Shooting sports is a group of
competitive and
recreation
Recreation is an activity of leisure, leisure being discretionary time. The "need to do something for recreation" is an essential element of human biology and psychology. Recreational activities are often done for enjoyment, amusement, or plea ...
al
sport
Sport pertains to any form of competitive physical activity or game that aims to use, maintain, or improve physical ability and skills while providing enjoyment to participants and, in some cases, entertainment to spectators. Sports can, ...
ing activities involving proficiency tests of accuracy, precision and speed in
shooting
Shooting is the act or process of discharging a projectile from a ranged weapon (such as a gun, bow, crossbow, slingshot, or blowpipe). Even the acts of launching flame, artillery, darts, harpoons, grenades, rockets, and guided missiles ...
— the art of using
ranged weapons, mainly
small arms
A firearm is any type of gun designed to be readily carried and used by an individual. The term is legally defined further in different countries (see Legal definitions).
The first firearms originated in 10th-century China, when bamboo tubes ...
(
firearm
A firearm is any type of gun designed to be readily carried and used by an individual. The term is legally defined further in different countries (see Legal definitions).
The first firearms originated in 10th-century China, when bamboo tubes ...
s and
airgun
An air gun or airgun is a gun that fires projectiles pneumatically with compressed air or other gases that are mechanically pressurized ''without'' involving any chemical reactions, in contrast to a firearm, which pressurizes gases ''c ...
s, in forms such as
handguns,
rifle
A rifle is a long-barreled firearm designed for accurate shooting, with a barrel that has a helical pattern of grooves ( rifling) cut into the bore wall. In keeping with their focus on accuracy, rifles are typically designed to be held with ...
s and
shotgun
A shotgun (also known as a scattergun, or historically as a fowling piece) is a long-barreled firearm designed to shoot a straight-walled cartridge known as a shotshell, which usually discharges numerous small pellet-like spherical sub- pr ...
s) and
bows/
crossbow
A crossbow is a ranged weapon using an Elasticity (physics), elastic launching device consisting of a Bow and arrow, bow-like assembly called a ''prod'', mounted horizontally on a main frame called a ''tiller'', which is hand-held in a similar ...
s.
Shooting sports can be categorized by equipment, shooting distances,
targets,
time limit
A time limit or deadline is a narrow field of time, or a particular point in time, by which an objective or task must be accomplished. Once that time has passed, the item may be considered overdue (e.g., for work projects or school assignments). In ...
s and degrees of
athleticism
Athletics is a term encompassing the human competitive sports and games requiring physical skill, and the systems of training that prepare athletes for competition performance. Athletic sports or contests are competitions which are primarily base ...
involved. Shooting sports may involve both team and individual competition, and team performance is usually assessed by summing the scores of the individual team members. Due to the noise of shooting and the high (and often lethal)
impact
Impact may refer to:
* Impact (mechanics), a high force or shock (mechanics) over a short time period
* Impact, Texas, a town in Taylor County, Texas, US
Science and technology
* Impact crater, a meteor crater caused by an impact event
* Imp ...
energy of the
projectile
A projectile is an object that is propelled by the application of an external force and then moves freely under the influence of gravity and air resistance. Although any objects in motion through space are projectiles, they are commonly found i ...
s, shooting sports are typically conducted at either designated permanent
shooting ranges or temporary shooting fields in the area away from settlements.
History
Great Britain
Historically, shooting game and target shooting has been limited to the upper-class and the gentry, with severe penalties for poaching. The
National Rifle Association of the United Kingdom (NRA) was founded in 1860 to raise the funds for an annual national rifle meeting "for the encouragement of Volunteer Rifle Corps and the promotion of Rifle-shooting throughout Great Britain".
United States
Target shooting was a favorite sport in
colonial America
The colonial history of the United States covers the history of European colonization of North America from the early 17th century until the incorporation of the Thirteen Colonies into the United States after the Revolutionary War. In the ...
, with the New England Puritans regularly testing their shooting skills for recreation and at militia training days. The Scotch Irish settlers on the frontier favored shooting matches sponsored by Tavern keepers.
Turkey shoot
A turkey shoot is an opportunity for an individual or a party to take advantage of a situation with a significant degree of ease.
