I handled an older WING Thumderbird recurve the other day..( prior to AMF)

It was like new..don't think it ever was shot as the shelf and sight window showed no sign of ever having any sort of rest affixed..

It is 63#@28", 62" AMO..and the riser is what appears to be solid black phenolic..

Modrzte pistol grip. Thebow is heavy in the hand due to the riser material..

Anyhow, for those who know WING archery bows.any idea of it's age?..I was thinking perhaps early 70's?.. Thanks, Jim

If it had Head Ski on it, 68/69. If not, pre 1968.

Jim---If it was pre-AMF, then it's more likely that it was from the (early-mid?) 1960s. I had a pre-AMF/Head Ski Thunderbird which I sold a couple of months ago---62" AMO, 52#@28", solid black phenolic riser---WHY DID I SELL IT?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?

Unless I am mistaken, Wing sold to AMF in the late 1960's...I guesstimated my Wing to be from around 1964-1966 or so. Perhaps a Wing/Bob Lee historian can chime in, but if yours is the solid black phenolic, pre-AMF Thunderbird, I would guess it was from the 1960s. Good luck, God and Christ Bless!

Thanks..It has the original WING logo on the belly side of lower limb..No AMF or Head Ski letterng whatsoever..

So probably mid 60's then?..

Think I can pick it up for around 100.00..Not too many folks want to shoot a 63#@28" recurve.. I knew the old fellow who had it( he's gone now some years) andf I don't think he ever shot it..

It'll be close to 70#@30" for me and my draw so it'll fit right in with all my handmade wood arrows....

Aside from needing an arrow shelf rug and arrow plate to give shelf and arrow plate an indexing spot for arrow pass..and a new string..it's as pristine an old bow as I have ever encountered..

Like it came from the factory yesterday..Jim

Thunderbird came out in 1967, 52" and 62" solid black phenolic. Check with Bob Lee archery or post on the collector forum on the other site. Maybe Kelly will see it here.

raghorn, Thanks..This one is 62" AMO..so that places it around 1967...Jim

Jim---if yours is the same as mine...it probably had a flat shelf with no radiusing of the sight window either. When I had mine, I put an elevated rest on it and I will be doggoned if that didn't turn it into my BEST shooter. Even at 52# (closer to 60 at my draw), it was a total screamer

Jim, yours could be 67 or 68 up until Head Ski had their logo put on the bows.

Thanks..you folks are a great source of historical help..:)

I have one old WING bow..a Swift wing from the early 60's..It's a 66" recurve very nicely done..Only 55#@30" tho..

Kent,..This old Thunderbird has little or no radiusing to either shelf nor sight window..

If I do get it, I can fix that issue with the shelf and sight window leather I will put on..rather than taking the file to it..A 3/16" strip of saddle leather glued on before the shelf and sight window leather go on will give me a central, repeatable arrow pass..

If I DO get the bow, I'll post some pics..Thanks again, Jim

Jim, I took my first buck in 1972 with a Wing Thunderbird, a 52" model. They are great shooters.

Shot first deer in '63 with RWH. Visited the factory in Houston in '64.Became a Wing dealer in '65. Sold lots of Wing bows. Got my first Thunderbird in '67. The BEST bow on the market during that era. Jim, hope you get this bow. Let us know!

I have three of them. A 50#,53# and a 56#(scales 61#). They are great bows and I shoot them alot. I have both pre-Head Ski and Head Ski models and I can't tell a nichols worth of difference in the shootablity of the two. They have a couple of cosmetic differences, but they are great shooters. As said above they will smoke an arrow and are very stable shooters.

Out of curiosity, I make all my own bowstrings from B50 or Brownell's Fast Flight.. Three splice Flemish type rather than the endless string sort..

I plan on makeing a 15 strand three splice flemish string for this Thunderbird..

Not a skinny string..but I do like the better response from Fast Flight and have used it on many bows..some all wood over 70 years old as well as vintage Bear statics and recurves from the 50's-60's..

