THE M24- A Shakespeare Yukon X24 prototype or War Weapons?

THE MYSTERY BOWS, - Prototypes or Military Bows

by Larry Vienneau

 

(Originally posted 5/27/13)

I spotted these unusual bows on eBay. My friend Lewis Kent snatched up all of these unique bows. There are three very different M24 bows in his collection, two needed some refinishing while the other just needed cleaning. The decals on each are outstanding, limbs are straight and they are beautiful bows. What makes these bow so special is it has no Yukon X24 decal logo but each has a handwritten “M24”; they could be prototypes or special production Yukon X24.
From 1961-65 Shakespeare named all of their bows with an "X" designation. After 1965 Shakespeare renamed the bows after National  Parks and redesigned the models. The predecessor to the Yukon X24 was the Wonderbow X24. Like the Yukon it is a 60" bow however it had red fiberglass rather than the Brown or green of the Yukon. All three bows are missing the Yukon logo.  However, they have the later style Wonderbow Logo.

model X24 1963-65

Lewis Kent's first Mystery Bow M24 rosewood and black glass with later style logo

       

Lewis Kent's second Mystery Bow M24 dark wood and chocolate brown glass later style logo

Lewis Kent's third M24 with brown wood and green glass later style logo

A prototype is an early sample or model built to test a concept or process or to be replicated or learned from. A prototype is helpful to determine the cost of production and the function of a design. Bow designers use prototypes to test limbs and arrow speed. Most archery prototype bows use fairly simple woods for risers.

       

profile comparison Yukon X24 on the far left and three  M24

 

Mystery M24

 The Yukon X24 was a no-frills bow- no overlays, and no expensive woods.  It is a rugged, durable, and reliable bow designed to be a sturdy, inexpensive yet accurate target/field bow. It was created for the novice to “take the strenuous beating of beginners” in school or camp environments. The Yukon was also a fine bowhunter and called a “Great Shooter”. Shakespeare used mostly Maple for the Yukon X24 risers and its color will vary from a light honey color to deep dark mustard brown. The Yukon was first introduced in 1967 with brown glass, and in 1970 green glass was used. Over the years the color of brown and green glass varies slightly.   http://shakespearearchery.blogspot.com/2013/01/shakespeare-wonderbow-yukon-x24.html

      

     These bows have the exact profiles of a 1963-65 Wonderbow X24, the same AMO, the same riser shape, the same limb width, and the later Shakespeare Wonderbow logo. However, one bow has a beautiful very dark wood riser that looks like a laminated Rosewood riser and has black fiberglass limbs, making it a very rare bow. The X24 bow was never produced with black glass or a Rosewood riser. The other bow has a dark hardwood which is not rosewood and has a very dark brown fiberglass, a color which I have never seen in a Shakespeare but I have seen it used on Root bows. The third is a dark wood riser and dark green glass.  The arrow rest material is odd too. When the first bow arrived we both thought that the material was added later.  The second and third bows arrived with the exact same material on the arrow rest. I have never seen Shakespeare use this same material or style on any of their bows. However, the material does appear on Root bows. These M24 models do not appear in any catalogs.

M24 riser material

Ocala x17 with "II" seconds mark. 

Shakespeare did have a sales shop at their factory which sold factory second. The seconds were perfectly fine bows but had slight irregularities. The seconds were identified with a handwritten Roman numeral “II” on the riser. This bow has no “II” and the expensive wood makes it unlikely that it was sold as a “seconds” bow. 

One bow was in rough condition with its original factory finish

There are a few possibilities for these M24 bows.

1. The first theory is it was refinished and the original logo was lost. However, the bow was a mess and it had the original finish and handwriting inscription. But a refinish wouldn’t explain the rosewood,/dark wood, and black/dark brown fiberglass.
2. The second opinion was it was a factory “second”. Maybe it is, but it is missing the “II” found on Shakespeare seconds and wouldn’t explain the rosewood,/dark wood black/dark brown fiberglass, or dark wood and green glass.
3. The third possibility is it was a *special production, possibly given as a gift by Shakespeare. This might explain the rosewood,/dark wood, and black/dark brown fiberglass.
4. Perhaps the M24 was a very early version of the X24 before the "X" designation and before the Yukon X24. 
5.  It was an early prototype and could explain the rosewood,/dark wood, dark wood and green glass, and black/dark brown fiberglass.
6.  These were military production bows.  

There is plenty of photo documentation of modern recurves being used in modern warfare, in Vietnam there are several photos that turn up in any search. 

hard to see but this is a fire arrow

Medieval Fire Arrow in modern warfare

Updated 2020

I recently received an email from a man, Brian T. Swords, with a  M24. He had an amazing story to tell. His brother had served in Viet Nam in 1970. He got the M24 from a Special Forces soldier who served in De-Nang. The M24 had been issued as a sniper bow and used in Khe Sanh. The bows I have seen are low poundage, perhaps used as training bows. A sniper bow would need high poundage. The man said his brother believed that the "M" was a weapon number designation, much like M-16, M1-A1, etc... 

Military issued Shakespeare M24 1970 (Brian T Swords)

I know that Root had made *special production bows for the military, perhaps these were some of those bows, it might explain the Root arrow rest on a Shakespeare Bow. It also explains why this bow does not appear in any know catalogs. The X24 (M24) would be a good choice for this military application. My X24 is extremely quiet, and accurate. The X24 also has proven to be a very durable and reliable bow. This is a very exciting, unexpected, and enticing bit of information. I will update this when new information is available. 