The term likely originates from a method of hunting wild turkeys in which the hunter, coming upon a flock, intention ...
s were popular after harvest time. Contestants would pay an entry fee, and everyone who killed a tethered turkey at 110 yards for muskets or 165 yards for rifles could keep the bird. German gunsmiths in Pennsylvania began to manufacture Flintlock rifles in the 1720s, which became especially popular among hunters because of its long-range accuracy. It could be accurate to 200 yards. Along about 1820, percussion caps, and the locks that ignited them, became available, and nearly all new firearms began to be constructed using this ignition system. Many flintlock firearms were also subsequently converted to the percussion system, which was a relatively simple procedure that could be accomplished by local gunsmiths. Although percussion ignition did not add to the accuracy of the firearm, the time between when the firearm firing mechanism (or “lock”) started the sequence that lead to the ignition of the propellant in the barrel, was shortened drastically. This made getting smaller shot groups on the target more attainable as the possibility of the firearm moving off the aiming point after the shooter pressed the trigger was lessened. This shortened ignition time, which is referred to as “lock time” was (and still is) a very important factor in target shooting. The closed design of the percussion system materially improved reliability of the firearm, especially in rainy or damp conditions. The faster “lock time” also made hitting fast-moving aerial targets with a cloud of tiny lead pellets (“shot”) fired from a smooth-bore firearm a real possibility. Practicing for game hunting by shooting at artificial aerial targets launched from spring-powered launching devices (“traps”) became highly popular and led to the development of the modern Trap, Skeet, and Sporting Clays shooting sports.
In 1831 a sportsman club in Cincinnati Ohio held a competitive shoot at pigeons and quail released from ground traps. German ethnic communities set up athletic clubs and shooting clubs, especially in the Midwestern states In the 1850–1917. period Breach loading shotguns introduced in the 1860s, and the knowledge of rifles by Civil War soldiers, made trap shooting popular. However, there was human humanitarian opposition to killing live birds—and the passenger pigeon was dying out—so glass or clay targets were used instead.
Concerned over poor marksmanship during the American Civil War, veteran Union officers Col. William C. Church and Gen. George Wingate formed the
National Rifle Association of America
The National Rifle Association of America (NRA) is a gun rights advocacy group based in the United States. Founded in 1871 to advance rifle marksmanship, the modern NRA has become a prominent gun rights lobbying organization while conti ...
in 1871 for the purpose of promoting and encouraging rifle shooting on a "scientific" basis. In 1872, with financial help from New York state, a site on Long Island, the Creed Farm, was purchased for the purpose of building a rifle range. Named
Creedmoor, the range opened in 1872, and became the site of the first National Matches until New York politics forced the NRA to move the matches to
Sea Girt, New Jersey. The popularity of the National Matches soon forced the event to be moved to its present, much larger location:
Camp Perry
Camp Perry is a National Guard training facility located on the shore of Lake Erie in northern Ohio near Port Clinton. In addition to its regular mission as a military training base, Camp Perry also boasts the second largest outdoor rifle ran ...
. In 1903, the U.S. Congress created the
National Board for the Promotion of Rifle Practice (NBPRP), an advisory board to the Secretary of the Army, with a nearly identical charter to the NRA. The NBPRP (now known as the
Civilian Marksmanship Program) also participates in the National Matches at Camp Perry.
In 1903, the NRA began to establish rifle clubs at all major colleges, universities, and military academies. By 1906, youth programs were in full swing with more than 200 boys competing in the
National Matches
National may refer to:
Common uses
* Nation or country
** Nationality – a ''national'' is a person who is subject to a nation, regardless of whether the person has full rights as a citizen
Places in the United States
* National, Maryland, c ...
. Today, more than one million youth participate in shooting sports events and affiliated programs through groups such as
4-H, the
Boy Scouts of America
The Boy Scouts of America (BSA, colloquially the Boy Scouts) is one of the largest scouting organizations and one of the largest youth organizations in the United States, with about 1.2 million youth participants. The BSA was founded in ...
, the
American Legion, U.S.
Jaycees,
NCAA
The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. It also organizes the athletic programs of colleges ...
, The
USA High School Clay Target League, the Scholastic Clay Target Program,
National Guard Bureau
The National Guard Bureau is the federal instrument responsible for the administration of the National Guard established by the United States Congress as a joint bureau of the Department of the Army and the Department of the Air Force. It was c ...
,
ROTC
The Reserve Officers' Training Corps (ROTC ( or )) is a group of college- and university-based officer-training programs for training commissioned officers of the United States Armed Forces.
Overview
While ROTC graduate officers serve in al ...
, and
JROTC.
