Classic archery enthusiasts?

[Idaho45guy]

So, my dad bought the former factory of the Nirk Archery Company a decade ago. It's a 14000 sq. ft. facility in Northern Idaho constructed in 1962.

Nirk Archery made custom bows, arrows, and accessories for about three decades. My dad owned a sporting goods store in the region and sold many of their products. He became good friends with the owner, Larry Nirk, and bought the old factory from Larry's widow in about 2005.

The office area was converted to an apartment and my dad lives there alone. The rest of the building has a multitude of small rooms and storage areas.

One of the rooms has the last of the Nirk Archery recurve bows made there. I asked my dad if I could have one for my son for Christmas and one for me.

He agreed, so my son got a very nice 60 lb. hunting recurve and I picked out this very special bow that was custom made for Larry Nirk. It's a Bighorn model and has a 66lb draw weight. I cleaned it up and strung it and it about killed me, LOL. It's definitely a man's bow.

294286

294287

294288

I will be getting some arrows for it and setting up some targets in my yard. I am able to draw it back, surprisingly, and may actually consider going for an elk with it in the future.

Another bow I have that is unique is this one I picked up at an estate auction in Iowa about 12 years ago.

It is a Fred Bear bow from the 50's and appears to be a beginner's target bow likely intended for either school archery use or summer camp archery use. It shows a bit of wear and an unusual sliding scale rest/sight. It also came with 7 arrows also labeled with the Fred Bear Instant Archery moniker.

I have tried to find some information on it and have found nothing. No idea what it is worth or how rare it is. But, it is cool.

294289

294290

294291

294292

294293

294294

[RKJ]

Nice bows. Years ago, I tried a recurve and found out I wasn't as stout as I thought I was.

[missionary5155]

Good morning
I grew up in SW Michigan
My dad got me a 45# Shakespear recurve when I was 12 Spent that whole summer practicing, thumping carp and dogfish and others.
But there were few deer in SW Mich. Saw first 3 does when I was 18 Then the Army intervened in 71.

My first Bear is a 45 # . Have several others. A 50# a #55 Grizzly and a couple more. Even have a #45 take down here with us in Peru. I will get a photo later today.
The 45# recurve was my first corn cruncher slicer. Probably 30 bean eaters in east ILL-niois filled our plates and several other church members tables.
Then switched to a shorter #52 to use in tree stands, blinds and river bottom stalking. Probably another 30 deer and a couple groundhogs, fox, one beaver and a couple racoons.
So now I am 71. I still pull the recurves but no longer hold on my cheek weld. Wait for the shot, pull to my cheek and off she flies. I seldom miss But then the bottoms where I hunt my last recurve shot was 4 yards. 15 yards is my longest in the last 10 years. 19 yards my longest about 20 years ago.
I did get a cross bow couple years back. No effort to make 3" groups at 40 yards. Took one bike spike (broken off antlers) at 25 yards. Bolt went clean through. Not much skill needed but 3 happy families were eating good corn fed whitetail.
But I still get out the 45#'s. Good exercise and sure alot of happy memories down in the river bottoms.

[white eagle]

I have a custom recurve bow that was made for me
60 # and have yet to harvest anything with it
always grab my compound
your rite about crosbows not much skill involved there

[WRideout]

I just love those old recurves. When I was in college, a friend "loaned" me a 50# Shakespeare that I used for many years. He departed for Alaska shortly after that, and never asked for it back. I attempted to hunt with it, but was never successful, mostly target shooting. I did get a rabbit with it.

I just can't warm up to compound bows. The recurves have a beauty that is unmatched. Since I injured my right shoulder about twenty years ago, I can't pull the 50 pound bow anymore, but I still keep it around.

Wayne

[curdog]

The first bow resembles one of those old Howatt Hunters and is very cool. I hunt with traditional equipment, I use a Bear super kodiak and a Bear takedown both are 50 lb pull bows. The old Bear bow is cool too and is a old Grayling Michigan bow. The site Leatherwall has a bunch of traditional archery guys on it and they may be able to give you some help.......................Curdog

[Hogtamer]

294315
This is me in 1970- first deer I killed by myself. 75 deer later and maybe 300 hogs, this is the last one I arrowed 3 yrs ago. Same set up with different recurve and cedar arrow. Oh yeah, broke elbow and had to learn to shoot lefty. Shoulders and elbow shot now but helping grandson along the way.
294316

[megasupermagnum]

I'm barely a bow shooter at all. I enjoy it from time to time, but can never stay interested enough to get good enough to hunt. I've only got one, a Bear Montana left hand 45#. That's plenty. I wish it was a 35#. A 66# draw recurve certainly is a mans bow. Like anything, you can build up the muscle to use it, but still, that's an awful lot to hold back waiting for an animal to give a clear shot.

