It took awhile to finally get my Dads old target bow back up to snuff. Some black max carbon limbs, a new string, several phone calls, and a whole lotta patience finally played out in the back yard today. I stil would like to trade into some long limbs that are higher poundage, but for now these are pulling about 40# and are easy on the shoulders. This was my best round with many rounds looking like garbage. Still, nostalgia at its best today. Thanks for looking,have a good weekend all.

Congratulations...good start to a storyI

I impatiently await a Hoyt of my own, 70" 38# Hoyt Gold Medalist bought last night (Classifeds)...ridiculous, considering my aversion to metal risers. Curiosity killed the cat, but I do seem to thrive on it.

Shooting my lightest-ever bow (53# r/d longbow) at a Navajo 3-D tomorrow. I doubt 38# would cut it at that event but maybe I'll find some 50# limbs in some future....

Amusing jk, I have a td3 with 2 sets of limbs I've been trying to trade off for 2 or so years now. Enjoy.

I do not think that is a TD riser bro. Looks like the good ole Hoyt Olympic riser made after the TD series of risers.

Yep, it IS a Hoyt TD4+ riser. don't see many in factory camo though .. great looking rig

I just came in from shooting my Gold Medalist. I would love to have one like yours, the Treebark finish is awesome. Mine is the painted black and silver leaf camo. I have some long #50 black max limbs if you're interested...not carbon though.

THE OLD 24 INCH TD4 had a slip on grip and looked like the original family of TD risers which some were converted and sold as compounds.

The original TD came out in 1971, just in time for Wilbur and Williams to win the Olympic gold medals with it in 1972. This bow had an integral grip, and 1/4-20 stabilizer threads and 8-32 sight mount holes.

This riser was available in 24" target, 20" short target and 16" hunter lengths. If you see old limbs you'll find on them something like H24-36# H20-38# H16-40# and that gives you the draw weight of those limbs @28" with the various risers.

The TD2 came out in 1975 and was used by Darrel Pace to shoot the first 1300 score and win the 1976 Olympics. Similar to the original TD (now called the TD1), it had a plastic changeable grip, and the stabilizer bushings were beefed up to 5/16-24 and the sight holes to 10-24. The first version was subject to cracks in the limb pockets, and it was improved to thicken these. One problem was that the original limbs were too wide at the base to fit the new pockets, but a few minutes on a sanding machine could easily fix that. The TD2 also came in 3 lengths.

The next "improvement" was the adjustable tiller TD3, about 1980- 1, which turned out to be a failure. The tillering mechanism was faulty and the bow was replaced by the TD2B which was the same riser without the tiller adjustment mechanism.

The GM, also called the TD4, came out in 1984, and was the first successful Hoyt adjustable tiller bow, using the same ILF fittings being used now by most manufacturers. It also had a vertical adjustment for the rest. The first riser version was prone to bending and occasional cracks, so they came out with an improved model with a thicker sight window and radiused curve.

That was their last cast riser - Hoyt started with the machined models right after, although they kept the GM for several years as a low-cost option. There was also a short riser version people called the TD5, but I don't know much about it.

Well this one fits the bill for all the TD4 info above. Slip off handle, 24/25" depending on where you measure, and a great shooter.

wendigo I'm sending you a PM.

I want to get some working limbs for it and dip them in treebark to match. Dad loved this bow

Do the various TDs have identifying marks...e.g. TD 1234?

...and are the TDs Gold Medalists?

My TD3 has that stamped into the riser under the handle. My TD4+ I had to post pictures here, as well as email various crusty old dudes from ILF limb companies to correctly identify it. So far 95% have pointed to TD4

How are these riser lengths measured?

Is that stamped somewhere too?

Uhh, I just measured the riser tip to tip.

Just for fun, closer pic in the sun of the riser for those that care.

Except for the camo it looks exactly like my Gold Medalist.

What's an easy way to replace the grip with something more slim?

My dad would take the handle off then start applying athletic tape in small sections until it fit the way he wanted. Other than that look for used handles here on the LW or other sites.

The black bow isn't a TD4 but the camo one is. TD4 doesn't accept Black Max limbs because it isn't an ILF.

KPC...No limb bolt on TD4/GM (the black bow seems to have them).

TD4/GM limbs click rigidly into special Hoyt fitting. Like an ultra-rugged swiss watch. Multiple parts, complicated to manufacture therefore costly. ILF is far cheaper.

TD4/GM reportedly last Hoyt with cast riser...went to machined.

TD/4 and GM are two names for same bow (Hoyt manual specifies both)... don't know anything about TD2 or TD3. Were bows sold with those codes?

Friend shoots a camo GM/TD4 with foam limbs that was part of a large special-order by a dealer here in Albuquerque. It's his target bow ...hates camo on bows so he stripped the limbs to whiteish...prefers wood. Kept the camo on the riser because he didn't want the hassle of removing it. I want those limbs but fat chance.

