In the last months I've been getting some beautiful and great shooting vintage Howatt bows. Thought I show them here. In order of the years, they are: 1960 Monterey, 30#, 62" 1961 Hunter, 45#, 62" 1961 Diablo, 45#, 58" 1962 Ventura, 35#, 66" 1962 Hi Speed, 37#, 54" 1963 Hi Speed, 40#, 58" 1963 Hunter, 45#, 62" 1964 Hunter, 48#, 62" 1965 Hunter, 45#, 62"

Hopefully the years are correct!

Thanks to Mark and Pete for inspiring, advising and informing.

That one above is the Monterey. Here's the 61 Hunter. It has a knife edge.

This may be the most beautiful, a 61 Diablo.

62 Ventura. The smoothest shooting bow I have.

37# 54"1962 Hi Speed. A terrific little shooter.

The 63 Hi Speed next to the 61 Diablo.

The 61, 63 and 64 Hunters (top to bottom) shown with each other.

A 45# 65 Hunter.

some very nice looking bows there,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Very nice I always liked Howatts. A super Diablo was my first real hunting bow. I am down to one Super D 45 pounder now. Ken

Very nice, especially the trio of Hunters

Cream de la cream of bows, nice.

All aboard the Howatt train! I was just thinking of starting a thread on the same topic, because I really think those bows from '60-'65 are just in a class of their own...and thanks to Larry, we know that it was largely because of that stand-up sander he rigged up that they could generate such amazingly sculpted risers efficiently enough to meet their production demands.

Here's a 1962 Hunter...

...and another 1960 Monterey...

I recognize that '63 Hi Speed.

The Larry referred to is Larry Hatfield, the most interesting man in the world. He is still very active in many fields of interest and posts now and then on here and on TradTalk.com. He is one of the greats of our sport. - lbg

Beautiful old bows for sure. Those old Howatt's are in a class of their own.

Very nice I especially like the 61 Diablo.

You don't grip a howatt A howatt grips you You don't draw back a howatt A howatt draws you in

Kerry, that 62 Hunter is beautiful. As is Mark's. I think I "need" one of those, it's a year I don't have! The Monterey is beautiful also. Please do add more photos. And anyone can join in. The more the better as far as I'm concerned.

Hopefully Pete will post some pics also.

And thanks for everyone else's comments.

My problem with these bows is that the actual draw weight can vary quite a lot, from the rated weight. 48# or so is the upper limit of what I can shoot. Often I prefer or have to shoot much lighter bows. Aside from the tournament bows, it's very difficult to find a lighter Hunter, Diablo, etc. I was lucky with that 61 Diablo. Rated 45#, it's 44.75# for me. But some of the bows I've gotten have been 6#s over the rated weight, at my draw of 28.75". They are great to look at but I only get them to shoot. So I wind up getting some I don't keep.

I'll post some more and better pics soon... right now my Internet speed is too slow. Shandor

Another view of the 60 Monterey.

Super nice bows.Timeless design.

The 61 Diablo. All the shooting in these pics is from 33 yards.

The 61 Hunter. First time out with it. No wonder I love these bows so much! Fantastic shooters, plus beauty and those amazing shapes and curves.

The 62 Ventura. One of my few "perfect" shots. Also from 33 yards.

The 62, 54" Hi Speed. Now I don't need a KMag!

The 65 Hunter. Yeah, I shoot in snow, hail or rain if that's the only way to shoot.

A 66 Hunter. I didn't show it before. Looks identical to the 65 Hunter.

My Howatt Hunter

Other side

Better picture of how dark the riser is

Now the Hi speed on far right is a 74 but I sold that one a month ago .

Hah, Peter's holding out on us--the market's so hot for these old Howatts already; he doesn't want to throw any more wood on that fire!

Luckily, many of his Howatts came from me anyway, so I've got the pix too! Like this 1962 Hunter...

Sweet looking bows never owned a howatt.

Ver nice.

Nice bows Shandor!

As some have noted I have one or two.

In terms of design and aesthetic appeal they were ahead of their time and in a league of their own.

Here's a 1961 Monterey...

Closeup of the riser...

The 1960 Monterey's are easy on the eyes too, along with being stable and fast.

Some great looking bows. They're definitely classics. Some of the best bows of that time period.

The riser close up..the lamination choices are stunning.

