Rifle shooting rules rules, for watching
Start with how a match works. Then the rules you see every few minutes, then the ones that change results.
Settling an argument? Search all 20 rules
- How do you win in rifle shooting?
- How does the 10 m air rifle event work?
- How does the three positions event work?
- What are the other rifle events?
- What happens between the call to the line and the last shot?
- What makes a legal rifle position?
- Who shoots in a final, and what are the rules before the first shot?
- How does the 10 m air rifle final work?
- How does the 50 m rifle three positions 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 rifle is allowed?
- What may a rifle athlete wear?
- 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 7, Rifle Rules (7.1 to 7.7) |
| "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 (rifle measurements in 7.4.4.1, jacket, trousers, glove and shoe drawings in 7.5), 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 (rifle measurements in 7.4.4.1, jacket, trousers, glove and shoe drawings in 7.5), 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.