My daughter just bought me a Pearson colt to thank me for baby sitting and keeping house for her during a difficult pregnancy for a couple of months.Suprised me and it's a classic rosewood lefty.Only fired a few shots so far but it's smooth and sweet shooting.It calls for a nice set of hand made footed arrows.Its going to be a nice love affair happening.Can't wait to put it through its paces . OSR

I really like Colts, despite their humble status in the BP lineup. My favorites are like yours - the "olla wood" variant!

Here's one I just re-finished. Is anyone else out there a Colt fan?

I got two of them,great shooting bows looking for a lefty at 45#.

Hers mine 45# lefty

Due to The Aussie dollar only being worth 70 cents to 1 USD this bow cost more for postage than it's selling price.Over $200 dollars Australian.Our dollar was once at parity or better a while ago and bows like that we're only about $100 dallars then.Still worth it as they are uncommon here and you ain't going to get one any other way. OSR

Due to The Aussie dollar only being worth 70 cents to 1 USD this bow cost more for postage than it's selling price.Over $200 dollars Australian.Our dollar was once at parity or better a while ago and bows like that we're only about $100 dallars then.Still worth it as they are uncommon here and you ain't going to get one any other way. OSR

Due to The Aussie dollar only being worth 70 cents to 1 USD this bow cost more for postage than it's selling price.Over $200 dollars Australian.Our dollar was once at parity or better a while ago and bows like that we're only about $100 dallars then.Still worth it as they are uncommon here and you ain't going to get one any other way. OSR

I've got a 35-40 pound colt that I love!

I've got one that's a two tone Maple and walnut it appears. Started as a rework restoration project a few years back. Never could get the twist out of the lower limb. Projects been on hold ever since. It now resides under the couch in my motor home.

Osr -

IIRC, there were no rosewood Colts. They used less expensive hardwoods and occasionally stain. They were entry level bows and BP knew where to cut corners. If you look closely you'll see the riser is actually made up of several pieces glued together. That also cut costs.

Don't get me wrong, they and their big brother the Javelina shot a lot better than their price tags suggested.

BTW - Keep the brace height in the 7.5" range, due to the shallow recurves.

Viper out.

Ben Pearson, like Tony said, could cut corners to save money yet still produce a quality shooter. The Colt is one of those. I also agree with the brace thing, you can pull the recurve out of it by going too high. Pearson enabled the so-called poor folk to be able to get into archery back in the day. Today, Samick seems to be the leader in that aspect. Without companies like them, our numbers would be considerably less.

...one of my fav BP models and comfortable to shoot in the field or at the range. H.P.

Yeah, your never forget your first...

... But by the looks of the arrow rest, you'd might think I had!

Yeah, I have one, a 48#er. It's kind of a beater, but boy, does it shoot.

Viper, I have not seen a Colt riser in dalbergia nigra (Brazilian Rosewood), so I agree with that part of your comment. However, for a couple-year period BP offered some of their "lower-end" bows in a wood they described as "Olla." I've researched this term, and like others before me have not conclusively determined what species they were referring to. But like some others, I'm inclined to think that the wood was dalbergia retusa (cocobolo, a close relative of B. Rosewood). In 1965-66 cocobolo may have been a "less expensive hardwood" than B. Rosewood.

In the 1966 BP catalog, for example, the Colt and Javelina riser woods were identified as Olla (most models had specific wood species listed). The photos of those bows are pretty consistent with my examples of those bows, and with other examples I've seen (or own) where the species is known to be cocobolo.

Here's a composite photo of my Olla colt and a cocobolo image from The Wood Database website. I'm not 100% sure about this, and if anyone has definitive info on Olla wood I'm eager to learn more about it.

You're also correct that Colt risers (at least all that I've seen) are glued up from planks. Mine are all either two or three boards in "I-beam" configuration.

Is that the bow that was named after the Malt Liquor?

