# Original Allen Compound Bow



## bear-of-grayling

This is the Model “6703“ and that tells the story in itself because Allen dated his models by the model number. Year first (67) 1967 then month (03) March. Allen must have considered this his official “kickoff” bow as it received the earliest model number of all his bows. This is the most deluxe Bow Allen ever made. A 2-toned wood riser made of hard Maple and Mahogany. (an all Walnut or all Mahogany riser version was also available, see pic). Brown glass, wood laminated limbs with the first generation idle pulley, Allen and Jennings used on both their first models. Also included is a photo of the same model with green glass limbs and Aluminum plates (not Phenolic). It is the earliest “Patents Pending” version of the 6703. The bow on the left was made in 1971 and on the right 1968.


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## RealDakota

Are you sure the dark wood is not mahogany? I know Allen used it in some of the 2-tone (and solid) risers and have not seen one made with rosewood.


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## bear-of-grayling

The darker wood is Mahogany. Thank you.


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## TWO SWITCHBACKS

In either case of the woods used, its just another confermation that compounds by allen were the first(1967).thanks dan for keeping this story alive ,and were are all the rest of the 6703 allen bow pictures out there! As we know they are scarce to find.


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## mjkonzie

*original allen compound*

This is an original allen compound. #6806, ser.# 72030801.
I have had it for a couple of years now. Bought it from an older guy in NW Wisc. on the outskirts of town. He had a collection of Bows. Should have asked the story on this bow. Tell me what you think or know about this bow. Thanks


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## RealDakota

1972 model (indicated by serial number). I believe that was the last year of production for the 6806, which was the most common of the early models but is still a neat bit of archery history. It's a good conversation piece!


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## DonJohnson

I bought a Allen from a friend he got it when it was first released to the market. He had never tighten the tee handles down so the bow had never been pulled when I bought it. Fact was the bow came with a used manual that was just a bunch of printed sheets with if I remember right the very first ones was a list of 40 things not to do that was sure to brake the bow. he was there for scare of it and it being the first compound anyone in our area had ever seen no one other then me had the nerve to mess with it. he got it mail order so there was no dealer to help either. I cranked it down and shot a lot of carp with it as the club wouldn't let me shoot it in tournaments.

Don Johnson


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## Sxspddiesel

I just registered for this web site. If I can figure it out, I will post a photo of my Allen bow. A little History follows. I moved to Dallas, PA in 1965. Met a fellow named George Slinzer in a local sporting good store. I'm told he was a PA State archery champ a few times and National champ once. Don't have proof of this. I believe it was the following year, George showed me a new bow called a compound. He was the center of attention at every archery shoot he attended. There were a lot of questions about it not being legal because of mechanical devices. I had interest in a bow like this, but in those days, funds were short. I saw the small ad in the magazine where you had to send the specs for the bow you wanted built. As I was saving to order one, George had an accident with a fencing tool while fooling around with the owners son, and the tool ran up into George's arm. He had problems because of this and could no longer shoot right handed. He offered his original bow to me to raise money to order a left hand bow. I bought the bow and have had it ever since. George had it maybe two years. I had the bow for maybe two years before the Penna. Game Comm. declared it illegal to hunt with. It was made legal on 10-4-1973. This bow does not have any markings as to date of mfg. or serial # of any kind. The only markings are on the center section, right where the eye bolt comes thru. It says 30 - 45#.


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## TWO SWITCHBACKS

7303 model


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## bear-of-grayling

*Original Allen Compound Bow*

The bow you have is the original Allen Compound bow. This is the bow that was first offered Archery World July 1967. The fact is though that Tom Jennings built this bow for H.W. Allen. I did a post a while ago about this bow. The bow in the post however differed from this one by the side plates. The other in the post had bare aluminum plates as yours has the anodized aluminum plates. The bow with the “bare” aluminum plates was the first bow sent to dealers to show. Early on Jennings built the risers, limbs and eccentrics for Allen then probably shipped them (as parts only) from California to Missouri to Allen. Then Allen assembled and delivered his bow. Jennings always made Allens laminated limbs. I am not sure when Allen started making the riser in the 6703 picture (Bear Museum) but you can see how much more simple it was. Sometime soon after yours because Tom Jennings agreed to make only a very limited amount of the the one like yours. Allen never made a riser as deluxe as yours. Your riser has the sandwiched Mohagany between Maple and was the first marketed “Allen Compound Bow”. Jennings started building his own out of Brazilian Rosewood. Your bow is the one pictured in the first ad in 1967. Jennings made the bow more appealing from the dealer model by anodizing the plates. Great piece of history! Thanks for showing it. Dan


