Trad Gang
Main Boards => Trad History/Collecting => Topic started by: Bjorn on January 28, 2013, 07:52:00 PM
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Just got it this afternoon
(http://i139.photobucket.com/albums/q291/bjornweb/photo-3-5.jpg)
It is a handsome devil!
I have a mint 1959 too, both bows are marked 50# and they both scale the same; so I strung up the old one and fired a bunch of arrows out of it first-thru the chrono too.
Then unstrung the old bow and moved the same string over to the new one and shot it a bunch as well.
Bear has done an excellent job of preserving the old qualities. Traps feather rests are on both bows, and both are equally smooth and quiet and accurate. Yes they did put a wrap on that is a bit of a looser; and I'll no doubt replace it, otherwise they did a great job and while making it just as smooth and quiet, they also made it just as fast as the old one! Nice job it is a keeper.
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You cant legally or ethically tease us with one picture can you??? Lol...
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Funny they don't have a clue on how to make a leather grip, or at least install it correctly.
Love the bow however!
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still waiting for mine it was to be here in Dec, looks like it will be worth the wait, nice looking bow.
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I shot one at Kazoo.
2 sets of 3 arrows shot, all within an inch of each other.
(it was the bow)
I agree about the crappy wrappy.
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got the call about 10:00am its here , Terry at the Footed Shaft said its really nice cant wait to pick her up.
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That is a great looking bow Bjorn!
I'm glad to hear that the grip is the only complaint since that is a very easy fix compared to other cosmetic issues...
Brad
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It is a good looking bow. I ordered mine during the first week in November. We called last Friday (1/25) and they told us that my bow was the third back. They thought that it would ship late this week or sometime next week. It makes me wonder just how many bowyers are working the traditional side at the factory. Probably not many or they have just a couple of guys building the Kodiaks.
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Seems to me the bow is as much like a '60 as it is like a '59. Am I missing something?
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Looks great Bjorn, Enjoy!
......Philip
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I shot one at the kazoo show also. My first bow was a bear red fox when i was a yongster. Ordered a kodiak on sun the 27th after the show wounder how long a wait i got?
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".....it makes me wonder just how many bowyers are working the traditional side at the factory. Probably not many or they have just a couple of guys building the Kodiaks."
yeah i wonder how many guys it takes to build 300-500 bows in 6 months?
Trap
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Beautiful bow Bjorn!
I would like to see them get the grip down and make it in 64". Really enjoy seen the old classics brought back......
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Gotta' wonder how they are making any money? If it takes them more than the equivalent of 8 man hours to crank one out it is a loss at current prices. Fully burdened wage cost, materials, feather rests, side plates, crappy leather wrap, profit etc! Jeez??
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I've been waiting four months for mine. Glad to hear they are starting to show up.
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Had mine for a month now. Great looking and shoots really well. leather work not so great.
love it!
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Where is the best place to order one ?
Thanks
Jeff
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Big Jim sells them and he is a sponsor.
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Does Bear put riser inserts on these bows? Vey nice looking bow.
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I am pretty sure there are not rieser inserts in the Kodiaks. I ordered mine in Jan. hope to get it soon!
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Just got a call from my Bear dealer.
I ordered a 50# model and he's got a 55# model.
I'm gonna wait for my 50# so if someone wants this 55#, PM me for phone #.
.........Philip
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They look so nice!!
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The not only look nice but they shoot very well. Had mine for a few months now and enjoy it more each time I shoot it.
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Beautiful bow Bjorn! Does this bow have the 1960 more aggressive limb hooks or are they more like the 1959? What kind of chrono results did you get?
Dave
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Can you get one with a maple site window?
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Dave: the limb design is an exact copy of the 1959, I heard they used the old form for the new bow. I am amazed they actually had one!?
Let's just say the numbers were identical! LOL :bigsmyl:
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Actually, Bear Archery no longer had the form for the 59 Kodiak.
A fellow collector and good friend provided a mint original 59 Kodiak for bear to make the form from.
.....Philip
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I ordered mine the begining of April I have a feeling I still have a ways to go. There's 45#s and 55#s out there but now 50#S!!
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You'll have fun with this one Bjorn!
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Yes I ordered mine in February and still waiting.
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I wish they would come out with this in a 64". Best looking bow ever made.
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Got mine today! Wow, all of Bears other new traditional bows I've looked at or shot pales in comparison. Will be posting pics in the near future.
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Are these bows ordered from BEAR? Tony
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I don't believe you can order from Bear directly, you have to go through a dealer. Many company's carry them, but very few seem to be able to keep them in stock.
