10 m Air Rifle

10 metre Air Rifle is an ISSF precision shooting event fired from standing position at 10 m distance with 4.5 mm (.177 caliber) air-powered rifle at a paper 10-ring target. Center bullseye = 10 points; ISSF international rules use decimal scoring (10.0 - 10.9 in finals for X-ring precision). One of the oldest ISSF Olympic disciplines — introduced 1984 Los Angeles for men + 1984 for women; both continue on current Olympic programme along with newer 10 m Air Rifle Mixed Team (introduced Tokyo 2020). Qualifying round: 60 shots in 75 min. Final: top 8 in ISSF elimination format — 24 shots, progressive elimination based on lowest cumulative shot every 2 shots after shot 10. Target 10-ring is 0.5 mm diameter (about pinhead size at 10 m). Air rifles are single-shot pre-charged pneumatic (PCP) or spring-piston type. Trigger pull minimum 500 g. Shooting jacket + trousers + boots are all standardised. India's Abhinav Bindra became first individual Indian Olympic gold medallist at Beijing 2008 in 10 m Air Rifle. Zhu Qinan (CHN) won Athens 2004 gold; Alin Moldoveanu (ROU) London 2012; Niccolò Campriani (ITA) Rio 2016; William Shaner (USA) Tokyo 2020 (all men); Sheileen Waibel/Nina Christen dominant recent women.

Qualifying: sum of integer 1-10 per shot × 60 = /600 max. Final: sum of decimal 10.9 per shot.

Win condition · Highest final total wins; in eliminating final, last shooter standing wins.

• 10 m Air Rifle (4.5 mm / .177 cal)

  PCP or spring-piston air rifle; strict ISSF weight limit (5.5 kg incl. sights); mechanical or open sights only (no optics).

• Air pellet 4.5 mm

  Precision .177 caliber lead pellet; standard weight class.

• 10-ring paper / electronic target

  Modern Olympic uses electronic scoring — 0.5 mm 10-ring at 10 m.

• Shooting jacket + trousers + boots

  Stiffened match jacket; ISSF standardised specifications for weight, thickness, stiffness.

• Sight (diopter / aperture)

  Iron aperture sight only; no telescope or magnifying optics.

• 10 m Air Rifle Shooter

  ×1

  Solo standing shooter.

ISSF Jury oversees; equipment strictly inspected pre-match; electronic targets provide real-time scoring.

• ISSF Chief Range Officer
• Jury of Appeal
• Timekeeper
• Equipment Inspector
• Electronic Target Operator

• Trigger break during natural pause

  Break trigger during natural respiratory pause — 3-5 sec optimal window per shot cycle.

• Consistent hold pattern

  Same stance, hold, cheek weld shot-to-shot; small drift = lost decimals.

• Final elimination pacing

  Manage adrenaline during eliminating final — mental composure often decides gold.

PCP / spring-piston

Pre-charged pneumatic / spring-driven air rifle types

Diopter sight

Aperture iron sight (no optics allowed)

10.9

Max decimal score per shot in ISSF finals

Elimination final

Progressive shooter elimination final format

Mixed Team

1 man + 1 woman team format (Olympic since 2020)

• Summer Olympic Games — 10 m Air Rifle (M, W, Mixed Team)

  quadrennial · worldwide (Olympic) · since 1984

• ISSF World Championships

  quadrennial · worldwide · since 1897

• ISSF World Cup — 10 m Air Rifle

  ~4-6 events annually · worldwide · since 1986

• Commonwealth Games — 10 m Air Rifle

  quadrennial · Commonwealth · since 1966

• 🇩🇪Germany
• 🇨🇳China
• 🇮🇳India
• 🇷🇺Russia
• 🇺🇸United States
• 🇮🇹Italy
• 🇦🇹Austria
• 🇨🇭Switzerland
• 🇭🇺Hungary
• 🇸🇮Slovenia
• 🇰🇷South Korea
• 🇯🇵Japan
• 🇫🇷France

• International Shooting Sport Federation (ISSF)

  Founded 1907 · Munich, Germany

• USA Shooting

  Founded 1995 · Colorado Springs

• National Rifle Association of India

  Founded 1951 · New Delhi

• Wikipedia — 10 metre air rifle— Wikipedia