I always thought if you saw an old Bear labeled 45XX it meant 47 pounds. Likewise X45 would mean 44 pounds. First I don't know if that is right and second if it is, why wouldn't Bear just have wrote 44 pounds (or whatever) on the bow? Is there any written reference to this marking system?
Thanks
Mark

That is the same impression I had on the way Bear marked the poundage of their bows.
Bear seems to look at measurements a little differently than I do. I just measured the unstrung length of two Grayling Super Kodiaks that I have. 61 inch tip to tip. Why do they call them 60" bows?

As I recall from days long ago, all bows were listed in 5lb increments, 40, 45, 50, 55 etc. When I went into an archery shop, I do not ever remember looking for bows with weights of other than the 45, 50 55 etc. When they were being made they were classified this way. But as they were being sanded to finished weight, weight varied slightly, depending on how much sanding was involved. So they labeled them in the 5 lb increments. Bear wrote actual weight on side of rest and covered with the plate material.

You are correct on the XXX, Ben Pearson did the same thing and I have a booklet that talks about it.

I've wondered what the X was for.  I have a Kodiak Hunter marked 50X# on the riser and a 52 marked on the sight window.  Never could figure out why someone would put a 52 there, now I know.

Wow I never knew that either! Always learning something new about our way of life.  

If you read through the AMO standards, the marking conventions state you're "supposed" to mark a bow 50# if it's 49-51 and mark it 50X if it's 52-53.  The pattern repeats going up or down.