I just bought another Montana, and all I can say is wow! Not in a good way either. This bow should have never left the factory. The top limb was twisted ,glue lines sloppy, finish sanding was non existent. Whoever was operating the machines that day was very unskilled. I have an older Montana and there is no comparison. Very disappointing. I used to really like Bear stuff.

So have you called Bear so they can fix it? They will send you another bow. I would think that a better route before public execution. Everyone has a bad day now and then. I know I have, and I'll bet you have had a few as well.

That's what I thought 5 yes ago. IMO Jeff

Being a big fan of Bear Archery for decades I hate the thought that Bear could have quality problems, but I don't think that the OP's case is a "bad day", or the rare occurrence.. I have seen more than a few bows over the last year that demonstrated a lack of quality control with issues very similar to those noted. This is strange considering that they are likely producing a fraction of the volume that was produced annually during the Grayling and early Gainesville years.

Assuming you bought it used. Can't imagine you'd buy it like that new from a retailer. If bought used your options may be limited. Hope you get a better one.

Yeah I would contact them. I'm in manufacturing and we have a very tight group of inspectors but they do miss things now and then. Bear will make it right I'm sure.

Spider: Your Montana must have been built on the same "bad day" as my Kodiak.

I too had to send an SK back last year. String groove was way off center. Tiller was way off and the riser had a big blotch on it. I know there are people on this site that get angry when someone complains about Bear products. Judging from the post histories, it's not such a rare occurrence. They have a right to complain. Where is quality control? They should catch the newbie screw ups.

I bought a Bear Patriot a few months ago. It has begun to lose the string at full draw. Bear was very polite, cannot replace it because it is not to specs (40 lbs). They immediately sent me a mailing label and told me that they will modify the string grooves and return it, but it will take 3 weeks in house. Stand by for follow up.

Fill us in 1) new or used 2)year produced 3)bought where?

Quality control may need improvement. Hang in there they been getting the job done for a long time.

I'd give Bear a chance to fix/replace it.

Not only did the person who built that bow mess up someone in quality control missed it as well...there are a lot of manufacturing who would be out of business if they operated that way in these competitive times...not sure why a traditional archery company should be exempt from that just because they are a well know name in the business...I almost bought a Gainesville Bear a while ago and then I caught myself...I am sticking with bows marked Grayling...no warranty of course, but I have never had a single issue with one including my Kodiak Deluxe that supposedly came out Grayling with all sorts of issues...I would sooner have my bows to shoot than be waiting for them to get replaced on warranty...if I owned stock in the parent company of Bear Archery I would be asking some tough questions at the shareholders meetings

DDave

I bought the Patriot new from Big Jim' s. Manufactured in 2013. I expect they will make it right. I bought the 40 lbs bow because my draw length is 31" and my 45 lbs Grizzly pinches my fingers significantly. I am working my way to a custom bow and appreciate the wealth of information available on the Leatherwall. Meanwhile, I'm having a ball making my own arrows, building a quiver, arm guard, and bow case.

I agree it's unacceptable but I've had issues with even custom bows. My Bob lee had runs in the finish and was surprised that no one caught it. Keep us posted.

I was at one of the major sporting goods chain stores the other day and a few of their Bear Montana's looked like that. Two of them had runs in the finish and one had very rough glue lines.

Saw some at Bass Pro and they were terrible. Hopefully they will pull it together.

The bow was purchased brand new from an archery dealer on ebay. I have bought from him before. Thats where I bought my first montana. He was nice enough to take it back at no cost to me. I also saw some at Lancaster Archery that were sub par. Very disappointed .

My 2014 kodiak is flawless. The quality is exceptional. Look at them before you buy.

In Bear Archery' s defense, this bow is cosmetically impeccable. Big Jim's was a pleasure to do business with and Big Jim called and spoke to me personally. I bought the bow because it was only 40 lbs and hoped it would accommodate my length of draw without the stacking of my Grizzly. It did until the string started jumping off after several months of shooting. I'll post some follow up in a month.

All of the Grayling Bears I ever owned were first class bows. I've never owned Gainsville. I do plan to own a new '59 Kodiak next year. Sorry to hear of your experience, But it sounds like they'll make it right with you.

