Can anyone tell me who may have built this (dark one on the right). No makers mark on it. Thanks, Steve

Dark one on the left rather....

Well built and shoots great.

This is only ID

I’m thinking Gordon Plastics just because of the script being where it is. Lance

Lance,

Good call, exactly what I thought. The tips, from what can be seen, are in line with Gordon, but the rest is nothing like any Gordon bow I've seen.

Maybe a custom job or a personal build by one of the employees?

It also has that dark brown glue line that was used in the Bo-Kore laminations; I would bet the farm that it was made in the Gordon/Browning plant sometime before 1965 (based on the quality of the rosewood grain!)

Thanks for the info. The thing that's really throwing me on this is everything appears to be vintage except a black stripe which appears to possibly be carbon.

That is a vintage bow, there will be no carbon in the laminations. A black stripe was likely fiberglass if it's consistent through the bow. That bow looks like it should be in an early Browning catalog so I concur with the San Diego connection.

Thanks George, I picked it up about 50 miles north of San Diego.

Tips were never shaped like that by Browning. I don't think the first year Browning catalog has a model shaped like this one. I'm still betting that it was made by an employee that went to Browning from Gordon.

That bow looks a lot like Browning Olympian I used to have. I suspect it’s pretty much the same design just when it was made by Gordon Glass.

Not sure what the dark line is. It is not a lamination though I think it was just a Dye Gordon Glass put into or onto the maple core laminations.

J.

Jim Baker, I was talking profile, not tips. The wedge tip was a Gordon thing and I think all of browning's were overlays or no reinforcement at all.

George, I have a Browning Nomad with wedge tips.The riser grip looks close to my Browning also.Not the whole riser, just the grip area.

Bassman, yes. My bad. The Nomad started off with wedge tips then later went to overlays.

I think the Medallion kept its wedges as well...

Thanks for all the information is this the kind of boy should take out in the woods and beat up? Initially latched onto it because I was looking for a 40 pounder to take out and Knockaround.

It may not have much value as a collectible, but it's probably as good a bow as was being made anywhere in 1962 (or whenever); it should be an awesome shooter.

Thanks, I meant to say "bow" not boy.

It sure looks like the Olympian in the 62-63 catalog.

http://www.vintagearchery.org/browning.html

I thought it looked like cocobolo on handle, but evidently if it isn't limpian they're made out of rosewood?

That's what happens when I use my voice typer. I meant to say it looks like cocobolo but maybe it's Rosewood?

More likely it's Brazilian rosewood.

That's cool thanks. Since I've been messing around building bows I've never been able to buy any, so I guess I don't know it when I see it.

I believe your bow is a "Deluxe Composite." It was made in the same factory (Gordon's?) and on the same forms and to the same specs as were the Brownings. I think they were cosmetic seconds that Gordon wouldn't send to Browning, so they were marketed as Deluxe Composite bows, and the bow specs were always written on the heel of the grip instead of on the side of the bow. I could be wrong though...they might not have been seconds...and it could be that Browning allowed them to be sold under the Deluxe label.

The black line between the lams is a component of the Bo-Kore lamination. It went between the maple lams...it was a kind of scrim layer.

That bow is a Gordon/Browning of some kind.

Actually the scrim went on both sides of the maple lams...you can see it clearly.

Bo-Kore were pre made lams...the scrim layer likely provided consistency when glueing.

As Peter said, it is bo-kore on the limbs. It is a browning made Deluxe Composite bow. I am leaning towards Olympian because it looks to have overlays on the belly glass. The first years of the Olympian used 2 pieces of glass on the belly lams, along with the bo-kore sandwiched between them. The inner glass only ran to the fade outs. This would put this bow around 64-65 when that stopped. The bo-kore on this bow is also the 2 color scrim, one black the other brown. Early olympians had all black. Olympian standard glass colors were white belly/light green back for a 66" bow.

This bow is also made from 2 pieces of brazilian rosewood sandwiched together to make the riser, this could be the cause of the Deluxe designation.

Clan Gordon made a Monarch model in 1960-61 that was almost identical to the Browning Olympian, and carried its marking on the back of the riser where the limb lamination met the riser material. That's one possibility. Also, As Kenny suggests, Browning bows that didnt meet Browning spec or pass final inspection were sold as "Deluxe Composite Bow" and many of those, especially in the 62-64 years, also had the specs written in the customary Gordon location. A third posssibility is that when Jerry Amster and Jack Bice were coming up with Browning's inaugural lineup in late 1961, early 1962, and for a few years thereafter as they improved the designs, they made variants that resembled but weren't exactly as ultimately decided on for production, and I've have a few of those, e.g. a December 1961 Gordon that is a 62" 1962 Browning Explorer with tip wedges instead of tip laminations. But its a nice bow,made in San Diego, however you call it

Unless it's a one off, Browning did not make this bow. The tips are almost positive proof of this.

Unless it's a one off, Browning did not make this bow. The tips are almost positive proof of this.

Those tips are exactly like the ones on my Browning Nomad (60 inch), Browning Monarch, and Browning Apollo.

Jim, my 1962 Browning Olympian has tips exactly like this bow. Tip wedges and overlays.

This bow also has the triangular leather side plate and brush rest of early Browning bows. It would be helpful to verify what color the glass is on the back side of the limbs. It looks like forest green on the back and light green on the belly, like mine and Browning catalog spec . Dave Ross has a Gordon Monarch..he might be able to add some light.

Joe P.

Can you post pictures of those tips and the labels and serial numbers?

