How To Shoot a 300 Round
The 300 Round is a short-distance, short-duration competition that can be done quickly, in about one hour. It is usually shot at 18 meters (20 yards). It consists of thirty arrows, each worth a maximum of ten points. The maximum score is 10×30=300 points, which is where the name of the round comes from.
Format
The 300 Round is a Target Round (i.e. not a Field Archery Round), so one shoots at only one target for the entire round and shoots from level ground. Each archer uses their own target.
The 300 Round is shot in 3 arrows “ends”, after which all shooters walk forward to retrieve their 3 arrows. There are 10 ends in a 300 round. There is a 2 minute time limit for each end — which is plenty of time to shoot very slowly, there’s no need to rush.
Standard archery whistle commands are used to signal the start and end of the shooting time. Disobeying the whistle commands can result in disqualification, and a zero for your score, so stay safe.
The target face for the 300 Round is a 5 color FITA target face. At the 20 yard distance, this target should be 40cm in diameter for archers over age 13. Or 60cm in diameter for archers under the age of 13.
Scoring
For scoring, each ring from the outside is worth one additional point, except the innermost gold ring. This means that the rings are worth:
White 1 or 2 Points
Black 3 or 4 Points
Blue 5 or 6 Points
Red 7 or 8 Points
Gold 9 or 10 Points
There are some peculiarities with the innermost gold ring (called the “X” ring). Sometimes it is used for tie-breaking. Sometimes it is used to make 20 yard shooting more challenging for archers using compound bows. It is written on the scorecard as “X”, and is counted as 10 points.
Alternate Target Styles
For very accurate shooters, there are some alternate target styles. When using these, you shoot one arrow at each mini-target. The rings are the same size as the middle five rings on the 10-ring target, and they score the same (So a gold is still worth 9 or 10 points).
Very accurate shooters will shoot most of their arrows into the 10 point ring. This wears out the paper very fast, making accurate scoring difficult. It also increases the danger of hitting your own arrows with your next shot. That can get expensive. These targets alleviate both problems — the paper in the center wears out 1/3 as fast, and you will almost never hit your own arrows, except on very “unlucky” or “lucky” shots.
The trade-off is that any shot outside of the blue 6-point ring is worth ZERO points!
Scoring Etiquette
See the main Scoring Etiquette section.
Shooting Layout
This is the typical layout for a 300 Round. The ground is flat, no trees or landscaping are in the way. The distance to the target is 20 yards (or 18 meters, which is 5.4 inches shorter).
A note about Divisions: “Senior” in archery means adult (18-49), not “Senior Citizen”. The Division for archers 50 or older is called the “Masters” division. Please reference the USA Archery Age Guidelines to correctly determine your age group.
To watch a short video containing more information on shooting a 300 or “Vegas” Round, CLICK HERE.
300 Rounds @ the PRA
The 300 Round is a great introduction to tournament shooting. If you are new to competitive shooting, you are highly encouraged to come participate in a 300 round held on the 2nd and 4th Sundays of the month. We hold two 300 Rounds each of these Sundays. Set-Up, Target Pasting and Practice begins at 7:30A and 9:30A, while official scoring begins at 8:00A and 10:00A.
Our 300 Round is pretty casual. There is no marking each hole on the target. Most of the time, you compete against yourself — try to outdo your previous score. Some folks shooting will be new to the sport and some will be avid competitors, but everyone has a wonderful time. We highly recommend that first time shooters at our archery tournaments seek out a veteran competitor to shoot with to “learn the ropes.” PRA regular competitors are a friendly group of people who are always happy to show newcomers how the tournaments and scoring work.
When you arrive, make sure to sign in, pay the fee (if not a PRA member), and pick up a scorecard. At the end of shooting, sign your scorecard and hand it in.
PRA Awards
PRA members who complete at least three (3) 300 Rounds per year are eligible to win Annual PRA trophies and awards. Archers may shoot with any bow style as long as they accurately mark on the scorecard which bow category and age group they are shooting. To be eligible for awards for 300 tournaments, however, at least three complete rounds must be shot per bow style (per year).
Archers may shoot both 300 Rounds on a Sunday; however, PRA members who wish to submit their score for PRA trophy and awards eligibility may only submit one of the two 300 Round scores and they must choose which score they intend to submit before the first 300 Round commences. In other words, archers may not shoot both rounds without having made a declaration and then subsequently choose to submit the higher score of the two.
Additionally, scorecards must be filled out correctly, completely and legibly including name, bow category, age division, scores, totals and be signed by 3 individual archers (2 scorekeepers & a witness) any one of which can be the archer to whom the scorecard belongs.
PRA members wishing to submit a score to be considered for awards, MUST complete the round witnessed by 2 additional archers and have said witnesses sign their scorecards before submission. Scorecards submitted by competitors who shoot and score alone without the necessary verification, will NOT be accepted.