Groups

Moses

Four Pointer
Picked up a Mathews Outback (I know it’s old but in great shape) from one of my Uncle’s buddies who is left handed about a month ago. I had never shot a bow before then. Have been practicing for the last month or so and am just curious what sort of groups you guys expect to get at say 30 & 40 yds. I can stack them pretty good at 20, actually breaking a few. Just trying to get a guide to measure success at longer distances. Thanks in advance.


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Wildlifer

Old Mossy Horns
I think that all depends on what expectations you have for yourself. At 30 yds i expect my groups to look just like my 20yd groups. As distance increases my acceptance of a larger groups size increases but I still expect a 6in circle out to 50yds
 

DBCooper

Old Mossy Horns
Contributor
An ASA 10 ring is (I think) 5”. Hunter class is (again, I believe) max 40 yds (+\- a small % error).

Anybody here think they can shoot a 20 Target course without dropping a single ten ring?

If so, I want to shoot with you ?. I plan to shoot senior hunter, but I’ll adjust to your class.

I’ve got a crisp $20 and take the under (20 inside the 10 ring).

OP.......a goal to shoot for us the 2”@20, 3”@30, 4”@40 & so on. But, that’s really good shooting, once you get outside 20yds.

Good luck.
 

kilerhamilton

Old Mossy Horns
Make sure the bow fits. Find someone to fit you. Get a release that fits you and adjust. Make sure arrows are correct spine.

Your accuracy will always suffer if your bow doesn’t fit.
It’s really hard to just pick up someone else’s bow and it fit. And shoot it accurate.

I accept the 1” per 10yds.


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Moses

Four Pointer
Yeah took it to a bow shop and had them fit me. Adjusted the kisser slightly but said draw length looked perfect. Got me a Scotts little goose release (recommended by my uncle) which I like so far.


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QBD2

Old Mossy Horns
You should shoot for baseball size(3")groups at your maximum intended hunting range.

The more you shoot, the more that should shrink. If you're stacking them at 20, but struggling at 40, stop shooting at 20. Push the envelope, that's how you get better.

40 feels like a chip shot after slinging 'em from 80;)
 

Castle Oak 2

Six Pointer
Moses, welcome to the most addicting sport on the planet-IMO. If you haven't already, get some quality instruction before you develop any bad habits. I've been shooting/hunting with a bow for 35+ years and I still find myself doing stupid stuff. Recently I found some youtube videos produced by John Dudley that offer excellent instruction by a professional. The series is called School of Nock. Have fun.
 

dobber

Old Mossy Horns
I wouldn't shoot for any groups, i would shoot to hit what you aim for. The one thing that's not so much fun about shooting the bow is having to replace arrows due to robin hooding them (which is a fun thing to brag about) or having to replace fletchings
Some targets have multiple bullseyes so that is what i go to vs trying to group shots
 

Longrifle

Old Mossy Horns
Contributor
Bahahaha! Hey DB....bring your trad gear and a full billfold!
I'm kiddin'ya man, 20 clean doesn't happen every day with trad gear but a clean round with compound gear is pretty doable. I watched John do it more than once when we were shooting together regularly but I don't think in 6 years of competition I've done it more than a handful of times.

Moses, as a hunter pie plate accuracy out to your maximum yardage with get it done most every time. If you can keep them inside an inch for every ten yards you'll succeed far more than you'll fail...
 
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DBCooper

Old Mossy Horns
Contributor
I know you’re kidding.

I don’t care what you’re shooting. I’ll take the under on 20 clean targets and bet you EVERY time.
 

Dolfan21

Ten Pointer
Make sure the bow fits. Find someone to fit you. Get a release that fits you and adjust. Make sure arrows are correct spine.

Your accuracy will always suffer if your bow doesn’t fit.
It’s really hard to just pick up someone else’s bow and it fit. And shoot it accurate.

I accept the 1” per 10yds.


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Moses, I think you have your answer here. There are a ton of variables but if bow doesnt fit and arrows are not spined properly none of the rest will matter, you just wont be consistent. If you are breaking arrows then start shooting only one or two arrows per target....even cheap arrows arent cheap anymore.
 

25contender

Twelve Pointer
First thing the bow has to fit right. Second a bow is a piece of machinery and it will only do what you tell it to do. If your form and repedtivity sucks your groups will suck. Practice makes perfect. Bows today are a far cry from bows back in the day. Most are high quality and are fairly easy to shoot.
 

Helium

Old Mossy Horns
3” groups in practice can quickly become 5-8” groups when shooting at an animal under hunting conditions

Especially if buck fever is involved.

As they say practice makes perfect! But don’t forget to eventually train for shots under pressure
 

ABBD

Ten Pointer
Contributor
Practice at elevated heart rate conditions also. Do a quick jog around the yard and pick up your bow and shoot three arrows. Completely different than shooting calm groups for fun.... but will simulate what actually will happen before the shot at your bruiser buck. Start at 20yds and go to 30yds from there. A many of folks don’t factor nor practice for these conditions and I feel it’s a unfortunate mistake. Best of luck!
 

pattersonj11

Old Mossy Horns
Contributor
An ASA 10 ring is (I think) 5”. Hunter class is (again, I believe) max 40 yds (+\- a small % error).

Anybody here think they can shoot a 20 Target course without dropping a single ten ring?

If so, I want to shoot with you ?. I plan to shoot senior hunter, but I’ll adjust to your class.

I’ve got a crisp $20 and take the under (20 inside the 10 ring).

OP.......a goal to shoot for us the 2”@20, 3”@30, 4”@40 & so on. But, that’s really good shooting, once you get outside 20yds.

Good luck.

You don’t see many shot without dropping a 10 somewhere. I’ve seen lots of scores above 200, but not many rounds without dropping into an 8 somewhere on the course.

When it gets too easy, there is always the open class.

When open class gets too easy...talk to longrifle about the stick and string class. I believe a few rounds have been shot in that class without dropping any.
 

Sp8

Ten Pointer
Picked up a Mathews Outback (I know it’s old but in great shape) from one of my Uncle’s buddies who is left handed about a month ago. I had never shot a bow before then. Have been practicing for the last month or so and am just curious what sort of groups you guys expect to get at say 30 & 40 yds. I can stack them pretty good at 20, actually breaking a few. Just trying to get a guide to measure success at longer distances. Thanks in advance.


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I after shooting groups at 20yrds I now practice at 50 and 60 yards. Not that I plan to take that far of a shot but once you're comfortable shooting at that distance 20-30yrds feels like a chip shot.

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Longrifle

Old Mossy Horns
Contributor
You don't shoot arrows, you shoot form. Once you learn form you need to learn to tune. If you can tune and make the arrow go where you're aiming you can do almost everything wrong and still be accurate....as long as you do it wrong exactly the same way every single time....
 

Moses

Four Pointer
Thanks all, longrifle mentioned a 3D shoot. No where near a league or anything like that, but does anybody know anywhere around CLT metro to go practice besides my backyard?


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Longrifle

Old Mossy Horns
Contributor
Mecklenberg Wildlife Club, 2301 Wildlife Rd., Charlotte 704-399-3733
Outstanding place to shoot!
 

Crappie_Hunter

Twelve Pointer
Contributor
Trying to shoot really tight groups is great for setting up your bow, learning how to shoot, perfecting your mechanics etc. Just know that if you want to start archery hunting you will need to practice like you will hunt, which often times is very different than controlled target practice. Best of luck, archery can be addictive!!
 
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