From: crookedstix
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Date: 18-Apr-15 |
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Now, as far as performance goes, I can't say enough good things about this bow. It feels great in my hand, and is a fine length for hunting. The bow with string is just three ounces shy of weighing 2 pounds, and if I stuck a stabilizer and/or a quiver on it I could easily make it heavier.
It has wonderful cast as well; it was landing 500-gr. aluminum arrows right out there with bows like my Bob Lee, Monterey, and Ocala-- all of which were heavier draw weights.
I'm posting another thread that shows some of these results if you're interested.
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From: crookedstix
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Date: 18-Apr-15 |
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I decided that I should try shooting a Browning Explorer I, to see if I liked the combination of big-riser mass and stability with short-bow maneuverability... plus I've always thought they were real lookers. I found a nice one from Lonnie C., the guy who mans the used bow table at Kalamazoo.
The one I got from him is marked at 45#, but on my scale it's 47# at 28" and 51.5# at my draw. What a nice weight for hunting... and Maine's turkey season will be here soon!
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From: crookedstix
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Date: 18-Apr-15 |
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Lonnie was super to deal with (and still has some great bows left over, BTW). He even made some cosmetic repairs to the bow before mailing it out, and it showed up looking like a million bucks.
At this point, however, my inner mad scientist decided that I could make it even BETTER. For instance, those striking black and white overlays at the sight window and under the hand looked wrong to me... as though the accountants were starting to tell the bowyers to just glue 'em up and skip the sanding; we can't afford all the shaping time. So they just lapped one over another, like a little set of steps-- it looked cheap to me.
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From: crookedstix
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Date: 18-Apr-15 |
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I also didn't like the tips... I've had older Brownings with beautiful, tiny tips that somebody worked hard to shape, but this 1974 bow had fat, clunky tips almost like a-- well I won't say it; but I decided that I needed to grab a rasp and have at it.
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From: crookedstix
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Date: 18-Apr-15 |
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Of course after the rasp came the 220 and the 400 and the 0000 steel wool and the Tru-Oil, and when I was done I had it looking like a proper bow from the 60's-- at least to my eye. Here's the before and after of the palm area...
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From: crookedstix
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Date: 18-Apr-15 |
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Here's the sight window...
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From: crookedstix
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Date: 18-Apr-15 |
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And here's what the redone tip looks like...
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From: Whittler
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Date: 18-Apr-15 |
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You did a nice job on a great looking bow congrats.
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From: crookedstix
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Date: 18-Apr-15 |
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I still need a drop of white paint on that old sight hole, but that's easy enough to do one of these days. Maybe I can use those overlay lines for gap shooting, like the old "Outlaw" Wing Presentation from '61-- I like it; retro-cheating!
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From: TheArrowSlinger
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Date: 18-Apr-15 |
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Does he have a website of some sort?
Thanks,
Ty
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From: buddyb
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Date: 18-Apr-15 |
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gota like those browning bows
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From: crookedstix
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Date: 18-Apr-15 |
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Yeah, I don't know how you'd beat this for a ground hunter (as long as you can hide that shine). I've had K-Mags and Super Necedahs and even a 54" Hunter-Flight, but this little Browning suits my hand and eye more than any of those. Maybe there's a Herter's out there somewhere that's just as short and stable and fast?
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From: Fisher Cat
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Date: 18-Apr-15 |
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Wow! Beautiful work Kerry. Thanks for sharing this. I'm planning to reduce the tips on one of mine soon. Now I have a better idea how to go about it. - John
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From: Frisky
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Date: 18-Apr-15 |
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Very nice job completing what Browning should have done.
Joe
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From: crookedstix
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Date: 18-Apr-15 |
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Well, not just Browning-- almost all of them cheapened things up around the late 60's it seems, and not just bows. It seems like sometime around or after 1967 our whole culture decided that the bean-counters knew more than the artisans, and everything from guitars to power tools to automobiles got cheap and crappy. Maybe that's just what happens when big companies buy up little ones-- Head and AMF buying up Wing; RCA buying up Fender,and so on. Shareholder profits become the tail that wags the dog, and quality takes a back seat. Check out the stabilizer hole placement on the Explorer; it's like a quarter inch off-center. Not such a big deal, but you'd never see a screw-up like that on a bow from the early 60's-- or if you did it would be sold as a "blemished" or "second".
There were persistent pockets of high quality to be sure (like bow shops in Yakima!), but in terms of quality the 70's were not a very pretty time, across a lot of industries.
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From: crookedstix
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Date: 18-Apr-15 |
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And here's the fit on the lower limb quiver bushing... look at the little gap where it doesn't quite seat flush to the bow. Can't you just imagine how many times a leaf or stem is going to snag on that going through the brush?
I don't mean to complain; I think it's a heck of a little bow and I love it to pieces already. But little details like this are so... so...70's! That's why it felt so good to grind those lams down where they really wanted to be, IMO.
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From: crookedstix
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Date: 18-Apr-15 |
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Geeze, someone at the "Wall has decided I don't know what order to submit my photos in, LOL!! They've rearranged the order on two of my threads so far today...wonder what's up?
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From: Pdiddly
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Date: 18-Apr-15 |
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Funny you should mention a short Herter's bow that's stable and fast...
My Perfection 52 (actually a 50") at 55# is a rocket launcher that points well...I had such faith in it that I used it for my bow hunting proficiency test in Quebec. Confident with my abilities out to 30 metres... I had to be as that was the farthest target.
You did a fantastic job on that re-make Kerry...the tips are the same size as the ones on my '66 Explorer now.
The quality control and fit and finish issues are glaring though and true of other bows...
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From: dhermon85
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Date: 18-Apr-15 |
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Looks like you done a good job:) I just got home from a 3d shoot with my Explorer 1. She performed great! Really like shooting this bow. Think I'll leave mine original though...
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From: bodymanbowyer
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Date: 18-Apr-15 |
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Did someone say short Herters. It says 48# but scales @ 51# at 28" great little bow.Jeff F
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From: Earl Mason
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Date: 18-Apr-15 |
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Beautiful. Wish I had one . hint hint.
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From: bodymanbowyer
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Date: 18-Apr-15 |
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Somebody really took care of this herters. To bad everybody doesn't take great care of these old bows. Jeff F
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From: crookedstix
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Date: 18-Apr-15 |
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I took care of mine with a rasp... but it was a loving rasp, and I'm sure it feels happier now.
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From: bodymanbowyer
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Date: 18-Apr-15 |
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That's OK crooked stix. Loving rasp :)
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