I've been looking at getting into vintage bows and I was wondering if there is any ones I shouldn't avoid or some I should seek out. Thanks.

Might depend on your goals- shooting? Investing? Collecting? Combination of any of these?

Example: A Fred Bear "collector only" might well want a bow with the aluminum lamination- but a shooter only vintage buyer would avoid it like poison.

Wings are a great value for their outstanding performance.

Agree with Dan and zonic...

What vintage? 50s era, 60s, era?

Hunting, target?

Ask yourself what you want out of it. Do you want to own shooters or lookers? How much can you justify (and afford) spending? Looking for rare ones or easy to find ones...? -and then go from there.

Most bows that survived the last 40-50 years have something to love in them.

And if everyone here answered you would hear most every brand made for 30 years for one reason or another.

Ones I still have out of dozens I have owned are...

Bear, Wing, Browning, Hoyt, Colt, York, Pearson, Howatt, Shakespeare, Indian, Martin

All shooters

I have a modest collection of old Bears from about 1945 to the late sixties. Early on, I was buying almost anything that I considered to be priced right, and a few that were very expensive. What I didn't know hurt me. I have since decided which bows I wish to collect and have gone back and tried to sell off the ones that do not fit with that criteria. It is very difficult to move some of these old bows. You can give them away and I have done some of that. The market has evidently shrunk since I started. By shrinking I mean that there are not as many participants. This is not a good thing if you are looking for appreciation in value.

My advice would be to collect something that was not produced in large numbers. A good example is the Bear Kodiak Magnum. They must have made a couple million of them over the years. They are easily available and you can probably buy ten bows from ten different years in about ten days. Not exactly collecting. But if you were to try to buy early Damon Howatt bows from the fifties you might only find one or two per year.

I still shoot some of my old bows but that is more of an entertainment activity than anything. For my day to day shooters I stick to more modern stuff like other peoples' cast off customs. I just don't want to put a couple hundred shots per day on a fifty to sixty year old bow so I enjoy them in moderation.

Take some time and look at old bows in the archives. Do some studying and before long you will find a particular model or maker that really appeals to your taste. Then start collecting. If you do it right you will have a hobby that can last a lifetime.

The best way is to go to some large events. You can look at hundreds of bows in person and the prices are generally reasonable.

I started looking at them all years ago and you will go crazy and broke trying to get them all without a plan...haha

Wings, Pearsons, Indian, Browning, Bear, etc....

I settled on Browning boys from the 60s primarily. Started with Cobra II from 1973....rest are Explorers, Explorer I, Explorer II, Safari II, and Wasp...all from 60s. I think my earliest is a 1966.

keep em sharp,

ron herman

Avoid the next mint condition 50# Wing Thunderbird or Shakespeare Cascade you find...that way I can have a chance to grab one!

I have been please with the Shakespeare line, good performers for your dollar

I'm looking at recurves, mainly hunting bows. Some of the Ben Pearson's interest me as well as the Browning Explorers. By vintage I mean pre 1970.

Having written three books on vintage bows, I must agree with the others. This is an impossible question.

Bear made the most bows and they were durable, so very many have survived. Their top end Sport/hunting bow was the Kodiak and it's kin. They are the exception to the rule of rarity. Prices hold because of demand, not scarcity.

Pearson was probably the next largest producer, but most all were entry level to mid price models, fine shooters, but with exceptions, minimal ooh-ahh factor.

Next in volume was likely Root/Shakespeare, and the Necedah and it's variations is a classic.

Wing is in the mix at this volume production with their primary hunter's model the Red Wing Hunter.

At this point, these volume makers give way to the speciality makers such as Browning, Damon Howatt and a host of others. For example Howatt's peak years built 7-8000 bows. Bear peaked at 5000 bows per week!

These makers did ok because of a loyal following and superior products. Howatt's best was arguably the Hi-Speed family, top model of which was the Super Diablo.

Browning's top model was the Explorer I and II.

That probably just confused, vs. clarified, but fit-feel-and personal preference should be your criteria. There were NO poor bows that stayed in production for long, and as to performance, set up equally (mostly the string), there isn't enough difference in performance worth arguing about.

R.

