1962 Bear 50th Birthday Pictures

Blackhawk · January 16, 2012, 02:36:00 PM

I agree with the rest of the gang...great job on one of the best shooters from Bear.

Larry m · January 16, 2012, 04:33:00 PM

This Thread gets better all the time! Lots of gorgeous bows. Hard to beat Trap's though. That is a real eye catcher.....

JavelinaHink · January 16, 2012, 07:25:00 PM

Here's my Griz 45#, Kodiak 55#, Kodiak Special 48# & Griz 45#/with black leather, got to love it. ....

Hink

vintage-bears · January 16, 2012, 07:28:00 PM

Those are real nice Hink.
Love the 55# Kodiak!.

Thanks for sharing those bows........Philip

OldSkoolArcher · January 16, 2012, 08:03:00 PM

Nice pigskin, not that common on those Grizzlys!

Larry m · January 16, 2012, 09:33:00 PM

Happened to be digging through some old magazines in the garage and came across this 3 section, 6 page fold out copy of a December 1962 article from Outdoor Life. Not sure where this came from? Not as nice to look at as the bows but felt it was appropriate here. Very Nice bows Hink!!

RLA · January 17, 2012, 08:45:00 PM

Really nice bows Hink!!! I'd love to find a 62 Kodiak, but I think I'd rather have another 62 Grizz in a 50-55#er to go with my 45#
OldSkoolArcher, no I haven't tried to make a strike plate yet, this bow still had an original.

Ryan

Larry m · January 17, 2012, 09:28:00 PM

A few more for the 62 thread! Surprisingly the very inexpensive Cub is a nice shooting bow.

vintage-bears · January 17, 2012, 10:08:00 PM

Really nice bows Larry. Nice to see different models and yes the cub is a sleeper shooter!

............Philip

cacciatore · January 18, 2012, 03:27:00 AM

WOW,the Brazilian Rosewood in the 62 Kodiak is really stunning.

recurve_shooter · January 18, 2012, 10:58:00 AM

Nice article Larry M. Adds a nice touch, I think.

I'll take some pics of my 62 KS tonight and post them tomorrow.

hayslope · January 18, 2012, 03:46:00 PM

Here's another 62 Bear from the rack:

My wife's 62 Polar. 56" 28# @ 24" Some folks call this a "Lady Polar", I guess based on its 56" length.

I seem to recall that the 62 Polar was the first all zebrawood bow for Bear.....then again, I could be having a senior moment!

vintage-bears · January 18, 2012, 04:05:00 PM

Thats Saaaaweeeeeeeeeeeeet Tony!

........Philip

JavelinaHink · January 18, 2012, 06:18:00 PM

Tony & Larry....nice! "Wood Is Good"

Hink

recurve_shooter · January 18, 2012, 08:58:00 PM

62 Kodiak Special

Taken late in the afternoon. I'll try to get some better daylight pics soon.

450 marlin · January 18, 2012, 09:13:00 PM

Nice Lefty...bet she is a smooth shooter

Earl E. Nov...mber · January 26, 2012, 07:11:00 AM

Since we are talking '62' here, can someone tell me, On the coin.. was it painted black or is the black oxidation?

Earl E. Nov...mber · January 26, 2012, 07:24:00 AM

Boy there are a couple drop dead gorgeous chunks of Brazilian on here.. Trap that sap wood really makes it work. Wow.

Migra Bill · January 26, 2012, 08:16:00 AM

It was NOT painted black. They just turned that way.

Missaukee · January 28, 2012, 06:46:00 PM

With regard to the pewter coins. The biggest question I have had is whether they came Black from the factory. The answer is Yes. At least the 1961 Bear Video "The Oldest Game" clearly shows the coins on Fred and Chucks bows to be black. What made them black? I don't know.

But some of the Bear coins have the Bear letters, and line around the edge not black, acting as highlights. If it was a finish reaction why is the only black part the background on these coins ( and yes the finish is intact and original)? Why aren't the letters and lines black also? It has always appeared to me that the coin was painted and then rubbed to allow the letters and other lines to stand out.

I believe that Bear intended the coins to be Black, because he was aware it was black. If they didn't want them to be black, why would they continue to produce them in that fashion. I don't know how they became black, but I believe it was Bear's intent for them to be black.

Here is another interesting point, the 1961 Grizzlies that I have seen have the Black Pewter coin. They have factory camo. I am assuming that in the case of a camo bow the coins are installed last. Other camo bows support this. My 1965 Factory camo Kodiak has no finish on the coin. I believe this is a huge blow to the oxidation discussion since the coin is black and no finish was ever applied! As a side note it is obvious that finish or whatever was on the coins did not stick to the coins very well.

For those that are sure the coins were not painted, how do you know? If Bill Stewart or Fred Bear says they weren't painted I would trust there words. But, for something that happened 50 years ago it is difficult to be certain of something either way with out first hand knowledge. I am certain that they came from the factory black, whatever the cause.