Yes you can

Camodave in the Rooty test lab

No suprise

That's Dave's 62 eh?

Sorry folks...I was speaking Canadian there to my brothers on the Prairiies!

Yup

Oh man I'd love to find a righty 62 kmag.

Where's the camo?

Nice bow. I have always wanted one of those. I have heard they shoot really well.

They sure do! As does the '61 and the '63. And the '64 and '65...and so on...

It was Dave extolling the virtues of the very bow he is shooting in the pictures that prompted me to buy mine.

Great collection Peter

No doubt you can, but the stack is crazy. Once they hit 28 inches they start to stack bad and at 29"s you are gaining at least 5#s per inch. Scooby

No doubt one can draw a K-mag 30 inches, but finger pinch begins to become a problem. Stack also, as Scooby notes.

Are you sure you're drawing 30 inches? Looks like there's about 3 inches of arrow BOP sticking out beyond the riser. How long is your arrow?

2"in pic and less when shot 32" full 340 beman 250 point. Dave doesn't complain about stack AT ALL.

Maybe a little confusion. This is my second 1962 Kodiak. The first one was right handed and ultimately got traded for this lefty. Of course they stack some and of course finger pinch is an issue. Neither issue stops me from shooting that bow well.

DDave

The bow is marked 50@28. I think we weighed it at 53 and then 62@30. Do I look like some sort of lightweight who cannot shoot 65 pounds.

DDave

The finger pinch on that has to be fun.....

All that I can say is Wow! White britches! ??

With regard to finger pinch if you take a close look most of the draw weight is on my middle finger. The other two are pretty much going along for the ride. I have always shot this bow just fine three finger split. If I was having issues with finger pinch I would simply do to two finger split. All about creative solutions as opposed to a defeatist attitude.

DDave

Yeah I am with camodave on this one. It confuses me when I hear people talk about finger pinch all the time. I shoot my 48 super mag and never have the slightest of issues with finger pinch and I utilize a deep hook. Am I doing something wrong here?????

Apparently you need to talk to a more skilled shooter who really knows what they are talking about Jeff. There is a guy from Ontario, Canada who does videos on here all the time showing some amazing shooting skills. Darned if I can remember his name. Maybe he could tell you where you are getting off track. Or you could check with that other well known Canuck, Pdiddly. Could be that we Canucks, living in the harsh environment we do, are just immune to pain eh.

DDave

Just noticed that one of the replies is from Jerry Karbon aka Orion. I got the right handed bow from him. He had refinished it with a great matte finish. Just a little tip. If you can buy a bow he has refinished pay a premium for it.

DDave

That sharp string angle makes getting a clean, consistent release more challenging - not impossible mind you, just more challenging than a longer bow. I think some people can adapt to it, others cannot. For my part, I owned a Kodiak Mag for a while, with my 30" draw it stacked noticeably, but more importantly I could not be consistent with that bow. Oh, I could shoot it all right, and hit the target after a fashion, but compared to my 64" recurves the longer bow gives me a much more stable and consistent shooting platform. The short bow was probably fine if I was only shooting out to 20 yards, but if I'm trying to hit a bullseye at 80 yards (as in a standard NFAA Field round), the short bow is an arrow-breaker and arrow-loser for me. Much more fun to hit the target at those ranges!

Regarding finger pinch, it's just a bit harder on my ring finger (next to my pinkie) over a long shooting session - say, a 52" bow vs. a 58" bow vs. a 64" bow. Again, some people will be more sensitive to this than others, but I think my experience reflects most other people's experience. 58" is about a short as I can go without it becoming a problem.

Yes, there's guys that will say, that 48" bow works just fine with my 32" draw - but, I find it hard to believe that there's anyone with a long draw that won't get significantly better results with a 62" or 64" recurve compared to a 54" or less bow.

That is unreal.

If anyone here has the ability it would be nice to see an orignal ad from Bear Archery for the 1962 KMag. I often refer to the one on archeryhistory.com. I believe the ad refers to that as flame grained Brazilian Rosewood. There was a reason the KMag sold for 64.95 when the Kodiak, also a Brazilian Rosewood bow, sold for 59.95.