Here's a 1962 rosewood Hunter...the knife edge was offered in the 1961 and 1962 Hunter models and was made with a hand rasp...quite impressive.

Wow, you guys are killing me with those beautiful old Howatts. I definitely need to find a few of those

Here's one that has not been shown... a 1960 Hunter with a walnut and rosewood riser. I like the look of this simple design, especially with the 3M turquoise glass.

So if you had to pick one, which is your favorite? It is an awesome collection. Thanks for posting them, fun to look at Chuck S

Last one of a 1964 Hunter...that was the final year of the all rosewood riser...these has a flat edge on the belly of the riser and tip overlays.

The rosewood was stunning in these models and the matching of the laminations so precise it was hard to see that it was not one piece.

Another view of the 1964 Hunter...back side of the riser and the sculpting of the wood made possible with the upright sanding machine designed by Larry. Brilliant!

Oh, let's have a few more...like this 1962 Hunter.

Pete, Keefers, those bows are stunning! I can see there are a few I don't have yet! And I was fortunate to get the ones I do have.

Two questions:

1. Does anyone have a favorite model/year?

2. What do you veterans think of refinishing that 61 Diablo? Leave the scratches and cracks in the finish as marks of its character? Or preserve it with a new finish?

group picture of a couple of my Monterey's.

top to bottom 57 Deluxe Early 61 Late 61 63 with white 3M glass 63 with black glass

We haven't yet heard from Zepnut, who has a ton of these old beauties...

I don't know if I can stand seeing a ton more of these beauties. I'm starting to get Howatt envy! Does anyone here ever have too many and needs to get rid of some? But OK, I hope Zepnut shows us more. I'll brace myself. After I get over seeing those Montereys of Cueman's.

I have six Super Diablos..Five rosewoods and one with the plywood handle...The best shooting one was the 1969 Hunter..

I love those Montereys.

I had a Ventura and a Mamba, both were more than I could comfortably shoot anymore so I let others have them who were much younger.

Someone mentioned those Howatts where a class act, Larry Hatfield is a class act.

Now if I could find a Monterey in the 45 to 50 lb range...MMMMMMM! Just thinking out loud.

My most recent Howatt restore

I sold this one.

The back side of my '64 Hunter. Fun to shoot but may be putting in on the selling block.

Some more hunters 60, 61 in 66" length, a near end of this riser 61, and a late 61 knife edge with conquestador sticker instead of the Ne Plus Ultra.

a couple more hunters 63, 64 and 65, missing is a 62. Hint, Hint! to any of you looking to let go of one

This is the Howatt Hunter limb color I have and it's the one on the left of my 5 I'm showing in photo's up a few.

Chas, you may recognize that 61 hunter with the cinnamon and green glass. Looks a bit different after refinish, has to be one of my favorite hunters.

Love the sculptured riser and all hand done from what I have read from Larry Hatfield in previous threads he made. So glad he is still around helping us with identifying these old gems.

Another view and what I meant to say about hand sculptured is if I read this correctly they used a big spindle type sander and can't remember the exact name of that machine but what I understood was they got paid by piece work or each bow . Just held the bow by hand and used the sander to shape. Very talented workers back then and it surely shows in the Howatt line of bows.

Referred by many as the best production bows ever made.I have a coronado and hunter.Not much more you could ask for in a recurve bow.

Referred by many as the best production bows ever made.I have a coronado and hunter.Not much more you could ask for in a recurve bow.

Not a spindle sander! Here's a picture. Upright sander that took a 120"X2" belt, and had a 1" round 3" long and a flat plate lower down. You had to garb and form the belt as you sanded and keep the edges from "sawing" into the wood. Only had less than 6 people that ever learned to use those machines. Had to have a lot of confidence. That's why I never quit shaping bows. Usually only me and one other doing that work.

Here's a pic of my 64 Hunter by itself. It's in mint condition except for a sight that was on it. One of the most beautiful bows I've ever seen, of any brand. Unfortunately it's too heavy for me. Rated 48#, it's 53.5#@28.75". I shot it once but was sore for a week. I'll have to let it go. It would be great to get a lighter vintage Howatt in its place. Hint hint.

Thanks Larry for showing that sander and for explaining what style sander that was . My hat's off to you and the other 5 men who learned to use that machine back in the day . Now Larry did I read correctly on another post or somewhere you got paid $4.00 a bow ? Please correct me if I am wrong ! Again Thank you for participating in this post.