Never had a single issue with older bows with the FastFlight strings..BUT I also know how to clean up and reprofile string nocks IF require..and DON'Y shoot any arrows under 9 GPP.

For those of you who hav and shoot similar Wing Thunderbird recurves..WHAT string type has worked well for you?..Thanks, Jim

I used B-50 on mine and got arrow speeds comparable to my customs that I used Fast Flight/D97 on, Jim---that bow is so quick, even with Dacron, it didn't even need a high performance string

I use 14 strand B-50 flemish strings and they work fine. I have overlayed the ends of the string a couple times with wool to add alittle more quietness to the bows and a wool puff. If set too low on brace height the limbs will viberate, but get them 8" + and that doesn't happen. They do like a high brace hieght and if too low they will get noisey. You're really going to like this bow.

X2. I used Bow Hush on the string ends and Hush Puppies and it quieted it down a lot. I tried a 7.5" brace height and it didn't work out too well, but did a little research and found that the Thunderbird normally takes about 8.5". At about 8.5" on mine it worked out great

You're going to like this bow Jim. I know you shy away from skinny Fflight, but this bow will take it fine. Build one of 9 strands, pad the loops and 9gpp and your draw is going to impress the heck out of you.

Rick

Thanks..but concerning brace height...?????

WHERE exactly do you fellows measure from on bow to braced string?...I have always measured from the rear of the shelf to the bowstring.. Best recurves I own and shoot like about a 7 &3/8" to 7.5 " brace height when I measure that ways.. Never like a bow braced too high..Seems it robs the bow of some of it's power and stroke on the loose..

I told the fellow who has it that he can probably get over 250.00 for the bow as is if he advertises a bit...

He's not a collector..and cannot shoot bows over 60#@28".. Also told him that tho the bow is pristine, not many shooters want to hang a 63# bow in their rack if they cannot shoot it well.

I'm gonna visit him this week and make him up a bowstring that is RIGHT... Shoot it( with some tape and indexing spots on shelf and riser...and see how the old Wing Thunderbird does..with 730 grain arrows..:)

Those of you who own and shoot them..you think it's worth 90.00 for a fellow who will use and shoot it?... Many thanks, Jim

k

Deepest part of the grip, Jim

X2 on the deepest part of the grip.These are the only bows I own that BH over 7 3/4". It's worth more than twice the $90, so if you get it for that you got a great deal. My draw length is 29 1/4" and mine doen't stack. Go for it and you'll never regret it.

Hmm...Thanks for the notes on measureing thw brace height...

I think the old bow is worth more than 90.00 too..but I think the present owner ( whom I know) will take around 100.00 for it because he knows I'll shoot it..I'm not a re-seller of the good ones..Jim

Here's one I had from the same era. Kelly still has it the last I knew.

Definitely early 1967 because late 1967 would have Div of Head Ski underneath that logo.

Brace height of no less than 8"

I agree at least 8" from the deepest part of the grip.

Is that BH for the 52" or the longer 62" model? What BH for the 62" ?

I had 8.5 as the brace height on my 62", DanaC

The shorter ones bow is the higher the brace height because the bowyers usually have to deflex the riser/limbs.

8-8.25" for the 62", 8.5-8.75" for the 52".

Always remember that a higher brace height will always be smooter shooting and the only detriment is some loss of speed but will be quieter. Always error on the high side.

Certainly not wanting to divert the discussion, but am I correct that the Bob Lee Thunderbird came after the Wing version? The riser on these is considerably different, and one of the nicest designs I have seen on a bow, in my humble opinion. But not sure where they came in the chronological order.

Bob Lee Thunderbird? Are you sure you don't mean the Bob Lee Dark Archer?

Bob Lee Archery had a model called the Thunderbolt!

It was awesome and in my opinion the best one piece model of all time Bob Lee!

Kelly- I stand corrected!! Thunderbolt it is. I own two of them, so you would think this should have been a no brainer on my part. ;-)

Wish Bob Lee would make the Thunderbolt again. I would love to have one!

