Trad Gang
Main Boards => Trad History/Collecting => Topic started by: Migra Bill on August 09, 2010, 12:09:00 PM
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We all know the classic Kodiaks shoot great. People have long hailed the shootability of Black Widows, Gamemaster Jets, Super Kodiaks, Damon Howatts, etc but what is the bow you have in your collection that is your "shocker" bow.
It may not be worth alot of money. It may not be the most highly collectable bow, but man does it perform for YOU.
I have 2 of these bows.
1)45# 1960 Grizzly
2)50# 1965 Ben Pearson Mustang
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1960 Tri State Jaguar 55# outstanding shooter and not to mention the mighty Red Wing Hunter from Wing Archery around 1960-1962 again outstanding shooters bd
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This should be a great thread...I will keep an eye on this and just might find a new less expensive bow to go after...or at least something different to consider.
Just so I feel I contributed I will put mine out here, but you also have to know I haven't been at this long at all and I don't yet have exposure to too many bows.
I have a 1965 41# Cub that shoots very well. It's quick.
I will note that my 1960 45# Grizzly is also a fine shooter for me. It's going to be in the field this fall.
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Mid 70's DH Hi-Speed 45# 58"
It just plain shoots.
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1962 Howatt Hunter. Beat to hell, drilled holes, 42#, and shoots like an absolute DREAM! CKruse
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Shakespeare Super Necedah one of the best shooting bows I ever shot!
(http://i301.photobucket.com/albums/nn42/bearkeeper/saw4.jpg)
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great shooting bow Mike but yours is backwards bd
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That is one nice looking bunch shooting gators there!!!
Mine would have to be 1964 Bear Grizzly 58" 40# and man does it shoot like a hammer all the while looking super sharp with Bear Zebrawood.
(http://images.imagelinky.com/1281391295.jpg) (http://images.imagelinky.com/1281391295.jpg)
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Hmm.... 3 grizzly's mentioned so far
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jcar315 brings up a good one. I have one of these at 51#'s that was described as a "nail driver" when I purchased it. Interesting that it's described the same here at a lower weight. The description fits.
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Mine is a 1960 kodiak special #40 at 28" 66",It may be a 1961 Iam new at the old bows,i took my best trad deer with it a nice 10 point.Thanks, Joey
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DOC
I was already thinking about my Tr-State Jaguar. I don't know the year, but NUMPLES calls it my "BUTT UGLY BOW".
It is comfortable, quick, quiet, and has that majic elliment of feeling like an extension of my body.
I bought it as a collectble but was "shocked" at how it shoots
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(http://i189.photobucket.com/albums/z134/Horney_Toad/archer.jpg)
I have this reverse riser bow that really smokes an arrow! :jumper:
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Jeff
It even improves your looks. You look better in that picture
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Jeff, I wll give you $5.00 for that Texaco shirt :D
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An early '60s Pearson Colt that I bought for $25 to give to a friend. Great shooter.
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I have a 54" Shakespeare Super Necedah,55@28, that just flat out shoots. Also a 1960 62" Grizzly,45@28,will be spending some time in the stand with me this year
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RAINMAN
How much of your fortune are ya willin' to give up for the Explorer II
I got a beauty
Jeff
I'll give you $100 for that waistline. :goldtooth:
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Mine would be the mid 60's Wing Thunderbird 49# I bought at the swap meet at Denton Hill for $75 THAT THINGS SHOOTS AN ARROW!!!
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Originally posted by 4406v:
Mine would be the mid 60's Wing Thunderbird 49# I bought at the swap meet at Denton Hill for $75 THAT THINGS SHOOTS AN ARROW!!!
I was waiting for you to say that!! That is a beauty!
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Jim - The Browning explorer - I'll give you. But it's not a "shocker" that a 64 Kodiak and a bunch of Black Widows shoot well...
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1972-73 bear mag takedown 60" and 49# @ 28" I shoot it off the shelf and it shoot nice.
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I love the 58" Pro Hoyt Hunter...but the shocker is the 58" Whiffen Comet. Essentially the same bow...but more fun to shoot a Whiffen :) JMHO...Doc
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RAINMAN
You gotta get your priorties straight
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1959 Kodiak Special 66" 40#, 14 strand flemish dacron with 430 gn barrel tapered cedar's. When I first received this bow it was beat. I tried to keep it as close to original as possible. I finished it with a satin varathane and it has now become one of my favorite shooter's. Perhaps in the future this will become a candidate for the Real BD but for now I'm having to much fun with it. (http://i291.photobucket.com/albums/ll292/toxo-collector/archery007.jpg)
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Ben Pearson Cougar, 1968 43#- hits every stump I aim at.
