Bear Grizzly Recurve Bow Review

Bear Grizzly Recurve Bow – Buyers Guide

What Exactly Do You Get?

When you buy the bear grizzly, all packages include;

• The Recurve Bow
• Bear hair covered shelf
• Bow String
• Arrow Rest
• Manual
• 1 Year Warranty Card

NOTE: You will need to also purchase arrows and a bow stringer

The Riser

The riser is very unique on the Bear Grizzly, as it uses a technique that was introduced in the 1970’s. It is made from a single piece of maple wood, which normally is not the best method. Newer manufacturing processes create the riser out of laminated wood, which helps with flexibility and strength.

Bear are able to still use a single piece of maple by producing wood that they call Futurewood. This wood is slightly heavier and also stronger than normal wood. To create Futurewood, they must first pressurise wood using a vacuum to full the natural pores and then finishing it off by baking it.

One of the great things that I like about this bow is that no two risers will be the same, this is due to marks that are made during the manufacturing process. Since each riser is made from different parts of the tree, you will find some difference in coloration. The riser is not matte but has a slight gloss to give it a nice finish, although it is not too reflective.

There is a mounting hole for a quiver and has a gold penny that features the bear trademark. You will also find the draw weight has been handwritten.

Summary of The Riser

• Shelf is covered with bear hair to help reduce friction.
• Arrow rest is included
• Riser is coated to help protect it from wet weather
• Made from single piece of hard maple
• No two risers are the same

The Limbs

The limbs are made with a black finish and these really look great next to the wiser. Like the riser they are also made from maple, with fiberglass. For authenticity you can find the logo on the limbs in traditional font.

The Bear Grizzly offers a wide range of draw weights, starting at 20lbs and this goes all the way up to 60lbs. There is a left handed option with slightly lower draw weights. These limbs are therefore suitable for a wide range of skill levels, all the way from beginner up to advanced.

It is however worth noting that this is NOT a takedown bow and the limbs are attached. You would therefore need to purchase a complete new bow if you needed to upgrade. Probably worth waiting till you have reached a draw weight you are happy with.

Summary of the Limbs

• Nice range of draw weights
• Long lasting limbs – very few reports of broken limbs
• Incredible design
• No assembly required

The String

The string is not bad and will be suitable for most people, although if you are experienced then you might want to upgrade it at some point. The Grizzly initial uses the Flemish Twist Dacron string but like I said you could upgrade this to a better Flemish Twist one easy enough.

How Does It Shoot?

I’ll get the only negative out of the way first and that is the vibration it can cause through your hand. This is however only natural when it comes to traditional bow shooting. If you like your traditional archery, you will love the feel of the shot. Without the aid of sights, I found the accuracy on this bow were excellent.

I really like how quiet the shot is, it really surprised me and this is without updating the string. I found that the draw was smooth and in comparison to other bows of the same draw weight, it was really easy to draw.

The Look Of The Bow

The Bear Grizzly really is a thing of beauty, I could honestly look at it all day. The quality of the wood is high and you can certainly see that in the look of the bow. I have not seen a more handsome recurve bow.

Assembling Your Bow

If you hate assembling bows then this is perfect for you. As it is not a takedown you cannot take down, this is both a positive and a negative. The benefit is you can get it out and shoot, the downside is that it’s harder to transport for storage. (Although saying that, it’s so beautiful you wouldn’t want to put it away)

PROS

• Excellent For Beginners & Advanced Archers
• Provides Accurate Shots
• High Durability
• Ready To Shoot Out Of The Box
• Beautiful Design
• Weather Resistant
• Excellent Arrow Speeds
• Ideal For Both Hunting & Target Archery

CONS

• Not A Takedown
• Fairly Expensive – (But Worth it)

Frequently Asked Questions

Since the Bear Grizzly Recurve bow is steeped in history and has been around for so long, it’s no surprise that there are a lot of questions. I do hope that this review has answered the majority of them, below are most common but if you do have any more please do write a comment at the end of the review.

Can I Hunt With This Bow?

Yes, the bow produces a very quiet shot and offers excellent accuracy. You could better strings to get less vibration but the trade off for this is more noise, so I personally wouldn’t. Its weather resistant so perfect for outdoors shooting. There are draw weights of over 40 lbs, so powerful enough to hunt.

What Arrows Should I Use?

There are plenty of arrows to choose from but nothing I could recommend specifically for the Bear Grizzly Recurve. The reason why us because there are a number of factors for you to understand such as draw length, draw weight and what you will be using the bow for. You would want different arrows if you was doing target archery instead of hunting.

I’m A Beginner, Would This Bow Be Okay For Me?

The bow is suitable for beginners as there are a wide range of draw weights available. If you are not bothered about traditional archery and you just want a good recurve bow, I wouldn’t say it is the best choice for you. It is not the cheapest so again it would depend on your budget.

Technical though, ignoring my personal thoughts. If you got the right draw weight for you then yes you would be able to use it fine.

About The Manufacturer

Fred Bear founded Bear Archery in the 1940’s, this is after winning a number of archery championships in the 1930’s. He started off by crafting his own bows for his own use, however soon friends wanted a bear bow of their own. Since then Bear Archery have continued to produce excellent bows, following their promise to produce only reliable bows using their latest manufacturing techniques.

Conclusion

This bow for me is one of my favourites, not just because of how good it shoots but it looks amazing. I am a big fantasy fan and this bow for me is one that fits that look/feel. Holding this bow, I almost feel like im Legolas.

The only major drawback to the bow is the price, however if you can afford it – I really don’t think you will regret it.

Alternatives

There are so many different bows available and you naturally want to get the right one for you and your needs. I have done a guide which will not only go into detail on what to think about when looking for a recurve bow but also give some great recommendations.

Click here to see my recommendations

I do hope that this Bear Grizzly Recurve review has helped to give you a little more insight into this great bow. If you do have any questions or comments that were not answered, please post them in the comments below.