I got an old bow off ebay and need help
11-22-2006, 10:55 PM
#1
Thread Starter
Join Date: Nov 2006
Posts: 11
I got an old bow off ebay and need help
I just "won" a auction on ebay for an Bear Blacktail hunter 37" bow.
My idea is to kill a deer. I will try to post a pic of the bow. I'm not even sure if it's a right hand bow. The auction says the sight is on the left side. I know this is not the best tool but, will it work for deer hunting?
My idea is to kill a deer. I will try to post a pic of the bow. I'm not even sure if it's a right hand bow. The auction says the sight is on the left side. I know this is not the best tool but, will it work for deer hunting?
11-23-2006, 07:07 AM
#2
Giant Nontypical
Join Date: Dec 2004
Location: Ohio
Posts: 7,876
RE: I got an old bow off ebay and need help
Holy crap!
You got your work cut out for you. It will kill deer if you can tame it down enough to shoot a broadhead straight. Site on left is a right handed bow. You'll need a few more things for it before you can got get'm.
You got your work cut out for you. It will kill deer if you can tame it down enough to shoot a broadhead straight. Site on left is a right handed bow. You'll need a few more things for it before you can got get'm.
11-23-2006, 09:04 AM
#3
Join Date: Nov 2006
Posts: 5
RE: I got an old bow off ebay and need help
I am new here but I have been shooting that same bow for years so has my Dad, he is 65 and my wife ( hers is left handed) any way ) with that bow and older bows then that guess what? We have taken many dear, bear, pig, groud hogs,geese. Until this year I have nothad anything modern andI like my new bows, but the old one killed just fine.
Go hunting and have fun.
Go hunting and have fun.
11-23-2006, 01:42 PM
#5
Giant Nontypical
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Burleson TX USA
Posts: 6,455
RE: I got an old bow off ebay and need help
The first thing I would do would be to take the bow to a pro shop and get it checked over.
Then I would make sure the bow fits me ie the correct draw lenght and poundage.
From there if all was ok I would get the correct spined arrows for the bow with field points and go and practice,practice,practice.
Forget hunting with it this season you owe it to the animal you want to take to be the best shot you can. Know your abilities the bows abilities and the only way ya gonna do that is though serious practice.
Then I would make sure the bow fits me ie the correct draw lenght and poundage.
From there if all was ok I would get the correct spined arrows for the bow with field points and go and practice,practice,practice.
Forget hunting with it this season you owe it to the animal you want to take to be the best shot you can. Know your abilities the bows abilities and the only way ya gonna do that is though serious practice.
11-23-2006, 08:42 PM
#6
Giant Nontypical
Join Date: Dec 2004
Location: Ohio
Posts: 7,876
RE: I got an old bow off ebay and need help
ORIGINAL: Ausie-guy
From there if all was ok I would get the correct spined arrows for the bow with field points and go and practice,practice,practice.
From there if all was ok I would get the correct spined arrows for the bow with field points and go and practice,practice,practice.
11-24-2006, 12:23 AM
#7
Giant Nontypical
Join Date: Feb 2003
Posts: 9,175
RE: I got an old bow off ebay and need help
As compounds go, that one is an antique. 
If the bow is in good shape, it'll still kill a deer just as dead as a brand new one. Just remember that the old thing was made in a time when only wierdos on the lunatic fringe (aka NFAAFreestyle class [8D])shot mechanical releases. Everybody else used a fingers release. You can use a release with it if you must, but that bow will be happiest if you shoot with your fingers.
If you want to replace the sights and/or arrow rest, you will be in trouble. You will very likely not be able to use a modern type arrow rest on that bow. All of them today are made for offset risers and won't have enough adjustment to bring the arrow into proper centershot. Fortunately, Golden Key Futura still makes some of the same arrow rests that they made back when those kinds of bows were in production. Go to their website and look under the Oldies But Goodies section. Also look at their fingers rests.
www.goldenkeyarchery.com
You'll probably run into the same problem with sights. Probably won't be able to do any better than what the bow is wearing right now. A trickI can tell you about if that sight has brass sight pins.... A lot of us primed thosepins with white paint and then painted the ballsflourescent orange so to see them better. Not nearly as good as fiber optic pins, but better than bare brass.
If you're feeling froggy and really want to hop into something neat, you couldtry learning to shoot without sights. If that would appeal to you, beg, borrow or steal the book "Become the Arrow" by Byron Ferguson. He shoots a longbow, but the aiming method he teaches works great for compounds.
You should only use arrows weighing at least 8 grains per pound of draw weight, and 10 would be even better. I suggest aluminum arrowsor Carbon Express Terminators. Shooting ultra light carbons on that bow will make the string connecter teardrops pop right off the cables, and those steel cablescan cut you up pretty bad if they get loose.
Arrows will need to be long enough that the broadhead is drawn no closer than 1/2" from the riser at full draw. Never shoot an arrow that is short enough to draw the broadhead up into the sight window.
Hereis some info for your bow. Axle to axle length 44", overall length 48". String length 37". Let off 50%. It was introduced in 1978, but I don't have catalogs later than that, so I don't know when it was discontinued. Early 80's, for sure, because mosteveryone went away from using wheel hangars by the mid-80's. It was only made in 50 pound draw in 1978, and maximum draw length was 30".
Catalog number was 4650 (not that it will do you any good to know the cat #, just a point of interest.)
Good luck with it.
If the bow is in good shape, it'll still kill a deer just as dead as a brand new one. Just remember that the old thing was made in a time when only wierdos on the lunatic fringe (aka NFAAFreestyle class [8D])shot mechanical releases. Everybody else used a fingers release. You can use a release with it if you must, but that bow will be happiest if you shoot with your fingers.
If you want to replace the sights and/or arrow rest, you will be in trouble. You will very likely not be able to use a modern type arrow rest on that bow. All of them today are made for offset risers and won't have enough adjustment to bring the arrow into proper centershot. Fortunately, Golden Key Futura still makes some of the same arrow rests that they made back when those kinds of bows were in production. Go to their website and look under the Oldies But Goodies section. Also look at their fingers rests.
www.goldenkeyarchery.com
You'll probably run into the same problem with sights. Probably won't be able to do any better than what the bow is wearing right now. A trickI can tell you about if that sight has brass sight pins.... A lot of us primed thosepins with white paint and then painted the ballsflourescent orange so to see them better. Not nearly as good as fiber optic pins, but better than bare brass.
If you're feeling froggy and really want to hop into something neat, you couldtry learning to shoot without sights. If that would appeal to you, beg, borrow or steal the book "Become the Arrow" by Byron Ferguson. He shoots a longbow, but the aiming method he teaches works great for compounds.
You should only use arrows weighing at least 8 grains per pound of draw weight, and 10 would be even better. I suggest aluminum arrowsor Carbon Express Terminators. Shooting ultra light carbons on that bow will make the string connecter teardrops pop right off the cables, and those steel cablescan cut you up pretty bad if they get loose.
Arrows will need to be long enough that the broadhead is drawn no closer than 1/2" from the riser at full draw. Never shoot an arrow that is short enough to draw the broadhead up into the sight window.
Hereis some info for your bow. Axle to axle length 44", overall length 48". String length 37". Let off 50%. It was introduced in 1978, but I don't have catalogs later than that, so I don't know when it was discontinued. Early 80's, for sure, because mosteveryone went away from using wheel hangars by the mid-80's. It was only made in 50 pound draw in 1978, and maximum draw length was 30".
Catalog number was 4650 (not that it will do you any good to know the cat #, just a point of interest.)
Good luck with it.