DDave

When my releases come out late this year you'll love these short bows. No finger pinch at all and with some of my other methods they can be shot almost as well as a 70" bow.

However, I think the short bows like the KMag can be improved with even better accuracy and enjoyment potential. My wish list includes micarta riser, static limbs, and an improved short stabilizer.

Here is a pic from 1962 bear catalog thanks to trap

Yes...I have a whole bunch of evil dwarf bows that are 52" and under.

I draw a little over 27" and don't have pinch issues with three finger split on any of them. And I always use a deep hook like Jeffer.

( BTW I like your tongue in cheek comment about the guy who does the videos Dave!! HAHA!)

I agree with Dave that the middle finger is doing the lion's share of the work and the other two are helping out, with the pinky mostly being along for the ride.

One of my favourites is a Herter's Perfection that is labelled 52" but is actually 50". It's 55lbs and I can shoot it all day.

Same with my '68 Supermag, the ultimate evil dwarf bow!! No problems.

Thanks for finding the ad Gator1.

I'll for the orientation for you.

Thank you. ??

Thanks Peter. Notice that in 1962 Bear was willing to say the draw limit is 31 inches. I was uncomfortable drawing such a short bow that far until I saw that. Clearly the bow is made to draw that long.

DDave

A 52" bow in 1961, when the K Mags premiered was a whole new concept.

It would be essential to convince the public that such a short bow could be used by all archers, even those a long draw length.

So they designed it that way and advertised it.

I have a 55" actual length Tri-State Jaguar that was built in the 50's and that was also crazy short for the day. With the big hooks and limb angle off of the riser it looks even shorter. That was one of the shorter late 50's bows I have seen.

Some great pictures there. I love short bows and K mags especially. Not great for a field shoot but a lot of fun at a 3D and a great hunting bow of course. String pinch ? stacking ? never had a problem with my 28 inch draw.

I think it's ridiculous that people get contentious on a thread like this

CHILL.

The amount of arrow hanging out the front does not mean anything One should not assume the arrow is trimmed.An uncut shaft will stick out

And I totally agree with all the contentious comments on a thread that was illustrating that you could draw a KMag 32".

The two folks in the original post are straight up guys that don't have to prove anything to anyone and have forgotten more about trad archery than I will ever learn.

The interesting part is that I am just a pretender compared to Rooty. A while ago he told me he had given up building wood arrows. That was before Jerry Hill decided to teach him all he knows about making arrows the way his uncle Howard liked them.

Thanks Peter. As usual you are a voice of reason eh. Now if you just maybe talk to Codjigger about those tall tales he has been known to put together?

As I often say I have been a nighttime taxi driver and a Principal in a couple of schools that make rough schools look like a kindergarten. Go ahead and try to tell me something that will hurt my feelings.

DDave

I just like the boldness of wearing white pants after September like that.

I am a fashion trend setter, not a follower eh.

DDave

I note that the same colors are found on the Canadian flag--this man is clearly a patriot; we can trust what he says.

I've shot K-Mags with my 29.5" draw and not been troubled with stack or finger pinch...but look how the tips open up at full draw on it. Now, if they made it with static tips like David A. is lobbying for, I have to wonder if the draw geometry might get worse for those of us whose knuckles drag the floor.

I am wearing a team Canada Jersey (under a polar fleece vest) given to me by a Canadian expat who now lives in Denver. Pretty sure that has significance as well. Maybe the old Codjiggers witch drinking buddy could interpret that for us.

DDave

I cant believe nobody has figured out the "Mercator Projection Effect" of that photo. By rotating the photo 90 degrees, Rooty and DDave, who are actually in different provinces hundreds of miles apart, appear from the photo to be in the same place. People assume that the bow length is 52" because that is "common knowledge" , they were told that is what is depicted and in the vertical orientation that looks to be correct and the draw length at full draw is 30", but in fact that is a 66" 1965 Bearcat drawn to 30" , DDave is 7'9" tall and has his pants custom made from tent canvas. I cant believe I almost bought this nonsense about 30" draw with a 1962 K Mag.

