I’m planning on using a bear green stripe TD this year hunting… with serial # I can’t really pin point date made but in Florida, my question is the string…I’m aware of what factory calls for but have heard FF can be ran on a certain year made bow and after?

The limb tips are green laminated wood not plastic white nor light green… (wedges are green laminated just like risers as well, not black)

I’m going to be ordering a new string as back up, currently Dacron string.

Are wood laminated limb tips better assurance or just another way bear offered bow made?

Thank you

"just another way bear offered bow made" this....

You will get a number of opinions as it relates to string material and the associated safety or lack thereof. Bottom line is that you are going to have to make the decision.

Decide what it is that YOU think you are going to gain by using a low stretch string, or lose by using a dacron string and then decide if it is worth the implied risk.

I cant directly answer your question but I have had quite a few Bear TD’s. have used mercy,D-97, B-55 among others.

Shot them through chronograph multiple times.

B-55 was 5-8 fps slower but when I added up all the factors, ended up with B-55 on all of them.

Id recommend getting a well made B-55 and don’t sweat it.

I have a green stripe as well, love to see a pic of your bow.

Green stripes are built pre fast flight era.

The kangaroo court will tell you what you can and can't use. You will be the judge and jury. Court is in session.

You have a fairly sought after bow which brings a pretty good price these days. I realize you are not selling but consider value as well in your decision. Personally I believe the newer B-55 material while being Dacron is an improvement over the Old B- 50. My old SK likes it and I don’t have that lingering thoughts about string cutting through the tips.

I've been running low stretch d-97 on my Bear Green Stripe with green tip overlays and other Bear TD limbs for close to 10 years without any problems. I use 12-strand strings padded to 16 in the loops. In addition to additional performance, the low stretch strings also reduce bow vibration/hand shock at the end of the shot, which isn't felt much on a Bear to begin with given the heft of the risers.

Your choice, but I certainly haven't heard or read much about low stretch strings damaging older Bear TD limbs. And, if anything did happen to them, they're easily replaced. There are a lot of older Bear TD limbs available, and Bear is making more every day.

I've shot 8125 on a number of vintage Bears with no ill effect. I must say that the difference is downright startling. Completely transformed the bows. Way quicker and way quieter, no vibration.

Those old Bears can really cook with the right string.

I’ve been fooling with various low stretch strings. They’re always louder for me and require heavy silencers, heavy arrows, and high brace heights to quiet down, which negates most of the speed advantage. So I always end up coming back to 12 strand B55 with minimalist silencers and lower brace height. This rig is real quiet and fast enough for me.

Agree with Mr Boker, B55 works great on old Bears, especially if you use minimum strands for draw weight. But also agree with Mr Orion. a D97 with PADDED LOOPS also works great. I use endless loop strings for a tiny bit of better performance.

Most of these usually go 50/50. In the end it’s your choice.

Actionwood overlays are pretty durable plus the tips are not overly narrow,I would

It is your bow. I will add this, with High Performance Material strings, the issue is if you have a dry fire situation. Meaning arrow nock blows on release or the arrow nock slips partway off of the string, you don't realize it at full draw, and you let go. I have seen (not hearsay) a string pull down through a limb on one bow and a limb tip pull away from the limb on another in such a situations on older bows shooting High Performance Strings. You can shoot High Performance Strings on older bows, but the real question is should you? It is your bow, if you think you you'll never have one of those situations (?), but you have to choose. DANNY

I mostly shoot well made B-55 strings in the near perfect length on my Bears.These are 2 bundle and 12 strand with small wool puffs.Very very quiet for me and pleasant shooting.I like how they feel personally.

I also shoot some low stretch on them once in awhile.No problem thier.

Its a personel choice as you can see from the responses.Some go B- 50/55 some FF strings.

Thanks for all the advice.

I’ll post a few pics… came from Waller Lenny, great guy, great transaction!

Thank yous!

Few more pics…

Every one is an expert until they aren't. I won't tell anyone to use low stretch, but I will tell you I have, and still do on many old bows. That's just my choice as it makes for such better mannered bow, i e, less vibration through the shot. Nothing magic either about B-55, it's just Dacron polyester, just like B- 50. I have a 15 strand Fury string with 24 strands in the loops that I've used on many older bows and it's quiet and shoots great. It's on a 1973 Shakespeare QT as we speak. I can also use Dacron on the same bow to shoot softer spined arrows. Choices is all it is, just choices.

It's just a choice you have to weigh, and don't listen to anyone who hasn't actually tried it...the polly parrots that seem to know everything. Nothing wrong with sticking to Dacron strings, that's pretty much what I shot on my 82 green stripe for a lot of years and it worked just fine. I still use Dacron on some bows but it's mostly for spine choices versus anything else.

I think the B55 splits the difference between B50 and low stretch strings. The endless B55 string in a proper strand count is a good performer.

