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Is shooting at 50m really much more difficult than 18m?

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smokyQuinoa

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Discussion starter · #1 ·
What's the difference between shooting at 18m with a 40cm target and 50m with a 122cm target?
Is the latter one actually more difficult to score higher? Technically you have the same target width ratio. 50m is 2.7x further from 18m, but the target is also more than 3x bigger. Is the factor here only being able to handle bigger draw weight to shoot further?
I'm a noob, so please don't bash me on this naive question.
 
#2 ·
I find no difference if shooting Olympic style, however when shooting barebow, my string crawl changes and the size of my aim point (the tip of the arrow) versus the target face changes dramatically. Much more difficult to shoot accurately. A skinnier arrow helps.

At 50m, wind plays a bigger role.
 
#5 ·
smokyQuinoa said:
What's the difference between shooting at 18m with a 40cm target and 50m with a 122cm target?
Is the latter one actually more difficult to score higher? Technically you have the same target width ratio. 50m is 2.7x further from 18m, but the target is also more than 3x bigger. Is the factor here only being able to handle bigger draw weight to shoot further?
I'm a noob, so please don't bash me on this naive question.
Click to expand...
Try this 49mm target shooting from a 2m shooting line.
Duct tape shooting line 2 meters away from the front of your target.

Image


A 49mm target is 25 times smaller than a 122 cm target, so 2 meters shooting line is 25 times shorter than a 50 meter shooting line.

Image
 
#10 ·
The answer is mostly wind and drop/velocity. A small mistake at 18m might net you a 7. A small mistake at 50m will usually net you a 5 or 6.
 
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#11 ·
Smokey -

It's a common question asked by new shooters.
I mean a 122 cm target at 60 yards is proportionally the same as a 40 cm target at 20 yards, right?
So you'd expect the scores to be similar.

Well go out and try it.
Yes, wind and arrow drop are factors, but so are lighting and shooting form (due to elevation changes).

Viper1 out.
 
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#12 ·
I know that I lose a lot more arrows in the grass at 50 yds -not meters- than I do at 30 or even 40 yds so for me 10 more yds does have consequences-- but as they say: "if you have a full quiver, you haven't been practicing enuf" and I live by that...
 
#13 ·
I find shooting 50m more fun.

The challenge with 18m is you have no excuses. Scores are higher indoors so you need to have a really good game. Dropping points can be more significant.

To be honest, I don't think you can really say which is "harder" as the games are different enough where it comes down to the particular archer. I have heard Olympic archers, such as Sjef van den Berg, state that they prefer the outdoor game because every shot does not have to be perfect.
 
#14 ·
"harder" is relative. Each round is what it is.
 
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#15 ·
Perhaps "harder" is the wrong word. Indoor might be more "comfortable" for archers starting out as it seems a bit less daunting just because of the distance. It is also easer to find ranges that allow 18m, so you get more practice. And if you have a flier at 18m, it will still be more likely to hit the boss.

Still, I find 50m more fun. I like seeing arrows fly. It seems more satisfying, even though there is not a great deal of difference in the angular size of the targets. You also get in more paces, which is relaxing.

But it really is not a choice. Indoors will be 18m and outdoors is 50m. Unless you one want to shoot one season, have fun with both. There are certainly more variables outdoor, just as there are fewer excuses indoors. I find both distances reenforce each other and make me better when I change.
 
#17 ·
I would guess the easiest way for a person to decide that question would be to shoot 30 arrows for score at 18 meters then shoot 30 arrows for score on the 122 cm target at 50 meters. For me I shoot about an 8.7 points per arrow average at 18 meters and about 8.0 points per arrow average at 50 meters.
 
#19 ·
BuzzMA said:
If you're willing to accept the system developed by Dr. James Park and used by Archery Australia for the Australian national ranking lists then:

40 cm target @ app. 19 m. = 122 cm target @ 50 m.
Click to expand...
I wonder if that system accounts for the difference in shaft size relative to target size at each distance.
 
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#20 ·
BuzzMA said:
If you're willing to accept the system developed by Dr. James Park and used by Archery Australia for the Australian national ranking lists then:

40 cm target @ app. 19 m. = 122 cm target @ 50 m.
Click to expand...
Why would anyone ever shoot more than 19m with that system? Even if I were forced to shoot micro/nano diameter shafts, I’d outscore myself every time.
 
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