Anybody have any Super Kodiak performance #'s

[4Blade]

I have been thinking about returning to my roots and I am curious how the new Bears stack up to the customs.  Started shooting a Bear recurve back in '72 and it seems the right time to get back to a Bear since I have just about shot or owned everything else that has tickled my fancy.  I draw 29" and shoot between 9 & 10 gpp.  Wouldn't mind seeing a draw curve to 30" also.  Thanks.

[John Havard]

Through the years I've tested quite a few bows with the intent of understanding precisely what design features result in either higher energy storage (SE/PDF) or higher dynamic efficiency (DE).  Toward that end several years ago I tested  '62, '64, and '66 Kodiaks.  Of course the '66 Kodiak is the same bow as the SK's and therefore I believe this test data will answer your question.

With all three 60" bows set at an 8" BH the SE/PDF's at 30" were:

'62 = .927
'64 = .926
'66 = .925

I also tested a McCullough '59-er (a slightly-redesigned '59 Kodiak) and it had an SE/PDF (@8"BH) an SE/PDF (@30") of .945

I also tested an E. B. Holcolmb '59 reproduction (a faithful reproduction of the original) and it had (@8" BH) an SE/PDF (@30") of .949

Both '59 reproduction/redesigns were within a gnat's whisker of two 60" original '59's that I had also tested.  Pre-'59 Kodiaks fall off a bit in performance so I essentially start defining "modern" Kodiak designs as beginning with the '59.

All of these bows with a dacron string set up as above tested within a couple fps of one another, or around 185 fps when shot with a (precisely) 9 grains per pound arrow drawn to (precisely) 30" AMO (28 1/4" from the nock to the throat of the grip).

Most modern 60" one-piece recurves   made with fiberglass and using a   dacron string will shoot in the 185-195 fps range when shooting (precisely) a 9 gpp arrow and when drawn (precisely) to 30" AMO and all when shot out of a shooting machine.

A true, precisely-measured 5 fps difference between two bows doesn't sound like much but consider this.  Five fps difference is about what we all experience when we short-draw our bows by 1".  Ever notice the difference in arrow trajectory after short-drawing 1" and shooting at a 20-yard target?  A true 5 fps difference in performance between bows is huge.

With that said you could hunt effectively and successfully for the rest of your life using a SK with dacron string.  The journey is what it's all about - not the destination!

[4Blade]

John,  Thanks for all the info.  Interesting stuff.  Back to the top for all the Bear fans out there.

[trubltrubl]

4blade I think you'll find the old kodiaks and superkodiaks shoot pretty much the same as the new bows out there...I used an old 67 superkodiak last year on a hunt and my arrow went thru a whitetail and kept going...HE didn't know it was an old designed bow !!!!! I don't think traditional bows have changed much over the years.
Hope you get a Kodiak or Superkodiak..they are just great to shoot and not hard to look at.