Like many enthusiasts here, I have been searching for the perfect bow (for me) over the last 20 years. Again, like many enthusiasts here, I have owned and shot MANY custom and manufactured bows including some higher dollar works of art. I research, peruse bowyer websites, and faithfully read the Leatherwall trying to lead me to the "one" -- the longbow that will end my search.

I am not saying I have arrived, because ending the hunt would remove a great pleasure from my life. However, the hunt has definitely been slowed by a "beginner" production bow (I dislike that term, BTW). I have always known about the Montana and remember when it was first introduced. I liked the looks of it but poo pood it as likely inferior to the prettier customs. Well, I picked up a used 50# 2016 model Bear Montana, confident that it would be a decent bow (for a factory bow), based on previous comments and reviews. After shooting it for several days now, I absolutely cannot believe what a wonderful longbow the Montana is! Take all the positive reviews you have read of the Montana and multiply them by 100. The bow is smooth, silent, has minimal handshock, forgiving, shoots where you look, and is just an absolute pleasure to draw and shoot. It seems to like any brace height. I would love to meet Neil Grant Byce II and shake his hand, because he designed a real winner. It is not a good bow for the money -- it is good bow for any money!

I would post a picture of the bow, but as you know, they all look the same, other than the brown ones. :) That, along with the somewhat unshapely grip, are the only drawbacks I can find (that can be remedied with a good rasp). Honestly, the grip is actually better that I thought it would be.

I honestly believe the Montana's design is what makes it such a winner, and I would be glad to share my thoughts on that if anyone is interested.

The Montana is the best (for me) longbow I have ever owned or shot. I mean that! I absolutely love the fact that if something happens to the one I own, there are thousands of others readily available that will replace it. ;-)

Arcoyflecha, I share the same feelings. After years of overlooking the Montana, I started paying attention to how many people really like them. I purchased a brown one, and have to say it is a joy to shoot. It has soon become my favorite and now is the only one I grab. Also think it’s a good looking bow as well. To me it has classic longbow profile. I also agree that Neal Grant Bryce II hit a home run on this, and it has been right under my nose for years. Glad I finally gave it a look.

Montana has been the best of the bows I've shot. Very easy to shoot well

Too short.

Have you shot the Montana, SB?

If some folks could just get past the ego thing, more would enjoy the so-called manufactured/entry-level bows. Fact is those are just terms that usually refer to cost and not quality. But alas, if you want to brag about your goods you want to use the word custom...then veneers, then spalted, then??????????????. But glad you found out how good those bows are.

Steve, they apparently aren't too short for many folks. One of the best deflex/reflex bows I ever shot was 64"...a Bridger Mountain longbow by Rocky Miller.

I love my Montana! I did change the leather grip to a beaver tail grip and put a new string on it. Great bow!

Yes I've shot them. Too short!

Actually besides that I didn't find anything to like about them. I have a few old beater Pearson's that are nicer shooting bows!

I had one of the first ones with the fat tips and 2x4 grip. I bought it as a backup. After I reduced the tips and grip I found it more user friendly. When I shot it it was fine, no complaints. Only reason I sold it was to many bows.

I found the Bear Montana to be a great bow. I also overlooked it for a long time. Than I took one on a trade not expecting to keep it , figured I would sale or trade it for something else. I still own that bow. I have no plans on selling it.

The Bear Montana was my 1st longbow. I think about 10 years ago. I got some deer and small game with it. I liked the looks of it,but mine had hand shock to it. I made the tips smaller and dished the grip a little. It didn't help much. With a heavy arrow ,it sure was quiet.

It is always good to find great value for the money. My surprises have come in the form of an old Bob Lee Thunderbolt and a Wing Chaparral. Those bows just work for me.

I traded a bow for a 45 pound Montana and I think maybe a Hoyt Dorado. I had no intention to keep either of the trades but did shoot both of them prior to selling. The Montana just failed to impress me with the lackluster cast for a forty five pound bow. I have found that sometimes certain models of a bow don't really come alive until you hit a certain weight. This could be the case with the Montana.

