# Bear polar recurve need help.



## Daddo (Mar 15, 2011)

I'm new to this site, but I see that no one has answered you all afternoon. It sounds like a late '50s model. 64" ? What condition? What poundage? The closer to 50# the better. Pics would help. Offer him $40. I got my one owner '57 Polar for $31, but it's 35#.
-Joe


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## sawtoothscream (Apr 19, 2008)

believe the polar is a long bow. i own one (cant remember the year) red looking glass on the limbs, 64" its actually a great shooter. price wise idk since my grandpa gave me mine.


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## JimPic (Apr 8, 2003)

I have a '56 64" Polar,[email protected],with a double shelf. They're actually semi-recurves...nowadays they call them hybrid longbows. Nice shooters,B50/Dacron string only. Value could be anywhere from $50-$150 depending on condition and how bad the buyer wants one


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## navajoninja (Apr 24, 2011)

the poundage is 46 so its exactly what im looking for, but the shelf is on the right side of the bow so its left handed? right? the condition is kind of beat up but its all cosmetic as far as i can tell, $40 doesnt seem bad. thanks guys.


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## LBR (Jan 1, 2004)

Only thing I can add is you have three string options: B-50, B-500, or B-55. They are all dacron, little difference between them.

Chad


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## whitewolf1 (Jun 28, 2006)

navajoninja said:


> the poundage is 46 so its exactly what im looking for, but the shelf is on the right side of the bow so its left handed? right? the condition is kind of beat up but its all cosmetic as far as i can tell, $40 doesnt seem bad. thanks guys.


Are you left-handed/left eye dominant? If not, might want to look around a little more for a right handed rig that will fit what you are looking for in a getting started bow.


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## rickstix (Nov 11, 2009)

Couldn’t say what you have without pictures. Bear made Polars from the beginning of the 50’s through about ’67 with lots of design changes. The first models were straight bows with fiberglass and aluminum laminations and the progression was through semi-curved and on to fully recurved models…and some had exotic wood laminations in the riser. Consequently, the values on Polars are all over the map. Good Luck, Rick.


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## navajoninja (Apr 24, 2011)

well i help my buddy get out of a jam with the cops for driving a fourwheeler on the road so he is giving it to me. how would i figure out what string length i need when i get the bow?


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## navajoninja (Apr 24, 2011)

anybody???


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## JimPic (Apr 8, 2003)

I use a 61" string on mine...the bow is 64"


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## LBR (Jan 1, 2004)

Depending o how you like it braced, string should be 60-61" long.

Chad


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## navajoninja (Apr 24, 2011)

okay thanks guys.

Derek


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## 420broadhead (May 14, 2011)

hey i just got a '53 polar 64" 42# serial:| A |
|NC-310|
its my first bow and id rather know the proper bow string material and length than guessing.
want it to perform perfectly is all
any help?


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## rickstix (Nov 11, 2009)

420broadhead said:


> hey i just got a '53 polar 64" 42# serial:| A |
> |NC-310|
> its my first bow and id rather know the proper bow string material and length than guessing.
> want it to perform perfectly is all
> any help?


Unfortunately…a fair amount of the guessing game is virtually unavoidable, especially with some uncertainty as to what you have. As always, pictures would be helpful.

Firstly, I’d be hesitant at accepting the year 1953 because it is a very common error for people to read the “Canada 1953” patent date and call the bow a ’53. With dating vintage Bear bows, things are just not that easy.

That said, the 1953 Bear Polar was a “straight bow” (longbow by many of today’s standards) and could have a different “recommended” brace height than the later recurved Polar models. Further, manufacturers can only offer a “recommended” brace height…and often stated as a “range” of brace heights. There is simply no way someone making production bows can account for the arrows an archer chooses to use, their personal style, etc., all of which will ultimately factor into “perform perfectly”…which falls strictly to each archer to ascertain for themselves.

Again, one would have to be certain of which year Polar you have to determine if it’s a straight bow, semi-recurve, or recurve (Polars were made in all 3 designs), in order to provide a “best guess”…just comes with the territory. Vintage bows should be strung with B50 Dacron, or similar. Good Luck, Rick.