Pearson also was turning out 4000 +/- per week in their heyday in the 60's. I wouldn't tell you to stay away from any of them, since lots of them shoot as well as Bear or Wing...or Browning. If I were you, I would be looking at the ones not name-dropped in every post. There are still literally thousands of them out there for sale every week on the big auction. That is where you get your best prices as well since it's an auction form.

I've probably shot more old bows than just about anyone on here, save for a few old pharts like me. I can tell you, there are some beautiful performers out there, and some of the workmanship is fantastic. Pearson had some very nice bows and many of them will perform with any bow of like design. Some of the best buys that people shy away from (they don't want their buddies to see them) are the Shakespeare line (built in the Root factory), Pearson bows from mid 60's to about 1974'ish.

Indian Archery still has a few out there worth looking at as they go cheap...Mohawk, Deeerslayer, Hawkeye..to name a few. Herter's shouldn't be overlooked as Bob Barrie was a great designer and his bows are excellent shooters. A few of the old Black Hawk (Cravotta Brothers) are very nice...especially the Hornet line. You will do yourself a disservice by not looking at those since you may well find the bow that you didn't know existed...but fit you perfectly.

If you go into collecting, or just getting old bows to shoot, with thinking just one or two models are worth the effort, you will miss a plethora of great archery bows. Hands on works better if you can do that because that isn't model or name biased. It's like asking here what the best custom is. We know how that goes. I'm an old bow fan and have shot hundreds, so if you want some more personal suggestions to a particular style, etc., you can PM me.

Personally I wouldn't be (and I'm not) interested in the more common Bear, Wing and so on bows.

I would look for bows by Drake, Eicholtz, Fasco, White, Indian as George mentioned, Stemmler, American Archery and so on. To me those are the true collector bows.

I have modest collection Ive bought and sold/traded alot of bows over the years I like certain bows over others but never cared what name was writen on the riser And i personally never collected for value,i perfer feel and fun to value or brand That said i think history or a good story goes a long way also,,but that includes knives,quivers,arm guards,broadheads,guitars,axes,tools,watches,etc etc My two cents try to shoot and enjoy everything and anything and form your own opinons

The performance and eye appeal of some of these old bows are shocking with the right string. Myself I have been concentrating on the Root / Shakespeare stuff from the late 50's to 70ish with a small scattering of others. I like bringing them back to life aesthetically also which is a hobby of it's own.

Those old Roots, Herters, Fasco, Stemler, Indian, Drake and Brownings are some striking bows in design, performance and choice of woods.

You can still find some bargains and some will be real gems....

keep em sharp,

ron herman

Buy something you can pull back well at first and anchor without having to pull the bow down or push up just to get it back, whatever that draw weight would be, as it varies for each of us.

If you start looking for that special bow, it can be quite a wait, so just get a decent bow to get you out there.

Stick to the majot brands listed above in other replies and you'll be ok. But remember, bows are like dogs, get something you can sit on the porch with and not get embrarrassed.

Stay away from bows made by the following:(They're not worth having)

Drake Gordon Plastics Gelco Fasco Custom Bow Co. Eicholtz White Browning Custom by Corky

How would I know this about so many bows? I'm at 40 plus and have yet to find one worth a darn.........;^)

I think you will find if you get the right vintage bow/bows , they can compete easily with some newer customs. I love the howatt's, shakespeare, some bears, browning's, & persons etc.

I've bought bows just to see how they shot, then sold them again in a couple of weeks. I waited over a year for one certain Herter's bow to show up for sale. One bow I really wanted never showed up, and after a few years by the time the opportunity to purchase one showed up, I decided I didn't want one. However, if the right vintage bow shows up, I'm buying it. As a matter of fact, I'm waiting for my Father's Day gift as we speak. It's a GREAT hobby.

The only thing more confounding than modern custom bows is vintage bows. I treat them like girls at a dance: you don't have to marry any of them,you can dance with a different gal for every tune, you can cut in on your buddy and vice versa, some will dance with you, others will dance on you. You can ask the daughter of the richest family in town to dance, the prettiest girl in the school, the most popular girl in school, the girl with the most scandalous reputation, big girls, petite girls, girls who come with a convertible, girls with bodacious humps out front, etc.

