Indoor Archery Range

Have you ever found yourself on an Internet archery forum or social media site and hear archers talking about shooting a ‘Vegas’ round, but weren’t sure what it is or how it is shot? Have you seen pictures of targets and either wondered how you could get into indoor archery, or perhaps even thought, “Wow, that must be easy since all the arrow holes are in the middle?” Maybe you even went to the local archery range with a friend or coworker to give it a shot but felt a little bit lost since you had never done such a thing before.

Indoor Archery is for Everyone

Indoor archery range shooting can be a great experience for just about anyone. It can be a true family sport where husband, wife and kids can enjoy archery together. You don’t have to run fast, jump high or lift heavy weights. Archery can be just like golf, where a bunch of friends hang out on a regular basis and have a good time. Just like in golf, some shooters are going to excel and be more serious than others. You will find all types of archers shooting local indoor archery range leagues during the winter months. From Joe Bow-hunter who just wants to have a good time and keep in practice during the off season, to Joe Pro who travels across the country shooting national level tournaments, indoor archery is for everyone.

Getting Started

Even if you’ve never shot on an indoor archery league or indoors at all, it is very easy to get started. In fact, most who shoot indoor probably got started with their regular old hunting bow. The first step in getting started is to find a location near you that has an indoor archery range or indoor 3D archery range. This is usually at a local archery shop or archery club. These places will normally hold indoor archery leagues over the winter months. These venues always welcome new indoor archery shooters and will be quick to help and educate new shooters.

Vegas and NFAA Targets

Depending on your location, the standard target may be either the Vegas archery target 3 spot or NFAA 5 spot. Both targets are shot at 20 yards and are the same size but are scored and shot a bit differently.

Vegas

A Vegas round consists of 30 arrows shot in ends of 3 arrows. The scoring rings are X10-9-8-7, etc. A perfect score is 300 30X. In most cases the X is only used as a tie breaker. A shooter with a 300 25x would beat a shooter with a 300 22x.

This is a standard Vegas 3 spot target.

NFAA

The NFAA round consists of a 60 arrow round shot in ends of 5 arrows. Scoring this target is X-5-4-3-2-1 with a perfect score being 300 60X. Once again, the X ring is used as a tie breaker.

This is a standard NFAA 5 spot target.

Difference between Vegas and NFAA

The main difference between the Vegas and NFAA targets is that the X ring on an NFAA target is the size of the 10 ring on a Vegas archery target. A 300 on a Vegas face is much tougher than a 300 on an NFAA face. Pro Tip: “End” is another word for “round.”

3D Targets

As mentioned earlier, another type of indoor archery is 3D. Instead of colored bullseyes, this type of archery uses 3D targets made from durable, weather-resistant foam, usually in the shape of animals. Typically shot at 10-50 yards, each shop/club has a different system and amount. 3D indoor archery is not only great for hunting practice, but also fun.

This is an indoor 3D range.

Check Your Bow Poundage

If you’re a casual archer who doesn’t shoot much, the thought of shooting 30 or 60 arrows in a single session may be a bit scary. If you have your bow turned up to the max poundage and only shoot a handful of arrows in a normal archery practice session, you may find yourself getting tired during a round. The good thing is that you can easily lower your bow poundage to make the round more enjoyable. In reality, if you have to turn your weight down, then you’re probably shooting too much poundage anyhow.

Getting Your Body in Shape

You will also find that the more you shoot, the more in shape your body will get. As the weeks go on, you won’t be wearing out as fast. You’ll find yourself aiming better and your scores improving. It seems that the muscles we use to shoot a bow aren’t used for anything else.

Give it a Shot

If you’ve never tried indoor archery shooting, now is the time to give it a shot. Winter leagues will be starting the first of the year. Get out there and give it a try. Whether you just want something to do over the winter months or aspire to be the next world champion archer, there’s no reason to miss the opportunity. Get out there, have fun and improve your archery shooting.

Advice from a Seasoned Archer

The biggest thing I tell people about indoor archery shooting is to just go out and have fun. Some of my best friends have been made through archery. I can’t imagine how different my life would be if I wasn’t involved in archery.

Want to learn more about indoor archery? Check out these blog posts:

Indoor vs Outdoor Archery Range: Learn the Benefits https://www.60xcustomstrings.com/blog/indoor-vs-outdoor-archery-range-learn-the-differences/

Indoor Archery Practice Schedule https://www.60xcustomstrings.com/blog/indoor-archery-practice-schedule/

Indoor Archery: How it Absolutely Benefits Bowhunters https://www.60xcustomstrings.com/blog/indoor-archery-how-it-absolutely-benefits-bowhunters/

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