There comes a point when we need to ask ourselves about the risk involved. Regardless of the value factor lost in broken art, there simply comes a time to retire and preserve something of value.

[d. ward]

I would say there are some bows I would not shoot eather..I want to add Nels bows don't shoot all that good for my money so you ai'nt missing much by not shooting a Grum and may very well save yourself some dough by not even stringing it.Any old bow can break,but so can new ones.There is a point where I believe anyone would draw the line....even me.I've handled all of Pope & Youngs bows during the moveing of the P&Y mus.from Seattle.I personaly wrapped and boxed everyone of them myself (like my new born grand daugher).Not one time did I ever so much as flex the limbs..Believe me no one on the planet ever wanted to string an old bow more then me that day..I'am certin several of the old beasts would still hold string and cast a fine arrow no dout....(if I were man enough to shoot one,shoot one,I'am not man enough to even string one)When you are sure the bow could never ever be replaced I would say pass on the shooting of that one for sure......Man I can still see in my minds eye the explosion of Simba Blood as she shatterd into 1,000 pieces...and I'am out of the county on the next flight........  NO WAY .bd

[horatio1226]

In order to appreciate the things of the past, someone has to experience it. When I look at my 66 Kodiak I think its beautiful. The lines are great, the design, the quality, how short and light the bow is are really impressive. When you nock an arrow and let it go is when all those other things become secondary and you realize just how nice the bow really is, and what it was meant for. That, to me, is when I really appreciated it and the bow is no worse for the wear. These bows last this long for a reason.

[BFinegan]

"In order to appreciate the things of the past, someone has to experience it."

When in doubt, use your imagination.

[horatio1226]

Why??? If no one experiences it, how do you know its worthy of appreciation? Because somebody else said so? Why shouldn't I be able to experience the exact same experience?

[Earl E. Nov...mber]

Any of the glass laminated bows with parallel fibers, if in sound condition should be shot. You go back into the early 50's with woven glass or other backings, it definitely becomes a judgment call.. Sometime it should just be good enough to appreciate something for it's history and respect for the craftsman that made it. When that happens it really is a personal call, but you need to weigh the risk, and be willing to accept the consequences.
I shoot my old 1941 Ben Pearson long bow, but won't put a string anywhere near my circa 1938 Howard Hill. I hunt with 60's and 70's bows and probably always will.

[Bjorn]

I have a lot of old Bears made 1963 and prior-and I have shot all except a 60# Kodiak with the Aluminum lam. Looking at the side plate the previous owners shot it equally often.
To me it is as impossible to evaluate these bows in todays context any more than you could a 1950 Ford or Chevy. Each would have their charm and be just as good in function; but refinements have taken place in the cars and bows. Some refinements are great others downright disgraceful!
Enjoy both if you have a mind to; I like shooting my 1960 56" Kodiak just as much as my ACS CX's.

[Dave Worden]

I think it is purely a matter of personal choice (assuming the bow is in shooting shape).  I constantly shoot a recurve that my wife bought me in 1971.  Nothing magic or special about it except that she bought it for me (to shoot).  If I had a relatively rare bow, I'd probably not shoot it regardless of what shape it was in.

Per Horatio 1226 "If no one experiences it, how do you know its worthy of appreciation? Because somebody else said so?"  Reminds me of a trip out west to Wind Cave.  The Ranger told us that there were miles and miles of of the cave that we weren't allowed to venture into.  The Park Service was "saving them for us" !!!!!!!  We'll never get to see them, but they're saving them for us.

 Any "THING" is only worth the enjoyment it produces.  If no one or very few people appreciate a bow by looking at it, then it should probably be shot.  No sense "saving it for us" if we don't appreciate it or can't see it "cause it's in your basement!

[GameGetter]

The reason for the original ? is because I do apreciate the history and the beauty of the old bows as they adorne my living room wall serounding my best bow kill, a 7x7 Bull Elk. The first Elk that I killed with a trad. bow. Yes I have shot these bows on ocation and now think that is all that I will do. Maybe only on ocation. It does ster something deep inside when shooting something with such history. Then again I have shot them so I think I will make shure they stay intact and in prime condition on my wall! Thanks to all who replyed!

