10m Air Pistol
10m Air pistol is an ISSF event shot by both men and women, at all levels of competition up to and including the Olympics and Paralympics. The air pistol event was introduced at a World Championship level in 1970 and on the Olympic programme in 1988. 10 metre air pistol is an Olympic shooting event governed by the International Shooting Sport Federation (ISSF). It is shot with 4.5 mm (or .177) calibre air pistols at a distance of 10 metres (11 yards), and the programme consists of 60 shots within 105 minutes for men, and 40 shots within 75 minutes for women.
| Distance: | 10m |
| Calibre: | .177”, 4.5 mm air pistol – compressed air or gas |
| Minimum trigger pull: | 500g |
| Number of shots/time: | 60 shots for Men & Junior Men in 105 minutes |
| 40 shots for Women & Junior Women in 75 minutes | |
| Target: | 10 ring of 11.5 mm diameter, each ring increases by 16 mm |
There are some restrictions on the pistol and it must be operated by one hand only from a standing, unsupported position. The shooter decides his or her own tempo as long as the maximum time is not exceeded – at major competitions in the final round separate commands are given for each shot so that the audience may follow the progress of the standings.
The major competitions are the Olympic Games and the ISSF World Shooting Championships both held every four years. In addition, Air Pistol is included in the ISSF World Cup, as well as in many international and national competitions. It is an indoor sport, and on the highest level electronic targets are used instead of the traditional paper targets.
Targets
The target, 17 by 17 cm (6.7 by 6.7 in), is traditionally made of light-coloured cardboard upon which scoring lines, and a black aiming mark consisting of the score zones 7 through 10, are printed. There is also an inner ten ring, but the number of inner tens is only used for tie-breaking. The changing of these targets at our facility is via a motorised carrier device which enables the shooter to change the targets quickly and from behind the bench. You may shoot 5 to 10 pellets at each target at your leisure although in major competitions, only one shot may be fired on each target.
During the last few decades, at international competitions, these paper targets have been gradually replaced by electronic target systems, immediately displaying the results on monitors.