I have been a bad boy.

[Longtrad]

1965 Griz used but not abused. I got this from Nate smith (crazy Nate) tips a bit worn and paper micarta (makes me nervous. Maybe lightly sand, soak in thin ca glue, lightly sand again and tru oil?). Finish is worn through on the high spot of the shelf side of the riser, I am guessing from being placed against a hard surface many times. The coin is a bit worn on the opposite side of the riser from the same thing. Still needs a good scrubbing with paper towel and rubbing alc.

[Longtrad]

K mag ( I have wanted to try one of these for a long time). Not sure on year or wood. I’m guessing late 60s? Quite a few minor scuffs and scrapes but seems straight the limbs are straight so far. This bow had a lot of paint stuck to it like it got banged against the wall a few times or moved/stored without much love. What you see now is after a good hour of paper towel scrubbing. Back of the upper limb tip looks like someone lightly ran a course file or gravel road across it horizontally.

Unsure what to do here. Maybe lightly sand and try oil the scratches? Maybe find some way to cleanly fill with medium ca glue?

I think this will be my favorite to shoot of the lot.


The sad thing is none of them came with good strings. Still waiting for my stilldub b55 Flemish strings to arrive.

Oooh the anticipation.

I am pretty surprised my the vintage strings that came on some of them. Weird material and very small serving size?

[Longtrad]

It looks like green glass but I think it’s actually gray.

accidentally got another shorty too but I’ll save it for later. It seems to be a junker.


If anyone has repair tips, tricks, or ideas, please lay them on me.

[Longtrad]

Sorry for the harsh lightning, and poor typing, trying to do this on my phone.




man Kirk that is a real sweet find! Id love a black beauty beauty of some sort or another. please tell me about the work you did to get it into top notch form!

I found a really nice 40 pound 48 super mag but seemed steep to me (350 bucks) I still ponder on it though..... I have not seen many black beauty types (black phenolic or whatever they call it) come up on the auction site or trade pages.

Nate Smith who I bought the griz from and who is a vintage bear/grizzly collector of sorts told me he shoots all his bows through a chrono and the 66-67-68 (one of those years is wrong i just dont remember which) gray glass bubinga riser, griz shoots faster than anything aside from phenolic... I really don't like bubinga, I suppose it must be strong and stable but most of it looks more suited for a table leg than a bow riser, ascetically speaking.

I kinda wish he didn't tell me that because now I want a black beauty too.


those groups you are getting are crazy! I used to consider myself pretty good at shooting right next to game. I'm not sure they would even know I was shooting at them now.

seems to be a case of "if you don't use it you loose it"

[Captainkirk]

Clay, your Polar appears to be a 1964 56" model.
The Grizzly appears to be a 1965 model.
The K-Mag appears to be a 1970 model, but possibly a '71-72.
As for the work on the Super K, way more than I anticipated! It involved filling gross, ugly holes in the phenolic, And a bunch of work with rubbing and polishing compound to remove a bunch of scratches followed by several coats of carnauba wax. I think there's a thread on here somewhere...
As for my group...that pic is hands-down the best group I ever shot and will probably be a once in a lifetime event, although it's duly noted that it was shot with this bow. I've never bonded with a bow like this one and it's become my favorite.
The only vintage Bear phenolic in more demand that this one is the '67 which is phenolic/phenolic with no Rosewood caps, and good luck with that! Even if you find one, be prepared to pay a King's ransom for it.

[Longtrad]

I have high hopes for the polar. Short working limb and pretty narrow limbs too. Should have some good speed I am thinking.

Def not a bow for someone who draws 28 inches or more.


I wonder why bear doesn’t do a run of modern bows with phenolic. They get some pretty boring wood to make their bows out of, and I very much dislike the diamond wood stuff. Looks like a plywood bow to me.

The 59 reissue was a big hit, but have you guys seen the new one with the Purple Heart I beam and green glass? Odd combo imo.

[Longtrad]

Thanks for dating them Kirk. I was having trouble finding much on the k mag.

[Elkman]

Does anyone have a phone number for david hyer? When bubthe handle stumper? I owe him some give away arrows that i was not able to finish before life dumped on me. It’s been nagging me in the back of head for years and i would like to make it right. Does he still post on any trad sites? Not from what i can tell. What about carpdaddy and shadowhunter? Still active?

I have a phone number but I'm not sure if it is still good. I also have an email address.

Did you try to send him a PM? That will use the email address I have.

[Captainkirk]

I wonder why bear doesn’t do a run of modern bows with phenolic. They get some pretty boring wood to make their bows out of, and I very much dislike the diamond wood stuff. Looks like a plywood bow to me.

The 59 reissue was a big hit, but have you guys seen the new one with the Purple Heart I beam and green glass? Odd combo imo.

Yes, I've seen those. "Odd" is a pretty accurate description.

Phenolic is quite a bit heavier than wood...which is one reason they were so stable. The Tamerlane HC-30 was a complete phenolic riser like the '67 Super K and the early Super 48 bows. Not sure why it (phenolic) fell from favor? My HC-300 Tamerlane is phenolic with rosewood caps like my Super K.
The Dymondwood bows are basically plywood with heat-cured epoxy. Not a fan of the looks myself.

[Longtrad]

Black is not my favorite but the phenolic bears has a certain class to them that you can’t deny. The strings came in today. Tomorrow should be fun !