My wife bought a Montana for me. I disliked everything about it. Mine was not quiet, not smooth drawing to my 30" draw and had the most vibration of any bow I've owned. I've owned all the Bear longbow models as well as customs. I'm sorry I'm calling this one as I see it.

If the Montana works for you, great, ever do a side by side comparison to a similar spec Robertson longbow?

I've shot lots of longbows including Robertsons..fine bows by the way but not heads-above many other choices...and there are many others. Lots of folks here use and really like the Bear offering. Whether or not you like the Montana has no bearing on his choice. Riverwolf loves his Bear Montana and he's not the only one.

good to hear you found a bow that fits you nicely. thats what it is all about :)

I knew you’d be along soon Wolf, I know how much you like yours.

Interesting how different the perspectives are from different people. Sort of like reading reviews of hotels on line. Sometimes I think those people no way stayed at the same place I did. I understand the different views here. I have a RD TD longbow I picked up a couple or three months ago from Lancaster for $200. It's mostly the bow in my hands now. I have had and still own some of the top names in customs. That bow is the object of a loooong thread here with all sorts of differing opinions--I love mine and in fact have two of them now. :o) I hope to try the Montana at one of the shoots this year.

Always like your pics Ralph, thanks. I'm still on the look for a Montana lefty myself.

Riverwolf, I like that black & white picture.

Dave. I agree. You can't go by online reviews. Americans want everything now. And the want it cheap

I seen you have more than one black & white photo. Although all are nice. I was referring to the one of you checking something out on the ground.

I meant nothing negative about my post. The only R/D bows that I have ever shot out in the field is a Robertson. I was wondering about the difference. I did try a couple of shots with a Montana at about 15 feet in a Cabalas, I thought that particular one was a bit rough in the grip, I think it had too short of a string and the arrows were completely wrong for it, so it was not a fair measure of a test in anyway other than the grip felt clubby to me.

I am glad you chimed in, Riverwolf. It's nice to hear from someone who can relate. I wonder if the feel of the Montana improved after 2013 when Bear started using the heavier Futurewood again. If I am not mistaken, before that they were made from some type of high tech plywood.

As I stated in my original post, I believe the success of the Montana lies in its design. Allow me to explain. First, the limb tips are slightly rear of the back of the riser when the bow is unstrung. In other words, if you were to place the unstrung bow against a straight edge, the riser would touch the straight edge before the tips would. That quality is fairly uncommon, but is gaining ground. For example, if you look at the unstrung profile of a Robertson longbow (which was previously mentioned), the limb tips extend well forward of riser when the bow is unbraced. That has been the norm for many years and puts more preload in the limbs for greater speed. Henry Bodnik must've discovered the "string follow deflex-reflex" design I am speaking of (with the limb tips well rear of the back of the riser), because many of his bow designs, including the Slick Stick, have it. I have shot three of his models with that quality, and they were great shooters. I am beginning to believe it makes for a more forgiving and smoother drawing longbow, because it reduces the possibility of torque and reduces the preload on the limbs. Does it make the bow slower? It might, but I think the tradeoff is worth it.

The second quality that I believe makes the Montana a great design is the fact that the far ends of the limbs are straight and are SLIGHTLY recurve like. In other words the limbs flatten out about ten inches from the tips. This makes the 64 inch longbow smoother at longer draws, because the string angle at the tips is more acute (far from 90 degrees). That is not a new innovation, as many longbows are built that way. However, it allows for a higher brace height -- Bear recommends 7.5" to 8.5", which in turn results in a quieter and more forgiving bow.

The third quality is the EXTREMELY narrow limbs. I have owned, handled, and shot many longbows, and the Montana has the narrowest limbs I have ever seen. They are narrower than even the ASLs I have handled. Narrow limbs generally make a quieter bow. Some would argue they make a more stable bow. I think the narrow limbs are due, in part, to the first quality I mentioned -- that the limb tips do not extend forward of the riser when the bow is unstrung. When the limb tips extend well forward of the riser, then the limbs have to bend more to string and draw the bow. If they have to bend more, then they would likely have to be wider to allow for that much bend. Wider limbs would likely make the bow louder. Make sense?

