🏹 Archery Distance Calculator
Calculate arrow drop, maximum point-blank range, and wind drift for any bow setup.
📊 Your Trajectory Results
| Distance | Arrow Drop | Wind Drift | Time of Flight |
|---|
| Distance | 250 fps | 280 fps | 310 fps | 340 fps |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 20 yd (sight-in) | 0.0" | 0.0" | 0.0" | 0.0" |
| 30 yd | -2.1" | -1.7" | -1.4" | -1.1" |
| 40 yd | -5.8" | -4.6" | -3.7" | -3.1" |
| 50 yd | -11.9" | -9.5" | -7.7" | -6.4" |
| 60 yd | -21.4" | -17.1" | -13.9" | -11.5" |
| 70 yd | -35.0" | -28.0" | -22.8" | -18.9" |
| 80 yd | -53.8" | -43.1" | -35.1" | -29.0" |
| Arrow Speed | 4" Vital (Turkey) | 8" Vital (Deer) | 11" Vital (3D Target) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 160 fps | ~18 yd | ~26 yd | ~31 yd |
| 200 fps | ~22 yd | ~32 yd | ~39 yd |
| 250 fps | ~28 yd | ~41 yd | ~49 yd |
| 280 fps | ~31 yd | ~46 yd | ~55 yd |
| 310 fps | ~34 yd | ~51 yd | ~61 yd |
| 340 fps | ~37 yd | ~56 yd | ~67 yd |
| 370 fps | ~40 yd | ~60 yd | ~72 yd |
| Bow Type | Beginner | Intermediate | Experienced |
|---|---|---|---|
| Longbow (160 fps) | 10–15 yd | 15–25 yd | 25–35 yd |
| Traditional Recurve (180 fps) | 15–20 yd | 20–30 yd | 30–40 yd |
| Compound Hunting (270 fps) | 20–30 yd | 30–45 yd | 45–60 yd |
| Speed Bow (330 fps) | 25–35 yd | 35–50 yd | 50–70 yd |
| Crossbow (370 fps) | 30–40 yd | 40–55 yd | 55–80 yd |
| Wind Speed | 30 yd drift | 40 yd drift | 50 yd drift |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5 mph | 0.8" | 1.8" | 3.4" |
| 10 mph | 1.7" | 3.6" | 6.8" |
| 15 mph | 2.5" | 5.4" | 10.2" |
| 20 mph | 3.4" | 7.1" | 13.5" |
The distance in archery is very important whether you are only starting or high level of competition. Newcomers usually shoot between 18 and 20 yards. It is a good idea to start closer and if the arrows hit the target with too much force you can simply move back a bit.
A good way to build your distance is to start at 5 paces. When hitting the target becomes easy, move to 8 paces, then 10, 13, 15, 18, until 20, and keep going. It can be useful to return to a closer distance now and then for training.
How Far to Shoot in Archery
In that way, shooting at various distances will feel comfortable after some time.
Because many archers only recently joined a club, their first arrows probably will be shot inside. Some clubs change the distances according to the skill of the person, for instance 10 or 15 meters. Even so, the official indoor distance is 18 meters.
In events of USA Archery, each shoots at 18 meters. For NFAA events, the distance is 20 yards, which is around 18.3 meters. All participants in indoor contests use the same distance.
Outside, archers shoot at distances of 10 meters until even 90 meters. In standard contests, recurve archers shoot at 70 meters, while compound archers use 50 meters. Olympic archers hit their targets at 70 meters using recurve bows.
That is 229.66 feet. The recurve target measures 1.22 meters in diameter, and the 10 ring in the center is only 12.2 centimeters wide. The 70-meter round was set long ago and likely will not change as the main distnace.
Traditional Korean archers shoot at a 1-meter target from 145 meters, which is quite wild. Traditional longbow and recurve archers use the same Olympic size target at 60, 80 and 100 yards. It is much harder to shoot with traditional wooden bows without sights.
Hitting groups of a foot at 40 yards is already a very good result with that old gear.
A good archer can shoot accurately until 40 meters. With a recurve, until 20 meters is reasonable, but only after one builds enough consistency. A barebow archer would be happy if he consistently hit a 122-centimeter target at 90 meters.
Even professional archers train their form at short distances. Shooting at 70 or 30 meters use the same technique, only the sight adjusts. Very short distances can confuse the brain.
Shooting 5 meters at a tiny target is surprisingly difficult.
Confidence grows with practice and improvement at longer distances. That helps to form consistency and better execution.