Well, Tomorrow I am gonna visit the fellow who has the old Wing Thunderbird 63# recurve with phenolic blac riser.

t the very least, I made up a great 3 splice Flemish string for it..

With perhaps some adjustments and serving-nock point..will see how she shoots.

Gonna offer him some items he can use or sell as a trade.. Noone wants a 63# bow these days it seems...except fellowslikeme..:) Wish me luck..:) Jim

It's quite a bow....and Kelly is right.....brace height favors 8.75+ for a quiet release..it's pistol grip feels great in a large hand.....mine read 52#'s but measures 55.6 on scale, but it feels like 50#..One of the best bows I've ever had. I'm basically a target shooter so I don't string it much....but for trees & blinds you cannot go wrong. Paul

Paul..is yours the shorter versoion or the 62" one?..Thx, Jim

52"

Got mine a few years back.

Great bow, 40#@28", 62" long.

I have a 62" 60#@28" Wing Thunderbird. I was fortunate to be helped in making a more modern version of this bow in a friends shop. They are great shooters.

Buzz, Yours looks exactly like the one I am eyeing..other than I think yours is left handed..:)..That a stick-on arrow rest you use?..Jim

Well, The string I made up fit perfectly..I served it up and got the brace height where I wanted it for trial purpose..

With a couple of twists on the 15 strand FastFlite string..and some masking tape over a bent matchstick on shelf-sight window....

It shot very well with my present wooden arrows..725 grains and 30" to BOP and spined 85-90#. A bit 'twangy'..but half a catwhisker on each end of the bowstring will fix that..

Weighs 71#@30" draw..and shoots like a rocket launcher..

Dead to the mark on line and arrow recovery and flight..

Traded a late 60's Ben Pearson GAMESTER recurve that was 50#@28" and in pristine condition for the old 62" Wing Thunderbird recurve with the dark as nite black glass and black phenolic riser..

Now I have to fit it up with proper sight window shelf indexed leather... When done..I will try to post some pictures..Thanks for all your inputs..Jim

Just for fun, I plugged the bow, arrow and Jim's draw into Stu's calculator. Output says arrow speed of 182.5fps Thats one smokin' 725 grain arrow.

Rick

Well, I added black leather for arrow plate-shelf with a thin strip of leather so it all indexes properly..

Now I have to put the half CatWhisker upper and lower to tone it down a tad and take some pics..If anyone is still interested..:)..Jim

You put a fastflite string on that Wing Thunderbird?

Heck yes he put Fflight on it. I couldn't talk him into a skinny one. Trust us Kelly.

Rick

Certainly..Kelly..:)...Yes I have B50..but the FastFlight makes a better string.. The Wing 1967 Thunderbird has great overlays..and the string nocks and angle are great..

I use FastFlight( Brownells) on virtually every bow I shoot.. Bows of wood over 75 years old, vintage Bear statics, old Ne Plus Ultra Howatts...Pearsons, English longbows of yew with horn nocks,,...Never had any issues. Did you read Rick Barbee's string POLL thread a day or so ago?:)

Black, tan, red 3 splice 15 strand Fast Flight string..Flemish string..:)

#4 Brownells Nylon thread serving..No mono for me) Half a CatWhisker upper and lower 5.5" from the limbs where they touch the belly at brace..Proper brace height.. 9-10 GPP arrows..drawn 30"..

The old Wing Thunderbird is a true 'Black Beauty'..and it is FAST..Flat casting... Heavy and stable in the hand with the black phenolic riser..

I'm not scared..:)..

Only time a fellow should be 'scared' is when he doesn't know what he's doing..:)Jim

PS: will take some pics tomorrow and post them here..

Dire, bear weatherest on my lefty.

Older wing, nice bow you will enjoy it.

Hi Jim;

Didn't know that was you-all this time thought you were hiding or jumped off a cliff! :) Guess that is what I get for not knowing who is behind the internet names.

