Friend from church brought over two bows he found in the crawl space of his home. Two beautiful bear Kodiaks 60" one 45# and one 42#. I told him I would identify them and set them up for him. Here are some pictures

The 42# bow has cracks as shown in the last picture, one above and one below the riser. They seem only like cracks in the finish but it is hard to tell. Both have original rest materials on them in fact i'm confident the 45# bow has never been shot.

Set up ?'s

what length strings? what string? What brace height? Nock placement? Aluminum arrow size that will be best fit?

The owner would be a non archer at this point. He slightly over 6 foot and will have a 30ish inch pull.

open to all input on what is best for these bows and this individual.

I offered to buy them but didn't know what to offer as fair market value, besides he kind of wants to try shooting with us this winter. If he elects to sell what are they roughly worth?

thanks. oz

What year bow are they?

thanks again. oz

1964

Yep, 1964.

Fairly expensive vintage Bears.

You set them up to suit your shooting. Start brace around 8" and go up or down from there to find your best spot. Nock set will be where it tunes correctly with the arrow you want and your form. String material is your choice, although most tend to stick with Dacron on older bows. If you use Dacron, don't go more than 12 or 14 strands for those weights.

Tuning is a personal thing, and you have to great bows there...maybe the best performing Kodiak of the 60's.

Both are a nice pair of 1964's with Bark Gray glass and Bubinga riser wood. I have refinished a number of '64's and start with a brace height of 7.5" and then usually go up until the twang is quietest. Usually a nock point of 1/2"-5/8" above center works best for arrow flight. You will have trouble with a long, draw- length shooter but first measure his draw length so you can select the proper arrow length (~1" longer than draw) for which to tune. The stress cracks are not pretty, just cosmetic in this area of the fadeout. If the stress is between the decal and the tips, then beware of limb twist and destringing. I am not so impressed with how the '64 shoots (at 50lb and above)as much as the artful quality of how the riser was finished and nicely rounded. However your weights of 42 and 45 lbs will shoot pretty smoothly in this model. Nice attic find! Regds, Ray

Ooops! I didn't see your additional questions. Don't get fancy. Use a B-50 or B-55 Flemish string that is 56" long prestreched for this 60" bow. Good starting point for the unknown draw length of the archer will be 2016 aluminum. You will need string silencers to deaden the twang no matter how well you are tuned. Ray

Great find for sure, especially being their 50th birthday! It's also a rare thing to find someone who does not like how they shoot...or the sound they make upon release.

I recall prices for these were over $400 just a few years ago, but now $2-300 it seems.

I think they shoot great. Very quick with a solid feel to them. Fantastic grip.

I'm using a '64 this year for the 50th anniversary, and I'm also 50. Gotta be some mojo in there somewhere. It used to be one of Lamont Grangers many bows on the ceiling of his shop.

I just paid 275 for one in similar condition...thought that was a very fair price...with the storage method involved I would be checking those bows for some limbs twist...that is a classic way to end up with twisted limbs...if they are twisted let us know and we can tell you how to remove or at least lessen it

DDave

Many, including me, think the '64s one of the best shooting Kodiak years. The first year for the riser "horns" to show up in the line although they were not as pronounced as the next decade.

Thanks guys, I did check for twisted limbs, they look good. I'm excited to get them set up for him. Nice looking bows, I will get strings and get started next week. Was surprised at the value glad I asked that question. I wasn't going to ask because it seems value is whatever people will pay but I would have advised him they were worth considerably less.

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