Old Bear?

[oldgun]

???Hi I'm picking up an old Bear recurve from a family freind. This bow has not been used for years (no idea how many). To the untrained eye it looks in good shape, the finish was dusty but no checkering or damage to see.
What should be done to insure that it will be ok and not cause any injuries to myself or the bow. It will get a new string for sure.
advice is welcome. Thanks. 45 lbs. draw.

[easternhunter]

oldgun said:

???Hi I'm picking up an old Bear recurve from a family freind. This bow has not been used for years (no idea how many). To the untrained eye it looks in good shape, the finish was dusty but no checkering or damage to see.
What should be done to insure that it will be ok and not cause any injuries to myself or the bow. It will get a new string for sure.
advice is welcome. Thanks. 45 lbs. draw.

Is it a glass lam bow or older like in the 50's style?
Get a stringer, and work the limbs a bit to exercise them before actually stringing up. Just to warm them up depending on how long the bow has sat around. String 'er up and draw short smooth draws several times increasing the lenght at intervals until at full draw....Get some arrows and go shoot.

[BT]

Ditto

[fred70]

New old bows require pics!
Good advice easternhunter.

[smj]

While you exercise the limbs, listen for any cracking or snapping. Any noise at all. If there are no little "ticks" or anything like that, you should be good to go. Just treat it gentle, be kind to it, don't over draw the bow. If you draw it back and feel it start to stack on you, don't draw it any further. Also, shoot a heavy arrow - 10 grains per pound. It may not shoot as far, but the bow will be a lot more happy with a heavier arrow, you will get alot less vibration on the limbs, which is good for an old bow!

Oh, yeah, take care with the stringer... You can get carried away there and end up flexing the limbs in pattern that is not natural by pulling the bow more than you'd need to pull it in order to string it. Don't do that. Put a string on it when you want to start working towards full draw.

[easternhunter]

smj said:

While you exercise the limbs, listen for any cracking or snapping. Any noise at all. If there are no little "ticks" or anything like that, you should be good to go. Just treat it gentle, be kind to it, don't over draw the bow. If you draw it back and feel it start to stack on you, don't draw it any further. Also, shoot a heavy arrow - 10 grains per pound. It may not shoot as far, but the bow will be a lot more happy with a heavier arrow, you will get alot less vibration on the limbs, which is good for an old bow!

Oh, yeah, take care with the stringer... You can get carried away there and end up flexing the limbs in pattern that is not natural by pulling the bow more than you'd need to pull it in order to string it. Don't do that. Put a string on it when you want to start working towards full draw.

:-*Leave it to SMJ to fill in my enormous gaps!

[voodoofire1]

I have an old bear, a kodiak hunter, got it more than 20 years ago, it was in the box never been shot for $10, and believe me it was the best $10 bucks I have ever spent, this bow has been shot by all my children and is currently in the hands of my 11 year old Jessica, it's a 45#er too, my son Dustin shot his only Trad deer with it and was so exited that he threw it down in the snowstorm and by the time I got off work and home it was covered, we didn't find it for two weeks, this poor bow has been left in the rain, towed behind a fish while bowfishing, and almost got away, lots of memories have been made with that old bear, it even saved my life,...................Oldgun I hope yours brings you as much joy as ours has us, Enjoy, and if you ever find it in need of refinishing, just hollar...Steve