Cameron, respectfully, someone at the Bear factory is supposed to be looking at them in order to insure quality before the bow leaves the factory. A potential buyer should not have to be responsible for quality control.

I have heard eBay dealers are selling "seconds" at discount.

Well a few years ago, folks bitched that Bear would never make the old bows again. Then Bear did. Then Bear got behind due to demand and the folks bitched again because they couldn't keep up. Bear hired new folks....and again....and again.

Sure, I think that quality control needs to be observed, but that seems to get more ire and bad news than all of the ones that are perfect or near about. Just like mainstream media...report only negative.

Bear has hired a significant number of people to get the job done, and I guess they are still hiring/training. It's not like hiring a cashier to sell you french fries, or someone to dig a ditch...or mend a fence. They are training folks for a job that years ago nearly require apprenticeship to reach proper skill levels. But in today's society, we want it perfect every time..no breaks. Unless, or course, it is something we did.

My guess is that Bear turns out 90 good bows for every 100 they make. I'm sure they would like it to be 100 of 100 and maybe they will get there. So lets hear from the ones who are more than satisfied with those bows that Bear was never going to build again because the market wasn't big enough. And, maybe we should be a little more benevolent toward a once again growing traditional supplier. We sure as hell don't have many others over here listening and making bows en masse.

I have one thing to say about all this... If Fred was still in charge,heads would roll!

It all depends on what inspection method they are using. If things are running good, they might only be inspecting 1 in 5 items produced. If they find problems they then would probably go to 100% inspection until they figured the problems were resolved.

I don't owe bear archery anything much less cutting them slack for turning out sub par bows. I can tell you that I have owned 2 Montana longbows and both were junk. I can't speak for other new high end bears but the new Montana bows are some of the most poorly constructed bows I've ever seen. From that experience alone I'll never drop the money on another new bear. I don't get the option of having a bad day in my line of work we have procedures in place to avoid it.

So why put them on the market if they are substandard,built by unskilled labor? Just keep selling crap until they figure out what they 're doing? Helluva way to run a business!

I currently have nine Bear take downs in my house, seven new models and two older ones, along with two new Super Kodiaks, a new Montana and several vintage Bears. Both of my sons shoot new model Bear bows as do several of my friends. I put on a big opening day gang hunt each year and Bear was well represented this year with three guys shooting Bear takedowns, two shooting new Super Kodiaks and one a Bear Montana.

I had an issue with a set of limbs on one of my take downs, the top limb developed a limb twist after a couple of weeks. I contacted customer service at Bear and was told to ship them back. It took about 12 weeks to get them replaced as Bear was so back logged at the time, but they did replace them free of charge. This was on one of the diamondwood takedowns when they first reintroduced the bow.

My son has a 64" Grayling Green Super Kodiak that we had a lot of trouble getting an arrow to tune out of. I talked with Neil Byce at the Baltimore shoot this spring and he said that it didn't look like it was center shot quite enough. He gave me his e-mail address and told me to contact him the following week. He gave me a return authorization number and I shipped the bow back. A technician examined the bow, took the sight window in some and then completely refinished the whole bow, no charge. I had it back in my hands in about six weeks.

I don't know that either of the above problems would have been able to have been discovered during an inspection, as they only manifested themselves after shooting the bows for awhile.

That being said, you couldn't ask for better looking or performing bows than the rest of the Bears on my rack. I have owned dozens of custom take downs over the last 30 years. Some of which cost me over twice what a new Bear take down costs today. I have an A & B Bubinga bow and an A & B two toned bows that I will put up against any of the customs that I have had as far as looks, finish and performance. I have chronographed the new Bear limbs and pound for pound, they give up nothing to the majority of the custom and production bows available. When I set up the bows to the same weight, shooting the same arrow through a clicker the only bows that I have shot that are noticeably faster are some of my ILF bows with Olympic limbs.

If you have a blemish or defect that you don't like, send it back. Bear will take care of it. The only real down side is the time line. They are having problems keeping up with production and that makes getting warranty work take longer than you would like sometimes, especially when it is YOUR bow that we are talking about. But to me, I think it is a good thing that Bear is having trouble keeping up. Means there is a big demand for their product. It also means they will hopefully keep bringing back some of the models we have coveted over the years. I am trying to figure out now how to pay for one of the new black Super Kodiaks!!

