Shooting

Sport shooting covers rifle, pistol and shotgun disciplines, each testing stillness and consistency under pressure. Rifle and pistol events are shot at paper or electronic targets and scored to a tenth of a point in finals; shotgun events score hits on clay targets. Qualification decides who reaches the elimination final.

group

PLAYERS

Individual, plus mixed team events

schedule

DURATION

Qualification 75–90 min · finals ~30 min

stadium

PLAYING AREA

10 m, 25 m and 50 m ranges; shotgun trap and skeet layouts

scoreboard

SCORING

Rifle/pistol max 10.9 per shot; shotgun hit or miss

HOW IT IS PLAYED

Core Rules

Qualification and final

Athletes shoot a qualification round to determine the top eight, who then contest a final. Qualification scores do not carry forward — the final starts from zero.

Decimal scoring

In rifle and pistol finals, electronic targets score each shot to a tenth of a point up to a maximum of 10.9, making a perfect shot a matter of fractions of a millimetre.

Elimination finals

After a set number of shots the lowest-ranked shooter is eliminated after every subsequent series, continuing until two remain to contest gold.

Air rifle and air pistol

Shot at 10 m at a target whose ten-ring is 0.5 mm for rifle and 11.5 mm for pistol. Rifle is fired standing; pistol is fired one-handed and unsupported.

Three-position rifle

The 50 m rifle three-positions event is shot kneeling, prone and standing, with a set number of shots and a separate time limit for each position.

Rapid fire pistol

Five targets are engaged in series of 8, 6 and 4 seconds. A shot fired before the targets face or after they turn away is scored as a miss.

Trap and skeet

Clay targets are released on the shooter's call. Trap allows two shots per target from a single launch point; skeet uses two houses and a fixed sequence of singles and doubles.

Malfunctions

Two allowable malfunctions are permitted per event in most disciplines, with time made up. Further malfunctions score the affected shots as misses.

Range safety

Firearms stay unloaded with the action open and a safety flag inserted except on the command to load. Muzzles must point downrange at all times.

WATCH OUT

Fouls & Penalties

errorFiring before the start command or after the stop command.
errorExcess shots in a series — the highest-value shots are annulled.
errorCross-firing onto another competitor's target.
errorNon-conforming equipment — trigger weight, clothing stiffness or sight dimensions.
errorAny breach of muzzle discipline or safety procedure — immediate disqualification.

WHO DECIDES

Match Officials

sportsRange officer — issues load, start and stop commands and enforces safety.
sportsJury of the discipline — rules on malfunctions, protests and scoring disputes.
sportsEquipment control officials — inspect firearms, ammunition and clothing.
sportsClassification and results officials — verify electronic scoring output.

GOVERNED BY ISSF · NRAI

Play Shooting On A Real Arena

Book a floodlit, pro-standard venue and put the rulebook to work.

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