Bear 50th Anniversary takedown

[R.V.T.B.]

I know that several folks on here are in the same boat I have been in...  impatiently awaiting my 50th anniversary takedown from Bear. I finally received it that other day. I was kind of concerned with ever getting it as Florida has been hit hard with the covid, but I have to say, the folks in Gainesville did an outstanding job on this one.

[R.V.T.B.]

I am very pleased with the limbs. I have been saying that if Bear would come out with a limb similiar to the limb design on the "59 for the takedowns, that would make the perfect bow. Slimmer and with smaller, more dainty tips. Well, these anniversary limbs are pretty much what I was asking for.

[R.V.T.B.]

A lot has been made of them bringing back the original grip that was used on the first years of production. I wanted to play with one before I ordered but with all of the big shoots cancelled this year I just went on and ordered one without trying. Its is definitely different that the grip on all of my other T/D's. I have shot a couple hundred arrows through it now and have to say that I really like it. It has a bit of a kicked up heel like a higher wrist grip would and more of a pronounced thumb rest. One of my favorite grips of all time was on my original Bighorns that I had back in the 80's. As soon as I shot this riser I realized that this is almost the same exact grip that was on those bows.

Here it is compared to the grip on my Bubinga take down.

[R.V.T.B.]

They did an outstanding job on the limbs. A lot less mass in the them and smaller tips. I haven't shot them through the chronograph yet but they are definitely fast and seem to have less vibration and hand shock. Hard to believe, but these two sets of Bear limbs are both 55 pounds...

[Marksman Quivers]

Love the look of those limbs.
It also looks like they have left the riser flat over the lower riser insert ?
 I have an A and B bubinga riser and both of them shaped over the quiver insert.
Doesn’t help when attaching a quiver.

Mark

[Yooper-traveler]

Wow that does have a different grip.  Beautiful bow.

[Orion]

Nice looking riser.  The pix make it look like a lower wrist riser than the others currently being produced, wider/beefier, too, of course.  Can't tell without a side by side comparison, but it seems the limbs are about the same width as the current red/black tips. If they're even narrower, that would be a substantial change.   

[R.V.T.B.]

Yeah the photos make the grip look fatter than it is for some reason.  I think one shot was taken closer than the other.  The throat is nice and narrow and the grip is a little higher wrist than on my other Bear T/D's.

These limbs are definitely narrower and have smaller tips than the newer red tips.  I have 5 or 6 sets of recent manufacture red tips and they fall in between the white tips and these newer ones.

[Orion]

The throat of the grip looks a little deeper, back to belly, than the newer models.  Can you confirm that?

[R.V.T.B.]

The throat on mine is actually a little smaller.  I think the angle of the photographs distorted it a little bit.  I took a piece of serving and measured around the throat of a couple of my newer Bear T/D's.  they were right at 5".  The throat on this anniversary issue is just a touch over 4 3/4".  That's not a real big difference but it feels huge in the hand.  I don't know if they are all going to be to these same specs or if that is just the way that mine was finished.

[Longbowwally]

I really like my 50th anniversary too ...Shoots as good as anything I've owned - and I've had a lot of bows over the years lol .....