I had a 2012 take-down that left a lot to be desired. Must have been made by the same guy. I really would like a new two tone but lefties aren't even available (A risers)and until QC improves I"ll keep custom guys in business.

Greyghost I had the same year issue. I don't want to bother going in to details because by now everyone knows I have higher stakes for hating the company today. But in all honesty before my major issue; I was not impressed with poor quality on a new item. Rooty, you don't always get the option to look before buying. Sadly they think they can go up on prices. IMO, Bear is not listening to what people want because they care. They are listening because they are getting ideas for great profit and share holder portfolios. Hey, it's corpotate America now, and Bear is no longer a company looking to promote archery because they have a owner with a passion for it. Any company has a warranty, not every company has good quality control. It amazes me the number of people who stick up for them either wanting to believe in the company out of consonance dissonance, knowing an employee, or other person profiting from sales. Arguing about bear making an issue right does not make up for the consistant lack of quality. I wouldn't want to hear "send it back" if I was on the waiting list for a particular bow that is taking as long as some customs to arrive.

I bought a new SUPER GRIZZLY n it was marked 50lbs @ 28” n couldn't shoot it but like 5 times n wore out,I shoot older 45lb SUPER GRIZZLY like 50 arrow rounds,sold new bow n buyer called me n said it was 58lbs at 28”,thatwhy I couldn't shoot it! I still shoot Bear bows n will have another new SG but buy a 40lb one this time,I love my new kodiak magnum 45lb bow its a smoker n shoots where I aim it,just wish the new SG was closer to marked weight!

I can't say that all the Bears I have received have been without problems as we have had a few through out the years, but they always make it right. I will say that I have never seen some of the issues reported daily and I'm sure that a lot are the same occurrence over and over but sounding like 10 because it is reported so often.

Someone purchasing a factory made bow and expecting custom type quality is probably going to be disappointed. However, a lot of the custom bows I see leave a lot to be desired..many projecting the same problems that Bear is professed to have.

We always hear about how good that the grayling bows were, but there was no internet back then whereas now a days, we can fry someone before the postage is dry.

This year, I have had 3 bows come back to me for refund from customers claiming limbs were crooked and how disappointed they were in Bear QC. I always inspect the bows coming back and none of the three had any issues... I'm guessing most people couldn't tell a crooked limb from a straight one or they are lying to me when they try to trade one..."I had no idea that bow was that way! It shoots great though" yeah, whatever.

I have adopted a new program for all Bear bows going out of my store to circumvent any further issues. I will open and string each and every bow leaving my facility. I'm sure I too can miss an issue occasionally as I'm at least as busy as Bear..I don't have enough help here either. This doesn't mean that all bows will meet the standards that are projected by some of the "experts" but it should at lease alleviate many of the concerns. All 2014 Bears will come with a new "BigJim" custom string as well. I agree that their strings leave a lot to be desired.

You guys don't realize, it was still corporate America back in the day also. Fred was just more visible and liked and that hid the fact that it was a still for profit business and all the complaints had to go via telephone or snail mail.

I am very fond of Bear but mostly because of the people that represent them...I know very few have the privilege to meet or know the people behind the company as I do. They are trying very hard to improve every aspect.

Go ahead and purchase a Martin if you think you won't have any issues...I had a martin employee try to sell me on stocking their bows and he had no idea that one of the limbs was so crooked that the bow could barely hold a string...I pointed it out to him and he said to me ..."nah man, their ain't nothing wrong with that bow" I said ok and move on.

BigJIm

I was at Jays Sporting goods in Clare, MI this past weekend, and being a Bear fan, I am disappointed with the new bows. I own a new Bubinga B-riser which is great and the new 59 Kodiaks I have seen are great. But, the new Grizzly's, Super Kodiaks all have grips like 2x4's. The front part of the grips are not rounded well at all. Seems like the guys shaping the bows must be compound people who shoot with an open grip. Even the older Gainesville bows were shaped better. I am a bit surprised that Neil has not gotten on to the staff about this. As of right now, I would not waste my time with anything less than a Takedown, or 59 Kodiak.