I have five of them, three Righties and two lefties. The cross section that Viper referred to was done for strength, it was called the "I" beam design.

The rarest is the 1965 model that had a different color center section. I have three in Olla, One in a lighter wood, which I stained darker.

Here are all five together

Nice bow. I have a 50# BP Stallion I picked up from "the Footed Shaft." Has that ugly green belly glass, but shoots like a champ.

Here is a picture of the 1965 I was speaking about next to one of my lefties...

gmr - I think 5 Colts qualifies as a herd.

Mine looks like that one on the left in the last pic ! Minus any finish, and the maple has mold spots on it I can't even sand out! Not a clue what year it is. I'm a Bear guy!... 42 lbs. with WHITE glass. If it has a Maple I - beam it's a '65?

That is the only year they did that. I can date it if you show me the logo.

Here you go gmr....don't mind the extra writing,I put that on there after I scaled it so I wouldn't forget!

Grip and arrow shelf have been reworked more to my liking!

Yep, 1965. That is only the third one I have ever seen! here is the catalog from that year.

Thanks Greg! Don't know much about Pearsons. This one needs some work but shoots just fine!

So it's NOT maple in the center! It's white Holly. I thought it seemed different when I was shaping and sanding. It's kinda punky compared to maple.

It's amazing how well some of the "entry" level bows shoot.Colts,mustangs,Javelinas and Pintos are a pleasure to shoot.Some of the Pearson designs may be imitative but they did them very well.

Almost lost my newly acquired colt 2 days ago .The wife and me were in a car accident and only just got out of hospital yesterday.We are ok but a bit bruised and battered.3 of our bows were laying diagonaly in the trunk of the car.The trunk was crushed on one side up the the back seat.The bow limbs were bent back wards and jammed in the trunk.To remove the bows we had to fold down the split seat.We had the colt, a Sabo and a Crovotta bros bow .We survived and the bows did too.There was only superficial scratches and no broken tips or any delamination.I only finished giving my colt it's first decent work out 1/2 an hour before the accident occurred.I like how well the colt shoots smooth and accurate.Only average speed but awefully fun bow to shoot none the less.The bow does need a new string and arrow rest but shot suprisingly good.The wife and I ain't going to be shooting for a few weeks now but at least we live to shoot another day cause we could have died.The wife smashed her ribs and I have soft tissue damage to my neck shoulder and back.The car is a write off but the bows survived and the wife and myself are OK. OSR

Almost lost my newly acquired colt 2 days ago .The wife and me were in a car accident and only just got out of hospital yesterday.We are ok but a bit bruised and battered.3 of our bows were laying diagonaly in the trunk of the car.The trunk was crushed on one side up the the back seat.The bow limbs were bent back wards and jammed in the trunk.To remove the bows we had to fold down the split seat.We had the colt, a Sabo and a Crovotta bros bow .We survived and the bows did too.There was only superficial scratches and no broken tips or any delamination.I only finished giving my colt it's first decent work out 1/2 an hour before the accident occurred.I like how well the colt shoots smooth and accurate.Only average speed but awefully fun bow to shoot none the less.The bow does need a new string and arrow rest but shot suprisingly good.The wife and I ain't going to be shooting for a few weeks now but at least we live to shoot another day cause we could have died.The wife smashed her ribs and I have soft tissue damage to my neck shoulder and back.The car is a write off but the bows survived and the wife and myself are OK. OSR

Osr - so sorry to hear about your accident and great good fortune that your injuries are recoverable. When you get to shoot again I hope you pull out those three bows and celebrate with them!

Very glad to hear the you and your wife are relatively unhurt. Car accidents are the worst. Speedy recovery to you both. Lance.

I have a 47# Colt listed in the classifieds if anyone is interested. Only $100 TYD in the lower 48.

Was shooting my Colt most of this weekend at some 3D targets. One of my favorite BP models. Congrats on a really nice vintage bow. H.P.

If you have already registered, please

sign in now

For new registrations

Click Here