Project 252
🏹 Trying to get better at archery by earning 252 badges.
In 2025, I took an archery course for beginners. I liked it so much that I joined an archery club and bought my very own recurve bow.
Because I like to have goals to work towards with my hobbies, I'm aiming to earn some 252 badges.
Right now I have earned zero.
Why 252?
The 252 badge is a way of proving that you're a good shot at a particular distance. Badges start at 10 yards and go all the way up to 100 yards.
"252" is the number of points you want to score. You have to do this with a set number of arrows – this varies based on the bow, but for recurve archers like me, it's three dozen. (You're also allowed to shoot 6 extra "sighters" at the start to adjust your sight, but these don't count for scoring.)
All this is using imperial scoring. To explain, here's a photo I took of a (slightly knackered) target:
Yellow is worth 9 points, red is 7 points, blue is 5 points, black is 3 points, and white is 1 point. Any arrows outside the white circle don't score anything.
To get 252 points from 36 arrows, you need to average 7 points per arrow. Basically, if you can get your arrows in the red or yellow every time, you can earn a 252.
If you'd like to know more, here's a longer explanation of the rules.
Glossary
- End – A set of arrows shot one after the other, followed by scoring and retrieving those arrows. I shoot 6 arrows per end.
- Round – Shooting a set number of ends at a set distance (or several set distances). For example, a "National 30" round is 8 ends at 30 yards, followed by 4 ends at 20 yards.
- Sighters – A set of arrows shot and retrieved before scoring begins, so you can check if you're on target or if your bow's sight needs adjusting.
Practice log
2026-06-07
Today I shot my first National 30 round. If I do a few more of these, I'll get a handicap score from my club. Moving the target midway through the round felt odd, but also it was nice to make things easier when my shoulders were tiring.
30 yards went alright. My highest-scoring end at 30 yards was 40, but my overall score did creep up a bit.
20 yards was better, of course. I actually averaged 40 per end (again, the goal is 42). With a bit more practice at that distance, I should be able to claim my first 252 pretty soon. (Also my last shot of the day hit the gold, so that's always a nice way to wrap up.)
2026-05-31
I shot a dozen ends at 30 yards and scored 364 points overall. My first 36 arrows scored 180, so if I'd been aiming for the 252, I was pretty far off. I need to be averaging 42 points per end, and my highest-scoring end was 40.
Still, for my first time shooting in a while, it wasn't bad. I think I'll focus on aiming for the 20 yard badge first anyway.