Tom

From personal experience recently, my Montana and Patriot are flawless, as are the many other Bear models at our archery club. The few bows that had problems were promptly replaced. Luckily for us we are only about 50 miles from the plant, and we just take the bows there. On the compound side of the world, several folks here have had their complete cable/string harnesses replaced at the pro shop for no charge.

Guys.....I've been in and around the sporting goods business nearly my ENTIRE life. I have seen virtually EVERY manufacturer have quality control issues to some degree on some product or products. That it includes Bear, Martin, Black Widow Remington, Orvis, Rocky, and the list goes on.

AND, in nearly all cases (maybe all I can't remember) the manufacturer corrected the issue without hesitation.

Talk to Bear...nobody on here can make it right. Then if you don't get satisfaction you have something to complain about.

I'd want to buy in person and look first

Everyone needs to read Big Jim's post here and see his perspective as a retailer of these bows and get his take on it. I worked in bows shops for years through college as a retailer and warranty center for some major brands (mostly compounds mind you) and EVERY company has their issues. They are a mass produced item and most consumers who are brand loyal would be surprised to hear what warranty centers see from some of the manufacturers. That's why there's a warranty offered with them, they can't make every single one hold up as the same as the bow before it. Some of them will have issues.

That being said my re-entry last year into trad bows started with a new Bear Montana and it is very well finished and shoots great. I attempted to purchase a Martin Savannah Steatlh that was around a 2013 or 2014 model and it was very poorly constructed, finish was terrible and the limbs were not straight. I promptly returned it.

I bought a new Super Grizzly this year and its a great bow. They did mislabel the limb as a super kodiak but that doesnt bother me. Funny remington was mentioned, i attempted to contact them 3 times in a week over a new shotgun. It wouldnt feed properly and was pretty much useless. They never got back with me from phone or emails. I traded it off for a benelli and never looked back.

well first and formost they are saving lots and lots of money they are doing poor to medium quility work at best using half the amount of finish matiral applying it in half the time with some new finisher wantabie dude that is just to lazy to use some extra sand paper.IMHO worse then poor....their finish work flat out sucks on about 99% of new bear bows I've checked out in the last 5-6 years.CONTACT them and bitch about the finish it is the only way it will ever stop bd

HMM..Cheap , qualified , competent workers are hard to find..

Poor workmanship with poor QC is very common..from the bow mfgrs to auto industry to the hi-way dept to the airline mfgrs..to NASA..to our government..

Caveat Emptor..Old latin saw for 'buyer beware'.. Follow thru with Bear down in Fla..Be persistent..Jim

The worm will turn if it continues.

Naaaw...The American consumer has little or no discernment for quality..OR accountability......and that, unfortunately, includes the archery community... Good post Big Jim..

I have several Bear bows..But none newer than 1958..:)and I was picky about those when I bought them used..and still shoot them..Jim

In the past year I have purchased a new (reintro) 59 Kodiak, Super Kodiak, Kodiak custom TD and a separate set of limbs. I have shot all sorts of mainly custom bows for years (been in archery most of my life and I'm 71). I am absolutely delighted with all three bows--they are flawless in fit and finish and they shoot as well as any bow I have owned. If you have a problem, let Bear know--especially before getting on the internet and bashing them. I have found Bear customer service to be excellent.

The thing about quality control is, it doesn't produce anything for the company. It is listed as overhead. About 20 years ago or so, to reduce costs,some northern manufacturers started training their production workers in self inspection of their own work.

If Bear is working at full capacity, as stated, they need to set up a rework area to take care of finish problems, if they haven't already. They can't afford to take the time to send them back thru the regular production line.

All that nasty gossip - not a single solitary picture to back it up.

Big Jim's reputation speaks for itself.

Spider - Why did you write this 10 months ago?

"From: Spider Private Reply Date: 27-Jan-14 I can speak for the Montana, and it is a sweet shooting bow. Smooth draw, handles nicely, and really zips the arrows down range. If your looking to buy one new, check ebay look for archeryconnection. I bought one from him, good guy to deal with. His price was $339 with free shipping. Only complaint would be the leather on the grip. not very comfortable. "

Yeah, I'm kinda questioning these types of threads too.