Sorry for the extra long post, but I wanted to convey my observations about the clever design of this great bow.

Oh yes that same Cabalas had a Patriot, I liked that one, it was stiffer and the supplied arrows flew pretty good out of it. Now I wonder with identical spec bows and proper arrows, how much different the Bear Patriot would be to the Montana.

I have told several people wanting to try a longbow without the expense to give them a try and all thought they were excellent bows I have never owned one but have shot several and liked them. If they fit you go for it and nobody should turn their nose up at you especially if you out shoot them which I have seen happen.

Very nice pics Riverwolf

I was walking the dog last spring and a guy was shooting a Montana ln his yard. He offered to let me shoot it, very nice shooting bow. Nice nostalgic looking pics Riverwolf.

the Bear Montana is on my list of bows to try.

I have had two Montana's and should have kept the first. Older model I believe, it had the Fred Bear coin and shot GREAT for me. The second one was a much newer version and did not fit my paw near as well. Just shows we all are made a bit different. I have found for the most part that when people start talking about chunky/blocky grips, those are the bows I need to try out. Smaller more radius cut grip styles just don't set as well.

-Bones

I am a huge fan of the bear montana. My first production year montana is the only bow i will absolutely not part with.

I've been lucky enough to shoot looooots of big name custom bows over the years as well as big name factory bows due to having grown up in the sporting goods business.. Some have been very good, some just plain disappointing and I wouldn't have carried them home.

After all those bows and all those years one of the easiest to shoot, most consistent bows I have ever picked up is an old Browning Medallion.

I to like the Montana, for a bow that is rather plain looking it sure does shoot nice! Only thing I would change at least on one I shot is grip little to blocky feeling for me. I will probably pick up a 45 lber in brown glass.

I love the Bear Montana too. Points, shoots, and handles so nice! It just feels good in my hand from just holding it all the way through the draw cycle and shot. I often wonder if the ones that complain about them actually shot a well tuned bow with the right matching arrows or if they just slung a few arrows through a random bow someone had offered them to try. Of course I'm aware too its just not possible for everyone to have the same taste and feelings for the same equipment, nor will it fit the same.

I'd love to see a 68-inch Montana.

I will just add my agreement with the Montana. And I am one who has posted a number of times about mine. I have two actually. I also really like my Black Widow LAG, but the Montana is just more forgiving and quiet for me. My first one I purchased 10 years ago off the shelf at Cabellas. I was amazed.

I recently swapped a nice Bear SK for a 35lb Montana. Now i am keeping an eye open for a 40 to 45 lb one. It is a stable, easy bow to shoot..i rotate it with My Black Hunter and Toelke whip. Looking forward to doing a little stumping with it when the stumps reappear from under the snow. Sandy

Monkeyball,that’s my story too. I ignored the Montana for years. Started looking around at all the people enjoying them, and started thinking, there is something to this. Glad I gave it a try.

I have had a couple of them, just a work horse of a hunting bow, and would get another at some point!

Glad you've found a bow that works well for you. I always like trying different bows ( hard for me shooting lefty) and was able to try a lot of great bows at the Kalamazoo expo this year. Fortunately for me it just confirmed that what I'm shooting fits me the best. Enjoy the Montana--- Bears are great bows for sure!

I broke my 55# Montana out today. This was my last group from 18 yards and about 8' of elevation. I had a ball with my Montana today!

Thanks Ralph! I took it into the thick stuff beyond the targets this afternoon in search of cottontails. Saw droppings and tracks but no critters. Maybe next time.

BigB, nice grip.

Though I gave mine to my pastor, I really liked my Montana. It shot comparably to my BW PTF.

Same goes for the Martin Savannah overlooked but one of the best shooting longbows made.