This has Dark green glass on the back and very light green on the belly. It has 4 lams, dark material (scrim?) sandwiched between each pair of lams and a medium green glass (powerlam?) running about half way up the limbs. Looks just like the Olympian in the '62-'65 catalog (thanks to all the help here that was a great lead)

Yes, definitely a monarch. With the better pictures, it does have the double glass on back. The green was only on the 66” monarch, longer bow used white glass.

Since the only other 2 piece Brazilian rosewood bows from browning I have ever see are very early 62 models, I am going with early. Never seen a monarch with anything but one piece riser, have seen 2 explorers with the sandwich riser, both 62.

Of the Gordon bows I have had with belly overlays, they are reverse of the browning Olympian overlays.

The tips on that bow are very similar to those on my 1961 Gordon Royal Huntsman.

Does anybody know what type of original finish is on these bows?

Epoxy finish

I would incline towards a 1962-ish date of mfr. on this one for several reasons: the tip style, the script under the palm, and the quality of the grain in the rosewood. I don't think I've ever seen a bow made after 1962 with the specs in that location--once Gordon became Browning, the specs went to the side of the riser.

It's definitely a keeper, whatever the details.

I seem to remember Jerry A. saying that he and Jack Bice whipped up two prototypes for Gordon to show Browning's agent when they were trying to win the contract; one was a hunting length and the other was a target bow. Maybe this is the latter one of those two pieces of history!

Ken/Kerry, -Wow! I didn’t know you guys knew so much about Browning and Gordon’s Plastic bows! And Kerry, you’ve actually had conversations with some of those original Browning bowyers? -very cool!

After looking at the Brownings catalog link that Steve posted And seeing the green glass, I figured it was a 1965 Olympian Factory second like mine I posted up above but then again my Olympian did not have either the fiberglass scrim or the stats written on the palm. Mine were written in gold on the side of the riser like all the other Brownings. The grip of mine had more of a pronounce pistol grip which I didn’t like so much but then again that could’ve been just a matter of grip choice for that particular bow not that model. Mine was also a one piece rosewood riser not the two piece a sandwich together.

All these little details that I love hearing about bow collecting. :-)

J.

I tried to upload a picture of my 63 Olympian tip wedges, but could not get the picture to load. They are identical to this bow.

Besides Howatts, Browning bows are my favorite. I have owned and collected quite a few of them over the years. Fit, finish and QC of browning bows was top notch. Like Howatt's, I have never shot a Browning bow I did not like.

I've been referred to Pdiddly as possibly one of few who can identify/date this and identify who exactly made it...

I'm especially interested in the fact that it has black glass?

Like this Ken...?

One thing this strikes me peculiar about this bow is there are no tapered laminations in it.

The Browning bows evolved from Gordon Plastics bows and were made, at least initally, by bowyers who still wore Gordon coveralls. The B-Kore lamination process integral to Gordon Plastics fiberglass' popularity involved a bonded fiberglass <> maple lamination of constant, controlled thickness.So no tapered laminations except the tip wedges in several models. Its not uncommon to see Browning bows with multiple thin maple laminations between or under BoKore laminations. I had a 1965 Medallion with 5 thin maple laiminations all the way out to the tip.

Does this familiar? The H serial number is very early production, applied to all Gordon-made Browning bows before the model-labeling sequence was settled on.

tip of that Olympian

This is what I know about the numbers of the early production from Gordon prior to the Browning letters. Explorer was E Apollo was M Olympian was H

Every one of them the letter was first followed by a 2 which I am thinking was 62, then the number of bows built.

This is just a guess, but I did sleep in a motel 6 last night!

The tips on mine look very similar

The only markings on the entire bow are the specs below the handle and the name "Norm"

Ah yes! Norm! That’s what Gordon plastics called the Olympian. However when Browning took over they thought ‘Norm’ was just a dumb name For their top-of-the-line target bow so they changed it to something more evocative of power and Majesty - Olympian!

I would have preferred "Harold"

I agree with Peter (pdiddly) that this is definately a GPI and/or Browning creation. However, I believe this bow is a custom order from GPI.

Here is my supporting evidence.

GPI made bows with and without model names. One product, the Bow- Kit, was a customer finished bow and any custom order only carried a GPI or Clan Gordon label.

Here is one such bow. It is very simular to the OP's bow in terms of markings and construction elements.

The main point being; it was a custom order, not a standard model, so you'll not see another one like it.

That must have been quite a group of guys back then at that shop. Are any of the original catalogs still floating around or online?

Very cool ?Jim!

I sold a Clan Gordon, ‘Serval’ to Shandor last year that has a similar look, just not as fancy.

First time poster, the amount of knowledge of browning bows here is amazing. I just pick up a Browning Olympian recently. I’m trying to figure out the exact year produced. Here is a pic of the markings

1962

Beautiful bows

Gordon Plastics.

And welcome. 1962 was the first year the Olympian was made. In fact, the first year Browning made bows.

Dirtwerkz...can you please post more pictures of the Olympian?

Here are some more.

Looking to get at a estimated value. It’s white on both sides. Any help is appreciated. Will most likely be selling it.

Looking to get at a estimated value. It’s white on both sides. Any help is appreciated. Will most likely be selling it.

Dirtwerkz,

Sorry nobody got back to you on this thread! I had stopped looking at it a while ago so I missed your final post.

Being a first-year production Olympian, that it is in, apparently, really great shape, and so beautiful with very dark Rosewood Riser, my guess would be somewhere between $175 and $280. Maybe more if somebody really wants it!

They are great shooters and so so beautiful!

J.

If you have already registered, please

sign in now

For new registrations

Click Here