Guys, I've bought vintage Bear bows from the early 60's that had full palm prints underneath the clear coating - sealed for life. :) Point being here that QC hasn't taken a nose dive as some allude. With any mass produced bow there will be issues from time to time and Bear backs up everything they sell - period. It's as though some of you don't want them to win in the market. I mean 10 years ago you guys were proclaiming Bear's demise......and now look at them. Sometimes folks need to get over themselves.

Lol same old crap folks want to dog any one who question any of the Holy institutions of archery.

As for big Jim not one person here has questioned his integrity so I'm not sure where that came up.

I'm done voicing an opinion on the subject buy what you want. But they won't get another penny from me until something big changes.

"Lol same old crap folks want to dog any one who question any of the Holy institutions of archery"

There is nothing "Holy" about businesses.

The problem arises from the neotrad mindset that states their personal experiences are a microcosm for the entirety of the matter. The truth is usually always something completely different, however.

When I sold Bear bows 90's for about a decade running, I recollect the number of Bear recurves returned for any reason could be counted on one hand with fingers left over to boot. Fast forward to the present and Big Jim is selling bows as quickly as he can get them with a return rate probably hovering around less than 1% and an actual defect rate that's inconsequential as well. Virtually all other dealers are giving me the same feedback too. Sounds to me like they're doing a hell of a job........but there is no pleasing some people. I'm not buying the bs.

I wrote that about the first montana I had which I was happy with. I traded that one a couple months back and regret it. That is why I bought another, no comparison between the two.

You need to quit bashing companies or people publically, until you have exhausted all forms and methods to get it taken care of. if YOUR Ebay dealer is Authorized then you should be able to return the bow for a replacement, if that doesn't get it rectified then contact the manufacture directly. Bear Archery is a MANUFACTURER not a custom bow shop. With what's available out there for employees that want to learn a trade or craft its no wonder they are having QC issues.

"Spider it appears your experience with the poor quality of the new bear bows isn't valid in the minds of those who think they are superior with no experience. It is laughable to my minds eye that these same experts also appear to be experts on many other things with no experience. They am seem to follow patterbs of blowing empty white smoke into the Internet that only proves that they the elves believe they are experts. I appreciate your critic and slcount it along with many others who actually do not need to blow empty smoke because of their bad bears as well."

No one said his experience isn't valid, but that it isn't representative of the condition of the average product shipped. I'd gladly comment on the rest of your post, but it's incomprehensible.

If you have to wait for a bow, QC should not be an issue...the bow shouldn't have any issues requiring a return. If it's a production bow, then i could understand a few flaws getting through to the masses....being a "production" bow, getting a replacement should be quick. Seems an easy fix for me though...don't offer bows that will have a high demand, and not be able to keep up with demand while saying you're a production company. A specialty, custom trad shop (within the Bear company), that required a wait but a flawless bow...no complaints then, other then the wait, lol. But it's easy for me to sit back and say/type all this stuff. I like Bear bows and the 2012 Super Grizzly I bought, was flawless.

The thread title is and is about " quality control of Bear", is it not?? Then how come my post keeps being deleted?

I've only written in a nutshell, that if Bear has good Quality Control, and they can be confident with their product, how come they only have 1 year limited warranty? I read from other post that they used to have 2 year warranty, now? it has been shortened.

Doesn't that say something about their confidence level of their own product? and resulting quality?

now, I don't think I'm slandering anyone or any company.

I see it as a single consumer's view point, in that it doesn't make me feel confortable to buy something when the Manufactuerers's warranty is limited. Specially when I can shop around and compare (and read the fine prints. )

I also think my post is in line with topic.

Can I at least have an explanation as to WHY my post is being deleted so selectively????

Apparently the Bear warranty has changed some over the years. In 1959 Bear would repair or replace for Free a failed bow within the first 6 months, provided that the bow was registered and you were the original owner.

6 months to a year, if the bow had not been mis-used or mis-handled, the bow would be repaired or replaced for 25% of the list purchase price.

From 1 to 1-1/2 years after the purchase date, the charge was 50% of the purchase price.

From 1-1/2 years to 2 years, the charge was 75% of the purchase price.

From 2-3 years the charge was 90% of the purchase price.

I doubt if any of the quality control guys are left that were there when Fred owned the company. Just because it says Bear Archery doesn't mean it's the same company,

What year did Fred sale the comp.