Larry one other question that I am sure has been asked before but hope you don't mind me asking. Why was the knife edge discontinued and was it only on the 63"s or 62's as well?

For a cavalier up to a hi-speed we got 4.50@. Take it out of the press, clean the glue off, tip it out on a 6X36 sears sander, shape with a band saw, tapered rasp and the sears sander stood up using the round roller, and hand sanding to 300 grit. I could do 8-10 bows a day by the end of the first week when I started. That was good money for 1961. Later I did from 10-15 a day. Then I started building machines and we went to hourly wages. When we had a better way of doing shelfs and sight windows we quit doing the knife edge.

Great pics of great bows. My show pony is ths 1964 lefty Hunter...

but this 1960 Hunter is a silent killer.

Let's just say it: the Howatt guys were making the Sophia Lorens of bows, while almost everyone else was making Doris Days!

Mark, how come your 64 has green limbs and mine has black limbs? That's not fair!

Kerry, I think many of those Howatts go beyond human proportions, even Sophia Loren's. More like a comic book fantasy heroine. But if comparing another woman to Sophia, it would be Audrey Hepburn. They actually both had exactly the same proportions. It's just that Sophia had bigger curves!

I was shooting the 63 Hunter today, first time. It looks so good in the sun I had to show it again. The wood has an iridescence to it... I don't know if you will see it here. Hope so.

Shandor that is one of the things I like about those Rosewood Howatts .In different lighting conditions they sometimes look very dark like a dark Cherry or have some gold hues in them . Your's look very pretty in the sun.

Thank you for that info and photos Mr. Hatfield, very interesting.

And Thank you for all the fine bows and your skill in making them.

Shandor...just wanted to let you know that your late 1961 Hunter that has the "slash-7" suffix is identical to the 1962 Hunter that you are lusting after.

The transition to the new all rosewood design from the walnut and rosewood models began in mid to late 1961.

In 1962 the new model continued being made, still with the knife edge...only difference is the "V" suffix replaces the "slash-7".

It's no surprise these bows are highly sought after since there were only 1500 of each model made per year from 1962 and even fewer in 1961-they're rare birds.

Thanks Pete! That's good to know. Now I only have to lust after another one that's lighter, and one of those 66" Hunters. LOL!

I saw that 61 and 63 Hunter at Traditional Archery Sales. They had just been listed. Apparently Len the owner had just been to an archery meet in Baltimore and picked up some new bows. At 83 he still gets around to find bows. He's very pleasant to deal with. He said he's been selling bows for over 30 years and has only seen such nice Hunters once before.

Hope I don't have to wait 30 years to find more. I'll either be too old to shoot, or not alive. That would make it hard to get any bows.

Prettiest factory bows ever made, in my opinion. Their rosewood is stunning.

I used my new acquisition today for the first shot, you can see it there. Thank you Kerry! Still have to finish the string but I couldn’t wait to run a few more arrows thru it. Wow oh wow! Fast and flat. I like the Howatts that you all have shared and I’ve noticed that this new one for me has a much higher wrist grip with just enough room for the web between my thumb and finger. Lance

Thanks, Kenny, for that wonderful Palomar. Got this the other day and I'm blown away by it. One of the easiest bows to shoot well right away I've ever had. Plus... like many of these old Howatts, it's just beautiful. 1961, 69", 35#.

Shandor

I accidentally opened this thread and read through the entire thing. Man, are these bows beautiful!

I can now shoot that 48# 64 Hunter that used to be too heavy for me. And I found a 1963 35# Hunter, all one piece of bubinga. I'll show it here. It's of course beautiful, and of course, a great shooter.

Wow...a bubinga one-piece from 1963! That's a rare bird, Shandor...thanks for posting!

Here's a pic I just took--from right to left, there's a 1960 Monty, a 1962 Hunter, a mongrel, and a 1974 SD that just arrived yesterday. I know the '74 is outside the time frame of this thread, but I include it to show that somehow there were still a few scraps of Brazilian rosewood in the shop at Yakima six years after the embargo!

The dark bow was a 1963 Hunter, perhaps a lunchbox bow, with no decals or specs. I got the rasp out and retro-styled it to look more like a '62, including the knife-edge on the belly side.

Winter sun and Brazilian rosewood are a nice combination.

Man those are some pretty bows!