My advice: 1) don't empty your wallet on the first 1964 Kodiak that you see, or the first Black Widow. 2) this place is worse than the locker room in high school..we ask questions, kiss and tell, show each other pictures, and we mostly have a great time and feel pretty well-satisfied with whatever bows that are on our wall at the moment. 3) If a bow has caught your eye but you're not sure if you should take a chance, ask George D. Stout.,,he's known her since she was a dream in her Papa's eye.

Be aware that Vintage bow collecting can be highly addictive!!!! Just like the Lay's potato chip...... you can't buy just one!!!! Leased I can't!!I started 'bout 42 yrs. ago & I'm searching most every day. I'm partial to Root/Shakespeare bows.... great shooters & reasonable cost. Just remember..... don't over bow yourself!!!!! Good luck in your quest!!!

mangonboat- that is an all time classic response and so utterly true!! Well done Sir!!

Jake, as much as I respect the opinions and work of all these fine archers and collectors, I think the answer is more straightforward: simply acquire someone else's collection of all kinds of cool vintage bows. Using that as a "starter" collection, you can sell off and acquire the bows you need to make it your own. You will discover in this process which bows those are.

Contact me by PM if you would like to get started with several hundred pounds of Golden-era Rosewood ;>).

Dave does have a few hanging around lol

Dave, I would double check the Treasury regs and CITES restrictions before you start selling your bows by the pound. Once you've got the green light, call me first...I may need to add some things to my stack.;-)

If Dave is selling any of his collection, I know there are a few pounds of rosewood I would like to add to my collection!

There's to many to tell you. You need to buy and learn like most of us then trade, sell ect. if your serious about classics and getting into. You will find most mentioned above is a good starting reference. Try to stay with ones you see that sell easily so when the time comes to move it out your not stuck with it and can move it. This isn't hard and its fun to get into depending on how deep your pockets are will dictate to how many you own and try out. Have fun.

I started with a bow that was made the year I was born, than it got stupid! I try to keep the number between years I have been married and my age.

I rarely involve myself in leatherwall discussions, however I would like to mention a few things. Assuming that getting into vintage bows means "to shoot them" I would suggest that you shoot the bow that you are getting before you get it. Every bow shoots differently; even bows of the same manufactured year and model can and often do shoot differently. I have high end bows that do not shoot well and low end bows that shoot great. This of course is predicated on my own taste as to what I like. Some years ago I had two Bear Temujins. They were the same year and model. One shot great, the other did not. I sold the later and the new owner loved it. Go figure. I have those archers who are starting out try a number of different bows (within a weight range that they can handle) so that they can select one that feels right and they can shoot comfortably. Just because someone says this one or that one is the best for you isn't necessarily true.

The Bears are obviously the most collectible but there are lots of other great choices out there. Some of my favorites are the Pearson Mercury Hunter, Root Gamemaster, Shakespeare RH200, Jack Howard Gamemaster, Browning Explorer II and Cobra II and a host of Howatts. Be careful, it can get very addictive and expensive. Good luck.

It's worth it to go to a bunch of 3-D shoots and try as many as you can to see what fits you best. How much you want to spend also becomes a factor. It can add up quickly so maybe have an idea about how much $ you are willing to put into this. Good Luck

Thanks for all the information. Much appreciated.

I'll tell ya, just yesterday I took out my old 1956 Root Gamemaster ...3"groups @18 yrds right off the rip... beautiful too look at, super quality design and craftsmanship, comfortable and light , no shock and quiet... Ernie was a genius..!

Hers a Sanders Classic 38@28 and 68". Sweet and smooth.

Carrolls 38@28.

You have received some very good advise here. I usually have a couple dozen bows laying around. I really like experimenting with new brands and eras. Your taste will always evolve. The best thing about vintage bows is if you pick them up reasonably priced, chances are someone else will be willing to give it a try when you get rid of it. Try selling a $800 custom (which wont shoot any better than bows 50 years old) and see what percentage of your investment you get back. There are pages and pages of custom bows for sale in the classified section. Vintage bows are very fun to shoot and collect. Be careful, it is very easy to have them stacked up all over the man cave. Enjoy!!

T4

Consider Tice and Watts. I once owned two of them and was considered a "collector" by my friends.

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