I have a couple skinny strings that I really like on modern bows. I'm just too afraid to try them on the old ones.

Well, Kelly Peterson..we go back a-ways..:)

Tho I use FastFlight, I never make 'skinny strings'.. Same number of strands I'd use with the old B-50 Dacron..And as I said before..don't shoot any 'knitting needle arrows'..all 9-10 GPP of draw weight..:)

FastFlight, tho more expensive, makes a more durable tougher bowstring for my needs..and with heavier bows..doesn't stretch as much as the old B-50.. Very good musical note when braced..so much that a half a CatWhisker is often used to soften the twanginess.. Jim in Oregon AKA Dire Wolf..:)

I shot the Wing Thunderbird a bit today at 20 yards..Target a 3" plastic ball.

Only about 30 arrows..one at a time and then the walk up-retrieve.

It shoots the line very well with my Doug fir, tonkin bamboo, (thanks Iktomi) POC, birch arrows that weight 730-745 grains and are spined at 85-95# on 26" center spine tester.. Arrows are 30.5" and I draw 30"..

Tried to take some pics of the bow today to post but my old Sony Mavica camra with the floppy disk wasn't cooperating..:)

Son Caleb has some good photography equipment so maybe tomorrow I can take-post some picsof the bow..and maybe even of me shooting it..:)

It is a fast bow..and stable..A bit deepr pictol grip cut in than I normally use..but I can shoot it well.

I want to see what the point on is with it and my arrows..but have to get out of my small back yard to determine that..Jim

As promised..here's a series of pics of the 63#@28" Wing Thunderbird..circa 1967-68 with the 'bowling ball' black phenolic riser..It's 70#@30" which is what I draw-shoot.

Apologies for the shot of me drawing it..

I'm a bit weekie and off my form this past week..Have four cracked ribs left side from an accident..Jim

Another profile pic of the bow..which is as near to 'new' as is possible for bow made the same year I went to Vietnam..:)

Pic of the leather rest-shelf I put on it.. I shoot off the shelf..and this bow had no evidence of ever being shot..

Note I have the arrow pass indexed with a small strip of leather beneath the leather on shelf and sight window..Jim

The Wing Archery logo...

The tips overlays..Nicely done.. Am shooting a 15 strand FastFlite 3 splice Flemish string on it..Have good confidence the bow will shoot for more years than this old man may want to shoot it..:)

and last..the nomenclature for the bow as made...Jim

Great photos ... I've a Bob Lee Dark Archer bow that a fellow Leatherwaller was good enough to sell me that looks very similar.

Regards, James.

Now I feel really dumb..:) Had to use my 17 year old Sony Mavica digital camera..Had a couple of 4.5" floppy discs that apparently I had used too much in the past and were not working.

Well, not an easy task to find any new floppy discs these days..but I DID..and took those pictures and downloaded them..

Now I am gonna try to set my digital clock in the bedroom so the new daylite savings time shows up properly...:( Wish me luck..:0 Jim

FYI, that is a mid to late 1967 model.

Here is mine. What does the TA 110 indicate?

Here is the one I made using the Thunderbird as a reference. It is 60#@28" also.

Snag, the replica you designed made from the Thunderbird came out great!..Very nicely done..Jim

I don't think your draws gonna hurt it Jim. I've got the testing and write up someone did in Bow and Arrow in fall 69 on it. Their big brag was it had unlimited draw. The guy was shooting it at 34" without hurting a thing.

I don't think your draws gonna hurt it Jim. I've got the testing and write up someone did in Bow and Arrow in fall 69 on it. Their big brag was it had unlimited draw. The guy was shooting it at 34" without hurting a thing.

