# Root Recurve



## grega

I'm new to this site and not sure if I should post this in two places, but here goes.

Can anyone give me some information on Root Recurves, mabye even Field Masters. Are they a decent shooting bow and will Fastflight strings work on them?

Thanks, Greg


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## bowproPat

grega

Root recurves were made by Ernie Root back in the 1950's and 1960's.

Ernie made good bows although the finish was usually below standards of the day. The bows shot good. Bear, Howatt and Darton bows where the most popular in those days. 

Do you know the approximate date of the bow?

Just because the bow is probably 40 years old I would not reccomend Fast Flight strings. Dacron would be easier on the bow.

Good luck

Pat


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## necedah

If I remember right,Root got bought out by the Shakespeare fishing tackle co .That when you started to see Shakespeare bows in the sixties.I would not put a fast flight string on it
Necedah


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## george tinkham

ernie root also was a bowyer for shakespeare,after the buyout.some of the shakespeare bows are identical to root.


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## Hunters_Trail

*Root History*

I do not disagree with the other comments except the one about the finish on Root bows. Root was building bows for quite a while but they were never really sucessful until they became involved with the name Archery Research, and built/marketed Golden Eagle bows. As the Golden Eagle bow gained in popularity Root/Archery Research changed its name to Golden Eagle, then as that bow line continued to grow Root kind of went by the wayside, and finally Root/Golden Eagle was purchased by Shakespear. This was in the 1969 to 1973 time period if I remember correctly. 
DO NOT USE FAST FLIGHT STRING ON YOUR OLD BOW. The lack of sterch will destroy the limbs.


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## LarryRoot

New member here folks. I am the son of Ernie Root and have much to correct in the above. I have begun a project to inform the archery community about the truth behind my father and his bows. For example, in the post immediately above, Root Archery became successful long before the Golden Eagle, and the name was not dropped in favor of Archery Research or Golden Eagle. Archery Research was the corporate entity owned by my father and Phil Grable to market Golden Eagles which were made in the Root Archery facilities. Phil brought the concept to Dad to make the design workable mainly to resolve problems he'd run into. Dad worked with Phil to resolve the problems and put the Golden Eagle into production under the Archery Research banner, although a few were sold labeled Root Archery (I have one so marked). It existed along side Root Archery. At our peak we had 100 employees on three shifts making bows under our own name as well as many private brands, including Shakespeare, Colt and others. We sold Root Archery Company to Shakespeare in 1969, with them moving the operation to South Carolina in 1971. Archery Research was also sold to Shakespeare. They shut the operation down in 1975 due to mis-management (at many levels). Root Bows are now highly collectable. Folks who shoot them often remark on how stable and smooth they are to other brands of the era. I'll post links to other sites later, and will keep this site in the loop as I continue with this project.


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## field14

I still have my Root Rangemaster recurved bow that I purchased through Anderson Archery in 1970. I brought down several big game animals with the bow, including a 4X5 bull elk in 1971 with that 45# Root Rangemaster. It is a 66" bow with white limbs, even. Nobody will ever convince me that a 50# compound isn't sufficient to hunt BIG game with in North America. 

field14 (Tom D.)


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## RiderDave

I recently acquired two, Root vintage bows from the late 50's; a Target-Master(longbow) and Field-Master(recurve). The Target-Master has green fiberglass weave on the back limbs while the Field-Master has the fiberglass on both the back and belly. They both have the original reddish brown leather grip and the Target-Master has a leather wrist sling.

While searching for history on these bow I came across a very informative blog that covers Root and Shakespeare: http://shakespearearchery.blogspot.com/

I have not shot either of these bows as it appears they haven't been used, let alone strung, in a long time so they have been slowly getting acclimated to their new strings for a few weeks before pulling on them.

Good luck with your new, vintage bow!

Dave


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## RiderDave

....HA, I just realized this is an old thread! :embara:

Dave


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## toxoph

RiderDave said:


> ....HA, I just realized this is an old thread! :embara:
> 
> Dave


Information is timeless!

Of the 150+ bows in my collection, I only have one Root and I consider it one of my premier bows, excellent craftmanship and a real beauty!

Larry, please keep us posted of your effort!


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## Merak

Hi Larry, saw the name of Phil Grable came up and was curious if you could tell me more of his history. Back in the early 80s I belonged to an archery club in Grand Ledge Michigan while in college. Phil was a member and built target bows for many of the members. Metal risers and wooden limbs. Being a poor college student, I had to settle for a used Wing, but was curious as to his background. BTW I believe I have an old bow built by your father, it was given to me by a friend at about the same time. It has a compass in the handle and stamped 408610.


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## mike 66

LarryRoot said:


> New member here folks. I am the son of Ernie Root and have much to correct in the above. I have begun a project to inform the archery community about the truth behind my father and his bows. For example, in the post immediately above, Root Archery became successful long before the Golden Eagle, and the name was not dropped in favor of Archery Research or Golden Eagle. Archery Research was the corporate entity owned by my father and Phil Grable to market Golden Eagles which were made in the Root Archery facilities. Phil brought the concept to Dad to make the design workable mainly to resolve problems he'd run into. Dad worked with Phil to resolve the problems and put the Golden Eagle into production under the Archery Research banner, although a few were sold labeled Root Archery (I have one so marked). It existed along side Root Archery. At our peak we had 100 employees on three shifts making bows under our own name as well as many private brands, including Shakespeare, Colt and others. We sold Root Archery Company to Shakespeare in 1969, with them moving the operation to South Carolina in 1971. Archery Research was also sold to Shakespeare. They shut the operation down in 1975 due to mis-management (at many levels). Root Bows are now highly collectable. Folks who shoot them often remark on how stable and smooth they are to other brands of the era. I'll post links to other sites later, and will keep this site in the loop as I continue with this project.


very cool thank you for posting this.............


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## archerycharlie

I got started shooting a root bow back in the 50s. It was a 42# but i sold it in the 60s. I still have a Root Field Master 66" 37#at 28 inch draw. Number stamped on it is 15992. Has not been shot for quite a while now, but am thinking about stringing it up and giving it a try.


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