I've had to drop down in draw weight recently due to illness. THe bronw glass Montana looked appealing to me and I recalled shooting a light weight black glass model a few years ago that belonged to a friend.

So I found a brand new one in the box for $100 less than anyone else was selling them for in the brown glass that I like and decided to give it a shot.

It's 42lbs at my draw and I set up some 425 grain 500s for it and took it out to my club. I've owned dozens of longbows over the past 25 years and this Montana shoots as well as any of the mild r/d bows in my collection. It shoots where I look, draws smoothly and doesn't generate enough hand shock for me to notice. I love this bow. I love it so much that I picked up another one for the same price that's 10lbs heavier to give me something to strive for in my treatment and recovery. I hope to work back up to my usual draw weights and I want the Montana to be ready for me when I get there.

Among the mild r/d longbows out there, I think the Montana shoots with the best of them.

Bought mine at field & stream on clearance for 100.00, it a great shooting bow, I'd change strings & rest

I'm not crazy about bows, I'm crazy about shooting.

I was inspired by this thread to use my Bear Montana for the first shot this morning. The only Robin hood I had was with this bow. It is fun to shoot but I can't get use to the grip.

I had a similar reaction.

A couple years ago I saved up and got a dream bow for me, a Dave Johnson Hill styled longbow. My LORD it was beautiful. I loved every time I picked it up and shot it. Heck, I loved just holding it, looking at and feeling it in my hand. I had only owned it maybe 4 months and hadn't put that many arrows thru it when one day after a couple shots I felt and heard a HUGE CRACK in my hand. The riser had basically blew apart in my hand. Fortunately I was not hurt. I couldn't say the same for my poor bow. Mr. Johnson couldn't have been nicer, he got to building me a replacement as soon as he had a spot in his list.

I told about what happened and a fellow member sent me a PM and told me about how he had just bought an essentially brand new Montana from a Soldier returning to the battlefields and he had no real need for it and asked if I would like to use it to shoot until my replacement was sent to me. He said there were no strings attached at all. GOD....what a generous offer. Stickbow members and TRAD archers are the BEST HUMAN BEINGS on earth....NO LIE! He sent it to me and I wasn't expecting much. The tube got here and I opened it up and he wasn't telling me a tall tale....I couldn't see a blemish on it. Heck, I couldn't even tell it had been held, much less shot.

I grabbed my quiver and headed out. The very first shot I knew I had something special here. It took me about 5 more arrows to realize that this was one really NICE longbow. I hadn't owned very many longbows to compare it to, but I do know a nice bow when I see and feel it and this was one helluva bow.

I knew after 1 quiver of arrows that this bow wasn't going anywhere...I was going to do whatever I had to do to get this bow from the member. I got hold of him to let him know it arrived safe and sound and then to inform him that this bow now belonged to ME!! He was awesome to deal with and sold it to me at a bargain deal. I highly doubt he made a penny on it by selling it to me. I still own the bow.

The ONLY thing that was off was the draw weight. It was listed as a 45 pound bow, but it's actually about 43 pounds.

SO...if anyone out there is contemplating picking up a Bear Montana longbow....DO IT!! They can often be found for bargain prices and in great USED condition and prices too. Take a chance and I swear you'll have an ear to ear grin after you shoot 3 arrows thru it.

Larry

By far my favorite of the bows I've owned. I found the montana easy to shoot well

I have had one since 2010 and I loved the bow. For some reason it delaminated on me this past summer. I don't know why it happened.

I agree that the Montana is a VERY nice shooting bow, but with that I have not found them to be all the same. I had a 60# model with the Fred Bear coin that shot fantastic for me, just really did not care about the 60# draw weight. I turned that into a more recent 50# model and it just did not feel like the same bow at all. Very Possible it was shooter and not bow, but unable to get along, it was sent down the road to another who would shoot and appreciate it. For others still shooting the Montana- Has Bear discontinued the brown model? I realize it's just color, but...

-Bones

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