[Boar Hog]

shoot em

[eidsvolling]

I have a custom Osage Howard Hill-style bow made for my father in 1943 when he was 17 years old.  The bowyer was "Buck" Doran, a well-known bowyer and bowhunter of the time in Duluth, MN.  My father grew up without a father.  I'm sure that Buck took him under his wing when my dad joined the Duluth Archery Club at around age 14.  

My dad got me started in archery when I was about 11 or 12.  He taught me to shoot instinctively, although he used a single sight post on a sliding track on his bows.  I started with a fiberglass kid's bow and then got a Bear Grizzly when I was about 14.  I quit shooting when I was about 16 -- that was in the late 60s.  I've lost track of that Grizzly.  

My father gave me the Osage bow ten years ago, along with a backed yew bow that Buck made for him in 1940.  My dad  passed on a few months later.  The bows were unused and neglected by me until last August.  

The yew bow had a twisted limb from being stored improperly.  I attempted to straighten it and made some progress until it broke.  It was extremely dry and brittle inside, and I'm certain it would have blown apart the first time I attempted to string it.

The Osage was utterly straight the first time I examined it.  I told myself that I'd had it for ten years.  It was an object with some symbolic value, but an object with potential that wasn't being realized.  It was time to see what I really had in my hands.

I bought a new Dacron string and a stringer.  I strung it -- dead silence.  I let it rest strung for an hour or so, then unstrung it.  Repeated the same for a few days, increasing the time I left it.  Then I drew it partially several times.  Repeated the same for a few days, increasing the draw length gradually.  Drew it full length (28") -- dead silence.

While this was going on, I bought some cedar shafts, feathers, and field points and made some arrows.  I thought for a while about using self-nocks as I remembered my father's old arrows.  But I made one concession to modernity (OK, the Dacron bowstring too) and used plastic nocks.  I removed the sight track carefully and stripped and refinished the bow with linseed oil and polyurethane.  

The first arrow flew out of it as smoothly as the next 2000 over the ensuing months.  I cut shooting lanes for a multi-station range in our backyard (through which the deer wander constantly, knowing they're in their sanctuary . . . )  I have split nocks and shafts occasionally, which is a bittersweet pleasure.  

I bought a dozen  commercial arrows and mounted half with field points and half with Zwickey Eskimos.  I hunted pretty hard during the three-month archery season here, hoping to send my mom some venison.  When my bowhunting skills match the capacities of this bow, I know I'll have some to send her in a future season.  I don't shoot the bow below 25 degrees F.

So, do you think I'm glad I'm shooting it?

[Brian Krebs]

you broke your fathers yew bow made by Buck Doran? The limb was twisted... whats your sign ?..  :p  
 On the other hand; you have enjoyed your fathers bow- that is a good thing.

 
     

good luck on your venison venture! It will mean more the way your doing it.
 you said 28 inches is full draw on that bow; if I read it right. At one time all pretty much all bows were measured at 28 inches; if it was a 40 pound bow but measured 43 at 28 it would have 3 xxx's after the 40 pounds; as in 40XXX some bows that were made to be 40 pounders that were a little lighter after production would have the Xs in front of the bow weight; like XXX40.
  28 was the standard draw; and most production bows are still marked that way. I shoot '28 inch bows' at 31 inches; bringing the weight up to over 70 pounds at that draw length.
  Maybe drawing back Ron LaClairs bow - with his permission; and hearing a loud pop at my draw; and then having the bow snap in two a few minutes later: has taken me off the 'shoot old bows and other peoples bows' list...  

[eidsvolling]

I meant that my full draw is 28".  (Except yesterday morning, when colder temps and a too-tight jacket "crept" up on me.)

I actually thought that the yew was going to straighten out -- it was coming along nicely over several days --  but I didn't have high hopes for shooting it.  I feel badly about breaking it, but the pleasure from shooting the other one has more than compensated for that bit of bad mojo.

[Falk]

eidsvolling,
I think, every shot your are going to loose - honors your father.    

 

posted by the real bowdoc:
I can still see in my minds eye the explosion of Simba Blood as she shatterd into 1,000 pieces

Bowdoc, for my own history recording etc.: YOU really saw Simba Blood explode?!?!   :confused:  
Would you mind telling the story here?
Or maybe it's already written and you can direct me to it?