Thanks Jim. I took some off the riser and radiused the shelf and few other things. The friend who helped me with this has built around 40+. So without him I would have been lost! haha

GLF, The bow feels great at my 30+" draw..At 62"it's long enuf to not stack at all for me....Snag, Not sure what the nomenclature denotes on the old Wing bows..Both yours & mine start with a 'T'..Maybe the bowyer's initial?..The rest is only speculation..Maybe Kent knows more?..Jim

I thought it might mean that it is a "T"underbird serial no. designation....? Hope someone can help with this. David

No idea Jim. The only thing I can usually tell is whether or not it is a pre-AMF (pure Wing, maybe even made by Bob Lee himself) or made after Mr. Lee sold Wing Archery, and that is usually only by what logo is (or is not) on the limb and whether or not the riser is solid black phenolic or the greenish dymondwood-like material (Wing wood?). Sorry I can't help, God and Christ Bless!

Snag..The 'T' denoteing that it was a 'Thunderbird' makes sense..Jim

Yes, T stands for Thunderbird model and the A represents Head Ski version. RA, TA, and CA represent Red Wing Hunter, Thunderbird and Chaparral models all made by Head Ski.

Kelly, mine has the TA so it is from Wing Hunter era...does 110 mean it was the 110th Thunderbird built?

Snag; I like your version better

Snag; Yours is Wing Archery-Div of Head Ski era and it should say that by the decal. 110 means the 110th one built while Head Ski owned Wing.

Kelly, Kent, et. al.

Even Bob Lee says there were no serial numbers or records for Wing bows kept. And catalogs are nearly non existent.

My early P-II phenolic has the identical grip/riser shape as the T-bird and they were being built as early as '62. This has me wondering if the T-Bird didn't come along before '67 ???

I'm curious. Do you have info on pre-Head Wings that would provide actual production periods?

I'm a Wing fan, and am gathering new, previously un-shared data on Brownings, Shakespeares, Cravotta Bros. for another Vintage Bows book. Would be great to hear of new Wing data as well.

Lots of conflicting info out there, for example, street word is that AMF stopped building recurves in '74 yet I have a post '77 Kittredge Archers Bible still listing the RWH, Little Wing, Falcon and Nighthawk.

Unless somebody records it before we lose ALL the guys of Bob's generation, truth will only get harder to find.

Rick

Rick, I only have one other Wing Archery bow..A 66" recurve with only 'Swift Wing' and a rctangular decal with part of a Houston Texas address and a Wing logo..

I beam construction on the riser with birdseye maple and rosewood..No other serial number or draw weight nomenclature..

It's about 52#@28" on my scale and a fine stable shooter..but not marked..Jim

Logo on the Swift Wing look kind of like this? I have been hoarding this decal which came from Al Harford Sr. Although he labeled it as from a '60s RWH, I believe it is older as by the 60's Wing attention to detail began to fall off before selling to Head. I have owned an all Rosewood 50's RWH with amazing detail like six layer tip overlays that had this label.

The Swift Wing, White Wing and Presentation (pre-takedown) were winning field and target matches in the 50's and in Bob's words are what "put Wing bows on archer's radar".

This is what I currently "think". I don't know if Maplethorpe was the original location (Bob's garage) or the later Houston shop as by the early 60's he'd moved to a larger facility in Jacksonville TX.

The Presentation II takedown was introduced in '62 with two riser lengths and two (I think limb lengths) so you could have a 58" or 62" bow on the short riser or a 66" or 70" on the longer one.

The RWH is probably the most copied design EVER, but Bob was first.

He sold to Head such that the '68-69 years are the only ones with the Head Ski addition to the later stylized Wing logo. "70 forward and the bows carry the AMF add on to the logo. When he sold, he signed a 5 year management agreement and when up in'73, he left the archery business altogether. '74 was supposed to be the end of AMF/Wing recurves, BUT I have a post '77 Kitteridge Archer's Bible still listing the RWH, Nighthawk, Falcon and Little Wing. ???

'89 Bob jr. talked his dad back into the business, and at some point they re-acquired the rights to the Wing brand name, BUT I don't know if that is still true.

Following are some pics of the Wing 'Swift Wing'..

