Which one? 60" or 64"? The 64" is the grail. The 60" is second best.
I have the 1976 Super Kodiak , 59' ('60) Kodiak, '71 Tamerlane and Kodiak TD and I've shot Grizzlies and Magnum. The Super Kodiak is actually a Kodiak B riser with #1 limbs (60") or #3 limbs (64") made in one piece. It is better than Grizzlies and Kodiak Hunter in a subtle way. Tamerlane is long and heavy riser with a long handle too. SK is closer to this one if it is a 64" or very close as shoot-ability, being the platform for a target bow actually: big and heavy-ish riser with a very decent sight window.
The Black Beauty is a "must have" for someone who likes Bear.

 

I haven't stumbled across a 64" in my travels thus far. I could be satisfied with a 60" if need be. In fact, I've seen a few Gainesville Black Beauties that I would even consider as they are going far cheaper than the vintage bows. The BB bows don't seem to come up for sale very often but the look is so appealing...on par with the HC-30 Tamerlane...that I have to keep searching.
I will keep looking, since you all feel it's a great bow. The fact that Fred chose that one for many of his hunts speaks volumes.
Thanks for the input!

 

“Holy grail” pretty much sums it up. The originals don’t seem to come up for sale. Even the remakes are hard to come by. i have two SK’s, one 1973 I bought new another a 2003 or 4. I always Liked the SK profile over the Kodiak or grizzly. If Vintage Works was still in business I would have one of his 66 Kodiaks made to my specs only using Ebony instead of pheonic I
Ike the design that much

 

Currently I have two 1957‘s, a 1958, 1959, 1964 Kodiak, a 1967 1/2 Super K., a 1971 Grizzly, and recently bought a 1998 Bear takedown “Freddy Kruger“ model. The Black Beauty you are talking about, I presume, would be the 1967 Super Kodiak. Real nice bow to shoot, very smooth and pretty good speed…..one of my favorites.

 

Tiberius -

The Black Beauty had a phenolic riser, and IIRC, technically only the 64" carried that name. Basically finding one goes into the "good luck" category. (Been looking for one myself.)

I do have phenolic risered bows, and except for the cool looks, they really don't shoot that much differently than their wooden counterparts.

I do have two "dark wood" SKs, a 71, 60" @ 70# and a 72, 60" @ 50#.
A friend gave new a new 64" model @ 35#, and while some had a bad rep, it ain't half bad.

Viper1 out.

 

Tiberius -

The Black Beauty had a phenolic riser, and IIRC, technically only the 64" carried that name. Basically finding one goes into the "good luck" category. (Been looking for one myself.)

I do have phenolic risered bows, and except for the cool looks, they really don't shoot that much differently than their wooden counterparts.

I do have two "dark wood" SKs, a 71, 60" @ 70# and a 72, 60" @ 50#.
A friend gave new a new 64" model @ 35#, and while some had a bad rep, it ain't half bad.

Viper1 out.

Viper,
Thanks for the reply! Stupidly enough, I had a 2015 Gainesville reissue on my watch list and someone made an offer last night that the seller accepted and ended the auction early. I should have jumped when I had the chance.
I love the phenolic riser. I have it on my HC-300 and just love it, even though it does nothing and adds a little weight. One of my bucket list bows is the all-black HC-30 but they don't come around much either.
I guess I will keep watching, but now that I know the '67 64" is the "holy grail", I know more what I'm looking for.
How do the dark wood bows look visually? I've heard the blue stripe/blue tip models are somewhat collectible as well.

 

Well, for sheer beauty I vote for the 68 and 69 that had rosewood and phenolic. After awhile, the phenolic will develop checks (finish issues) but they are awesome bows. That said, I would opt for the ones made after 1970 and before 1976. Just a preference thing. I keep hoping to find one on a flea market table for fifty bucks one of these days.

 

That's about the only place you might find one for under a grand. Everybody seems to be a vintage collector these days (self included).

 

I restored and sold a 67 1/2 in 60". That bow gave me fits trying to get it to appear black. It was really a dark dark green. Probably a pigment issue in the resin used. It was heavy, shot pretty dead in the hand because of the weight. You can get the same effect with numerous bows that have phenolic, Dymondwood, or Futurewood risers. I suspect that you really are after the color, though. You question about comparison amongst your other bows makes me smile. You tell me how your Magnum compares to the Tamerlane and we can go from there. I will say this, the Black Beauty will be somewhere in between the Magnum and the Tamerlane. Maybe a shade closer to the Tamerlane.

 

Yep, you got me. It's the color of the Black Beauty that really knocks my socks off! As for K-Mag to Tamerlane...kinda like Flintstones Meets the Jetsons, but different purposes; different bows. The K-mag is primarily for blind and tree stand hunting with it's 52" length and the '69 HC-300 Tamerlane (69") is for indoor range and backyard target shooting.The one that agrees with me the least is my '64 Tamerlane, but I like them all in the end.

 

If the Black Beauty is the 'Holy Grail' what's the Signature? I was at a P&Y banquette, and they had an auction on a Signature. I would have like to have it and started to think of what price I'd be comfortable with? I thought I might go as high as 5K. Five K lasted 10 seconds. Eventually sold for 13,000.00.

Bowmania

 

Yes, a certain amount of 'snob appeal' has entered into the equation. After all, they are just bows, and 50 years + old at that. No guarantee that 13k bow won't split the first time you draw it.

 

I have an original 68 super Kodiak with the phenolic riser and a 70 super Kodiak with the impregnated maple riser. They have basically the same shooting characteristics both are 60" models. The main difference is the weight, the phenolic is heavier than the maple and the caps are much deeper red in color. After 1970 the bows were made with the impregnated maple riser the accent line in the riser changed first with red accents in 73 or 74 and then blue in 75 and 76. My 68 is all original 50 lb bow with the original case. the Black Beauty bows were sold with a case included. the super Ks were the flagship bows. then the takedowns were added in late 69 and became the new flagship bows.

 

As far as holy grail, it is what each individual thinks it is. For me it is the Take down model that was made with Zebra wood I have only seen pictures and they are not mentioned often I believe there was a manufacture problem and they were offered in only 1 year and I am not sure what year that was

 

To further muddy the waters (maybe this should be a separate post?) I have come across more than a few really, really nice examples of Super K's...either with non-factory sights attached, or ugly holes where the sights once WERE attached. How much effect do these offending orifices have on longevity or performance, and how much do they detract from collector value? As an example, I was looking at one the other day, a '76 non-BB Fascor model with blue stripe & tips that has two holes bored into the black glass on the limbs. The thought makes me cringe. Can something like this be repaired with colored glass or is it toast?
I bought a very nice K-Mag 'Greenie' that had a pin sight which I removed. It shoots great, but then there are those hideous holes...gaakkk! Are these type of SNAFUs to be avoided like bubonic plague or can they be reasonably lived with or repaired?

 

Tib -

Easily "repaired" or camouflaged. A bunch of different ways to do it, depending if it's in the wood or glass.
Frankly, I used to fill and stain them, but now, I just use small brass wood screws - just in case I ever want to used them. Ya never know.

Todd -

The 64" Black Beauty was the holy grail in the eyes of shooters, and the "signature" bows were in the eyes of Fred Bear fanatics.

Viper1 out.

 

i have 64" 50# super kodiak BB for sale

 

List it in the classifieds

 

I had one of the reissue 60" BBs. It was not awesome. Had the finish cracking issue and otherwise wasn't much of a standout performance-wise. I think the 64" version might have been better, but I also just might not like one-piece bows as much as most.

 

I have 68 60” 50# black beauty and it is a sweet shooter