My son's knife edge Hunter I gave him.

My early Monterey.

Just for laughs, my original 50# '71 Super Diablo after the hunt in '72. Don't get upset because the paint was Bow Dull and would come off easily. Bows weren't as sacred in the 60s and 70s.

'73 Super Diablo.

Those bows are so beautiful, makes me want to cry.... unbelievable.

Kerry, here's a thread on that Bubinga hunter in which Mr. Hatfield talks about it some.

http://leatherwall.bowsite.com/tf/lw/thread2.cfm? forum=23&threadid=304881&messages=17&CATEGORY=3

Those turquoise limbed Hunters are great. I hope to find one someday.

Here's a 64 Monterey I got since this thread started. Another beauty and great shooter.

Those are some very beautiful bows!!!! I have no excuse for never owning one.... they have great lines!!

Here's one that's not so beautiful... yet. A 1961 Catalina. All the limb surfaces and some of the riser are covered in tape residue. Which so far has resisted many efforts at removal. I think it needs sandpaper.

Nice bows guys. I have a High Speed and a Catalina. Excellent bows.

For sure they are some of the best bows made in any time, as shooters and as prom queens

1962 HiSpeed 58" and #50@28

I've been hesitating to jump into this thread because the focus seems to be hunting Howatts. All of these bows are beauties. I figured, though, that you can't have a discussion about 1960 - 65 Howatt artwork without at least one original (1963) Del Rey. So here it is.

David, that Del Rey is beautiful. Thanks for posting it. There's no restriction to hunting bows. I posted a Ventura, as did Brad (same bow!) and a 69" 61 Palomar. Certainly not a hunting bow. That Palomar is one of the most beautiful bows I have. Here it is again.

Early Catalina with knife edge.

Buzz...your Catalina is a 1961.

Beautiful bows everyone! Howatt's are the crème de la crème of recurves.

That Del Rey of Dave's is stunning...would love to see a pic of a Century 21.

I have a very nice Dale Dye Good medicine. YOu can clearly see the Howatt design influnce in the DD bows

I just received this in the mail. A beautiful left handed Howatt Hi-Speed. I will post pictures. Hopefully, someone can help me determine the year it was made. Thanks.

The serial number is written above the decal on the lower limb. There is no writing or stamp in the sight window.

The bow has a few minor scuffs but the rosewood is beautiful.

The back of the limb tips are laminated rosewood. From what I have gleaned from your posts it was made in either 1960 or 1961. Does in he 7 at the begining of the serial number indicate the Boyer?

Looks like a 1961.

It is an early 1961, as Larry indicated...walnut and rosewood riser but the specs are on the lower limb and not the sight window as they had been...later in the year the new design with the all rosewood riser was rolled out and the specs for all models were placed on the lower limb.

This is one of the last Hi- Speed's made where the first number is the bowyer number...it was dropped later that year.

Love that Monterey....nice collection

By the serial# I believe 63

2020MD sent me a better pic of the serial number...it is 7160, four digits and not five, so the first number is not the bowyer number.

It is indeed one of the last walnut and rosewood Hi-Speed's made...they are a great design.

Mines hhx 3516

It is a 1963 due to the X suffix after HH and not the number beginning with 3.

Ok thanks. I know it sure shoots good no matter how old. Come summer its gonna have to be refinished. It's amazing how thin the limbs are and how tiny the tips. But I suppose that's part of the reason for its speed and lack of any vibration.

I don't know how old this is, but it doesn't have AMO on it so it must be before 1968. Can anyone date this Coronado? Whatever year it is, I think it's pretty unusual. Only 23#.

Here's a 61 Palomar I got recently. 66" 43#. John Murphy refinished it with Danish oil.

Here are two versions (generations) of the Catalina. The lower one was refinished by Don Doan, who is missed by all who knew him.

And here is a B&A montage of the riser ...

Finally (for today), the exotic Catalina Century 21.

Wow. That's quite a transformation of that Catalina. The Century 21 is amazing. First time I've seen a pic of one.Thanks.

The Palomar has a riser shape a lot like a Saber.

MP

He has not admitted it, but I suspect that Crookedstix may have owned my C-21 at one time. Someone desecrated that beautiful grip by filing cross-hatching on it.

Here's a close up of the really interesting (IMO) grip wedge/thumb rest. This beauty took a while to lay up, I'll bet. Any insight on that, Larry H?

