INTRODUCTION TO INTERNATIONAL PISTOL SHOOTING
USA Shooting, is the Governing Body for the sport of shooting in the United States. Based out of the US Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colorado was chartered by the United States Olympic Committee in April 1995. It is USA Shooting's mission to prepare American athletes to win Olympic medals, promote the shooting sports throughout the U.S., and govern the conduct of international shooting in the country. The organization implements and manages development programs and sanctions events at the local, state, regional, and national levels.
PISTOL EVENTS
Pistol events have been a part of Olympic competition since the first modern Games in 1896. There are now five events, three for men, two for women.
Sighters allow athletes to sight in and test their pistols before competition. A preparation period is allowed where shooters may align their sights with the target and dry fire, pull the trigger when the pistol is unloaded.
Once athletes begin firing scored shots, however, they cannot revert to sighters. Occasionally, athletes may experience mechanical difficulties with their pistols or the scoring equipment, at which time they may be moved to a different firing point and allowed additional sighters to reorient themselves.
Targets have either five or 10 concentric rings, depending on the event. The innermost ring, worth 10 points, is variously called the 10-ring, or bulls-eye. Most international venues use electronic targets, although paper targets may be found at the smaller events.
Ties after the finals are broken by a shoot-off, in which the tied athletes continue to shoot one target at a time until a higher score is achieved.
No special clothing, gloves or boots are allowed. Most athletes wear flat-soled shoes for increased stability, but footwear must not extend above the shooters ankle. Competitors may wear blinders to minimize visual distractions.
MEN'S AIR PISTOL
Air pistol was introduced to the Olympic program in 1988. Athletes fire from a standing position and fire at a target 10 meters away.
Pistols: Compressed air or CO2, open sights only.
Ammunition: .177 caliber lead pellets.
Distance: 10 meters.
Targets: Electronic 10-ring target with a 10-ring of 11.5 mm, less than 1/2 inch in diameter.
Qualifying Course of Fire: 60 shots, fired at will. Shots are scored in whole numbers that reflect the ring hit. For example, the nine-ring is worth nine points.
Time Limit: 1 hour and 45 minutes.
Perfect Qualifying Score: 600.
Finals: The top eight competitors shoot a 10-shot final on command, with 75 seconds per shot. Finals shots are scored in tenths of a point to reflect how close to the next ring the score was shot. Final scores are added to the qualifying score to determine the medalists. A perfect finals score is 109.0
Perfect Aggregate (match + finals) Score: 709.
Most recent U.S. Olympic medalist: Erich Buljung won the men's silver medal in the 1988 Seoul Olympic Games.
MEN'S FREE PISTOL
Competitors shoot at a distance of 50 meters in this precision men's event, which is also known as 50m pistol. It was first seen in 1896 at the first modern Olympic Games.
Pistols: .22 caliber, open sights only.
Ammunition: .22 caliber longrifle rimfire cartridges.
Distance: 50 meters.
Targets: Electronic10-ring target with a two-inch (50mm) 10-ring.
Qualifying Course of Fire: 60 shots, fired at will.
Time Limit: 2 hours.
Perfect Qualifying Score: 600.
Finals: The top eight competitors shoot a 10-shot final on command, with 75 seconds per shot. Finals shots are scored in tenths of a point to reflect how close to the next ring the score was shot. Final scores are added to the qualifying score to determine the medalists. A perfect finals score is 109.0.
Perfect Aggregate (match + finals) Score: 709.
Most recent U.S. Olympic medalist: Franklin Green won the silver medal in 1964.
MEN'S RAPID FIRE PISTOL
Rapid fire pistol has been part of the Modern Olympics since its inception. But, with the recently updated ISSF rules, the rapid fire pistol event has undergone some sweeping changes. The new rules change both the pistol and the ammunition that competitors may use. Competitors rapid fire pistols and ammunition now must conform to the specifications for standard and sport pistol. This competition consists of timed phasing of targets lasting eight, six or four seconds. Athletes stand with pistols at a 45-degree angle, until the green light comes on. The shooter fires one shot at one target, then pivots to the next target and continues to fire until all five targets have been fired upon.
