1953 Bear Alaskan recurve
Contributors to this thread:Equipment
From: caller79065
02-Aug-09
I couldnt seem to get registered on the leatherwall, so i thought i would ask here. I just bought a 1953 45# Bear Alaskan recurve, and the string i got with it was not the right one. Does anyone know what the proper length would be for a 62" bow. About what should the brace height be? Its a very nice bow, and i hope to give it a try for deer this year. Thanks in advance, Ronnie
From: spikehorn
02-Aug-09
58 in actual length
From: caller79065
02-Aug-09
Thanks, thats about what i thought.
From: fatman
02-Aug-09
Actually, you may want to try to contact Bear Archery for the string length; your bow was manufactured before AMO standards had been established, and some old bows can have funky string lengths. Just hate to see ou buy a string and have it be wrong.
Also, I believe that 1958 was the first production year for the Alaskan...
Good luck!
From: Fisher
02-Aug-09
Probably not a 53. That is a patent date on a decal. use the serial numberto identify. best wishes.
From: Gundy
02-Aug-09
1953 was the patent date. A 62" length indicates a 1958-61 manufacture date. Does it have orange and black glass limbs? If so, it is a 1959-60 bow, which are known as the "Halloween" Alaskans and are the most desireable to collectors.
From: caller79065
04-Aug-09
Thanks for the input. It is yellow and brown, and has the serial #18638. It is in remarkable condition, whatever the age. There was one of the black and orange ones on ebay, and i think it sold for a little over 125. I didnt get it because it had rests on both sides. Left or right handed. I have been shooting it with a shorter string on it, and it gives it about a 10 in brace height. I really like it, but its an arm slapper. I guess i need to work on my form.
From: Gundy
04-Aug-09
Sounds like a 1961. Nice bow btw.
A 10" brace height is much too high. You want 7.5-8.5" on that bow. A string of 58" will get you in the ballpark. Get a flemish twist, B50 string and you can twist or untwist it to get to the desired brace height.
Good luck, heres a pic from the '61 catalog.
From: caller79065
04-Aug-09
Thanks Gundy, that is exactly the bow i have. Amazing what you can find if you just ask.
From: Mike the Cheesehead
04-Aug-09
Looks like a good match for my 1958 Bear Kodiak
From: Gundy
04-Aug-09
Nice bow Mike. I always wanted a sowbelly '58. I prefer the "50s style" recurves these days. They're just so classic looking.
Caller, a couple of pointers. Shooting an old bow like this accurately is a heck of alot easier if your arrows are a good spine match. If you are shooting aluminums out of it, 1916s cut an inch or two longer than your draw length with 125 grain tips would be the ticket. Can't help you with wood or carbons. Secondly, better get an arm guard. If you're smackin' your arm with a 10" brace height it's gonna get much worse with a 8". lol.
From: caller79065
04-Aug-09
Tanks for the advice, all is welcome. I draw about 29 inches, do you think 1916s are stiff enough. I am shooting some old 29 in 2315s out of it now until i can get the proper string and some additional shafts for it. I agree on the arm guard. LOL myself. its funny now, but hurt like hell when it happened. It just about peeled the skin off my arm the first few shots. I think i need to bed my bow arm elbow more.
From: Razorhead
04-Aug-09
Rotate your elbow out, away from the string. Should help with string clearance, but still get a arm-guard!!!
From: Gundy
04-Aug-09
caller, you're drawing roughly 48# so yes I think 1916s would be PERFECT. Plus, a 1916 set up with a 125 grain head would put you in the perfect arrow weight range.
IMO 2315s are too stiff and too wide plus you'll get much better velocity out of the 1916s.
Also, what Razorhead said. If you shoot enough, you'll end up shooting the way he suggested.
From: YukonJack
04-Aug-09
"1953 was the patent date. A 62" length indicates a 1958-61 manufacture date. Does it have orange and black glass limbs? If so, it is a 1959-60 bow, which are known as the "Halloween" Alaskans and are the most desireable to collectors."
Really? I have two of them right now. One 45# spray-painted camo, and the other 50# with nary a mark on it. I shoot them both, and will be hunting with one this fall.
The 45# was given to me from a neighbor who hunted it years ago, right before he died. This was the first bow I learned to shoot, before I had a compound. Now I want to give it at least one last hunt. It's a shooter!
From: caller79065
15-Oct-09
Update, i got the proper string, some 2312s cut to 30.5 inches and 2 blade Phantoms. Tonight, i got a shot at a doe and hit a tree, then 20 minutes later i had another shot at a doe from 8 yards and made it count. She ran a couple hundred yards, but left a good trail and we found her piled up. I am pumped. I never thought i could actually shoot a deer with a recurve. It was just a yearling doe, but i thought it was awesome. Will try to post photo later. Sorry, but i just had to shout it from the rooftops. I SHOT A DEER WITH A RECURVE!!!!!!
From: BSBD
15-Oct-09
Congratulations! Now you know what it's like to hunt with a real bow, not just something that's legal in archery season.
From: Gundy
15-Oct-09
Nice work!
Congrats!
From: LostInTheWoods
15-Oct-09
Fricken sweet, man! I've always wanted an old Alaskan. Way to go on your first recurve kill! Uncle Ted would say "that was probably your favorite arrow in life....just you and the bow! Just PAAAANG!"
From: LongbowBob
15-Oct-09
The usual figure is 3-4" shorter than the bow length. I always go about 1" longer and then just twist it until I get it right.
LBB
From: caller79065
19-Oct-09
Here is the photo. Im still pumped
From: Full time
27-Jan-10
Does anyone have any idea what the value is on a Bear Alaskan?
From: caller79065
28-Jan-10
I gave just under $100 for mine on ebay. It is in very good shape.
From: Northlander
26-Mar-10
Mine is a double shelf 62" orange and black pulling 48# at 28". Very sweet shooter, in fact took a doe with it this past fall just to have done it with this bow. She was a complete pass-thru at about 12 yds, ran roughly 20 yds and tipped over. I've always wanted one of these bows and then to have taken a deer with it was cool. I bought mine for $70 on EBay and was thinking of camoflauging it cuz it has some minor stress cracking but it is such a classic look, I couldn't do it.
From: pkarr
07-Mar-17
From: kellyharris
09-Mar-17
I lent a buddy a Bear glass recurve today we have had for a long time. It's brown, yellow and mint green. Not sure how to read year but just snapped a quick photo of it.
From: kellyharris
09-Mar-17
I lent a buddy a Bear glass recurve today we have had for a long time. It's brown, yellow and mint green. Not sure how to read year but just snapped a quick photo of it.
From: DaleHajas
10-Mar-17
I have a Halloween bow as well. Sand off the finish, clean out the stress cracks and fill them with Loctite 420. Sand and spray finish with clear. Find the decals from Al on the Leatherwall, theyre cheap. The cracks will come back in a few years. Enjoy the hayl out of that bow!
From: Kodiak
10-Mar-17
Kelly, that bow is a 1969.
From: kellyharris
10-Mar-17
Cool thanks Kodiak
From: kellyharris
10-Mar-17
Here is another photo I asked my buddy to send me today
