Shooting (ISSF) — Official Rules

Sport shooting is a precision sport in which athletes fire a rifle, pistol or shotgun at a fixed or moving target, scoring on accuracy. In rifle and pistol events the objective is to place each shot as close as possible to the centre of a concentric ring target and accumulate the highest score. In shotgun events (Trap and Skeet) the objective is to break the greatest number of clay targets launched into the air. A competition normally comprises a qualification round that ranks athletes, followed by a separate medal final contested by the top-ranked athletes.

The ISSF Rule Book is organised by discipline-specific sections (6 General Technical Rules, 7 Rifle, 8 Pistol, 9 Shotgun, 10 Running/Moving Target, 11 Target Sprint). The principal Olympic events are:

• Rifle: 10 m Air Rifle and 50 m Rifle 3 Positions.
• Pistol: 10 m Air Pistol and 25 m Rapid-Fire Pistol.
• Shotgun: Trap and Skeet. Most events are contested as men's, women's and mixed-team competitions. The General Technical Rules (Section 6) apply to all disciplines except where a discipline-specific rule states otherwise.

The 2026 Edition (effective 1 January 2026) introduces several headline changes ahead of Los Angeles 2028:

• Eight-athlete finals: 25 m Rapid-Fire Pistol, Trap and Skeet increase their finals field from six to eight athletes.
• Restructured mixed-team finals: medal matches are no longer separated; all four qualified teams compete in a single final (10 m Air Rifle, 10 m Air Pistol and Trap mixed team).
• Live aiming technology is added for rifle and pistol events.
• VAR (Video Assistant Referee) is introduced for shotgun events.
• Rifle equipment: clothing stiffness tolerances are revised; high-ankle rifle boots are banned in favour of pistol-style shoes that expose the ankle, and all rifle clothing must carry valid ISSF seals with serial numbers - all previous seals became invalid on 1 January 2026.

Each discipline is shot at a fixed, measured distance from the firing line to the target:

• 10 m Air Rifle / 10 m Air Pistol: 10 m.
• 50 m Rifle 3 Positions: 50 m.
• 25 m Rapid-Fire Pistol: 25 m.
• Shotgun (Trap): clay targets are launched from a trench whose machines sit 15 m in front of the shooting stations.
• Shotgun (Skeet): targets fly across a semicircular field between a high house and a low house; the regulation flight distance is 68 m (± 1 m) in calm conditions. Distances are measured horizontally and are part of equipment/range control.

Precision targets carry concentric scoring rings numbered 10 (centre) down to 1 (outer). Key ten-ring diameters are:

• 10 m Air Rifle: ten-ring 0.5 mm; the whole one-point ring measures 45.5 mm.
• 10 m Air Pistol: ten-ring 11.5 mm.
• 50 m Rifle: ten-ring 10.4 mm.
• 25 m precision/rapid-fire pistol: ten-ring 50 mm on the 25 m precision target. The extremely small air-rifle ten-ring is why a perfect 10 is split into decimal sub-zones (10.0 - 10.9) for finals scoring.

Shotgun events use standard clay targets (clays) of 110 mm diameter and approximately 105 g, launched at high speed. A target is scored as HIT (a "kill") if it is struck and at least a visible piece is broken off; otherwise it is a MISS ("lost"). In Trap, three machines per station throw fast targets away from the shooter at varied angles and elevations; in Skeet, targets cross the field on fixed trajectories from the high and low houses. The shooter normally fires one cartridge per single target (two in doubles).

Each event prescribes the permitted firearm:

• Air rifle / air pistol: 4.5 mm (.177) calibre, compressed-air or CO2 powered. Air rifle maximum weight 5.5 kg; air pistol maximum 1500 g with trigger pull at least 500 g.
• 50 m rifle: .22 LR (5.6 mm) rimfire; standing/three-position weight limit 8.0 kg (men) and 6.5 kg (women's events historically), trigger pull free.
• 25 m pistols: .22 LR rimfire; rapid-fire pistol trigger pull at least 1000 g. All firearms must pass equipment control; only sights without magnifying lenses are permitted for rifle and pistol (no telescopic sights).

Rifle clothing (jacket, trousers, shoes, glove) is strictly regulated to limit artificial support of position. Under the 2026 Edition:

• Clothing stiffness tolerances are revised, and material thickness/stiffness is measured at equipment control.
• High-ankle rifle boots are banned; athletes must use pistol-style shoes that expose the ankle.
• All rifle clothing must display valid ISSF seals bearing serial numbers; every seal issued before 2026 became invalid on 1 January 2026 and items must be re-sealed. Items failing control may not be used until corrected.

