I'm thinking of buying one, but no dealer near me has one to test shoot. For those that own one, do you think the draw weight is right on, or very close to what's marked? I'm just tired of bows (Hoyt GM2, for example) where the limbs are 5 or more pounds heavier than marked.
Kalamazoo Show is in a few weeks, Bear was there last year. About 5.5 hrs from Baraboo
If you buy from a reputable dealer you should be able to return it if the weight is way off. I have one of the newer 64" "Grayling Green" SKs and it is every bit the bow that my older SKs are. The weight on mine is a couple of pounds heavier. I'm hoping they build '68-'69 copy in the future.
I had one and thought the bow seemed to be on the stated weight. I don't have a bow scale so I can only go by a comparison with other bows I have.
Three Rivers carries these; they offer a set-up service so maybe they could scale it before it shipped out. Very nice bows, smooth and nicely made.
When I bought my Super K, they had three of the same weight. One had a better all around feel than the other two. a couple of months later I made one of the best shots on a heavy whitetail that anyone could ever dream of. The draw weight on all three was exactly the same as they were marked.
A friend of mine bought one marked 40# but it actually scaled 44#. He returned it. The fast flite string that came with it seemed very loud, even with silencers.
Call 3 rivers. If you're willing to pay for bow setup, they will get you close to the draw weight you want.
The bows are marked to the nearest 5#s. Not all scales are created equal, but my guess is Bear has been doing this long enough to know how it is done.
Actual weight is marked behind side plate.
bigjim
That is the marking that I was referring to, a lot of places get a little crabby if you peel that plate off to see what is under there. A good Bear dealer will have already looked.
Bear has some of the closest marked bow's (for production bows) I've put on the scale.
It's a loud bow if not set up properly. 8.5"+ on brace height and even though they are FF capable, the bow is quieter w/ a B-50 string. SKs have always required a high brace height.
The Super K that I had was not a loud bow at all. I did put a little fur in the string, but it not seem loud when I tried out the three. The one I picked just seemed gentler somehow. I still think that they are the best all around production bow there is out there for bow hunting. Even though I could hit more quarters at ten yards with my Super K than I did with a Hill style bow, I could have just been having a few 'on days'. But for me, it showed how versatile the bow is.
If you can make it to kzoo as already mentioned, I checked the vendor list and it says bear archery will be there then you can test shoot one or many others and go home with the perfect bow!
Two years ago I bought 3 during a visit to Gainsville; 1 for me, 1 for my son, and 1 for his friend. I was very pleasantly surprised that each of these bows, measured on Easton Digital Bow scales were within 1 pound of specified draw weight. I was also shocked that my bow (the only one I chronographed) was as fast as my top 2 customs!
All these bows were blems by the way but not even the fellow at the shop could tell me what the blemish was. The blems are always cosmetic. Bear imbeds a hand-"carved" "B" in Blems so no one will attempt to pass them off as factory perfect.
Bear archery reps only have bows to demo and try out--they don't sell them--have to get them from their dealers. Maybe a dealer at Kzoo will have one that fits you.