The HOYT Gold Medalist aka T/D4 is an ILF riser.

It was the first ILF riser.

Thirty-plus years later, it is still an ILF riser an will readily accept any ILF limbs.

I'd love to get a set of original camo limbs, but doubt that'll ever happen.

I'm also confused, no black bow pictured.

Muddy & KPC, the first bow pic shows badly lit camo riser with blackmax limbs and what appear to be protruding limb bolts. The riser looked black on my phone but is just very dark on my laptop.

arrow, please educate me: I thought ILF requires limb bolts ...TD4/GM certainly has neither.

Meant to say : TD4/GM riser obviously has no limb bolts and TD4/GM limbs have no holes for bolts...

ILF limbs have a U-shaped slot at the ends. It will fit around a limb bolt, but the original ILF riser, the HOYT T/D4 Gold Medalist did not use a bolt. There was a little metal box (Hoyt called it a trolley) with a nub for the the U-shaped slot to fit into.

The entire "trolley" could be moved up or down with a screw, instead of a limb bolt with a flange seen on more modern risers.

I gotcha. Yeah it's an ILF set up, next time I'll turn the flash on!!

http://leatherwall.bowsite.com/tf/pics/00small10684295.JPG

Maybe the link will work, but it's a picture of the Gold Medalist ILF guts

I learn something every day! Thanks.

Question remains (in my mind): since TD4 doesn't have protruding limb bolts/knobs, are knobs on the bow in the photos? If so that would make it something other than TD4.

Three nice things about Hoyt's TD4 system Vs modern ILF are LACK of protruding limb bolts, extra weight where it belongs (trolley outward from handle), and ultra-solid click-in-place locking.

Southwest Archery has sensibly eliminated the goofy-protruding knobs in some very inexpensive bows...presumably everybody else will follow.

https://www.southwestarcheryusa.com/

Yes an old 24 incher I converted to ILF and added limb bolts.

OK SORRY,,it was done in DAS.

Got a good deal on a GM TD4... fwiw limbs are not slotted for ILF limbs and the riser doesn't accept a limb bolt.

The butt of the limbs is a recessed curve, not the curved slot required by true ILF risers. Therefore it's a mistake to call it an ILF bow.

Wish I could find 45# limbs for it.

Yeah it's a gold medalist. It says hoyt/easton on the riser. Not just hoyt.

The td 1 2 and 3 were Hoyt bows with basically the same riser. The td4/gold medalist was designed after easton took over. The old td riser design was only used on cheaper compouds. The older style said hoyt on it, the td4/gold medalist said hoyt-easton on the side of the riser.

jk, any ILF limbs will fit the Hoyt Gold Medalist T/D4.

Sounds like your bow is something else.

Mike, given that gmtd4 ...this is TD4+. ….has no slot at limb butt,just a shallow curve., are you saying conventional ILF limbs will work, even without limb bolts? ...see arrowood's post above.

Some companys are switching to hoyts system and eliminating the bolts. Othres won't because they're afraid hoyt will pull a patent thing on em and want money. The reason others would like to switch is hoyts design is self centering. Eventually all ilfs will use hoyts system more than likely. JK if your bow says hoyt Easton on it it's an ilf. If it says hoyt on it its not a td4/gm and isn't ilf.

Some don't like hoyts system cause it feels sloppy when unstrung, but that's because of the self centering design. In 2012 every person in the Olympics who won gold was shooting a hoyt bow with hoyts system but not all hoyt limbs. Eventually everyone else will get it worked out with hoyt and eliminate the bolt.

Oh one more thing, a lot of guys who didn't like the thick grip took the grip off n shot it without one just like a lot of the compounders back then.

GF, I'm finding that everyone's opinion is wrong. ILF bows have limb bolts and not Easton's system for an obvious reason: easier to manufacture...cheaper.

oops, I meant GLF

"...are you saying conventional ILF limbs will work, even without limb bolts?"

jk, I'm not sure I understand the question, but to repeat, yes, any so-called "ilf" limbs will fit the Hoyt Gold Medalist T/D4 riser.

The T/D4 Gold Medalist riser does not have "limb bolts" per se, yet ilf limbs do work just fine. I've had no problem fitting KAP, W&W, Sebastien Flute, Samick, Gillo, and even HOYT limbs in the T/D4 riser.

The Gold Medalist is an ILF bow, as is the TD-4. It doesn't use standard limb bolts....you were told that here also. Mine has no standard limb bolt, but does had a place for the ILF to slot into, and it is adjusted by loosening a set in the belly, then adjusting the post that the limb slides onto.

By the way, 38# will reach any target. Mine is setup up at 36#, shooting 1916 arrows, with a point-on of 55 yards.

If you have already registered, please

sign in now

For new registrations

Click Here