Viking Archery “Antique”

[Quackerbox]

I got my first bow from them back in the day. Im near positive it was one of their bows. It was marked 'proline' on the limbs and painted black. I still have it but its been painted over and used as a fishin bow. The old PSE dad got on the same day is hanging in the kitchen at our camp

[Big pig]

Went twice to Viking. From Klein to SW Freeway was a long trip and I didn’t have much money. After “Tim” unleashed a cussing at me the second time, never went back. Later I understood it was an illness I felt sorry for the family.

Some of these “ antique “ threads hurt when it is the same stuff or age of the stuff I used. . But thanks for sharing.

BP

[BlackHogDown]

I got my first bow from them back in the day. Im near positive it was one of their bows. It was marked 'proline' on the limbs and painted black. I still have it but its been painted over and used as a fishin bow. The old PSE dad got on the same day is hanging in the kitchen at our camp

This one will likely end up on the wall at the ranch as well. Doesn't do any good sitting in the closet.

[ken]

That bow isn't old. My first compound was a bow that Viking made in 1977.

[Briar Friar]

Interesting thread. Sounds the old man was a piece of work.

Good lookin bow. I hope you kill something with it BlackHog.

[BlackHogDown]

May not be AS old as yours but a 30 year old bow is pretty "old", by bow standards. "Antique" may not be the correct term. "Vintage?" Lol

[BlackHogDown]

Interesting thread. Sounds the old man was a piece of work.

Good lookin bow. I hope you kill something with it BlackHog.

May have to try! I've got a ground blind that hogs are TEARING UP! They come in to 10 yds (See my self-titled thread about previous hunt LOL). As tough as the bow may be to shoot, I figure I could put one where it needs to be at that distance. May need a bit of a tune-up by someone much more knowledgeable than myself though as I'm still a "noob." This may be as close as I get to being a "trad guy" like yourself. At least for now....

[ultrastealth]

My last trip to Viking in Houston was to return some arrows that Tim sold me that were the wrong spine. When I showed him on the spine chart that he'd sold me the wrong shafts, he offered to buy them back at half price. This was the same day he sold them to me. He wasn't just crazy, he was dishonest as well. Your dad is lucky he got out of there before Tim cranked him over the head with the bow. People like Tim are the reason states used to have sanitariums.

[SPUD]

That old man was a piece of work! it took one visit for me and that was it.

[Jimbo47]

I used to shoot 3D matches back in the day when Viking was getting started in the San Antonio area.
Lot of shooters using Viking bows back then at the shoots.
I would pass by the Viking store when they opened near Canyon Lake and was always tempted to go in but I kept hearing the stories about the deranged old man so I never set foot in the store.
I do know they had a very good product back then, and that old bow in the picture probably cost twice what my old bow cost.

[TexasTK]

I was a frequent customer of Tim's. Talk about Bi-polar. He took me for some money and would not return it for a deposit on one of his bows. I think it was an Intimidator. I reported him to BBB for what it was worth. Viking Archery can kiss my grits.

[Roy]

Wow- talk about a bit of nostalgia. That was my dream bow way back when I first started working with J.J. Reynolds at Trulove Ranch. I could never afford one, but I did admire them at the Viking Archery shop in San Antonio.

I never visited the Houston shop, but Fred Ramirez at the SA shop was a freakin' master at setting up a bow!

Gosh darn I'm old...

[Dave W]

I guess i'm in the minority. I used to go there and enjoyed it. I never dealt with Tim though.
I always talked to Scott and Rick.

[SaltwaterSlick]

Man, this is GREAT!! We haven't had a "Viking" thread in a long time!!!

Like I said in my original post in this thread, Tim Whiteford was (or I guess, still is if he's still alive) one of the BEST bowyers there has ever been. I know him and Fred Bear were tight in their younger days... Tim could be a great guy and when on his meds, was just fine. He was an engineer for Schlumberger for years until he swindled some folks out of another archery pro shop in Pasadena and set up shop for himself... There's no tellin' how many bows I sold for him over the years... I had a very good relationship with him for many years. I used to live in Alief and spent hours in his shop and office... Then one day, just like so many others, BAM!! he lit into me, and for absolutely no reason! I'd had a problem with my bow (the one I was shooting was the early predicessor to the one pictured in this thread... He told me he was gettin ready to go hunting and if I needed help he wasn't my guy. He told me to go over to "Sports Town"( back then, they had a big store where the beltway/I-10 is now in the old FMC facility). Said maybe someone could help me... I said, "Tim, I ain't believin' what I'm hearing from you." He literally came out from behind the counter shouting at me to get the blankity, blank, blank out of his store and never come back!! I obliged him so I didn't wind up in jail...

[SaltwaterSlick]

When Craig Biggio and Ken Caminetti were just getting to be stars with the Astros, they got hooked up with Tim and used to come into the store often... they had their own "office area" there and I shot with them often, after hours... They even helped Tim out a time or two financially... don't know the details of that, but then one day, BAM!! He blew up at Ken, and that was the end of that relationship... Didn't matter who you were or how well he knew you or anything... I'd like to feel sorry for the guy, but I don't. I do for Lannie however. She was (or maybe is) a real sweetheart. Kevin was the youngest and was my favorite to work with... Scott was a little too "wild, let's just say" for me, though he did build me some mighty fine bows... even put a custom Mesquite camo job on one of my bows for me. It looked a lot like the Buslan camo pattern before there was such a brand...