Oklahoma City RECURVE BOWS - MCAAP

[Steelers Fan]

Sub Category

Archery

Is this item for sale?

1. For Sale

Sale Price

150$

Is this item for trade?

1. For Trade

Trade Value or Items Looking For

quality firearms

Location

Edmond, 73025, Oklahoma, United States

I have a few recurve bows for sale. These are the remainder ( I brought 11 bows from Chicago to Edmond ) of a preserved collection of bows I purchased from the "Archery Custom Shop" in Forest Park, Illinois (a suburb of Chicago). The store was founded by Don Shram, a well-known archer, hunter and personal friend of Fred Bear. The Archery Shop operated for 75yrs from 1948 to 2023. I bought the bows just prior to their closing. You can pull up outdoor videos of Don Shram and also some of Don with Fred Bear on YouTube.

These are High Quality recurves that were the pinnacle of their time, prior to the compound bow, and still perform with and exceed many of the new bows available today.
You can show up to your next hunt to meet old friends in the woods or at McAlester Army Ammunition Plant in any new vehicle like all the others, or you can show up in a classic, rare, sports car. Distinguish yourself from the crowd. Look at these Muscle Bows from yesteryear and then ask yourself, am I worth it? The true value of a man, a hunter, is the confidence and self-worth he has in himself. Be a believer and shoot and hunt in style. You are worth it!

link to shop history
https://tradbow.com/visit-custom-archery/
https://www.forestparkreview.com/2023/02/14/after-75-years-archery-shop-on-madison-will-close/
link to Shram hunt at Fred Bears

YouTube "Don Schram" for vintage hunting videos

1st bow is a PSE FIRE BIRD in Like New Condition $150
Left Hand 45# AMO 58"
has front and side threaded inserts & laminated limb tips

next up is a BEAR KODIAK MAGNUM in VGC $350
RH 50# AMO 60"
Beautiful bow made in 1968 of finer woods and detail than current production Bear bows
has laminated limb tips w limb tip protectors

next up is a BROWNING BACKPACKER I in like new condition $650
RH 61# AMO 54"
Extraordinarily beautiful and short take down bow designed w rear mounted limbs ( like Black Widow bows ) made in 1973 of Shadua & Babinga woods. This model was designed by Harry Drake (well-known bowyer) for Browning. Only a few bow manufacturers have successfully built quality short recurves.

Last but not Least on the list may be the 'HOLY GRAIL'
BLACK WIDOW H325 in Like New Condition $1250
RH 45# AMO 60" made in 1969
Riser is made of Rosewood and Toxonite. It has dark brown limbs and laminated limb tips. This material (Toxonite) was primarily used in target bows as it was the hardest material used at that time.
This is a Fine and Gorgeous bow hand produced by The Wilson Brothers in Missouri. I believe this is the last year the bows were produced without the now known Web and Spider insignia as I think that began in 1970 w a joint partnership and incorporation.
I have pics of serial number book page to verify year and original buyer (Don Schram) and model description page from Black widow.

recurve longbow compound archery PSE Bear Black Widow Ben Pearson Browning Shakespeare Wing Colt Damon Howard Martin Herter Indian Fleetwood Black Hawk York Howatt American Archery Darton Stemmler AMF Golden Eagle Hoyt Staghorn Galaxie

 

[Gunbuffer]

Wow!! I hung out daily and “worked” there for Terry in the 90’s. I was post-Don Schram but his legacy was all around. I have a great pic of Don and Fred when they were starting that bow hunting council. Were there any more lefties available?
Someone should snatch that Kodiak asap.
Were you just there for the auction or do you have a connection to the shop?

 

[Steelers Fan]

I was in Forest Park for business 3 months in the spring and summer of 2022. I went to the shop about a year before their closing and auction. I started looking at a couple bows and began talking w Terry. He said no one was interested in bows like that anymore and the Chicagoan's couldn't pull them back anyway. He saw an opportunity as did I and he pulled a few more bows from the back out that were hidden. He was quite surprised as he thought I was picking one of the litter to take but instead I offered a package deal for 7 or 8 bows. I should have got 9 or 10 but it was a chunk of money and I had already purchased 3 or 4 bows from individuals in the Chicago area.
I wanted to shoot, listen and check each bow so Terry gave me some arrows and a shooting tab and sent me to the upstairs range that nobody was using. Terry is a nice guy. He didn't charge me for range time or loaner equipment for several days of use. I think he lives in Don's old house with a totem pole in front that I believe Fred Bear gave to Don. You can clear me up on that.
Most people don't know the significance of Don and a few others as they played second fiddle to Fred Bear but all members were an important part of that bow council and the development of the Pope and Young Club.
I believe many of these bows were held back by Don possibly for his own collection. All of the bows I purchased were from 1967 to 1973 period in fantastic condition. I hope you like the links and history. I'm impressed with your knowledge of Don and his significance to the archery world. I'm sure you have a few stories to tell about Terry and that Terry told you about Don.
Sorry, that is the only lefty I brought back. I sold 3 other Bear bows and a beautiful mint 1967 Wing Falcon that I shot a couple of pigs with before selling. Kinda wish I kept the Wing. Can't keep them all. It's time for others to get a grip on history and something historic.

