Can I shoot this?

[denodurango]

#6704

I was gifted a beautiful longbow approx. 5 years ago. It measures 66 inches from tip-tip, and is marked ’57lbs at 27″ ‘, and ‘Made by Gilmour Keasey, Corvallis Oregon’. Near as I can tell, it was made in the late 50’s. It was hunted with for 15 years, then stored in the basement rafters of a riverfront home in West Linn, Oregon, until I got it. I strung it and partially drew it after I received it, but cast no arrows with it. I figured it was a wall hanger until I read this month’s article ‘A Stick with Many Branches’, regarding ‘Buck’ the travelling 40 year-old lemonwood bow.

Is it safe to shoot this bow…or should I be content to admire it’s history and craftsmanship?

[BadShotDad]

#53902

I can tell you my experience and from it, my opinion. At a yard sale 15 years ago I saw an old recurve. The family said $20, I said $10, we agreed on $15. I just thought it looked cool and would be a nice bit of decoration (this was during the 10 break from archery and the rest of life I took, another story).
It sat in various closets, basements and corners until two years ago. I strung it (wrong way), and found the limbs were twisted. I learned how to fix that, got a new string and have been shooting better and better since then. It shoots smooth and fast as told to me by other, more experienced archers (what do I know, it is my first and only recurve). My bow? A Browning Safari I. As far I can tell, it was last made sometime in the early 70’s.

Look it over for cracks or splits, get a new string, and have fun with it. Have a bowyer who knows longbows check it out if you do not feel comfortable with your own safety check.

[cody]

#54133

I look it over for blemishes as I’m sure you already have and I say go for it. I remodel houses for a living and I was working at a gentlemans house and we got talking about shooting recurves and he took me out to his drafty tool shed and he got out his 73 model Bear Super Kodiak. It had been hanging in that shed in hot and cold weather for years and years. I had to actually clean the dirt daubers (spell check) nest off the limbs. I quickly asked the man what he would take for it and we agreed on a price and I didn’t even hand it back to the man. I got it home cleaned it up strung it and it looked good and drew fine and it shot even better. Super quite and a hard shooter. Well worth the 50 bucks I gave for it.

[Jason Wesbrock]

#54152

Is it Gilmour Keasey or Gilman Keasey? If it’s made by Gilman Keasey, that bow (or at least the bowyer) has a lot of history behind it.

[tucsonbowhunter]

#54271

I think you should be alright shoting it, just look for twisted limbs, cracked glass and other stuff like that. You can fix alot of those types of problems i’ve bought a bunch of beat up recurves and fixed them up and they work just fine.

[denodurango]

#54278

J.Wesbrock wrote: Is it Gilmour Keasey or Gilman Keasey? If it’s made by Gilman Keasey, that bow (or at least the bowyer) has a lot of history behind it.

My mistake. You are correct, it is ‘Gilman Keasey’. Written in pretty small black script, but when I put my glasses on, I could see the name correctly. The bow actually belonged to Win Clark; a noted orthopaedic surgeon from the Portland area, and I believe I was told that he had hunted with the Keasey for several years. Have some photo’s of them long-poling a buck back to their camp; this bow strung over Win’s back. Must have been about 1963.

Anything special I should do with the bow before I shoot it, (like put in a steamy bathroom for a couple days to hydrate the limbs….or just start off shooting slow and easy on a nice temperate day.

[Jeremy Holden]

#56158

I’m no expert but say string it up, exercise it and give it a good look. If all looks okay, shoot it. That’s my thought though, I’m no official.

-Jeremy

[John Carter]

#62123

I’d carefully warm it up by drawing it slow an smooth several times without releasing an arrow,work it up to full draw don’t just haul back on it from the get go,then use a heavy arrow 10-12gpp at lest for the first shots.
Then If it’s all good,just shoot it like it was made to be shot,,,and enjoy.:D

[Author]

Posts