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## Bowjack (Mar 28, 2007)

Here is a good guide on the early Polars that may help with dating the year of manufacture. 

http://tradgang.com/cgi-bin/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic;f=14;t=003321


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## FORESTGUMP (May 14, 2008)

420broadhead said:


> hey i just got a '53 polar 64" 42# serial:| A |
> |NC-310|
> its my first bow and id rather know the proper bow string material and length than guessing.
> want it to perform perfectly is all
> any help?



The answer is given in several posts already if you just read.
The bow will perform according to your performance. Therefore your mileage may vary. So how perfectly can you 'perform' your part in the equation?


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## LBR (Jan 1, 2004)

The proper string material is B-50, B-500, or B-55. They are all dacron materials that will work for your bow. The exact length will depend on tuning. Tuning can vary from one shooter to the next.

What you are asking is like asking someone "what are the best shoes?" or "what is the best truck?". There's no one answer set in stone--personal preferance will be a large part of the answer.

Chad


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## navajoninja (Apr 24, 2011)

well i finally got the bow from the guy and got some pictures taken, would i be able to mount some bushing into this bow for a bowfishing rig and i measured the bow from tip to tip and its 64.5", so how long of a string should i get, and anybody got a idea of the date on it with pictures


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## navajoninja (Apr 24, 2011)

anybody? i need to order the stuff soon for a bowfishing trip


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## rickstix (Nov 11, 2009)

The date is fairly easy. If it only has a shelf on the one side it is a ’53…if it has a shelf on both sides it would be a ’54.

Customary to bows of that era, the “reel” for bowfishing would have been taped on. Personally, I would not at all be tempted to drill a hole and set in a bushing, but I might set the bushing in a block of wood and then tape the assembly to the bow. Probably not my first choice either, but then I’d more inclined to use a different bow to begin with…ho-hum.

For string length I’d most likely start with one that is 61” actual length…and twist ‘er up until you get a satisfactory brace height.

Looks like glue residue where a side plate used to be. It would have most likely been one piece of leather that came down, turned 90 degrees, and also formed the rest.

BTW, the bow was $29.50 when it was new…and it looks like she’s showing her age. :embara: Good Luck. Rick.


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## navajoninja (Apr 24, 2011)

thanks for the info, what would be bad about setting a bushing in the bow, and if i use a block of wood how thick should it be? what kind of tape should i use also. this is the only bow i got and i dont exactly have the funds for another bowfishing bow currently so... i got to use what i got


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## grantmac (May 31, 2007)

navajoninja said:


> thanks for the info, what would be bad about setting a bushing in the bow, and if i use a block of wood how thick should it be? what kind of tape should i use also. this is the only bow i got and i dont exactly have the funds for another bowfishing bow currently so... i got to use what i got


Pretty good chance of wrecking an otherwise shootable bow.
If you must fish with it then your best off mounting the reel in the least invasive way possible. Although a longbow is going to be pretty awkward to fish with depending on your environment.

-Grant


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## navajoninja (Apr 24, 2011)

well after shooping around a bit i found a ams traditional bow bungee adapter so, ill just use one of those instead.


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## rickstix (Nov 11, 2009)

The “problem” with installing an insert is that a 5/16” insert requires a 7/16” wide hole 3/4” deep and there is just not enough wood on that bow to make such a hole without greatly compromising the bow’s integrity.

3 Rivers Archery offers a tape on “reel” http://www.3riversarchery.com/Bow+F...+Beginners+Kit_c56_s126_p0_i3028_product.html
They also have a Bowfishing adapter http://www.3riversarchery.com/AMS+Bowfishing+Traditional+Mount+Adapter_i5548_baseitem.html
and a Gadget Adapter http://www.3riversarchery.com/Traditional+Gadget+Adapter_i5045_baseitem.html

Both are easy-on inserted adapters…and both should work. Good Luck, Rick.


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