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The Big Jim Bow Company (a great Tradgang sponsor) seems to have a few on hand most of the time OR he can get them rather quickly.
There are also a few on the big auction site most days.
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Stop tempting me!
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Mine should definitely be here next week and there is a slim chance it will show up tomorrow :pray:
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Sweet looker for sure!
God Bless
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T'Bear archery talked to a trad archer friend of a number of us on this site, and wanted him to put the grips on for them.He declined stating he had no time to do that many...but he WOULD blank them out for them and let them install to his grip pattern. When they found out how much time it took...they told him NO WAY would they take that long to do it..! The grip had to be a 5 minute or less operation or it was a NO GO for them....hence the crappy leather grip. What they SHOULD do....is make available an aftermarket grip person who CAN do it for them...then have the customer contact them upon reciept of the bow....just a thought...
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Received my bow on Friday afternoon and I must say I am very happy with the bow both in quality and in shootability. It truly is a fine bow and rivals the customs I have owned. I guess I was fortunate in that my leather grip is nicely done. It is easy to see why the '59 Kodiak has been so popular for a lot years! I'd say if you are on the fence its time to jump in...
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I sure hope mine comes in soon. Our season starts in August.
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Mine finally did come. Actually after waiting four months the guy at the pro shop at the Bear factory in Gainesville said he went to his boss to tell him how long I had been waiting so he told him to grab one out of the line and call me to come get it. So that is what I did. It is a 50# beauty. It shoots within one foot per second of my original '59. It just might be my go to bow this season.
The bow was actually sold to me from "Escalade Sports". It seems they may be a contractor and not have anything to do with Fred Bear Archery?
At any rate the bow really shoots well I just love it.
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They own Bear archery.
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Anyone ever shoot a new one with an old one side by side and compare them?
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Our local archery shop has a 45# and 50# on the rack
Trap
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Trap, I am just getting some opinions about this before I try it...I do not have access to one so I cannot check...it seems to me that the new Kodiak is not reinforced any more at the tips than is a 1960 Kodiak...both have fiberglass overlays...the new one as I understand comes with a fast flight string...I think you can see where I am going with this...would you shoot an original 60 with a padded loop fast flight string?
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DD, you asked a question a long ways back about whether the new 59 was the same or close to the 1960. There are some differences. The 60 has a deeper hook in the recurve which also makes the bow shorter in overall length than the 59 when unstrung. The sight window on the 60 is a bit bigger and cut a bit lower than the 59. The grip area on the 60 is fuller and has more of a palm swell than the 59. The limbs are thinner in depth on the 60 but narrower on the 59. I haven't used a skinny string on the 60 yet but plan to. I have tried skinny fast flight strings on all my other vintage bows and have no problems. Here are some cell phone photos that show that. I replaced the grip on my 60 and it is just a touch thicker than the original.
(http://pmagistro.com/bows/kodiaks/photo%201.jpg)
(http://pmagistro.com/bows/kodiaks/photo%202.jpg)
(http://pmagistro.com/bows/kodiaks/photo%203.jpg)
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Thanks Phil...I just wish I could access a thread I started on here quite a while back about 1960 Kodiaks...it seems like threads get deleted automatically after a certain time period...Wade Philips posted a picture of ten '60 Kodiaks from his collection to illustrate the differences in limb tip shape, limb taper and grip size...we have got so used to mass produced items all being essentially the same that we sometimes forget there was a day when that did not happen...we proved in that thread that there were 1959 bows in the same serial number sequence as 1960 bows...can you imagine that happening today?
DDave
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those old Wade Phillips threads are a treasure trove-he doesnt post anymore?
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Not sure what happened with Wade...I know he was working on a book...maybe it is taking all of his efforts and he does not have time to post...that is going to be a must read for anyone interested in things Bear...and Phil I have to ask you about the specs on the particular '60...I need one for trading material if you might be willing to part with it
DDave
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It's 45#, 60" long. I'm going to keep this one.
Phil
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I need on between 50 and 53 pounds...this is not your average trade
DDave
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DDave. I just spoke to Wade a few minutes ago. He's been pretty busy with personal things and has had computer issues the last couple of months. Our club had our annual Bowjam last weekend and he was busy helping with that also.
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Thank you, Eric...tell him we miss his expertise and insight on here
DDave
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Anyone having a longer draw shooting a new model ('59) Kodiak? (I pull 30 1/2"). I haven't been able to find one locally to even look at, so any thoughts regarding draw length would be appreciated.
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They, like the original, are pretty smooth at 29, but at a 30"+ you'd really need a 64" bow I think.
I know guys that regularly draw 56" and even 52" vintage Bears to 28" but I wouldn't.
Trap