That light Coronado is a 1966 Shandor.

The Hunter with the waterfall bubinga riser is a jaw dropper! Seems there was a lot of it around in 1963 as Bear used it on most of their bows.

Mpdh...Larry mentioned having the styling of those late 50's Palomar's in mind when he designed the Saber...it shows. The Saber is one of my favourite Howatt designs.

Thanks for the Century 21 pic Dave...beautiful! Like to find one in 45# some day.

…here is a 1960 Monterey, 25#@28” 62” length… out of the other 1960 Montys I have, this one stands out as my favorite to gaze at… black glass on the face, white glass on the belly, Eldorado decal on the lower limb, weight stamp and serial on the site window…

Oh great!!! Those are some beautiful bows for sure. Now what, I don't have one?

Beautiful bows!

1888bc, you've done a fine public service by bumping this thread back up--it ought to be sent to the top every six months or so, IMO!

Here's a 1965 HH that I took the pruning saw and rasp to, and re-styled more along the lines of a 1962.

Wish I was still in procession of the 1965 that I had. Traded to ID in 1996ish

And here's a 1962 that I've acquired since this thread was last up. From some angles, it's hard to believe how deeply sculpted these bows actually were--especially considering that this one has a 55# draw.

Nothing but artistry in all the pictured Howatts. Like others mentioned makes me long for a couple I've let go, like the 66" Howatt Hunter I let slip away.

Here's an odd bird I call the Howatt "Speedy Diablo"; a Hi-Speed x Diablo hybrid HW-34315L. 1960ish I believe.

"Speedy Diablo"? I'd love to hear Larry's take on that one

I had a ventura that was, for guys with ~28" draws, dead silent and dead in hand.. without anything but a stock string on the bow. Great bows.

For my 31+" draw was not so good, sold it to one of the shorter fellows I let try it. Man was he happy.

New to me in like new condition 62 Hunter from Lynden,WA. 41#@28”-62” makes for a sweet shooter!

Them are some beautiful bows

1962 Diablo. Crackerjack bow!!

1959 Palomar...one of my favourite Howatt's.

1960 Hunter with turquoise 3M glass

1962 "knife edge' Hunter

1959 Hunter refinished by crookedstix...bought it from me...fixed it up...decided to sell it...I bought it back as I had been kicking my ass around the room for flipping it in the first place!!

61 Monterey 37#@28"-62"

62 Hunter

Pics of a Century 21, still looking for a lefty.

1960 Monterey..

Work of art...

1961 Catalina 25# 66".

Same 25# Catalina

69" 43# 1961 Catalina. What a shooter.

The 69" Catalina again.

I've gotten a few more Howatts since I last posted on this thread. So glad to see it again. All these bows are terrific to see!

Here's a 1960 24# 66" Palomar. One of my best shooting bows!

62 Hunter

An old Catalina I once owned

whaaat is the KNIFE EDGE some speak of? I have a 1964(I was told) Hunter & a Bandito 1973 (I think). My pictures have no place in this thread, haha. Steve

selstickbow

The knife edge refers to the finished taper that comes to a sharp edge on the belly edge of the sight window of the late 1961 and 1962 Hunter's, Hi-Speed's, Monterey's and Diablo's.

After that they were finished with a square edge.

Here is a photo of the knife edge on a 1962 Hunter.

And here is the square edge on a 196r Hi-Speed.

Here's a picture of the particularly nice wood on a 1964 Hunter...it also shows the flat edge of the belly edge of the sight window.

A 1959 Diablo...

THANKS PETE

Damn it you guys, now I'm thinking I need a late model hunter!!!!

Which one is not like the others? It's like muskrat love!

1960

…here is a 1963 Monterey, 25#@28” 62” length… this one has a "shelf-less" style De Sales arrow rest... hand scripted on the top limb (belly side) is "Built by Howatt for Shirley"... white glass on face and belly, one piece Conquistador decal on the lower limb, with hand script serial and draw weight…

Wow.. if anyone has a 69-70" in 25-28# please let me know.

Glad you posted that Tim! Great bow!

Afternoon Coffee…

A pair of 61-ish and Ventura’s…

A pair of 61-ish and Ventura’s…

Well seems that suddenly I can’t access my photos. The ventures will have to wait -sorry folks!