 

[Gunbuffer]

I was in Forest Park for business 3 months in the spring and summer of 2022. I went to the shop about a year before their closing and auction. I started looking at a couple bows and began talking w Terry. He said no one was interested in bows like that anymore and the Chicagoan's couldn't pull them back anyway. He saw an opportunity as did I and he pulled a few more bows from the back out that were hidden. He was quite surprised as he thought I was picking one of the litter to take but instead I offered a package deal for 7 or 8 bows. I should have got 9 or 10 but it was a chunk of money and I had already purchased 3 or 4 bows from individuals in the Chicago area.
I wanted to shoot, listen and check each bow so Terry gave me some arrows and a shooting tab and sent me to the upstairs range that nobody was using. Terry is a nice guy. He didn't charge me for range time or loaner equipment for several days of use. I think he lives in Don's old house with a totem pole in front that I believe Fred Bear gave to Don. You can clear me up on that.
Most people don't know the significance of Don and a few others as they played second fiddle to Fred Bear but all members were an important part of that bow council and the development of the Pope and Young Club.
I believe many of these bows were held back by Don possibly for his own collection. All of the bows I purchased were from 1967 to 1973 period in fantastic condition. I hope you like the links and history. I'm impressed with your knowledge of Don and his significance to the archery world. I'm sure you have a few stories to tell about Terry and that Terry told you about Don.
Sorry, that is the only lefty I brought back. I sold 3 other Bear bows and a beautiful mint 1967 Wing Falcon that I shot a couple of pigs with before selling. Kinda wish I kept the Wing. Can't keep them all. It's time for others to get a grip on history and something historic.

Yes, Terry married Dons widow, and that was her house. Terry got into Harley’s back in the 2000’s and I bought one from peer pressure. He also got me into handguns as well.
I lived in an apt a few blocks from the shop for a couple years. They had a couple good Irish bars there on Madison as well. Don Fred and those guys were very experimental, modifying zwickeys with files and even using poison tipped arrows for quick kills. I remember stacks and stacks of bear takedown limbs in the back. And for a while there was a father son bowyer that build bows in the back. Sauk Trail Archery. They made good bows. I have a great longbow by them.
I made hundreds of dozens of arrows on those bitzenberger jigs back there for customers. The characters we had there were pure memory gold.
I last talked to Terry around 2013 or so.

 

[Ready_fire_aim]

Guys, that was a nice read. I’m not interested in buying the bows, but I enjoyed getting to know some history about an archery shop in Illinois lol

 

[hunter966]

You have some fine bows there, congrats!!

 

[Glocktogo]

Ooof! That Browning TD hits me right in the feels. If it were more in the 50# range I'd be in trouble. I can pull 61#, but not well anymore!

 

[Steelers Fan]

Ooof! That Browning TD hits me right in the feels. If it were more in the 50# range I'd be in trouble. I can pull 61#, but not well anymore!

I got to be honest with you. If it was anywhere from 40-52# it would probably be my primary hunter. I'd like to have a Bear Kodiak Magnum 52". I gave my nephew a beautiful Martin Hatfield takedown AMO 62"at 62#. I couldn't practice with it anymore. Bad C5 and C6 joint and turning 55 broke my pull weight limit. Practicing would put me in pain for days. So, I didn't shoot a bow anymore till I walked in that Chicago shop and had a selection of classic old bows in front of me (bow needs to match shooter - classic?- old+yes). I hunted with that Hatfield for a little over 20 years taking 3 deer at MCAAP and 4-5 others thru the years, plus a few regretful misses. That bow meant a lot to me because my wife bought it for me. But it stayed in the family. It just resides in Wyoming now. I also have what I call an Unofficial World Record (JOKE) with that Hatfield. I killed 3 deer in 15 hours with it. A 6 pt from 34 yards @ MCAAP Saturday 6pm and 2 does the following morning before 9am at a lease I had. Not bad (or just Lucky ?) for a string on a spring with a stick that ya fling.

 

[Glocktogo]

I got to be honest with you. If it was anywhere from 40-52# it would probably be my primary hunter. I'd like to have a Bear Kodiak Magnum 52". I gave my nephew a beautiful Martin Hatfield takedown AMO 62"at 62#. I couldn't practice with it anymore. Bad C5 and C6 joint and turning 55 broke my pull weight limit. Practicing would put me in pain for days. So, I didn't shoot a bow anymore till I walked in that Chicago shop and had a selection of classic old bows in front of me (bow needs to match shooter - classic?- old+yes). I hunted with that Hatfield for a little over 20 years taking 3 deer at MCAAP and 4-5 others thru the years, plus a few regretful misses. That bow meant a lot to me because my wife bought it for me. But it stayed in the family. It just resides in Wyoming now. I also have what I call an Unofficial World Record (JOKE) with that Hatfield. I killed 3 deer in 15 hours with it. A 6 pt from 34 yards @ MCAAP Saturday 6pm and 2 does the following morning before 9am at a lease I had. Not bad (or just Lucky ?) for a string on a spring with a stick that ya fling.

Great stories like that make it more special for sure and I feel everything you're saying about age and pain!