Olympics
French pistol champion and founder of the modern Olympics,
, participated in many of these early competitions. This fact certainly contributed to the inclusion of five shooting events in the
1896 Olympics. Over the years, the events have been changed a number of times in order to keep up with technology and social standards. the targets that formerly resembled humans or animals in their shape and size have are now a circular shape in order to avoid associating the sport with any form of violence. At the same time, some events have been dropped and new ones have been added. The 2004 Olympics featured three shooting disciplines (rifle, pistol, and shotgun) where athletes competed for 51 medals in 10 men's and 7 women's events—slightly fewer than the previous Olympic schedule.
In the Olympic Games, the shooting sport has always enjoyed the distinction of awarding the first medals of the Games. Internationally, the
International Shooting Sport Federation (ISSF) has oversight of all Olympic shooting events worldwide, while National Governing Bodies (NGBs) administer the sport within each country.
Competition disciplines
Shooting at the Summer Olympics (at last edition
Tokyo 2020) includes fifteen medal events, covering seven disciplines. Medal events are evenly distributed between rifle, pistol and shotgun with five events each. Three Mixed Pairs events were introduced to ensure gender equity between men's and women's events. They replaced 50M Prone Rifle, 50M Free Pistol and Double Trap which were all men-only events.
;Rifle
*50 meter rifle three positions (individual - men and women)
*10 meter air rifle (individual - men and women)
*10 meter air rifle (mixed pairs)
;Pistol
*25 meter rapid fire pistol (individual - men)
*25 meter sport pistol (individual - women)
*10 meter air pistol (individual - men and women)
*10 meter air pistol (mixed pairs)
;Shotgun
*Trap (men and women)
*Skeet (individual - men and women)
*Skeet (mixed pairs)
Gun shooting sports
Gun shooting sports are shot with either
firearm
A firearm is any type of gun designed to be readily carried and used by an individual. The term is legally defined further in different countries (see Legal definitions).
The first firearms originated in 10th-century China, when bamboo tubes ...
s or
air gun
An air gun or airgun is a gun that fires projectiles pneumatically with compressed air or other gases that are mechanically pressurized ''without'' involving any chemical reactions, in contrast to a firearm, which pressurizes gases ''chemical ...
s, which can be
handguns,
rifle
A rifle is a long-barreled firearm designed for accurate shooting, with a barrel that has a helical pattern of grooves ( rifling) cut into the bore wall. In keeping with their focus on accuracy, rifles are typically designed to be held with ...
s or
shotgun
A shotgun (also known as a scattergun, or historically as a fowling piece) is a long-barreled firearm designed to shoot a straight-walled cartridge known as a shotshell, which usually discharges numerous small pellet-like spherical sub- pr ...
s.
Handguns are handheld
small arms
A firearm is any type of gun designed to be readily carried and used by an individual. The term is legally defined further in different countries (see Legal definitions).
The first firearms originated in 10th-century China, when bamboo tubes ...
designed to be shot off-hand without needing a
shoulder stock. The two main subtypes of handguns are
pistol
A pistol is a handgun, more specifically one with the chamber integral to its gun barrel, though in common usage the two terms are often used interchangeably. The English word was introduced in , when early handguns were produced in Europe, a ...
s and
revolver
A revolver (also called a wheel gun) is a repeating firearm, repeating handgun that has at least one gun barrel, barrel and uses a revolving cylinder (firearms), cylinder containing multiple chamber (firearms), chambers (each holding a single ...
s. They are much more convenient to carry in general, but usually have a shorter effective range and less
accuracy
Accuracy and precision are two measures of '' observational error''.
''Accuracy'' is how close a given set of measurements ( observations or readings) are to their '' true value'', while ''precision'' is how close the measurements are to each o ...
compared to
long guns such as rifles. In shooting sports, revolvers and
semi-automatic pistols are the most commonly used.
A
rifle
A rifle is a long-barreled firearm designed for accurate shooting, with a barrel that has a helical pattern of grooves ( rifling) cut into the bore wall. In keeping with their focus on accuracy, rifles are typically designed to be held with ...
is a
long gun with a
rifled barrel, and requires the use of both hands to hold and brace against the shoulder via a
stock in order to shoot steadily. They generally have a longer range and greater accuracy than handguns, and are popular for hunting. In shooting sports,
bolt-action
Bolt-action is a type of manual firearm action that is operated by ''directly'' manipulating the bolt via a bolt handle, which is most commonly placed on the right-hand side of the weapon (as most users are right-handed).