To each their own. There is no way I'd shoot low stretch on any of my vintage bows, but that is just my opinion. Some of mine would be very hard to impossible to replace to take a chance. Even a slight chance. I have way too much money into my bows. I guess if I had some cheap bows (like under $150) I wouldn't care. I have nothing against low stretch strings and have used them many times, just not on my vintage bows. Below is a message from Brandon Stahl who is an excellent bowyer. I'll take his advice over the self-proclaimed experts. It's your decision and no one elses.

I ask Brandon Stahl (owner and bowyer of Rose Oak Creations) awhile back what he thought, and this is what he said. Using FF on vintage bows is definitely a personal choice. I know that a lot of guys are doing it, but I don't think it's wise in some cases because FF material does put more stress on a bow, and some older bows aren't constructed properly to handle that extra stress. Luckily, the majority of vintage bows are somewhat plentiful, and are really not that valuable compared to some things, so if guys mess them up, it's probably not going to be the end of the world. However, if a vintage bow is rare, worth more than $200, or just has sentimental value, I wouldn't put a FF string on it. But that's just me. To each his own.

Best regards, Brandon Stahl

Joseph

That’s a Beauty, I love how limbs match riser perfectly not something a lot of bear TD owners have unfortunately.

Personally Id wouldn’t intentionally risk anything damaging that bow.

no FF for me.

I just went out and shot the bow with the string Lenny sent me which is just a standard Dacron string. With no silencers at a 7 inch brace height the bow shoots very good and very quiet. Comparing it to a Palmer 60 inch of the same weight draw. The Palmer may be a fuzz louder but I cannot notice much of a difference between the two bows, shooting an arrow that is around 10.5 grains per pound. The Palmer does have a new D 97 black widow string on it

FF/low stretch is all I have ever used on every bow I have owned since they came out with it, which was 1990 or so. Shot many thousands of arrows with it and not only have I never had a problem, but I have never even seen any one else have a problem and I have known quite a few archers over the years. I have seen a few photos of bows supposedly damaged by FF, but anyone can post a picture of a broke up bow. I am not telling you what you should do, just my experience. One thing to consider is that FF will certainly not hurt your riser in any way, and Bear made/makes plenty of limbs. Bear also makes limbs that were suitable for use with FF/low stretch string.....if you really want to use it why not just get a pair??? I hunt with a 1988 green stripe and I use later 90's #3 limbs on that bow but have shot way too many arrows with 70's limbs to worry about it.

Seems I've heard of Bear testing their bows by dry firing multiple times with steel cable for the string, but that was back in the 60's or 70's when times were a little more "simple".

I wouldn't put a low/no stretch string on actionwood tip overlays. JF

Dan Quillian made some of the fastest recurves out there. They all were shipped with FF string and his tips are a piece of solid black walnut. I currently own my third and fourth Quillian bows and no problems so far....they were made back in the early 90's and have been shot thousands of times.

One guys experience does not account as emperical evidence when compared to hundreds of other archers.Its not the scientific method.

B-50/55 is just easier on the old bows and way easier in the case of a dry fire which is a more critcal situation in preserving an old Classic.Its like a good shock absorber on your car on a big pothole in the road vs a car with no shocks.More forgiving!

Another thread on the subject:

https://leatherwall.bowsite.com/tf/lw/thread2.cfm? threadid=327544&CATEGORY=3

10 strands of B55 will work just fine on any vintage bow up to, and including 55lbs. I use 8 strands on lower poundage self bows. My friend had a broken nock dry fire on a 55lb. Martin Sabre, and the 12 strand FF string cut through the over lay, and lodged 3 inches down into the limb. I crazy glued the crack in the limb, and replaced the over lays with heavy micarta tip over lays. I tied him 2 10 strand B55 padded loop strings. He is still shooting the same string 5 bucks ,and 5 years later. With that string his bow shoots a very respectable 178 fps with a heavy 2117 arrow. It is a good all around string.

Happy Independence Day… God bless America!

Wanted to thank everyone for advice… the new string that came with the bow is B-55, and I must say the bow shoots excellent with a 9.5-10 grain arrow with the B-55… Alan who makes my strings said it was safest to use.

The bow is 60” and just under 50pds… I’m running a 7” BH, I’m not running string silencers and probably won’t very quiet … I may run BH up to 7.5 then to 8 which is max I believe but it’s probably the quietest bow I’ve shot without string silencers and I’ve had every kind of custom bow made.

Very fast to, very fast!

Thanks again for all the advice!

God bless. Joseph

Nice bows Boker. Man they are growing on me

And Nemo. those are awesome.

It's a religious issue. Total immersion vs agnostic ;-)

I shoot FF+ on all Bear limbs, but never on any riser older than 30 years because of the old glue. I have seen some Grayling risers start to separate at the glue lines along the accent stripe, and overlays. FF is what I blame it on. JMO

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