A malfunction is classified as allowable or non-allowable.

• Allowable malfunctions (e.g. a shot did not fire through no fault of the athlete, or a target machine failed) entitle the athlete to refire the affected shot or target after the Range Officer's approval.
• Non-allowable malfunctions (e.g. caused by failure to load, an improperly prepared firearm, or applying the safety) result in the shot being scored as fired - normally a miss/zero. An athlete is generally permitted only a limited number of allowable malfunctions; repeated stoppages are treated as the athlete's responsibility.

Rifle and pistol shots are scored by the ring touched by the pellet/bullet, from 10 (centre) down to 1, with a miss scoring 0. A shot that touches or breaks the dividing line is awarded the higher value ("line cutter rule").

• Qualification in most events uses whole-ring (integer) scoring, except 10 m Air Rifle qualification which uses decimal scoring.
• Finals in all rifle and pistol events use decimal scoring, dividing the ten-ring into tenths from 10.0 to 10.9, so that a perfect inner shot scores 10.9. Decimal scoring is read by electronic scoring targets (EST).

Shots are grouped into series of 10 shots (rifle/pistol qualification), each series totalling up to 100 points (integer) or higher with decimals. An athlete's qualification total is the sum of all series. For example, a 10 m Air Rifle qualification of 60 shots has a maximum of 600 (integer) or 654.0 (decimal). The athlete with the higher total ranks higher. Inner-10 (innermost decimal) hits are recorded separately as a count used in tie-breaking.

Shotgun scoring is binary: each clay target is a HIT (1) or a MISS (0). A target is a HIT only if a visible piece is broken off after the athlete fires within the rules. The athlete's score is the count of targets hit out of the total thrown (e.g. 125 in Trap/Skeet qualification). "No Target" is declared (and the target re-thrown) for an irregular, broken-on-launch or wrong target, with no penalty to the athlete. A failure to fire when no allowable malfunction applies is scored as a MISS.

Both 10 m air events fire a qualification of 60 competition shots:

• 10 m Air Rifle: 60 shots in a total time of 75 minutes (decimal scoring; maximum 654.0).
• 10 m Air Pistol: 60 shots in 75 minutes (integer scoring in qualification; maximum 600). Shots may be fired in any rhythm within the time limit, plus an unlimited number of sighting shots before the start (a preparation and sighting time precedes the competition shots). The top eight ranked athletes advance to the final.

The 50 m Rifle 3 Positions qualification is 120 competition shots, fired as 40 shots in each of three positions in the order kneeling, prone, standing. Position time limits in qualification are approximately kneeling/standing 30 minutes each and prone 20 minutes, with separate sighting time before each position. The total of all 120 shots ranks athletes; the top eight advance to the final, which restarts scoring from zero.

Other Olympic events fire their own qualification courses:

• 25 m Rapid-Fire Pistol: 60 shots in two stages of 30, each stage in series of 5 shots fired in time limits of 8 s, 6 s and 4 s (the falling-time rapid sequences). Maximum 600.
• Trap / Skeet: 125 targets in five rounds of 25, typically over two or three days. The athletes with the highest target counts (top eight in 2026 for Rapid-Fire Pistol, Trap and Skeet) qualify for the medal final.

The individual 10 m Air Rifle and Air Pistol final is contested by the top eight qualifiers and uses decimal scoring from a fresh start (qualification scores do not carry over). The course of fire is 24 competition shots:

• Two series of 5 shots each fired in 250 seconds per series (10 shots), then
• Single match shots on command, normally 50 seconds per shot. After the 12th shot, the lowest-ranked finalist is eliminated, and another is eliminated after every two further shots until two athletes remain to contest gold and silver on the 24th shot. Maximum possible final score is 261.6.

The 50 m Rifle 3 Positions final for the top eight comprises a maximum of 45 decimal shots: 15 in each position, shot in the order kneeling, prone, standing:

• Kneeling: 3 series of 5 shots, 200 s per series.
• Prone: 3 series of 5 shots, 150 s per series.
• Standing: 2 series of 5 shots, 250 s per series. After the standing series the two lowest-ranked athletes are eliminated, then standing continues with single shots (50 s each), eliminating one athlete after every two shots until gold and silver are decided.

From 2026 the 25 m Rapid-Fire Pistol final is contested by the top eight qualifiers. Final shots are fired in rapid series of five shots in 4 seconds and converted to HIT or MISS: a shot scoring 9.7 or higher counts as a HIT (1), anything lower is a MISS (0). Finalists are progressively eliminated as the lowest hit-counts are removed until two remain for gold and silver. This hit-zone format makes elite rapid-fire finals fast and spectator-friendly.

