I am a little delinquent with this as I picked this bow up from Joe Lasch at Compton, but I've been busy...


This bow is a 1949 or 50 Grizzly.  From everything I can find out, there is no way to tell which year it is, but I believe it is a '49 as my grandfather was pretty much on the cutting edge of bowhunting in Michigan back in the day.  He knew of Fred Bear and his back door archery shop when he was in Detroit not far from gramp's home.

The next time I am up visiting my grandmother, I am going to try to find some old photos of this bow in action.  I know it took a few deer way back in the day.  I even remember seeing in action in some ancient home movies--some of the first hunting videos.

Anyway, my grandfather died a few years ago and my grandmother gave me a couple of his old bows.  One a 1968 Kodiak Hunter with the factory camo (I am going to try to strip it down myself) and this Grizzly.  Since it was purlely a hunting bow, it had various camo concoctions placed on it over the years.  All this combined with 50 years of sitting and baking in the attic turned it into on big nasty black and green mess.  It was NASTY.

I gave it to Joe and asked him if he could restore it so I could put it over the mantle.  After I gave it to him, I sent him a note to take a couple before pictures.  This is the only way he let me down...his before pictures in no way show how truly awful this bow looked    :D  

Before:

 


This was the nicest spot on the whole bow:


 


Next I will post the after photos as the thing is telling me I am over the limit of pics!

Looking forward to more pix!

To say I was  AMAZED is quite an understatement!!!  I could not believe it was the same bow    

Now when I sit and look closely at this old bow, I think of what a technological marvel it was in its day.  Think about it...fancy static tips, cool tip overlays, aluminum laminations and basketweave fiberglass in the limbs, a bow mounted quiver.  That bow was  it back in the day.

Thanks Joe for giving me such a great heirloom.

Wow, Very cool!    

Is it shootable Steve?  Sure would be cool to kill something with it    

Can anybody tell me what the quiver that screwed into that bushing was called?  Also what did the Bear arrows and Razorheads look like back then???

Curt,

Everybody says those Bear bows with the aluminum in the limbs should not be shot.  I'm not going to take the chance.  I want to get a quiver and fill it with whatever arrows it will hold and put it on the wall with a couple pictures of gramps.

The 68 Kodiak  WILL do some killing  

WOWZERS WOWZERS WOWZERS! that is SAWEEEETTT! Steveo that is awesome and Whipper snapper is one of a kind! Congrats<><

Gorgeous bow I go kill somthing with her.Not sure about the quiver.But I may be able to hook you up with some Razerheads,Need to root around in the man cave a bit though.

Wow!That is amazing.That bow looks like it was built yesterday.I'm not positive what quiver model that would have been.I don't know if the 4 arrow leather top went back that far.I do know that the Razorhead doesn't go back that far.

As you told me, Steve...."now all you need is a can of brown and green spray paint and you're ready to go!"

I just looked at the Bear catalog CD.They don't show that bow in the '48-'49 catalog but do show it in '50-'51.I believe the broadheads sold were made by other companies,one was Bodkin.There is also a blued steel broadhead,2 and 4 blade,that looks similar to our modern Eclipse.I'm sure someone knows what brand that is.

The bow quiver was just called the Bear Bow quiver at that point.It appears to be completely leather covered with a solid backboard.Someone in the Trad History/Collecting forum should know more.

Thanks Jim B.  I did post over there looking for info.

Thanks Ryan  

Wow that turned out nice. Gary

Suuuuuweet!

That 68 Super K you had in Grayling needs some photo time too. That was sweet. You need to make meat with both that and the K Hunter. Congrats on the resurection of your grandfathers bow.

Beautiful bow Steve.

Joe did an amazing job.

That is fantastic, what a treasure for sure.

DD

Thanks Steve.  If any bow deserves a place of honor on the wall that one is it.  Very cool to have something like that from your Grandfather.

QuoteOriginally posted by Steve O:
The 68 Kodiak  WILL do some killing      

Who are you going to let shoot it???

ouch!