It's 59# at my draw length of 30"..Probably about 52#@28 when originally done but no markings on the bow whatsoever other than the WING logo lower limb-belly side. Nicely done with multiple laminations and at 66" NTN..very smooth..Reminds me of the old longer recurve Howatt Ventura bows.Jim PS: Can't read all the old Houston Texas address on the sticker..

and the label-sticker

Note the tips were very nominal 'pin style' tips..

and another of the riser section

The indexed leather application is my own..Came with nothing on shelf or sight window..Here's another riser section view..Jim

and view of riser from the back side..

Oops, we overlapped Jim.

I'm going to guess your tiny-tip Swiftwing is about 1960-62 based on the label has a different address than mine and the RWH I had had even more layers of tip overlays.

And I also think the T-Bird was being built prior to '67, but I have nothing to back that up.

Rick

Yorktowne, Very similar logo but different address..and of course mine isn't a Red Wing Hunter..:)

Maybe the address can help someone( Bob Lee) to tell about when the bows were made? They must have changed locations somewhere back in time..IF I was to guess..I think my Swift Wing is late 50's very early 60's but just don't know..Thanks..Jim

Rick..I really enjoy the detective work you and others have done to help us with the history and chronologies of the vintage bows and makers and companies..

Some great bows still out there other than Bear that do deserve to have their story..their company and bowyer's stories revealed..

So the archery 'archaeologist' is never done..:) Best regards, Jim

I have a Wing AMF 58" that has "Woodys" silkscreened on the top limb.Looks like a RED WING HUNTER. Anybody know anything about it? Arrowchucker

Jim;

Your Swift Wing is from the same year of the "Outlaw" Presentation 1962.

Mapleridge ave was not the first location of Wing Archery.

Yorktown; Yes the P-II came out in 1962 but it only had a rosewood handle. The black micarta handle came out in 1967-same year as the Thunderbird but the vast majority of them were made when Head Ski owned the company. The rosewood/black micarta P-II handles were all Head Ski and a very few AMF. During AMF tenure the handles were two tone wingwood(epoxy impregnated and colored maple).

Kittredge Bow Hut was a Wing Dealer and it was very common for them to be selling bows after they were discontinued as is with all archery dealers.

The serial numbers were saved but went with each successive purchas of the company. They were lost when AMF went out of business and all assets were sold off during bankruptcy.

Thanks, Kelly..It is a fine longer snooth shooting recurve..My old ing Swift Wing predates the Mapleridge address for Wing then?..Jim

I knew about the outlaw riser, but wasn't sure if it was only '62, but "by" '62 they got "shunned".

Hmmm, so no records exist "anymore". I have repeated wrong information before, so am a little gunshy. Once you write something incorrectly, it comes back to haunt you over and over.

Kelly, are you going on memory or do you have some source/documentation? Not questioning your veracity, just double checking sources.

'67 would make my 58" P-II (no Head on the logo) a rare variation.

So Mapleridge was the second location in Houston huh? That would make Al's notation on the decal correct.

Rick

My mistake the Swift Wing of dire wolf's is a 1960 or 61. They were in fact outlawed after the 1961 Nationals by NFAA.

Yes, the decal on Jim's Swift Wing is the first, 314 S 7th I think. Does that have a maple riser with rosewood sight window, Jim?

Before this they were known as Westbow.

A guy from New Jersey-aquaitance to Len Cardinale-bought the rights to Wing from the AMF bankruptcy. He/they produced some Wings here in the US but most notably they were produced by Taiwan. Most popular model was the Red Wing Hunter TD.

If the New Jersey guy acquired any of the "records" no one knows. All of the Wing names, logos, etc were trademarked/copyrighted. The New Jersey guy never renewed those trademarks/copyrights so Rob Lee was able to get them back.

Used to have over 100 Wings, including 20+ P-II's and knew two other very large Wing collectors who had catalogs. Between the 3 of us using all the bows we had in our collections, the catalogs and just common sense we came to the agreement of how the bows were serial numbered throughout the various years of Wing existence. That agreement/summurization is as I have stated earlier in this thread.

