i got this itch to get a bear recurve, 70's or earlier, and try to kill a deer with it next year. i see em on **** once in a while (im left handed, so there a bit more rare), and would like to try to get one, but i was wondering how reliable they are. can they take regular shooting and hunting with out failing, if they are in good shape? do they ever just de laminate because of there age? thanks for any info.
I own, or have recently owned,a 1955 Kodiak, a 1960 Kodiak Special, a 1964 Kodiak, a 1966 Kodiak, and a 1970 Super Kodiak. I've shot the daylights out of all of 'em, with zero problems. I may however, be hesitant to hunt with the real old stuff in extremely cold weather.
I think you will find them as reliable as anything else out there. My vote goes to a 65-67 Grizzly. Great design and grip, very good shooter, much better IMO than the later Grizzlys.
I got a '66 tigetcat. Its a 62" 45#er....its still the best bow I've shot...
sure others are smoother, but they have a recoil like all hell and just never seem to feel right
now I do like a new bear montana longbow though.....alot....
reliable? im confused.... these bows have survived since the 60s and are still shooting just as good as they did back then. how much more reliable does it have to be? new bows are more likely to unglue and break on ya. all the bad old bows have already broken.
I plan on hunting with my 1959 Kodiak next year .
doug77
Mine is a '70 K Mag. and still shoots great.
my draw is 29.5-30". could i safely draw a 58" recurve without damage?
Safely, yes. Comfortably, maybe not. You might get some finger pinch. My 60" Black Bear would be less likely to pinch than a 58" Grizzly. Both are great bows though.
There is no question as to the reliability of these bows. They are tough and shoot very well indeed. I have had a bunch of bows, but the only recurve left in my stable is my Black Bear. It will stay there! Otherwise, I shoot longbows.
pinch is not an issue, using a handy, short bow is what i am looking for. i just didnt want to crack one in half if i drew it to 30"
Deermaster
I have 1963, 64, 65, 66 Kodiaks that get drawn to 29 inches all the time. Grab one of those ole bows and go kill sumpthin with it!!
I draw 29, And shooting a grizzy thats 45# @ 28, You wont be disapointed in the old bears, Theres just something about them, That everybody seems to love...
Opps....Grizzly
I have a 70 ? Kodiak on the way. How do you date them ?
They are all over 40 years old,and all of mine still work!!!!! :thumbsup:
Bear advertised an unlimited draw length. They will out last you more than likely. :goldtooth:
I hunted with a 1960 Kodiak this fall and shot it thousands of times in preparation for the season.
They are as reliable as any other bow out there. Make sure whatever you choose to hunt with has a good finish to lock out moisture.
Many Vintage bows are an absolute steal at the price you'll pay for them. Kodiak Hunters, Grizzlies and Kodiak Magnums often sell for less than $200.00 . Great bows for the money.
Trap
63 Pearson colt, 67 Kodiak hunter, 75 Kodiak magnum, all hunt and I vastly prefer them to my 06 bows! I have a 30" draw and even with the 52" magnum I've never had finger pinch issues. A friend hunts with a late 50's Griz, 1957 I think. The vintage bows have better quality levels and materials than today's bows. And a spirit all there own!
I have two 70's bears.One is a 45lb kodiak hunter and I recently purchased a 50lb grizzly I really like the green wood and the fact I bought them for a hundred bucks apiece.
They out lasted the company founder and will probley out last most of us.Always us a bow stringer........bowdoc
Agree with 'doc; Feel confident in using them...........Shick
I wish the Kodiak Hunter I just bought had been that cheap Trap.
Hi All,
I bought a new Kodiak Magnum in 1972, and used it almost exclusively to hunt and shoot with until about two years ago when it was damaged in a moving truck....a cross-wise gouge through the back glass about eight inches from the upper sting nock. If not for the damage, I'd still be shooting it!!!
Danny with the depressed old bow market we have today, if you paid over 2 bills for a Kodia Hunter, "You paid too much" A lot of bows out there better than a Kodiak Hunter and selling for less.
I hate to be a stick in the mud, I do love my bears, but I've had some problems. I had a 70 to 72 super mag break in half on the first draw after bracing and it was a violent affair. Had a 45# early tamerlane separate a limb after a few ends. I think I cried on that one. Had another tamerlane crack a riser due to a adjustable strike plate that someone had put on it. I managed to fix that one though because it wasn't a stress crack so to speak. Had yet another tamerlane that showed up with a ton of stress lines in the limbs. I gave that one away.
But I've had great luck so far with the takedown series. I have a dozen or so limbs and none of those have broke. And I have a 76 supermag and a matching 76 superK and they are fantastic bows. I also have an old lefthend cub that shoots real well. And I've seen a lot of other bows around that date onto the fifties that are shooting well.
I just wanted to step up mention that not everything goes well on the b%y.
OK.There was a separate topic about whether or not to leave your bows strung. Most people felt that it was better to leave them strung. That said, would you leave a 70 or earlier bow strung all the time or would you only string them when you're going to shoot them?
While on the topic of strings, would you use a fast flight string on a vintage Bear Bow?
sam
DO NOT USE FAST FLIGHT on any bow not specifically designed for it and that would be any bow made before 90-95. I have used nothing but older Bear bows for forty years...okay, some of them weren't old when I started using them,lol. My two most used hunters right now are a 1970 Super K, 60", 68#@28 and a '69 or 'early '70 B riser wooden takedown, 60" 66#@28 and I draw 29". I leave them strung for long periods unless I travel with them. I know I'm biased but I love these bows and have no plans to use anything else and doubt I will. I only own one hunting bow that gets any use that is not a Grayling Bear and its a 60" Saxon Kadiak a couple of years old. Grant
Deermaster1,
Dont worry about how tough these old Bears are, I killed a nice little freezer buck on opening day back in September with a 1965 Kodiak, I bought from bowdoc.
I am currently shooting/hunting (in 15 degree weather) with a 1971 Super Kodiak and I own and shoot/hunt with a 1952 Kodiak Static Tip recurve. All these bows are 50# to 53# at 28" and all are all great shooters.
Bear bows are not noted as speed demons, but I'd bet they are comparable to most of the production bows and many of the semi-custom bows offered today. They are slower than some of the bows designed with speed as the main criteria, but they are rugged and dependable, you can bet on that!
I think the limb designs that old Fred and co, used are built to be stable and rugged, more forgiving of shooting errors (like the kind you have when Mr. Big is standing at 10 yards!).
Great bows!
imho,
Harry.
I unstring my vintage bows when not shooting them. It's not like it's a difficult task and it keeps a youngster or someone else unwittingly dry-firing the bows.
My Bear Den includes
1955 Kodiak Special
1957 Kodiak Special
1959 Kodiak
1961 Kodiak
1962 Cub
1962 Grizzly
1963 Kodiak
1965 Kodiak
1966 Kodiak
1966 Tamerlane
1968 Super Kodiak
1970 Kodiak Hunter
1974 Super Magnum
1976 Super Kodiak
trust me - they're great