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Bear Kodiak or Super Kodiak

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RoscoeP23

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Discussion starter · #1 ·
Well I sold my Chekmate recurve and have been looking at some of the Bear lineup. The Kodiak and Super Kodiak look pretty sweet, anyone here own either or have any information/opinions on them or prefer one over the other? Feedback appreciated, Cheers Roscoe
 
#2 ·
Funny you brought this up as I have been enjoying shooting my '70 Super Kodiak off and on since I bought it a couple years ago. Now that I've put down the compound, I've dedicated myself to shooting trad this past couple of months. Just recently, I picked up a '66 Kodiak and have been shooting that side by side the Super K and working on making a write up on my thoughts about both. As of now though, all I can say is I really can't pick one over the other as they are both good shooters. Then again, this coming from my limited experience. Maybe someone can shed more light.
 
Discussion starter · #3 ·
I also made the switch recently and am having way more fun with the recurve bows. Just going by looks I like the Kodiak but am having some pictures emailed to me tomorrow to see both bows side by side. I just shot my Bear take down and it felt really nice, it is 5 pounds less than the Chekmate I sold today 43# as compared to 48# I was getting a really nice anchor. Thanks for your reply I was beginning to think no one shot Bear bows. Cheers Roscoe
 
#5 ·
I was going to make a separate thread, but figured I'd just post it in here. I'm relatively new to recurves so the only two that I have to compare are my '66 Kodiak (Top in Pic 1 and on the right in Pic 2) and a '70 Super Kodiak. They may look similar, but they do possess some differences. In fact, the only thing that these two bows have in common are that they are both 60" bows. At first glance, you will notice that the Kodiak has quite a bit more "bulk" to it compared to the Super Kodiak. Secondly, although both bows are designed to shoot off the shelf, the Kodiak's shelf has a more prominent curvature. This particular Kodiak though, has a factory installed sight plate and brush rest.

In the bottom pic, you'll notice a significant difference in the thickness of the riser and handle. Although I like the high grip of both bows, the throat/grip is a bit thicker than I would like on the Kodiak. Whereas, the Super Kodiak has a slimmer grip that just seems to fit my hand better. Yet another difference that I have found (though you can't really tell in the pics) is that the riser of the Kodiak seems to be shorter than that of the Super Kodiak.
 

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#6 ·
Looking at the limbs, you will notice that the limbs of the Super Kodiak are slimmer than the Kodiak's at the fadeout but gradually tapers out to the tip. The Kodiak on the other hand starts off wide at the fadeout, then tapers out to a tip that almost comes to a point.

When it comes to shooting both bows, they both shot good for this relatively new to recurves newbie, LOL. Although I haven't had the Kodiak for long, I did notice that it seems to like a brace height of 7 7/8" (8"-8 1/4" for the Super Kodiak) and surprisingly dead in the hand at the shot. I'm sure the extra "bulk" of the riser plays a big part of sucking up the vibration. The Super K feels like it just wants to jump out of you hand, but is pretty well behaved at the shot. The last thing that I have taken a note of is that the draw on the Super Kodiak is silky smooth. Although the Super Kodiak has a DW of 45#, it seems easier for me to draw and hold at anchor than the Kodiak which has a DW of 40#.
 

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#8 ·
i own a 2004 super kodiak55# at28...my draw almost 30 inch bow pulling 62 to 64pound.....i have a bcy x 99 skinny flemish twist sting 12 strands,,,,,,, i put a new 15 strand sting on the bow a flemish twist,,,,the bow was exstreamly quite but i had hand shock....i put the 12 skinny back on it...no hand shock...strings play a big factor...my brace set at 7 .5 ......the super kodiak i dont think bear makes a better bow if set up properly.....the riser shape of the bow helps is more stable just make sure a good matched up string..........the super kodiak less hand shock smoother draw less noise then the new model 59 kodiak...the limb tips on the59 kodiak flip forward more making for a notice in more noise of a shot....59 very beautiful bow and you can damp the noise and shock if set up properly.......fred bear replaced the 59 model kodiak with the super kodiak fred bear new his stuff...the super kodiak replaced the 59,,,,,,,i think thats your tell tell on the two bows.......but beauty goes to the 59.......good bows
 
#11 ·
I have 2 SK’s, one 1973, one early 2000’s. Only real difference was the grip and later one is FF string compatible. From what I have read they are still using the same forms from the 60’s-70’s but different materials and glues of course. The difference comes in the grips as that stage in making process is still done by hand. So grips can vary. As for shooting the different bows I never saw that much difference over the years. Only Bear bows I have any issue shooting is the short bows like the Kodiak magnum.
 
#12 ·
Sometimes it seems that negative comments based entirely on personal preferences might not really be that helpful. I suppose that it might be helpful to learn that some highly praised bows are not enjoyed universally by every archer.

I was and I remain a huge admirer of Fred Bear. I routinely watched Fred Bear’s adventures on TV. He did not always shoot a Bear Super Kodiak, but it appeared to be one of his favorite bows and possibly his favorite bow. I wanted a Bear Super Kodiak just like Fred Bear. I like Bear products. My Bear Black Bear compound bow was probably my favorite compound bow. Bear Montana longbows are my second favorite traditional bows.

I purchased a new Bear Super Kodiak. I have now owned a Bear Super Kodiak for many years. I have repeatedly tried to address the things that I do not like about the Bear Super Kodiak in the hopes that I can finally enjoy this bow. This is the reason I still keep it while I have tried and gotten rid of many other bows. Among my current 14 bows, the Bear Super Kodiak is my only bow that I dislike shooting.

By far my number one biggest dislike is that my Bear Super Kodiak cannot be made dead silent like my longbows regardless of any combination of brace height, using a Flemish twist string, string silencers, limb tip padding, very heavy arrows, etc. I very much dislike the huge bulky sculptured awkward riser. I dislike the grip that forces me to hold the bow in an unnatural uncomfortable wrist position. The grip just does not feel right in my hand.
 
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#15 ·
I have been looking for a one piece recurve for a while and from what I have seen and read I think the Super Kodiak would be a good fit for me and hope to get one over the summer.
 
#19 · (Edited)
vincenthanna said:
Shoot it first if possible. In my experience people either love them or really dislike them. I loved mine.
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In these days I just can’t do that in my area, every bow I have bought in the last 15 years have been bought from research and reviews from others. But from what I have seen and read I’m comfortable with the Super Kodiak. I started out with a one piece recurve as a teenager and would like to have one just to shoot.
 
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