Pistols: .22 caliber, open sites only.
Ammunition: .22 caliber rimfire long rifle cartridge.
Distance: 25 meters.
Targets: The scoring rings are marked from five to 10 with a four-inch 10-ring (100mm).
Qualifying Course of Fire: 60 shots, fired over two days. On both days, athletes fire 30 shots, divided into two five-shot series. The first two series are fired in eight seconds, the second series in six seconds, and the final series in four seconds. Shots are scored in whole numbers that reflect the ring hit.
Perfect Qualifying Score: 600.
Finals: The top six competitors shoot four four-second series of five shots. Final shots are scored in tenths of a point to reflect how close to the next ring the score was shot. The highest score per shot at this stage is 10.9. Finals scores are added to the qualifying score to determine the medalists. A perfect finals score is 209.0. Perfect Aggregate (match + finals) Score: 709.
Most recent U.S. Olympic medalist: Bill McMillan won the gold medal in 1960.
WOMEN'S AIR PISTOL
Women's air pistol was introduced to the Olympic program in 1988. Athletes fire from a standing position at a target 10 meters away.
Pistols: Compressed air or CO2, open sights only.
Ammunition: .177 caliber lead pellets.
Distance: 10 meters.
Targets: Electronic 10-ring target with a 10-ring of 11.5 mm, less than 1/2 inch in diameter.
Qualifying Course of Fire: 40 shots, fired at will. Shots are scored in whole numbers that reflect the ring hit. For example, the nine-ring is worth nine points.
Time Limit: 1 hour and 15 minutes
Perfect Qualifying Score: 400
Finals: The top eight competitors shoot a 10-shot final on command, with 75 seconds per shot. Finals shots are scored in tenths of a point to reflect how close to the next ring the score was shot. Final scores are added to the qualifying score to determine the medalists. A perfect finals score is 109.0.
Perfect Aggregate (match + finals) Score: 509.
Most recent U.S. Olympic medalist: A U.S. woman has never medaled at an Olympic Games in this event.
WOMEN'S SPORT PISTOL
Also known as 25m pistol, this event joined the Olympic program in 1984. Competitors use standard pistol. The event comprises a rapid fire stage and a precision stage.
Pistols: .22 caliber, open sights only.
Ammunition: .22 caliber rimfire long rifle cartridge.
Distance: 25 meters.
Targets: The precision event uses an electronic 10-ring target with a two-inch (55mm) 10-ring. The rapid fire stage has a target marked with rings from five to 10 with a four-inch (100mm) 10-ring.
Qualifying Course of Fire: 60 shots, divided into two sets of 30 shots. The precision event, also known as slow fire, consists of six series of five shots, with five minutes per series. In the rapid fire event, athletes shoot 30 shots, broken down into six five-shot series. The target is shown for three seconds for one shot only, then rotated away for seven seconds. Shots are scored in whole numbers that reflect the ring hit. In rapid fire, the shooter stands at a 45-degree angle before each shots.
Perfect Qualifying Score: 600.
Finals: The top eight competitors shoot a 20-shot final, a four, five-shot rapid fire series. Final shots are scored in tenths of a point to reflect how close the next ring the score was shot. Final scores are added to the qualifying score to determine the medalists. A perfect finals score is 209.0
Perfect Aggregate (match + finals) Score: 709
Most recent U.S. Olympic medalist: Ruby Fox won the silver medal in 1984.
For more information please see the following sites below:
USA Shooting Governing body for international and Olympic shooting sports in the United States.
International Shooting Sport Federation Gorverning body of the international and Olympic shooting sports world wide.
TargetTalk.Org Discussion board for international and Olympic style shooting.
Target Shooting Canada Canadian training resource for the novice to intermediate target shooters.
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