I picked up this Bear Polar yesterday and have a lot of questions about the bow: correct brace height, year of manufacture, string length and is it a longbow or recurve. After putting it beside my hybrid longbow and my Bear Kodiak, I couldn't categorize it.

Seller even included the original shipping box from Bear.

The Bear Polar is a recurve. For correct string length, you're probably going to want a string about 3-4" shorter than the total bow (AMO) length.

For dating the bow, I would start here:

http://www.stickbow.com/stickbow/Collector/beararchery/

Congrats on a cool piece of history!

1959-60 Semi recurve. I would go with a 61" string.

http://tradgang.com/cgi-bin/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic;f=14;t=003321

Semi-recurve as bowjack stated. That's what they called them back then.

Any thoughts on correct brace height.

Looking at the pictures in your link Bowjack, that is a 1959 bow, based on the belly of the riser and the red feather rest. Thank you.

Cool old bow and a wonderful shooter too. It's like many of today's hybrid longbows....quiet, shock-free, accurate---which are all the attributes of a good bow.

Ken, start at 8" and find where you like it..+ or -. It is still a personal thing, that brace height.

Thanks George. I am thinking a 61" longbow string. The tips are tiny. This bow resembles the '59 Kodiak to me, especially the riser and limb tips.

I like that period of Bear bows. I really like the dual shelf Alaskan from that time also; very ergonomic handle section that seems to fit just about any hand. And...they shoot very well.

The recommended brace height for a'59 Polar is 7-8", per '59 catalog.

It is a beautiful bow, the grip was the first thing I noticed about it, slim and like you said George, fits the hand well. I can hardly wait for the string to get here so I can shoot it.

I had a 1959 Panda that was a very similar bow with the same red glass...the Panda was made for shorter draw length shooters as a camp or club bow...mine was probably a real rarity in that it was in virtually unshot condition...a small plastic shelf that slid under the pigskin grip made it ambidextrous...they were plain bows designed to shoot well and be affordable...my Panda came with the original warranty document indicating the selling price new was 20 bucks...the Polar would have sold for 5 to 10 dollars more

DDave

The '59 Polar was listed at $37.50 and the '59 Panda was listed at $17.50.

It kind of puts things in perspective when one realizes the difference in price back then between the top of the line bows and the inexpensive ones...I think 1960 would have been the most telling year...as I recall the 1960 Kodiak Deluxe sold for 10 dollars more than the Kodiak Special and the Kodiak Special Deluxe for another 10 dollars...today 10 dollars will not even buy you a string

DDave

I have a similar Polar which shoots best at 7 3/4 but obviously you have to poke around for yourself.

Enjoy it, these are nice bows !

Thanks to all who responded

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