Bear Grizzly Review

The following Bear Grizzly review was prepared by John Kopiecki.

Specs

Bear Grizzly	Draw	Bow Weight	Bow Length	Take-down	Rating
Check Current Price on Amazon.com	50-60 lbs.	2.2 lbs.	58"	No	10/10

Pro’s

• Proven design and construction (over 50 years on the market)
• Beautiful one-piece design
• Suitable for advanced and most beginner shooters
• Smooth draw

Con’s

• Not suitable for all beginners (read below)
• Would have personally liked a slightly longer riser

Package Contents

All Grizzly packages include the following:

• The Bear Grizzly recurve bow
• Bear hair-covered shelf
• Bow string
• Arrow rest
• Owner’s manual
• Warranty card (1 year)

Arrows / stringer do not come with the package.

Assembling The Bear Grizzly

The Bear Grizzly is a one-piece recurve bow, so there is no actual assembly involved. You only need to string it to start shooting. As mentioned, a stringer is not included with the bow, so get separately.

Quality of The Grip

• Beautifully cut and fits medium- and large-sized hands perfectly.
• Being a wooden one-piece recurve, there is no thermal padding around the grip. This isn’t really a problem, but it can make your bow hand feel a little cold during the winter and cold weather.
• The appearance of the grip is absolutely marvelous. Reminds me of antique furniture.
• Nice curve in the handle, no palm blistering will occur.

Overall: in the wooden recurves department, few bows have handles that can rival the Grizzly’s.

Quality of The Riser

• The riser is made of Dymondwood – very resilient material and can handle moisture sweat really well.
• Cut-past-center shelf makes tuning the Bear Grizzly much easier, and allows for the use of a wider range of arrows.
• Shelf is covered by bear hair, significantly reducing friction and wear of the rest. This also makes holding the arrow steady a little easier in my experience.
• Arrow rest is included with the package and can be installed if you want.
• The outer layer is coated to protect the riser from nasty weather.

Overall: I only wish the riser was a little longer, but that’s entirely a matter of preference. Other than that, it’s perfect.

Quality of The Limbs

• The limbs are made from Clear Maple and black fiberglass. The latter is what gives the limbs that beautiful color – a trademark of the Bear Grizzly.
• Limb tips are reinforced and will accept any string you want to use, including FF Flemish strings.
• Throughout it’s 50 years of existence, the Bear Grizzly has a spotless track record as far as the limbs breaking or splintering goes.
• I bought my Grizzly in 1995 and the limbs are still performing as well as ever.

Overall: will literally last a lifetime.

Quality of The String

• New packages include a Dacron string, which should last for a good 12000-15000 releases – depending on how you shoot and how often you wax the string.
• FastFlight strings can be used with this bow, and I definitely recommend it for the fastest and quietest shooting.
• Remember to separately purchase a stringer.

Overall: included string is solid, and you can attach a FastFlight Flemish if you want maximum performance.

How Accurate is The Bear Grizzly?

• No distractions while aiming considering the Grizzly is so comfortable to hold.
• When the string is released, the limbs don’t rotate left and right, which translates to better accuracy.
• No noticeable hand shock. If you do have trouble with hand shock, try shooting slightly lighter arrows.
• While there is some vibration, it’s very minimal and does not reduce shooting accuracy.
• Beginners should comfortably hit 2″ arrow groups from 15-20 yards after a few days of practice. More advanced shooters won’t have any trouble with 40-50 yards.

Overall: there’s really nothing about this bow that would reduce accuracy. Everything is entirely in your hands.

Arrows For The Bear Grizzly

Whenever choosing arrows for a recurve bow (no matter if it’s the Grizzly or something else), you need to consider a few variables, such as:

1. Your draw length
2. Your bow’s draw weight / settings
3. Your goals (hunting? target practice?)

It’s therefore not practical for me to recommend specific arrows for use with this bow, as arrows that work for me will most likely not work for you. The best thing you can do is read our simple guide on choosing bow arrows – this should solve the problem once and for all.

Does The Bear Grizzly Accept Bow Accessories?

While the bow is drilled to accept an arrow quiver, it won’t accept a regular sight or stabilizer. You can partially remedy this by using tape-on bow sights, however these aren’t usually as accurate as regular screw-in sights. Overall though, the Grizzly was designed mostly to be shot “bare,” with as few accessories as possible.

Is The Bear Grizzly Suitable For Beginners?

Some reasons why a Beginner will enjyo the Bear Grizzly:

• Great balance and easy to shoot / high accuracy.
• Available in a wide range of draw weight to suit any beginner’s needs.
• Comfortable grip.
• Good string included.
• Excellent craftsmanship, will last for decades even with heavy use.
• Very low-maintenance.

Some reasons beginners may NOT want to get the Grizzly:

• Since it’s not a take-down bow, you can’t replace the limbs to increase/reduce the draw weight if required. You’ll need to replace the entire bow.
• Some beginners like to shoot with a regular pin sight and bow stabilizer. The Grizzly isn’t drilled to accept any of those.

Overall: every beginner should decide for him/herself if the Grizzly will suit their needs.

Is The Bear Grizzly a Good Hunting Bow?

The Grizzly bow is primarily a hunting bow. The 55 lbs. version of it was used to successfully harvest Grizzly bears, back when it was still legal in the US. Please keep the following in mind though:

• A minimum of 40 lbs. draw weight is required to hunt for deer.
• A minimum of 45 lbs. is required to go after elk.
• A minimum of 55 lbs. is required for the largest game (grizzly bear, ox, etc.).

The short 58″ length of the bow and the low weight of 2.2 lbs. make it exceptionally comfortable to carry and maneuver during a hunting trip.

Where To Buy The Grizzly?

Start by checking the current price on Amazon.com and decide if you want to buy it there. If not, DicksSportingGoods is a good alternative.