FAQ

There is always a designated time on Saturday from 1 to 3 pm that the range will be open. It is called the “club shoot” but doesn’t mean that there is a competition going on. You can drag out a target and shoot to your heart’s content. Please take the opportunity to share a target with another member and meet someone new.

Outside of this particular time you can generally shoot whenever there are other people shooting, such as when a programme is on at the range. On Saturday mornings and Sundays there are very often people at the range. There is a WhatsApp group for sharing when the range is open – you can join this group (MGAC Outdoor range availability announcements) and learn about the other groups in our WhatsApp Community.

When you buy new gear, the shop assistant will be very likely to help you with bow size, bow strength, arrow dimensions etc. But off course everybody will start looking on Trade Me to save money. This can be a bit risky for the inexperienced archer. There are various websites around that tell you how to determine what length arrow you need.

This is one of them : http://www.learn-archery.com/proper-draw-length.html

Talking to a coach, or experienced archer always will trump the internet!

When you just started archery, you can be easily intimidated by the distances that are shot in competitions. After all you mostly have been shooting at 10 or 15 meters.

Don’t worry there are many different formats or “shoots“ as they call them, and some make provisions for novices. Nobody expects you to shoot at 70 m straightaway!

A great way to ease yourself into competition is the club shoots. These can be shot at any time in the month and have different formats (more about the formats later). It is a great way to have some fun and push yourself out of your comfort zone.  You will be surprised how much you will learn, how rapidly your shooting improves and how quickly you gain confidence.

There is a whole plethora of shooting rounds, all with different names, different target size and different distances for different disciplines. Most of them can be found in the Shooting Rules on the website of Archery New Zealand, our national sporting organisation.

Most competitions will be shot in “ends” of six arrows, with a number of ends making up the shooting round/total.  The rounds are often also indicated by the maximum amount of points available.  For instance, the “Canadian 900” means that the maximum amount that can be achieved is 900. That means that the total amount of arrows to be shot is 90, and that it will have a total of 15 ends (15 * 6 = 90).

Scoring:

There are two methods of scoring: 10-zone and 5-zone.

10-zone scoring is the most common. Each ring is numbered from 1 to 10, and that is how each arrow will be scored. Each colour contains two rings.

In 5-zone scoring, each band of colour has its appropriate number, and is scored as such. Gold scores 9, Red scores 7, Blue scores 5, Black scores 3, and White scores 1 point.

The Canadian 900

This round is shot as part of the summer Interclub Challenge competition. It is a little more complicated, having multiple distances:

30 (5 ends of 6 arrows) at 55 meters 30 arrows at 45 meters 30 arrows at 35 meters on 122 cm target throughout and 10-zone scoring. Sighting ends only at the 55 meter distance during the round.

For the Interclub Challenge competition only: There are variations of these distances for younger archers (the Short Canadian) and for archers shooting Barebow, Longbow, or Traditional bow types. Find out more about the Archery NZ Interclub Challenge rules.

The Interclub Challenge used to be called a “postal” event, meaning that a group from one club gets together each month, shoots the Canadian 900 round together and the results get posted (e-mailed these days) and processed. The result is a nation-wide club competition without having to travel the length and width of the country.

The ADAA 600

This is a real fun competition – 90 arrows are shot at a distance of 30 meters, with 10-zone scoring. The total possible is 900 points.

The first time you shoot this round you start with a target of 122cm diameter, and if you manage to get 600 points or more, you can move to the next (smaller) size target for the next event (which is probably the next month). And there are RIBBONS to be won!!

http://www.adaa.co.nz/600-round/

The 720 or 72-arrow round

This is a World Archery format that is often used in registered major and minor tournament events.  This is shot at different distances for different ages and bow styles.

72 arrows are shot (in 12 ends of 6 arrows, with a break halfway after 6 ends) using 10-Zone scoring. So the maximum score possible is 720…hence the name.

Adult recurve archers shoot this round at 70 m on a 122 cm target face. Adult compound archers shoot this round at 50 m on an 80 cm “spot” target face (rings 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, X only). Adult barebow archers shoot this round at 50 m on a 122 cm target face. Different age classes and bow divisions shoot variations on these distances; see the Archery New Zealand Shooting Rules.

More details can also be founds on the World Archery website: https://worldarchery.sport/sport/disciplines/target-archery

Well, the Advancement program (also called the “BAP” for Beginner Archery Programme) might be for you!

Here you shoot 15 arrows on an 80cm target starting from 10 meters with 10-zone scoring.

If you reach 115 points or more, you move to the next distance. As part of this program you also learn technique and bow maintenance components. Keep an eye on the club calendar for the dates; this is normally run on the first Saturday of the month.

Yes! We welcome visitors who are members of other clubs or are experienced archers, which shows that you have had training in how to shoot safely.

There is a range use fee of $10 per day payable in the clubhouse or by bank transfer to 02-0110-0091898-00.