1953 Bear Polar

[Wannabe1]

Here is a 1953 Bear Polar I picked up about 5 years ago and have done nothing with. It is double shelved, 64", 42# @ 28". SN# LA964. Has some stress cracks in the limbs but is in pretty good condition. I shot it once but, didn't want to push my luck. Should I leave it or have it refinished?
 

[Horney Toad]

I have a lefty like that which is 61#. It will rattle the fillings in my teeth loose! lol

[Jeremy]

That one is a 1954
 Early Polar ID Guide  

I still shoot my 48# '54 Polar... had it out on loan to a guy last month too.  If you don't plan on hunting with it, just shooting it occasionally, don't bother refinishing it - you'll only decrease it's meager collector's value.  If you want to hunt with it, you'll need to protect it from the elements to keep it going another 50+ years

Oh, HT, the old Polar longbows rattle your teeth a lot less than the Hill bows  

[Wannabe1]

Thanks Jeremy. I was going by what the guy I bought it from told me. Very much appreciate the correction.

I don't know if it will handle my 29" draw so, I was not really sure what I'm going to do with it.

[Jeremy]

TW, my draw is a hair over 30" and mine hasn't blown yet  

[Wannabe1]

Thanks again, that's good to know. Seems kind of a shame to just hang it on a wall. I may send it to Whip or the Bowdoc and see if they can save the decals and have it refinished.

[chris amos]

Does anyone know what the brace height is supposed to be on these? Ive got a 51# that actually shoots pretty nice. It's marked 64" but with a 64" string the brace is only 6 inches, is that the right height? Its a wrist slapper!

[Blackhawk]

Chris, a 64" bow like that would most likely take a string with an actual length of 3" shorter...or one around 61".  You will have to play around with the brace, but one around 7-7.5" would be closer.

[Jeremy]

The brace on these oldies is the standard fistmele, or in the neighborhood of 6-7".  Mine all seem to like a hair under 7".

AMO standards weren't adopted until Feb of '68, and some of the bows varied in length slightly even within a year's model (I've seen one that was nearly an inch off).  A 61" string measured under tension should be close, but you'll have to play with string length.

[chris amos]

Ok, thanks, I measured again and strung up the brace is only 5 3/4 so it might be a shorter bow than the markings indicate? I'll play with shorter strings and see what I can get for a brace.

[Jeremy]

Could be, but...

The majority of strings I've come accross are not measured properly.  This causes a huge problem with dacron strings.  Most of them aren't pre-stretched either, which further complicates things.

Take that 64" AMO string you have (I'm assuming that's what you mean by putting an 64" string on a 64" bow).  If it's dacron and measures 61" when it's not on the bow, it's NOT a 64" AMO string.  Strings are properly measured under tension and depending on who made the string and the strand count, a 64" AMO string made of dacron is going to measure 60-60.5" while at rest.  Under tension it'll be 61".

Measuring strings under tension, like they're supposed to be measured, makes a lot of issues in ordering strings be non-issues.  You should be able to order a mixed batch of flemish and endless loops strings (12 strand dacron, 18 strand dacron, 18 strand FF and 8 strand FF, etc) all the same length for a bow and they should all brace the bow the same (ie measure the same length under tension while on the bow).  At rest they'll all be different lengths, but if the string maker is worth his/her salt you only need to order the one length.

I'll get off my soapbox and go have a cup of coffee now.  Don't get me started on bowyers marking their bows "AMO" when they're NOT!!     :rolleyes:

[Custer]

After 40 years of not shooting, I was struggling with this issue on two early-mid 1960s bows but luckily I had the old strings.

They are far shorter than what I guess is the modern measurement people would use.

Reading things here plus the shop guy consulting with his uncle who is a retired Bear tech guy really helped me pin this down.

Now when my arrows come in, I will be back to the range after all these years and see what I can do.

Now my only worries are if I am strong enough at this age and how glasses and bifocals affect everything. Something I did not have to worry about as a youth and teen!

[d. ward]

WB1 Al has decals for that year and model if you choose to freshen her up.The tiller on your bow looks real good and it should shoot well.You can tone down the rattling your teeth loose by shooting arrows at or around 10-12 grains of arrow weight to pound of pull.My 44#er shoots pretty good shooting arrows in the weight range of 550 grains.The heavier arrow weight really helps absorb that rattle bd

[chris amos]

Thanks BD, thats alot of info to absorb! I will get a proper flemish twist string in the near future and see if that solves my problem. Thanks for the help!