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## bear-of-grayling

*pictures*

Here is the 1967 ad and the first bow with bare aluminum plates (Dealers model)


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## Sxspddiesel

After my computer crashed, I lost all info concerning this site and the compound. I located Tom Jennings in Honduras and was given an email for him, but he never replied. Tom passed away Feb. 2013 so any info there is lost. I have since established contact with Sherwood Schoch, who worked closely with Tom and he studied my photos and gave me a lot of info on the compound. Sherwood is probably the only living individual who can verify and give an educated estimate as to when it was mfgd. Without personally seeing the bow, he explained all the details one needs to examine, and said within 6 months, mine was made mid 1967. It definitely was one of the first 50, and possibly one of the first 10.


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## kballer1

PM sent.


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## SARASR

Very cool, looks similar to a bow hanging in the tattoo shop I visited I'll try and post up the pic I took of it, he thought it was an old PSE, but he was not an archer and it was given to him to hang


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## Cold Weather

that bow is definitely a Jennings. sometime before 1976


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## Sxspddiesel

That is definitely a much later bow. The early bows had an "S" hook to connect to the string. I can't see the mounting of the cams, but the early models had a bolt with self locking nut. Later models had a pin with "C" clips retaining it. Early models had a metal plate welded to the side plates on both ends of the center section. Later models do not have this. On some Allen bows he added screws to the side. Jennings made bows and parts for Allen to pay for license agreement. Allen used eye bolts to adjust tension and Jennings used socket head cap bolts.


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## Pete53

great compound bow history to read about,i purchased my first compound an allen compound in the fall 1973, i enjoyed shooting it over my recurves and longbow at that time. and within three more years the recurve and longbows in Minnesota were discounted down to $15.00 -$30.00 just to get rid of them .what a shame and i sure wished i would have brought a few more recurves then. thanks for sharing the allen and jennings compound beginning stories.Pete53


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## SonnyThomas

Just AT surfing and saw this. Every time I see or read of the Allen bow I'm remind Allen never saw the rewards of his design (died in car crash) and then never saw what impact his design would have on archery. Beyond doubt if not for the compound bow archery would have been set back untold years.


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## rwcfrank

I have an old Allen bow that has started to delaminate, do these old bows have any value? Mine has a pat pending #3486495. I can post pics if that helps


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## bear-of-grayling

Several pics would be helpful. Thanks Dan


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## rwcfrank

See if this helps, its stamped 661 and has the patent number seen in the pics, no other markings I could find


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## bear-of-grayling

Could you post some pics of the whole bow? Close ups on the pulleys and plates. Thanks. Dan


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## rwcfrank

I will try to get another pic today, here is one of the pulley.


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## bear-of-grayling

You have a beautiful 1971 Jennings. This is last of the “hand made” models before Jennings “production model“. Still has the beautiful guitar tuners. Thanks Dan


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## bear-of-grayling

This is a very early Allen Compound Bow. Dated 5-5-8 on the underside of the limbs. Limb pair number 130. The limbs also have the “Patent Pending” stamp on the limb ends. This is the 2-tone wood riser composed of Hard Maple and Mahogany. The Aluminum side plates and green glass, laminated wood limbs are the earliest Allen Compound Bows made. This style riser would eventually become the Allen model 6703. The side plates would change from Aluminum to Phenolic. The bow cost $195 in 1968.
The options on the bow are exactly how an archer would have set up their recurve. Remember, this bow is a new concept. The only accessories available at this time would have been designed for the recurve bow. This Allen has the Hoyt “Flex” rest, clicker, “not sure the maker” and a “Range-O-Matic” sight with a built in range finder.
The bow parts were entirely made by Tom Jennings. Allen then assembled the bow and shipped it out.


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