SportsMaze

What are the other pistol events?

A · Advanced · Events and scoring · 1 of 6
Checked 14 October 2026

50 m pistol is 60 precision shots in 1 hour 30 minutes, with a .22 pistol loaded one cartridge at a time. It has no final. 25 m standard pistol is 60 shots in three stages of 20, with series of five in 150, 20 and 10 seconds. Neither has the status "Olympic" in the rule book's list of events.

How it works

  • 50 m pistol: 60 match shots in 1 hour 30 minutes after 15 minutes of preparation and sighting. Full rings, with inner tens counted for ties.
  • No final: "There will be no Final. The medals will be decided according to the ranking after the Qualification stage."
  • The 50 m pistol: any 5.6 mm (.22) rimfire pistol. The specification table sets no limit on weight, trigger pull or size. It must be loaded with one cartridge.
  • Hand covers: permitted on a 50 m pistol, "providing they do not cover the wrist".
  • 25 m standard pistol: three stages of four five-shot series: 150 seconds a series, then 20 seconds, then 10 seconds.
  • Standard pistol sighting: one sighting series of five shots in 150 seconds before the match.
  • Standard pistol ready position: required in the 20 second and 10 second series and not in the 150 second series.
  • The target: both events use the precision target, with a 50 mm ten ring and a scoring area 500 mm across.
  • Team events: three athletes of the same nation and gender. The team score is the three qualification scores added together, and there is no final.

Tricky cases

Is there a final in 50 m pistol?

No. The qualification ranking decides the medals.

Is the ready position used in the 150 second series of standard pistol?

No. Only in the 20 second and 10 second series.

Can the grip of a 50 m pistol wrap around the hand?

It depends on the wrist. Hand covers are allowed on a 50 m pistol as long as they do not cover the wrist, and no pistol may be built so that it touches beyond the hand.

Why the rule exists

50 m pistol is the pure accuracy event, so its pistol is left almost unrestricted. Standard pistol puts precision, timed and rapid shooting into one match with one ordinary pistol.

Where it differs

WhereWhat changesSource
ISSF rulesAs aboveISSF 6.11.9.8; ISSF 6.11.9.9; ISSF 8.7.6.5
Without electronic targets50 m pistol has 1 hour 45 minutesISSF 8.11
Standard pistol in two partsIn exceptional cases the match is shot as two halves of 30 shotsISSF 8.7.6.5 (h)
Malfunctions in standard pistolTwo may be claimed in the 60-shot matchISSF 8.9.1 (b)

From the rule book

ISSF Official Statutes, Rules and Regulations, Edition 2025 (second print 07/2026), General Technical Rules 6.3.4.5, 6.11.9.8, 6.11.9.9 and 6.11.10, Pistol Rules 8.4.1.1, 8.4.3.4, 8.7.2, 8.7.6.5, 8.11 and 8.12 and the table of recognised events. Effective 1 July 2026. Checked 14 October 2026. Official document: ISSF Rule Book (PDF).

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