Trap - Your post August 30, 2009 12:14 AM about bows showing up that were previously unheard by collectors is a very valid point.

I've come to expect variations of Bear bows we have never heard of before, to just keep showing up every year. Just like the unadvertised 68" Kodiak Special Bjorn first discovered a few years ago.

I'm sure you remember earlier this month when Bill Krenz posted photographs of a Kodiak Special built on a straight limb form of 60", which was very different than any 60" Kodiak Special previously known by collectors.

Rick - Bjorn is the resident Grizzly expert. He and I worked on an Identification Guide for some years but never got around to getting all the years posted.

The 1959 has two chevrons below the leather grip and the 1960 has one chevron below the leather grip.

Fascinating thread. Great info from everyone. Thanks to all for sharing.

OK Thanks Wade.I have a "59"---

Bjorn Are the limb colors the same on the 59-60

Well it is 6 1/2" brace with the 64" string
8 1/2" with a 62" string...when unstrung measured from tip to tip on the back side it is 64"..I'll get some pictures tonight...not sure what I have here...Roy  my 64" Kodiak is 65" when measured this way

Rick - I just started a thread about Grizzly Identification from a list that Bjorn and I worked on a few months ago. This should help everyone figure out what year Grizzly they have. Let me know if we need to make corrections to the list. Will add photographs as they become available...

http://tradgang.com/noncgi/ultimatebb.php?ubb=get_topic;f=14;t=003114

Bjorn says his 62" is 60" tip to tip unstrung,,that is what mine is,,may just be a miss-marked Grizzly...Roy

It is every bit as handsome and as good a shooter just the same............plus it may be the only mis-marked '59 Griz around!

Fantastic...Thanks again Wade.

You have a point there Bjorn,,,sure was fun while all the hype lasted,,it really is pretty neat when we discover new things from 50-75 years ago that no one has seen before...Roy

Someone out there will be looking for a clean miss-marked Grizzly..

Some pictures compared to a 64" Kodiak, the Griz tips are a 1" longer..

Sure glad the mystery is solved, now we can all get a good nights sleep!   LOL

Heres another one.

We compared bows today, Cody has a 59' Griz 62" 48#from Bjorn..they are pretty close, the 64" 49# one seems to have a little longer tips and the 62" string brings the brace height to 8.5", it should run 6.5-7.5"..factory miss print or correct?

Roy, I still don't think the darn brace height should be 8.5" I realy think after looking at it. That your bow is longer then 62".. I realy do but like you say what would make that brace height that high when you are using a string for a 62" bow ??...

Roy,

If the bows have the same riser shape and riser length, and the limbs match up like they were made on the same form... and the only difference is the string groove location on a slightly longer limb tip... well...

Guess all Bear bows of different lengths listed in catalogs that I can think of actaully have either different shape risers or different limb shape, rather then just length of the tips.

Sort of a gray area as far as classifying what is really what...

I have several 60" 1959 Kodiaks that are all marked 60" but have slightly different length limb tips with string grooves in slightly different locations, and require slightly different length strings. Kind of a nightmare sometimes when reusing strings.

With the slightly longer limb tips, it is understandable why a 62" string seemed too short to someone at Bear and why they wrote 64" on you Grizzly.

The fact that someone at Bear wrote 64" on your 1959 Grizzly makes it a unique bow.

It is great that you and Cody took the time to figure out what the bow was.

Thanks so much for sharing the Grizzly, it is certainly educational to see these unusual bows.

Well said Wade, we will never know some things and early production always varies ..Roy

I have had several guys that would like to own this bow and have decided to list it on the bay with a fair starting price, it needs to be on a RH collectors bow rack to be truly enjoyed and shot like it was meant to be used...Roy

I have been waiting for this day for a long time.