[HWooldridge]

I still have my Howatt 65 lb recurve but I’m overbowed now at 63 yo. I might be able to build up those muscles again but I really need to shoot daily to stay in shape. It shoots damn hard with a heavy arrow.

[Idaho45guy]

Any idea what arrows I need for it? I have some old wooden target arrows that have a 30" shaft length and they seem the right length. I'm a total novice and no idea what to look for in an arrow. I know the basics such as differences in target, broadhead, fishing, and birding tips. But no idea when it comes to diameter of shaft, weight, length, etc.

[Hogtamer]

75 lb spineweight if you can draw that bow to 28 inches (get someone to mark arrow at end of shelf when you draw to corner of your mouth) I’m guessing not, especially starting out. Most folks start out too heavy and punish themselves and learn bad form. The cheapest route is prolly 500 spine carbon arrows with 145 gr field tips. Gotta use feather fletch shooting off the shelf or a stick on rest for plastic fletch. Hopefully you can find a seasoned traditional shooter to help you get set up.

[rockrat]

As a youngster, I had a recurve that I really enjoyed. Till one of the older bigger neighbor kids wanted to look at it and drew it back as far as he could try and snapped it in two

[megasupermagnum]

I'm shooting wood arrows, I got the test kit from 3rivers. I'm shooting 190gr heads, and I leave my arrows full length. It seems to make gap shooting easier. I had to go with the heaviest spine they had 80-85, but I'm not expert. I just shot the test kit ones, and it seemed to me the 80-85's were the only ones that didn't wobble from hitting the bow. I'm just going shoot this dozen until they are all gone or broken, and go from there.

[missionary5155]

The wooble is the arrow flexing when the string is released. Go to you tube ad watch a couple slowmos.

[Shepherd2]

I'm not an archer by any means but I do have a Bear Montana long bow. It's only a 40# draw so it doesn't take much effort to shoot it.

[megasupermagnum]

The wooble is the arrow flexing when the string is released. Go to you tube ad watch a couple slowmos.

It's called paradox, and it has nothing to do with fletching. Technically people say to shoot arrows without fletching to make it clearer which ones are spined correctly.

[quilbilly]

I still have most of my recurves and long bows from years ago when I hunted with them and shot competitively in the Olympic trials. When compounds were invented, I switched from recurves to long bows as a matter of principle after quitting competition. I remember hearing a lot about Nirk Archery years ago and may have a few of the products someplace. To Shepard2 - There is nothing wrong with a 40# classic bow for deer as long as you use wood arrows for the weight, range is 40 yards or less and your point is razor sharp.

[missionary5155]

It's called paradox, and it has nothing to do with fletching. Technically people say to shoot arrows without fletching to make it clearer which ones are spined correctly.

If you will re-read my post it says "flexing" and not "fletching". Like pushing on a wood ramrod to hard and it "warps" out of line.

[ericp]

Neat bows! I have a left handed Bear target bow called a Polar that has the same sort of sliding sight. Took it off the day I got it and hadn't thought about it until now.


Eric

[fastdadio]

We need pics of those sliding sights.

[sigep1764]

I got into bows about 1.5 years ago. Bought a Barnett crossbow and practiced for a year and took a doe with it this year. Bug bit and bought a cheap amazon compound in June. Shot it a bit, sold it cheap to a buddy for his sons Christmas present. Immediately ordered a Diamond Edge 320 and love this thing. Tonight I just ordered my first traditional bow, another cheap one from Amazon til I decide I like shooting it or not. It did have great reviews all over the internet and it is a take down so I can step up in draw weight just by buying limbs. The compound is maxed at 70lbs, I went with a 35lb draw weight for the recurve to start. Should be here this week.

[Idaho45guy]

We need pics of those sliding sights.

294382

[fastdadio]

294382

Interesting. Looks to be home made from a ruler. Given time tonight, I'll post a pic of one that came on an old Bear recurve I bought.

[missionary5155]

Now that is a simple, easy to figure out elevation sight .

[Cosmic_Charlie]

That is a cool story. I got my first deer with a bow in 1985, and was shooting in a winter league for a few years. Got interested in traditional archery and got a Hoyt TD recurve. Shot that bare bow style and got very good instinctive shooting with it. Really fun to walk in the woods with some judo points taking shots at rotten stumps and those noisy little red squirrels. My eldest son is an avid bowhunter.