Pistol shooting rules rules, for watching
Start with the rules you see all the time, then the ones that change results.
Settling an argument? Search all 22 rules
- How do you win in pistol shooting?
- How does the 10 m air pistol event work?
- How does the 25 m pistol event work?
- How does rapid fire pistol work?
- What are the other pistol events?
- What happens between the call to the line and the last shot?
- How must a pistol be held, and what is the ready position?
- Who shoots in a final, and what are the rules before the first shot?
- How does the 10 m air pistol final work?
- How does the rapid fire pistol final work?
- How does the 25 m pistol final work?
- What happens when two athletes have the same score?
- How does the mixed team event work?
- What do the yellow, green and red cards mean in shooting?
- How does an athlete challenge a decision or a score?
- What happens to a shot fired at the wrong time or at the wrong target?
- What happens when the gun does not fire?
- What are the safety rules on a shooting range?
- Can a coach help an athlete during a match?
- What kind of pistol is allowed?
- What may a pistol athlete wear and bring to the line?
- Who inspects the equipment, and when?
Where these rules come from
| Tag | Document |
|---|---|
| ISSF plus rule number | ISSF Official Statutes, Rules and Regulations, Edition 2025 (Second Print 07/2026), effective 1 July 2026. Rules beginning 6. are General Technical Rules. Read in full: 6.2 (safety), 6.3.1 to 6.3.4 (targets), 6.7 (clothing and equipment), 6.11 to 6.13, 6.15 to 6.18 and chapter 8, Pistol Rules (8.1 to 8.12) |
| "Events table" | The table "ISSF Recognized Shooting Events" printed before chapter 6 of the same book, which the rules cite as Rule 3.3 |
| R | "Why the rule exists", or a point reasoned from the rule, not stated in it |
| C | Common usage or general knowledge, not a rule |
All checked on 14 October 2026. This is the ISSF's own file, fetched from the link on its rules page. It is the current edition. Not covered: the drawings (grip drawings in 8.4.1, the ready position drawing in 8.7.2 and the firing point layout for the rapid fire final in 6.17.4), which the text file does not carry; General Technical Rules 6.4 (ranges), 6.5 (measuring instruments), 6.6 (competition administration), 6.8 to 6.10 (juries, officials and electronic target procedures), 6.14 (results procedures, apart from 6.14.7) and 6.20 (dress code); the annex on paper target scoring; the "Commands and Announcements for Finals" document; the ISSF General Regulations, including Olympic qualification; anti-doping; para shooting; national variations.
Not covered: the drawings (grip drawings in 8.4.1, the ready position drawing in 8.7.2 and the firing point layout for the rapid fire final in 6.17.4), which the text file does not carry; General Technical Rules 6.4 (ranges), 6.5 (measuring instruments), 6.6 (competition administration), 6.8 to 6.10 (juries, officials and electronic target procedures), 6.14 (results procedures, apart from 6.14.7) and 6.20 (dress code); the annex on paper target scoring; the "Commands and Announcements for Finals" document; the ISSF General Regulations, including Olympic qualification; anti-doping; para shooting; national variations.