Fred sold the company in 1967 to Victor Comtometor company.

Actually, it was Victor Comptometer Corporation. I inspected and assembled water cooled bearing housings that the company I worked for sold them in the late '60s and '70s.

I hope a current Bear employee reads these post and passes along the issues people are having.

Already sent the link.

Oh, I don't work for Bear. I wish! lol But I can honestly say that I am a Bear man through and through. I have never had any problems what so ever with any I have received and that is all I have shot my whole life. All the newer ones have been remarkable as well. I did start prostaffing for them this year and I am proud to represent them in their traditional line-up. I forwarded this post to them to see.

Jeff

Since Bear might actually read this, I'd suggest they hire somebody that can do a proper leather grip. The ones on the 59 K are subpar, to put it kindly.

They will read this and they are a company which listens and they are working very hard to meet the demands of their customers.

Notice that the compass is gone on the Takedowns this year? I had forwarded them links on the topic last spring and talked to them about it quite a bit. Those who I talked to were not aware of the situation. It looks like they listened. Personally I really like having the compass on mine. I use it all the time, but many out there don't want it and from what it seems is that is what is holding many people back from getting one.

So many people seem to have a hate on Bear because they are a large company and not just someone who makes bows in their back yard. The thing is, when you find out who these people are you will realize that they are all just hunters like the rest of us.

They turn out so many bows that the law of averages just dictates that there will be a problem once in a while. That is the nature of the beast.

Jeff

The 2014 '59er I got last year was perfect in every way. Beautiful wood and finish had zero qualms about raffling it off at our archery club fund raiser. I got a second one for myself and it was perfect too.

Beyond perfect

Where's the deer leather? In the garbage can I reckon.

Right here

That glove looks like it fits better. :^)

I was at cabelas early and looked over two montana's, a grizzly and super mag. All 4 were impeccable. Glue lines nice, finish nice, smooth draw. Maybe just a bad one came thru. My local shop stocks about 30 bears and I have yet to see a bad one there.

In the past 3 years I've picked up 2 new Bear takedowns and the new '59, and found them all very nice...and my complaint about the leather grip on the '59 was minor.

Two of these bows came from Big Jim and I have to applaud him and the staff for great service.

Fred may be gone, but I believe the company is making a valiant attempt to carry on the American tradition...and make a little money too in the process. I see nothing wrong with that.

Didn't read everything posted but it's hard to find good help now days and God forbid you call them out on it...they will sue you for hurting there little Bo Bo feelings if you talk to them about their lack of performance and then you might get fired for doing it in the first place for not running it through HR first.

What da say George? You worked at Wallmart for years..is this not the truth?

I have a new 2014 Super Kodiak, Grayling Green. The bow just arrived a few weeks ago, and there are no issues with it. The riser wood is exceptional with lots of figure. That really surprised me. By the way, I sent email to Bear before purchase, and they informed me there will be no more SK in Grayling Green. So I jumped on this 64" 40# from 3 Rivers while I could. Just FYI.

I bought a set of limbs thru Big Jim this summer and had an issue with the finish when I got them. I called Jim, he requested photos, which he forwarded to Bear immediatlely, I had new limbs within a week. Big Jim and Bear were really on top of things, congrats to both.

Bear Archery repaired and returned my Patriot in 7 days. I couldn't be more pleased with the result. They called me the day after I sent it by UPS and clarified the nature of the problem, then fixed it and sent it back today. They gave me a new string and deepened the grooves so it sits in them appropriately. Shipping was free both ways. Whoever runs this company is doing a great job. Thanks also to Big Jims Archery for their service and advice long after the sale.

On October 29, in a post up above on this thread I wrote, "I have found Bear customer service to be excellent." The very next day, my Super Kodiak broke at full draw. In 30 minutes I had been on the phone with Zack in customer service and had a return authorization number. The bow was received at Bear factory on Nov. 3 and today--25 days later--I received my new replacement bow. Just as beautiful as the other one. I call that excellent customer service--one phone call was all it took. Thank you Bear Archery!

Fred used inferior bows for firewood.

Good to hear that they took care of you.

If you have already registered, please

sign in now

For new registrations

Click Here