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I guess the one that shocked me the most was my Cub it's a '58 of course, as are the rest of my Bears but it really surprised me the first time I shot it and continues to impress me when I get it out.
The catalog says "terrific glass-powered performance at a moderate price" I would have to agree.
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This one is just about my favorite on the rack.
Sexy little "white glass" 1957 Kodiak. Like the rest of the Mid 50s Kodiaks, it really shoots very well.
(http://i198.photobucket.com/albums/aa277/DUCK_TRAP/57KodiakWhiteGlass094.jpg)
Trap
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VERY nice looking set up there, Trap. Like those older Western Knifes!
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As I understand the question you are looking for bows that surprise you with their shooting features and not necessarially your best shooters.
My three "shockers" are a 55# Tice and Watts Spartan Hunter MkI, a 50# 1958 or '59 Shakespeare Wonderbow, and a 50# 60s Root Gamemaster.
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An old Blackhawk Scorpion - shoots so nice I hunted with it last year. I've since built a couple bows I will use now, but I just can't bring myself to part with this one.
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My shocker is one of Ed Holcombs 59 kodiaks. I have stopped looking for bows since Ed made one for me. This is my "holy grail" in the bow realm.
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OK guys, this is my shocker.
A circa 1950 all metal youth bow...
It has recurved tips and measures 47-3/4" between string grooves.
About 15 years ago, I gave $10 for it at a second hand store here in town. Still has the price marked on it.
Not even sure of the maker, looks like a cross between a Grimes and a Par-X.
It's guaranteed to give you a shock as soon as you pick it up.
(http://i386.photobucket.com/albums/oo301/WadePhillips/Shocker002.jpg)
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Thats bad Mr.Phillips
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That's cool Wade, I've never seen you use blue as a background color in a display case before ;)
Trap
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67' Wing Slimline Pro-Vantage. 62" and 43# it is a smoooooth shooter....traded a Damon Howatt "bandito" to get it. Great bow!!
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1959 Grizzly
(http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a140/jbrandenburg/1959Grizzly022.jpg)
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Originally posted by Raineman:
#5- A 62" Browning Explorer II, 51# that I got at Denton Hill several years ago. Fastest thin tips I have ever experienced on a Browning. Solid one piece riser. Flat out "womper" of a bow. Sold in a fit of stupidity, and convinced I will never find that one again or any like it ever.
Interesting. I have a 52#@28" Browning Explorer (decal just says "Explorer" but it is 62") and it is my "sleeper" and "shocker" bow. Spits an arrow out with authority and I do better accuracy wise with it than any of my other (lighter or heaver draw) bows. Just a great design, but a tad heavy. I'm drawing it to 30" and it seems to be a hair faster than my 55#@28" Dream Catcher - and that's no snoozer for speed.
And yes, the limb tips are scary pointy. There ain't a lot of anything inside the loops. :eek:
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My shocker is a 1959 Kodiak (64" & 47#). I got this bow from Mike Shaw last summer and all I can say is WOW.
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I have a 67' Bear Kodiak Hunter 58" 43# @ 28", picked it up from Jack Shanks last spring. That old girl can really spit a cedar shaft. I draw it to 29" and it just gives me a bit of a thump in the hand......nice old bow!
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My shocker bow would have to my American Longbow Trophy Hunter made by John Schulz. It has the reverse or forward set grip, 4 layers of bamboo, and brown glass belly and back. The bow just shoots amazing.
Derek
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Mine would be my 1961 Howatt Monterey and then my 1962 Howatt Hunter is a close runner up!
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'72 Howatt Hi-Speed. 54", 48#@28. Best vintage short recurve ever.
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Mine is a 68 Shakespeare Manitou 58" @ 45#.Its not mutch to look at,but it flat out shoots.
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67 Bear Tigercat. Real smooth and fairly quick.
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I just finished refinishing my 68 Super Kodiak ... put a nice radius on the shelf and lowered it to shoot damn near off my knuckle ... spits an arrow ... being a 63# er helps with that but it just feels like a modern day bow with no vibration or hand shock whatsoever.
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Originally posted by Big Bird:
Mine is a 68 Shakespeare Manitou 58" @ 45#.Its not mutch to look at,but it flat out shoots.
Something about those old Shakespeares. I just recently picked up a '73 Necedah,58" & 55@28, that's in excellent condition for it's age and she's one of the best shooting recurves I ever owned
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My 69 Bear Grizzly 46# 58" I shoot it better than all my bows.