Here's a 62" 26# 1961 Ventura. Only 62" Ventura I've ever seen, although I've heard there are more. The wood is very unusual. I'm not sure what it is, even though I started sanding it to refinish the bow. It's very light, like pine. But looks like maple, or fir. As I worked on it, I suspected more and more that it's spalted maple. Perhaps just a piece of maple used that was a bit more rotten than it should have been. I don't know. It's still a mystery.

Here's another view of the wood after some sanding.

That's not the photo I uploaded! LOL! How did that get there? It's not even my photo.

I'll try again.

Here it is again in shade, with some alcohol on it. Anyone know what this wood is?

Ill take a guess. Rosewood sap wood?

If I had a 62" Ventura that looked like Rube Powell, I'd keep it.

LOL Mark! So that's who that is. A complete mystery how that photo got there. I don't even have one on my laptop that I was uploading from.

I am keeping the 62" Ventura even though someone we both know keeps asking me for it.

Mark, the bow is too light for it to be rosewood sapwood. Feels as light as balsa wood.

My apology for the last photo. learning to how to put out a photo after having not done it in a few years. Bob

I didn't realize Howatt's were made in Yakima. I've hunted a lot near there. Cool.

green 58" Hi-Speed knife edge w/ Razordheads!

Hear are those early 1960s Venturas I couldn’t load before...

Hear are those early 1960s Venturas I couldn’t load before...

Hear are those early 1960s Venturas I couldn’t load before...

Hear are those early 1960s Venturas I couldn’t load before...

N I C E Jason, fun to see differences in side by side bows from same basic couple of years. Beauties you have there. Steve

Spectacular wood on those Venturas!

Wow!

Larry has said that Howatt made very few one-piece risers, but it looks like when they had a nice curly plank to work with--like on those Venturas--they would make an exception. At least they sure look like one-piece risers...

Jason! Beautiful bows!

What are the serial digits on both of them, and which one has the lighter wood?

The first one with the darker wood looks like HV7.

I am betting that the one with the light wood has an "X" after the HV...

These threads always make me mourn the '65 DHH that I let go.

mangonboat.......”if I had a 62” Ventura that looked like Rube Powell, I’d keep it. Me too. Now, if I had one that shot like Rube Powell.....you can bet I’d for sure be keeping that one, too!” Steve

mangonboat.......”if I had a 62” Ventura that looked like Rube Powell, I’d keep it. Me too. Now, if I had one that shot like Rube Powell.....you can bet I’d for sure be keeping that one, too!” Steve

…here is a 1963 Coronado, 26#@28” 60” length… ‘63 was the first year of the Coronado… it’s my favorite as the grip diameter is smaller, site window is narrower and limb tips are smaller… overall, it’s a light bow to hold and fast for its draw weight… Teal 3M glass back and belly… hand scripted specs on the lower limb in black color…

…here is a 1960 Monterey, 30#@28” 62” length… while it’s not my favorite for shooting due to the shape of the grip (I have nine early 62” Monterey models to compare it to) it’s my favorite to gaze at. 3M glass (Teal belly, Cinnamon back), script and hard stamp in the sight window, decal lower limb…

Not sure who brought the thread back but so glad that they did! WOW! So many beautiful bows!

Damn, feel like I went cross-eyed looking at all those bows again. I do like pretty wood laminations!

Here's my son, Jeff, shooting that early Hunter I gave him. He showed up at the BBTC in 2017 and I lent him this bow. He hadn't really shot a bow much since he was 16 but shot as good or better than my friends so I gave him the bow. We get to shoot a 3-D a couple of times a year now. He is a natural shot and golfer. He doesn't play that much but shoots in the mid to high 70s.

Glad this thread has been resurrected!

We all have some new beauties to showcase..

Here's a 1963 Palomar that is 64" and 50#.

And you wonder what bow inspired the Saber??!!

The whole bow!

This bow is very snappy...

Yeah, great thread, glad to see it up again. Renewed Archer has some nice ones.

Peter, true some of us have gotten some more! Here's a 1959 38# 69" Palomar I got recently. From Dave's collection. What a great shooter!

Some pics in shade, and in sun. Tissue on one limb. Really cool.

The grip was a little too small for me. So I wrapped it in this leather bike handlebar wrap, then put some leather preservative on it which made the leather a few shades darker. Works great.

Not sure of the year but guessing mid to late ‘60s