This is funny. The shaft was pulled back farther then the pic shows on release. The pic shows 30". It was closer to 31" when shot. Full length 340 Beman centershot. Fletch with Jerry Hill French Curve. This is information for those thinking of a K Mag in the future. I draw 26" and after 300 plus shots I feel did feel a numbing in my third finger. Rooty

Here is how good our friend Mark aka mangonboat is. Until he mentioned it I forgot I have a 66 inch 1965 Bearcat.

DDave

Ttt

Ttt

People here will argue all day about something, even if their side is shown to be wrong by lots of folks. It's the, "I just have to be right" syndrome that permeates many a forum.

Dave and Cameron, do a force/draw on that Magnum to see where stack really begins. That would go a long way to really know what is actual stack, and what is presumed.

I will bring this one back to the top since the topic of 30 inch draws and 50's style bows just came up. Mr. Stout, as you know many of the Bear bows of that era gained as little as 2 or 2.5 pounds per inch to their marked draw length (most were 28 but I know the 56 inch Kodiaks were marked to a 26 inch length). My experience with the 2 1962 Kodiak Magnums I have owned is that they jump to around 5 pounds per inch between 28 and 30. The truth is I am inconsistent with that bow, partly because it is short, and partly because they are very light mass. I have never considered it to be a deer bow, when I have it along I am thinking elk and moose. Kill zone accuracy on them is a far different matter than on a deer. And when I am on I can hit a pretty small mark at 20.

DDave

I had one that I gave to my son who has a 27" draw. I draw 29" and never noticed the "stack" everyone talks about. It was a 45# bow that Bear marked as 47#'s and I never put it on a scale, but based on the fact that I have 3 other bows right around 50#'s, I know the draw weight for me was around 50#'s.

I was very inconsistant with the bow, as in one day I could shoot it very well and another day, not so much.

I think it was due to string angle and my admittedly less than perfect release. When I concentrated on my release I could shoot it well.

I guess long story short, I didn't want to invest the time to become proficient with the bow, but there is no reason someone with a 29" or even 30" draw couldn't if they shot it reguarly.

The Kodiak Mag is a bow that makes me appreciate the beauty of sight windows cut to center.

I had trouble being consistent with the 45# one I had at a 28" draw. Short bows are a lot tougher to shoot consistently. But a Kodiak Mag is a cool looking bow that can be just the thing when shot from a store bought blind, where ceiling height is too limited for a longer bow.

I have a 27" draw so they are very comfortable for me...no stack and very little finger pinch (acute string angle). Some added mass helps to steady it a bit and I'm adding a stabilizer insert to my old Browning Nomad Stalker 52" for that purpose. It can be amazing how even a compact hunting stabilizer can make a great bow out of a good one.

Love my 1965!

I know there are old timers (respectively), which will stick to their guns to the end, and argue that a guy doesn’t understand what they are saying, because they made it work for them. The term “stacking” is made to sound evil and undesirable, but for a nobody like me who shoots all lengths and poundage, the k-mag “stacks,” BUT, in a nice way! Relative to my other bows north of 52” and shooting an honest 28” I feel it. What the body thinks it feels, is what it feels. That being said, I enjoy the transition into hard-spongy wall. It aligns perfect in feeling, and would argue keeps me from over-extending my anchor (another can of worms I know). Whether a new guy starting out, or a short guy with 100 years experience, your body tells you the truth. There will always be guys arguing that they can draw their shorty 36” and not feel a difference...Willis please...By the way, if they ever make a 43” micro-mag that doesn’t “stack,” I’ll own one. ;). Shoot Mad! Steve

I just realized that I have owned 3 Kodiak Magnums. I had a very nice right handed 1966 bow with factory camo. I sold it locally to a young fellow who was wanting to get into shooting a recurve. I took a couple of bows for him to try and he preferred that one. As Rooty's numbers show a 30 inch draw person just needs to buy a bow that is 10 pounds lighter than they want to shoot. For me stack only matters when I am close to my draw weight limit.

DDave

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