How is a Vintage Kodiak Different than a Vintage Grizzly??

[Nala]

Hey all,

I have a 1970 or 71 Grizzly that I like.  I have also seen a lot of Kodiaks that I like the looks of too.  They always sell higher than the Grizzly bows do on the auction site.  I know they are longer than the Grizz, but other than that, how do they feel and perform different than my Grizzly?  Would it be a noticeable difference or would it be something that would be mostly cosmetic?

Now I don't know a year of Kodiak to compare to my 70/71 Grizzly.  I'd like to see some examples of these Kodiaks that sell for reasonable prices and such.  Are there any old Bear catalogs online that I can go and check out or maybe a webpage where someone has put together a chronology of Kodiaks through the years or something like that?

Thanks for the info.

Nalajr

[Benny Nganabbarru]

I got a CD-ROM of Bear Archery catalogues from 3Rivers.

From 1970...

[Migra Bill]

The last year for the Kodiak was 1966. So if you are talking about what makes early and mid 60's Kodiaks sell for more than the Grizzlys - it's the wood.
Fred was using much more exotic (and more pricey) woods on the kodiaks. The Kodiak became the cadillac of the hunting line. It's just a better made bow - better form, better wood, etc. It's what makes a Cadillac sell for more than a Ford.
When the Superkodiak came out - the woods went to what we know as the "future wood". We also had the emergence of the Kodiak Hunter then which used alot of the exotic woods formally used in the Kodiak. The 70/71 era hunters were using bubbinga, shedua, etc.
And remember - you say that the Kodiaks are longer. My personal opinion on the Grizzly line is that they were MUCH better shooters before they got shortened. Grab a 60/62 Griz back when they were 60-62 inches and they are wonderful shooters. I have a 60 Griz that I found on a trade blanket at Dentoin that Ruch Lopez snake-skinned for me that shoots great. When the grizzly got shortened to 56" and 58"- i think it's shootability declined.

[59Alaskan]

Great post Ben!!

They are different models.  The Kodiak is the top of the line.  The Grizzly is often referred to as, "the working man's bow".

As for me, I own 13 Grizzly's, one Super Kodiak and one Kodiak Special.

As always in bows, it all comes down to personal preference and price points.  I personally like Grizzly's just because they are not collected as much and they are fine bows in my opinion.  Don't get me wrong, I keep my eyes open for a few Kodiak years though.

I will disagree a little here and say that I feel the mid 1960's 58" Grizzly's are superb shooters (1964 - 1967).  I have a 1967 that is great, and a prime hunting bow for me.

I will agree that the 62" models are fabulous though and overall I like them better than the shorter ones.