From the 2026 Edition, Trap and Skeet finals are contested by the top eight qualifiers (increased from six). Finals are run as a progressive-elimination competition of clay targets: finalists shoot a set number of targets and, at defined points, the athlete(s) with the fewest hits are eliminated, continuing until the final athletes shoot for gold and silver. VAR (Video Assistant Referee) is introduced in 2026 to review contentious hit/miss and "no target" calls in shotgun finals. The new format is designed to shorten total finals duration.

A mixed team consists of one man and one woman of the same nation. Under the 2026 Edition, mixed-team medal matches are no longer separated into a gold and a bronze match; instead all four qualified teams compete together in a single final to decide the medals. This applies to the 10 m Air Rifle, 10 m Air Pistol and Trap mixed-team events, and is intended to streamline scheduling and shorten finals.

Shooting is controlled by the Range Officer through commands and signals. No athlete may handle a loaded firearm or fire before the START command or after the STOP / UNLOAD command. In rifle/pistol the sequence is typically LOAD - START - STOP - UNLOAD; in shotgun finals targets are released on the athlete's call within the running order. Firearms must be pointed downrange at all times and shown clear (chamber open, no cartridge) on command. Disobeying range commands is a safety matter handled by warnings, deductions or disqualification.

Before competition shots, athletes receive a Preparation and Sighting Time (commonly 5 minutes before air-rifle/pistol qualification, with sighting time before each rifle position) in which they may fire unlimited sighting shots that do not count toward the score. A sighting shot fired after the competition period has begun (or a competition shot fired during sighting) is governed by strict procedural rules; firing a sighting shot once competition has started is normally scored as a miss / penalised unless permitted by the rules for that stage.

Procedural breaches are penalised by point deductions rather than cards:

• A shot fired before the START or after the STOP signal, or a shot fired during sighting/out of sequence, normally carries a deduction of 2 points from the score of that series (or the relevant shot is annulled and the best counts as a miss).
• Cross-firing (firing onto another athlete's target) results in the shot being annulled for the shooter and credited where appropriate to the correct athlete under the judge's ruling.
• Excessive shots in a series: only the lowest-value shots up to the allowed number count, and the highest-value excess shot is scored as a miss.

For conduct breaches a Jury applies a graduated scale shown by signals/cards:

• WARNING (yellow): a first, minor disciplinary breach (e.g. disturbing others, minor unsporting behaviour).
• DEDUCTION (green): repetition leads to a 2-point deduction from the score.
• DISQUALIFICATION (red): for a serious breach, a third offence, cheating, fraudulent scores or a safety violation, the athlete is disqualified from the event. Gross unsporting conduct or manipulation may be referred for further sanctions. Safety infractions (e.g. an uncontrolled discharge, pointing a firearm unsafely) may result in immediate disqualification.

Ties in qualification ranking are broken by objective criteria rather than a shoot-off (except where a final place is at stake):

• Rifle/pistol: by the higher count of inner-10s, then by comparing the last series, then the next-to-last series, working backwards.
• Shotgun: by count-back of the last rounds (25-target rounds) backwards. If a tie still affects qualification for the final, a shoot-off is held to determine the finalist or seeding.

When finalists are tied at an elimination point or for a medal, the tie is resolved by a shoot-off:

• Rifle/pistol: each tied athlete fires one single shot on command (decimal); the higher score wins and the lower-scoring athlete is eliminated or takes the lower medal. If still tied, the shoot-off is repeated shot-by-shot.
• Shotgun: tied athletes shoot additional single targets; the first athlete to out-hit the other (sudden death) wins the place. Shoot-off shots are fired under the standard final time commands.

Competitions are administered by a Jury (with discipline-specific Classification, Range and Shotgun juries), a Chief Range Officer and assistant Range Officers. An athlete or team official may lodge a protest against a scoring decision, equipment ruling or conduct of the competition, usually orally first and then in writing within a set time, accompanied by a protest fee that is refunded if the protest is upheld. The Jury's decision on a protest is final within the competition; classification and disqualification decisions follow ISSF disciplinary procedure.

Modern ISSF competition relies on Electronic Scoring Targets (EST) that record each shot's value to the decimal automatically; results are shown in real time on athlete monitors and the public scoreboard.

• Live aiming (new in 2026) broadcasts an athlete's point of aim during rifle and pistol events, enhancing the spectator experience without affecting scoring.
• VAR (new in 2026) is used in shotgun to review marginal hit/miss and "no target" decisions; the Jury may consult video before confirming a contested call. Where EST fails, paper targets are scored manually by the Jury under the malfunction procedure.