The Root BRUSH MASTER Recurve

Ernie Root’s Brush Master Recurve

by Larry Vienneau

Ernie Root was one of the preeminent bowyers of the golden age of archery, his ability was appreciated by other famous bowyers with whom he often collaborated such as Harry Drake, Phil Grable, Owen Jeffery, and of course Fred Bear.  Ernie Root is famous for his collaboration with Shakespeare Archery, but few people know that Root also made bows for Browning, Colt Industries, and Anderson Archery. Root also made bows for several department stores, such as JC Penny, and even for the US Military (many show up in German online auctions). Root created divisions within his company to oversee production and distribution. Archery Research oversaw the Golden Eagle production.   In 1967 Bob Bitner shot the first perfect 300 score at the US Open in Las Vegas with a Root Golden Eagle.  In fact, it can be argued that Ernie Root was responsible for the birth of several archery manufacturers such as Shakespeare, Proline, and Dalton to name a few. In 1976 Own Jeffery bought out all of the molds and equipment and continues the tradition in the Jeffery Archery line. Ernie Root had endless energy.  He actually had time to continue his own line of archery equipment while he was overseeing production at Shakespeare and other companies. Ernie was a busy man.

1959 Ad showing the typical look of a 1950s Root bow

Like many bows of the late 1950 and early 1960s, the older Root Bows had a longbow-style grip and a slim riser. Around the early '60s Root Bows started to resemble what we now see in one-piece recurves, They had contoured grips, exotic woods, and a more sculptural quality in the higher-end models.

Root Brush Master was a beautiful multi-use bow. It could be used as a target bow and as a hunting weapon. Ernie Root’s designs are very obvious when you look at the profile of Shakespeare bow. For example, the Brush Master design was used for the Shakespeare Kaibab X27 and even the Shakespeare Ocala X17.

'66 Brush Master and '67 Kaibab ADs

 

Kaibab, Ocala vs. Brush Master

"The Brush Master is exactly what its name implies - a master of brush hunting" -1968 Root Catalog

The “Stabilized handle section” is one of the many qualities of this powerful weapon designed by Ernie Root. This hunting bow was a full power working recurve with a 3 ½ inch full view center shot sight window. This was one of the first true center shot bows. The wide riser dissipates stress at full draw. The tapered limbs designed by Root assure a smooth even draw. Selected imported hardwoods were sculpted to a perfect fit grip for comfort and efficiency in shooting. Root loved new technology. He was one of the first to experiment with multi-material laminations. The 1968 Brush Master incorporated a phenolic I-beam (resin) with exotic hardwoods.

Root Brush Master 1958-68?

• Length 58”
• Weight 30# - #60
• Brace height 8” 
• Limbs 2 inch
• Riser: multi-hardwood lamination. 1968 Phenolic resin with hardwood
• 3 ½ center shot window
• Feather rest leather plate
• Fiberglass: early woven, after 1963 parallel
• laminated tip overlays
• arrow speed 184.84 FPS ( 12 shots, 410 gr arrow, avg.)

My 1969 Root Brush Master

I bought a beautiful 1969 Brush Master in an auction. The auction photos showed a bow in fine condition. When I received it the condition was even better than I expected. After a little cleaning, new string, and replacing the rest and missing strike plate; I was ready to shoot. It was a very pleasant experience. My bow is 44 pounds but it shoots at the speed of a heavier bow. There is NO hand shock and it is a very steady shooter. Obviously, the “Stabilized Handle Section” work exceeding well. From the first few shots I saw good groups which got better the longer I shot the bow, the resin I-beam adds weight to the riser which also added to the stability. I was also impressed with the arrow speed. I felt it was faster than heavier bows. I have tested the bow with 12 shots with a 410-grain arrow and it averaged 184.84, very impressive!  It IS faster than many of my heaver bow

Fred Bear and Ernie Root were friends and Bear had great respect for Root’s ability as a bowyer, yet contemporary collectors consistently prefer the more plentiful Bear bows over the much rarer Root bows. In fact, if you look at the availability of Bear bows versus other scarcer bow makers, Bear bows are abundant, and it seems that name recognition alone is fueling the buying. After shooting this bow I just can’t figure out why Root Bows don’t have a stronger following.  This bow is incredibly beautiful and it is a joy to shoot. 

© Copyright, Larry Vienneau Jr.

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