Bear Super Kodiak

[Bob Moran]

I have a Bear Kodiak Hunter and love it, but I'd like to have a similar bow that can handle the fast flight string. The Super Kodiak seems to be similar  to the Kodiak Hunter (same length, anyway). Since they have the same length, would the Super Kodiak feel the same as my Hunter - only a bit faster? Has anyone compared the two? What are your thoughts?

[JamesKerr]

I can't really comment as I have only held both bows and have never shot either one. I know however that alot of guys really like the Super Kodiak. It was Fred Bear's go to bow for quite a long time for a reason I bet.

[Ray Lyon]

Hey Bob,

You shoot that Hunter pretty well. I wish I would have brought my old Super Kodiak(b-50string) to the range for you to try as that would have shed some light on the bow feel difference.  Fast flight will get you some performance difference over the bows with b-50. I think the stability of the Kodiak Hunter makes it an underated bow.  You could watch the classified ads here as I see some Gainesville fast flight versions of the Super Kodiak coming up from time to time. You might find one for half the price of a new one.  The other bow you might like is the Martin Hunter. It's a 62" bow and even with a b50 string it's a snappy shooter that's pretty smooth. I don't see a lot of those coming up for sale though.

Good luck and hopefully we'll get together next June at horse show time.

[moleman]

I really cant comment on the comparison, but i will say that its one great recurve IMHO. Im a longbow fan at heart, but I do own several recurves and the Super Kodiac is my go to recurve.

[jeff w]

I have shot both, the Kodiak Hunter and the Super Kodiak quiet a bit.   These are just my thoughts;  I much prefer the grip on the SK, to me it seems slimmer and just feels better.   The grip on the KH seemed a little more bulbous-but not bad. I have a long draw and to me, the SK always seemed just a little smoother to draw.   I never did any test, but when shooting the bows side-by-side, the SK just felt smoother to me.  I guess you will need to detirmine if the change in bow models is worth what you will gain with the ff string.   My pick would be for a 64" SK but many prefer something shorter.  Good luck.

[AWPForester]

The Bear Hunter is the biggest unknown sleeper in performance out there.  Guys simply do not realize how quick they are when you put a FF string on it.  I know, I know, they are not FF "rated" but they are no different from todays FF rated bows.  They have tip overlays and I know a lot of guys, including myself, that shoot FF strings on them with no adverse effects.

The only reason they are not FF rated is there was no FF material when they were made.  Seriously, the only thing that makes a bow FF rated is tips and string material.  You got the tips, get the string and get ready to be SURPRISED.  The right FF string will also quieten that bow to a mere hush.

I have seen reviews on other sites that the Hunters are pushing 200 fpps with 9 grain per pound of arrow weight outta 50 pound bows drawn 28 inches with a skinny string.  So they are capable of competing with any bow made anytime by anybody for speed alone.

The Super K is a good bow too.  In those same reviews the Super K's are 1-3 fps slower than the Hunter at the same specs and shooting the same string.  Both bows are the definition of smooth and are both extremely quiet when tuned properly.  The Super K is a bit more blocky thru the riser making it slightly heavier, and depending on the year of the Hunter has a slimmer grip.  Either one might be what you like so you just gotta give one a trial run to decide which is best for you.

I like the Hunter but I only draw 27 inches.  One thing is for sure, they are both really good bows that will perform with the best of them.  I have a Rick Barbee Ultra Cam skinny string on my Hunter and it is my go to bow hands down.  A certified super quiet, dead accurate, rocket ship.  God Bless

[stagetek]

They're both great bows and the difference in speed is probably nil. I really don't know of anyone who shoots these vintage bows for speed. I can tell you that my Predators are much faster than any of my Bears, old and new, but I would never stop shooting the Bears because of that.

[Cyclic-Rivers]

I have a 67 Hunter and a mid 70's Super K.  I prefer the low wrist grip of the Super, but the Hunter is an awesome shooting Bow!

shoot both and buy what you like, forget about he 1-5 feet per second. That difference is so miniscule, its irrelevant.

You will kill game with either bow as long as you can shoot it.

[AWPForester]

I don't know why anyone would shoot any trad bow for speed for that matter.  I also didn't know all Super K's were vintage either.8>)

Here's the best way I know to put these "vintage bows" into perspective.  Shoot them with a fast flight string through a chrono.  If yours are like all the ones that have been tested, they will shoot right there with a predator, a widow, or any other bow made for that matter.  Blacky's test will prove it too.

Like I said above, they are "sleepers" for a reason.  Mainly because nobody tries it because of their assumtions.  To each his own.  God Bless

[Hit-or-Miss]

The Kodiak Hunters ARE very fast, I have a few of them, my 68 being my favorite. But fast flight string? No Thanks. I'll stick to B-50 Dacron. Less stress on the bow, and only a few fps slower. The only recurves I have shot that are faster, are the Red Wing Hunters (pre-68 and AMF-Head Ski, they both shoot hard!), designed by Bob Lee.

[tuscarawasbowman]

Originally posted by Hit-or-Miss:
The Kodiak Hunters ARE very fast, I have a few of them, my 68 being my favorite. But fast flight string? No Thanks. I'll stick to B-50 Dacron. Less stress on the bow, and only a few fps slower.

Put FF on one of those vintage bows and every time you shoot that puppy you're rolling the dice.....

[R. W. Mackey]

Bob:  If you really like the hunter, get a FF String made for it.  Several of the string makers that are sponsors here can do it.  They just pad the loops from about 16 to 20 strands according to the bow weight and put about 10 strands in the string and your set. As someone has already mentioned, the only thing different between a FF bow and a non FF bow is the tips. I have been shooting several older non FF Bears, with padded loop strings for sometime now and have had no problems, you will be amazed at the performance increase.  RW

[doug77]

I shoot the old kodiaks beacuse I enjoy the vintage part of them, if I want to shoot FF I'll just shoot my BW.

doug77