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Believe it or not, one of my best-shooting recurves is a 1968-ish Pearson Hunter (model 709). It's my slowest 50lb draw weight bow I own (choreographed), and the grip is down-right uncomfortable, and the craftsmanship on this bow is just mediocre. The 2" wide limbs were constructed without taper (just parallel), which strikes me as somewhat cheap. BUT, I can shoot that bow like no other - one of the most accurate bows I've owned (or more correctly, the bow lets me be at my best). I suspect that the very uncomfortable grip forces my hand to hold it the exact same way every time, and might even minimize the effects of torque. Yes, not a work of art, but you cannot argue with results!
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I believe it. I just bought a '65 B.P. Hunter and I'm loving it. I find the grip pretty nice with a gloved hand. The limbs do taper . . . just not much. ;)
Definately a hunting tool and I'm planning on whitetailing with it next fall.
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I just picked up a 1961 KS on **** for 66 dollars. It has as nice zebrawood in the riser as I have ever seen and it just shoots so nicely for me. Since it is 50 this year it will be my go to bow for this years hunting. (http://i849.photobucket.com/albums/ab54/damascusdave_2009/IMG_0224.jpg)
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It has a lot of stress cracking in the limbs so I convered them with some Neet stick on polar fleece I had kicking around, which makes the bow camoed and quiet at the same time. Sure I lose a bit of velocity, who cares.
DDave
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I guess mine's a 1964('65?)Swift Wing, 62", 52#. They were only supposed to be made up to 50#, but this one scales a bit more. It's not the fastest bow on the planet, but has a gorgeous riser and is a real sweet shooter. Foolishly, I tried to sell it a couple of times, but no one bought it! Actually, I tried it recently with a 450+ skinny string that made it even better. I've only heard of one other 62" Swift Wing, but if you find one.....don't pass it up!
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Early to mid 60's Ply-flex Condor 58"@45#'s I got off **** for 35$. I shoots were I look.
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Okay, I'll throw my two cents worth in here: I bought a 19671/2 Bear Super Kodiak in 64inch length and 55 pounds. All black beauty with phenolic riser and in mint condition with the original leather Bear case for... $100 yankee dollars!! Shoots like a dream; steady, stable, like kissing your favorite girl. She may be a bit slow, but, man, when she warms up...
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Migra Bill, I bought my Pearson Mustang in 1961 and still have it. It is one of my "zen" bows. When I am in a slump I take the Mustang shooting and things turn around.
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Bill, I have to agree with you on those (early) Pearson Mustangs. I bought a 64" model several years ago from a guy that used to live a few streets away from me. The finish on the bow was shot, so I refinished it (I think that it may have been my first attempt at such). That bow was a "Shocker" for me when I finished my work and took it out for a "test drive". The bow is 53# @ 28" and shoots very well, to say the least. I had to work a bit for an arrow that shot decently, because it was definitely not cut near centershot. However, I got my first trad Robin Hood with this bow at 20 yds. I was impressed with its quiet performance as well as its speed. And, since Pearsons were not getting much "respect" among the trad shooters that I knew, this bow became a "Shocker" to me.
I confess that I still have a weakness for 64" Mustangs.
Ray
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Toss up between my #50 1968 Kodiak hunter, and 1969 #65 Grizzly. Both strike like thunder bolts and are like an extension of my hand.
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read this post and first thought: I need a necedah and an explorer....then thought the Bear 76er/minuteman was very surprising. magnesium takedown riser with cheapo limbs but not a bad shooting bow for under $100!! throw it in the truck or boat and go kill stuff!! it's a takedown , can easily refinish to make a nice looking bow and does not shoot bad.i put a 6 strand padded loop string and shoot 550 grain arrows just fine. Love to get some 50# custom static tips to shove into that riser....
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Think the shocker bow I no longer have belongs to one of our members now....
Ben Pearson "take apart" two piece from back in the 50s.
Only shot that a few times. Too much a collector for those of us liking old Pearsons to take too many chances on, IMHO...but when I did.....it was truly a fun one and while I dont worry about speed it wasnt a slouch and d e a d l y from the first shot I whanged out of it.
(PS....I shoulda kept that one!!)
God Bless
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Mine would be an old Herters Perfection 55# 58". I purchased it over the phone for 100.00 dollars.
When I got the bow it was painted green. I removed the paint to find what was an almost perfect bow. When I began to shoot it I was happy to find it shot stright, hit hard and went right to the spot. It is my go to bow and I now have several better looking higher priced more respected bows. But none that can match what that bow and I do together.
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1967 super kodiak.....very stable ,quick and quiet....took it out after letting it rest a spell...and center punched a leaf at.....40 yards