Early John McCullough Griffin

[tippit]

In my younger days this bow harvested a number of deer for the freezer.  Now however it is/was too heavy.  58 inch Griffin Osage palm swell handle with Bamboo limbs reduced from 59#@28 to 37#@28 and back in action for this old man...tippit

[Possum Head]

Appears in perfect condition do you know about when she was built?

[Doc Nock]

Good you could get it back in service... I got to know John some and he built some great bows...I had one of his LB entry level ones and sold it to a chap here decades ago...

He had a buddy who traveled with him to shoots who built nice wooden arrows but as I've gotten older, that name slips my mind...

[tippit]

Bow is in great condition...but then again I re-ground almost everything and re-finished it.

[Car54]

Good luck on you "new" bow.  It should be a killa. 

[OkKeith]

Great looking bow Tippit!

You wouldn't happen to have a photo of the unstrung profile would you?

OkKeith

[Airdale]

Thanks for sharing.  Was this after his Shrew years with Ron? Leave me a few hogs, have some property outside Laurens SLC

[hardbern]

my guess is your bow was made in '87 (embedded in the serial no)
& I think John made the Super Shrew from '95 (according to a post by Ron) .... for a couple of years?

I have a Griffin Special, 60", 54# (not sure how/why it ended up in Scotland)
made I believe in '98 .... wouldn't mind taking a few #s off it .... how much did you grind off yours to get that weight?

Here it is:

[tippit]

I have a bunch of John's Griffins. I ground 22 pounds off this one...59#@28 to 37#@28.

[hardbern]

that seems a lot to take off - how much did you grind off?
....as in thou/mm?

[tippit]

hardbern,
I have no idea as to how much glass I take off.  I am continually re-checking my tiller until I get to my desired weight.  Most people think it's crazy but I have so many nice old bows nobody wants that I don't mind if I destroy a bow.  So far I've only had one break and that is on my tillering board as I stress them to 34 inches draw to see if they will break before I try to shoot them (I draw 27 inches).  My knife grinder works real well in just skimming off a little glass on each pass.  I never sell any bow I've reduced weight and I do not reduce weight on other peoples bows.

Airdale,
This was way before he was making bows for Ron.  I go way back with John's bows.  I have several of his real early self bows that are spectacular.  No problem in leaving hogs as they are all over! tippit