Christmas bow for my son...

[Idaho45guy]

I was out at my dad's place today to put together a new exercise bike for him and to give him his Christmas present. I bought him a Goat Gun miniature GI 1911. Fun little shelf display piece.

So, I was thinking about what to get my son for Christmas and remembered that he mentioned that he was having fun shooting his old high school target bow in the back yard of his house and how he was thinking of getting into archery more seriously.

Well, his grandpa happens to live in the former Nirk Archery factory in Idaho that shut down in the 90's. My dad bought the 14k sq. ft. building and converted the offices to an apartment, and uses the rest of it for storage. There is a room with a bunch of bows still hanging on the wall.

They are all recurve bows and very beautiful.

So, asked my dad if I could pick out on for my son and he said sure, as long as you tell him it's from both of us.

So found a decent one, dusted it off, and will give it to my son for Christmas.

No idea if it's worth anything, and no string for it, but it has a standard draw length of 28" so should be easy to find cheap.

I figure even if he doesn't want to shoot it, it would at least make for an interesting wall hanger.

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[William Yanda]

Very nice.

[MrWolf]

That is a nice looking bow. Congrats and hope your son enjoys it.

[curdog]

That should make a good hunting bow at 60 pound pull. I have been hunting with traditional bows for about 10 years now and it is a thrill to kill deer with them. Being a 62 inch bow i think you need a 58 inch string for that one. That is a very cool old bow, nave fum.....................Curdog

[curdog]

I meant have fun.(I didnt have my glasses on) .....................Curdog

[Ithaca Gunner]

Indeed, a nice gift for your son. I'm sure he'll enjoy it and use it. I was never really into archery, but couldn't resist a longbow I found at a sportsman's swap meet/sale. The 46lb. draw gives me some upper body work out and I've become pretty good with the simple stick and string. Now I want an English war bow!..However common sense says, ''You're way too old for that!''.

[osage]

Very nice looking bow. Coming from you and your dad adds more meaning to a locally produced bow.

[Friends call me Pac]

I have been shooting / hunting with traditional bows for over 10 years now. Looking at the pics I would not hesitate to string that bow up and shoot it. If there are no cracks or delamination go for it. I shoot bows that are well over 40 years old. I will say #60 is a lot to start out with. Starting out with a too heavy bow can cause problems. If you can find a bow in the #40-50 range I would suggest starting there. If you can keep both bows that would be a bonus. Just say one is from you and the other is from Grandpa.

[robg]

good present

[Wayne Smith]

I have been shooting / hunting with traditional bows for over 10 years now. Looking at the pics I would not hesitate to string that bow up and shoot it. If there are no cracks or delamination go for it. I shoot bows that are well over 40 years old. I will say #60 is a lot to start out with. Starting out with a too heavy bow can cause problems. If you can find a bow in the #40-50 range I would suggest starting there. If you can keep both bows that would be a bonus. Just say one is from you and the other is from Grandpa.

I agree with this assessment, although I can't shoot a bow any more. Don't give him one that he can't pull with some comfort or he will get discouraged and it will hang on the wall.

[Mk42gunner]

I agree with Pac and Wayne.

Even though every recurve bow I have shot feels a lot smoother than any compound bow, there is a big drawback (pun not intended) to using one. That is the fact that you are holding every ounce of draw weight on your fingers.

A string shouldn't be that hard to find, even making one isn't hard.

Robert

[jonp]

Very nice gift. First bow I used was a recurve my father used before I switched to a compound Bear then different one then a Matthews. Sure makes it easier on this old shoulder and back.
This year my wife's granddaughter became enamored with bows after watching Hunger Games. She wanted to get her a bow but didn't know of a bow shop near us. I remembered that one of her old drivers from years ago owned one north of us so off we went. Got a very nice recurve with arrows for her. She is happily shooting away in the backyard.

[GaryN]

I've been shooting bows for 50 years. I have no additional advice to add. Very good advice up above. At present I am shooting a 55 pnd. longbow.

[Idaho45guy]

The last bows...

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[Nazgul]

Nice!!

I shoot a 55# longbow most of the time. I do have a 90# longbow that gets used for a good workout. I can shoot 10 arrows comfortably. Helps keep my arthritic limbs loose. I am surprised at the number of men who can't draw it at least once. Love it when the big tough guy struggles to full draw and misses miserably. Technique and practice go a long way.

Hope your son enjoys it,

Don

[fastdadio]

That's a beautiful bow with a personal twist, and more than just any bow, it's an important part of your local history. My dad got me my first 25# recurve when I was about 9 years old. I still have it, plus two others I picked up over the years, and I've been shooting them for over 50 years. My son shot them, and now I'm trying to get the grand kids interested. Mine are all Bear recurves made in the 50's - 60's. I have a 15#, 25# and a 55#. Fred Bear is Legend here in Mich. A good friend of mine's grandfather was a close personal friend of Fred. He had a cabin on a large tract of land in Rose City. We used to go there to hunt and ride dirt bikes. There were quite a few old pictures on the walls of old Bill and Fred hunting in their younger years. Very cool. Having never heard of Nirk archery, I went in search of what info I could find. Sadly not much out there. Small family business from about 1975 to 1998? I did find a picture of Larry Nirk in his office. Possibly in the building your dad bought?
https://www.lib.uidaho.edu/digital/phs/items/phs1861.html
The bow you posted looks to be a well crafted piece of art. I'm curious why the bows were left behind after the sale of the building, and would love to see the rest of the bows and accessories.
Thanks for posting, I found it very interesting.

[Idaho45guy]

I did find a picture of Larry Nirk in his office. Possibly in the building your dad bought?
https://www.lib.uidaho.edu/digital/phs/items/phs1861.html


Holy cow! That is my dad's place! And that "lamp" in the back made from an elk hoof is in the shooting room. My dad has a shooting bench set up in a room with a door that open's out to the range.

The office in the pic is now my dad's living room...

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[gwpercle]

Simply Awesome Gift !
He will love it ... it's beautiful and he will be proud to have it.
Gary