Yorktown; I've seen you use 60's as an indicator of age but really the 1960's are the lifetime/lifeline of Wing Archery and each year is all to its own as far as models/changes/handle woods/serial numbers etc.

The Wing Archery "silk screen"(which is on your Thunderbird) logo with no address/no Houston/no Head Ski is what we call the transistion logo-transistion to Jacksonville, TX from Houston just prior to the sale to Head Ski in mid to late 1967.

Regarding your P-II takedown there are no logos on the handles-never has been so they can only be dated by the serial number. Solid rosewood handles as well as a few solid black micarta handles under Wing Archery serial number starts with the letter H. Then during Head Ski ownership the solid micarta and micata/rosewood handles serial number started with the letters HA. Under AMF it was HHA. If your P-II hanlde is from 1967 it will say H7-??? and most likely is a sloid black micater handle and short length.

Kelly, My Swift Wing recurve has the 'I' beam construction in the riser. Birdseye maple either side of what looks to me either like purple heart or rosewood.. There are A LOT of lamination pieces in the old bow..Speaking of a time when crafstmen and designers enjoyed the creativity of making a great bow that aesthetically was pleasing also..

Out of curiosity..why was the Swift Wing 'outlawed ' but the NFAA>???..:) Jim

Well actually the Presentation was outlawed because of all those laminations on the sight window the same as yours. NFAA said archers in the instinctive class could use those lams for sights. During the 1961 Nationals the Wing Presentation in the hands of its shooters took nearly all the top places in each category.

Thank you Kelly. Great stuff. Mine is as you describe as a transition '67 except the sn begins HH.

Rick

Well, my old Wing Swift Wing DOES have some nicely done laminations on the shooter's side ot the riser..:)

I suppose that more dis-ingenious shooters COULD use them as a sighting method of sorts..:)??

Fun stuff.. Thanks Kelly and others for the historical perspective on some great bows..made and used before many who post here were born..:)Jim

Here's a pic of my Presentation "outlaw" from I believe 1961. The sticker fell off and is long gone. Pretty bow and a great shooter.

another

Outpost Dave..A beauty!..Easy to see by looking at the laminations on the rear or the riser of yourand my Wing bows how field archers might utilize them for makeshift 'sights''..in a barebow world..:) Jim

Kelly, I thought the TA represented Wing Archery? That is how mine reads...TA.

Snag; Yours was probably one of the first bows made when right after Head Ski bought Wing. It has the transistion decal of which they added Div of Head Ski underneath it. Probably didn't have the new stickers but the added letter A indicates it was made during Head Ski ownership.

There are always exceptions but yours has the black/white overlays on back of handle. These were never on T-birds built by original Wing.

Great info on the T-birds. Mine has a "T 7-2975" notation on the side of the handle, but in different handwriting than the previous photos here show. It is marked 53#, scales 56# and likes a 9" brace height.

A friend, an older fella, brought me a bow to i.d. this weekend and possibly straighten a twisted limb for him. Turned out to be an AMF Thunderbird with a green "Wing Wood" riser. Quality-wise, it's a mere shadow of the previous Bob Lee and Head Ski versions, and possibly of the Taiwan-made era. Now I understand the differences in the various vintages.

Wouldn't take much to twist the flimsy limbs on these, and the owner demonstrated how it likely happened--by stringing it via the step-through method.

ttt

Got the twist worked out of the green 50# Thunderbird so now the string stays centered in the groove. I even shot it quite a few times this morning before returning it to its owner.

I have to admit, even though the newer vintage AMF-era T-bird isn't as high a quality bow as the older ones, it still shoots great--smooth, fast, and accurate. No stacking, either, unlike my beautiful 52# Howatt Hunter. And that's hard for me to admit.

I just picked up a 52" T-bird from a Craigslist seller. SSN T7- 1446 it's 47#. Seems to be a beautiful bow. I'll post some pictures soon.

Very happy!

Good find! Shoot be a sweet shooter.

Great bows in my humble opinion.

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