This is an addition to the debate about the M24 bow sent to me by Larry Root. He posted it on our Facebook group page- https://www.facebook.com/groups/Vintagebowcollectors/

M-SERIES MILITARY ROOT BOWS

Folks, I may be able to shed some light on these bows.  My name is Larry Root.  I am the last surviving member of the Root Archery family, and at age 66, have undertaken to preserve my parents' legacy in the archery world.

     First, I want to emphasize that Shakespeare was a chapter in the Root Archery history, not the other way around.  Their bows were Ernie Root designs, at least until they moved the factory to South Carolina in 1971.  We sold our businesses to Shakespeare in 1969, in the Fall if I recall correctly.  I should have a copy of the contract around here as I was a signatory to it.

     I worked for Root Archery starting at age 14 when I was put in charge of making the feathered arrow rests.  I started in the factory proper at age 16 and stayed there until Shakespeare moved the operation in 1971.  I was Vice President of the business at the time of the sale.  I finished my Bachelor's degree in Business during this time, going to law school after the business was sold.

     I remember Dad talking with me about getting a military contract for bows in the Vietnam war time period.  I remember them being made and shipped.  The model was the Root version of what Shakespeare later named their Yukon (I think ours was Scout or Cadet.  As an aside, Root bows used the X- designation system, and it appears that Shakespeare adopted that system for their bows).  As these bows were shipped they were packaged one bow per box and had to be marked with the usual "one each" nomenclature used in the military supply chain at the time.  The model chosen was selected to serve it's purpose(s) at the lowest cost.  The model the military chose was a good one as it was one of our better shooting "simple" bows.  The military wanted the bows for, "among other things", recreation on bases.  That explains why so many of these seem to come up in Europe, especially Germany.  That would also explain some of the M-seires bows having silkscreen markings.  It was also at least inferred that some would "see action".  Such would be an excellent psych-op weapon.  It would be good for taking out sentries and guard dogs in the hands or well-trained soldiers (remember those training bows).  Bows would also be good for action against individuals or in small-group actions.  Imagine the effect on the enemy of finding their fellow soldiers taken out by arrows!  Recall that some of our troops also carried tomahawks in Vietnam, so modern iterations of Native American weapons were not unusual in that war.  We also got back-channel reports that the bows saw some use on enemy villages and encampments using fire arrows.  Effective, and without all the fuss and expense of jets and napalm.  Of course, such would only work during the dry season in Vietnam.  Bows used in action would not have likely had identifying silk screens.  They would also have been dark-colored.  That would explain the dark wood and fiberglass.  The shiny finish would have been a negative, so bows that actually saw action were likely spray painted a flat and dark color by the military, with OD being the likely candidate for war in a jungle environment.  Dad did that with his personal hunting bows.   

     As for the poundage of the bows, remember that soldiers were likely not archers before getting drafted or enlisting.  Such is similar to the reasons for the military moving to the lighter and lower recoiling M16 over the M14.  I suspect that these bows were made in a full range of poundages.  The bows intended for use at bases for recreation would have been those with light draws.  Those intended for combat were probably of heavier poundages.  Remember that a human is not a "hard target", so bows as heavy as we use for hunting would not be necessary.  There are likely more of the M-series bows "out there", but many were likely destroyed or just lost to time.

     It is possible that Shakespeare continued the contract after they purchased the company, which would explain some of them having the Shakespeare silkscreens.

     This is what I recall about these bows.  My recollections are confirmed by two former Root Archery employees, but not with the detail I have from talking with Dad and “being there”.  Those employees corroborated my memories as set out here.  There are no surviving records of Root Archery production, so no one can say with specificity much about the provenance of a bow we made.  I will say, Lewis, prepare yourself for a full-on effort to relieve you of one of these bows :-)

 

There really isn’t any way of knowing which theory is correct so I guess we can take our pick. Whatever your pick, these are rare and unique examples of the Yukon X24. I was split on what I thought was correct but now I am leaning toward the "Military Issue" theory because that would explain a lot of gray areas. The M24 is exceptional because of the beautiful rich Rosewood-like woods used and it is rare for the black and chocolate brown fiberglass used on these models. Any way you cut it, Lewis got himself a mystery, three conversation pieces, and three beautiful bows.

Here is an interesting video on the comparison of the bow and firearms

http://forces.tv/85707524

Yukon M24, Dates unknown - perhaps the same as Yukon X24 1966-71

60 inches AMO
Weights; 30+lbs, 45lbs
Glass: Black, Dark Brown, Dark green
Handle: Rosewood on one, dark hardwood on the other with
Recurve: Palm-pressure fit grip
Brace height 7 1/2 inches
Sight window 4 1/2 inches
Limbs 1 ½ inch wide
No tip overlays
Arrow rest: one piece rest, arrow strike. gray leather-like material

New Style Wonderbow logo

UPDATE 7/1/2023

I recently found proof of the bow as a weapon of war in a 1968 Bow and Arrow Magazine. 

 (Thanks to:
Brian T. Swords, Lewis Kent, Larry Root, Rick Rappe, and George Stout)

© Copyright, Larry Vienneau Jr.

All rights reserved.

Any comments or suggestions are very welcome!!!