Most bolt-actio ...
or
semi-automatic rifle
A semi-automatic rifle is an autoloading rifle that fires a single cartridge with each pull of the trigger, and uses part of the fired cartridge's energy to eject the case and load another cartridge into the chamber. For comparison, a bolt ...
s are the most commonly used.
A
shotgun
A shotgun (also known as a scattergun, or historically as a fowling piece) is a long-barreled firearm designed to shoot a straight-walled cartridge known as a shotshell, which usually discharges numerous small pellet-like spherical sub- pr ...
is similar to a rifle but often
smoothbore and larger in
caliber, and typically fires either a
shell containing many smaller scattering sub-projectiles called
shots, or a single large projectile called a
slug
Slug, or land slug, is a common name for any apparently shell-less terrestrial gastropod mollusc. The word ''slug'' is also often used as part of the common name of any gastropod mollusc that has no shell, a very reduced shell, or only a ...
. In shooting sports, shotguns are more often
over/under-type
break action or
semi-automatic shotguns, and the majority of shotgun events are included in
clay pigeon shooting.
Bullseye shooting
''
Bullseye shooting'' is a category of pistol and rifle shooting disciplines where the objective is to achieve as many points as possible by hitting a round shooting target as close to the middle as possible with slow precision fire. These disciplines place a large emphasis on precision and accuracy through sight picture, breath and trigger control. Fixed and relatively long time limits give the competitors time to concentrate for a perfect shot. An example of bullseye shooting is the
ISSF pistol and rifle disciplines, but there are also many other national and international disciplines which can be classified as bullseye shooting. The shooting distances are typically given in round numbers, such as 10, 25, 50, 100, 200 or 300 meters depending on firearm type and discipline. Competitions are usually shot from permanent
shooting ranges and with the same target arrangement and distance from match to match. Usually the competitors each have their own
shooting target and shoot beside each other simultaneously. Because of the relatively simple match format, beginners are often recommended bullseye shooting in order to learn the fundamentals of marksmanship. Bullseye shooting is part of the
Summer Olympic Games
The Summer Olympic Games (french: link=no, Jeux olympiques d'été), also known as the Games of the Olympiad, and often referred to as the Summer Olympics, is a major international multi-sport event normally held once every four years. The ina ...
, and a considerable amount of training is needed to become proficient.
Bullseye shooting with handguns
* There are six
ISSF shooting events with pistols. These include three Olympic events, plus three events not included in the Olympic program but contested at World Championships. Their roots date back to the first modern Olympic Games in 1896, consisting of both precision slow-fire and rapid-fire target shooting from distances of 10, 25, and 50 meters. The pistols are unique in appearance compared to normal guns and each event has its own pistols designed specifically for the job. Shooters must use one hand only to shoot at small "bullseye" target downrange. In the UK (except for Northern Ireland), it is no longer possible to practice for some of the Olympic events following the
Firearms (Amendment) (No. 2) Act 1997
The Firearms (Amendment) (No. 2) Act 1997 was the second of two Acts of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1997 that amended the regulation of firearms within Great Britain. It was introduced by the newly elected Labour government of Ton ...
, legislation brought in after the
Dunblane Massacre.
* The
CISM Rapid Fire match is similar to the ISSF
25m Rapid Fire Pistol event.
*
NRA Precision Pistol
NRA Precision Pistol, formerly known as NRA Conventional Pistol, is a national bullseye shooting discipline organized in the United States by the National Rifle Association of America. Emphasis is on accuracy and precision, and participants shoot ...
, also called conventional pistol shooting, is a bullseye shooting where up to 3 handguns of differing calibers are used. Its history is almost as old as ISSF events. Shooters must fire the pistol one-handed at 6- and 8-inch bullseye targets placed 25 and 50 yards downrange respectively.
*
Precision Pistol Competition (PPC), was originally a police shooting program started in 1960 by the
National Rifle Association of America
The National Rifle Association of America (NRA) is a gun rights advocacy group based in the United States. Founded in 1871 to advance rifle marksmanship, the modern NRA has become a prominent gun rights lobbying organization while conti ...
.
KOCIS London Korea Jinjongoh Shooting 13 (7683323904).jpg, The Men's ISSF 10 meter air pistol final in the 2012 Summer Olympics
The 2012 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXX Olympiad and also known as London 2012) was an international multi-sport event held from 27 July to 12 August 2012 in London, England, United Kingdom. The first event, th ...
.
Kokorev Munich07 50m event.jpg, Boris Kokorev
Boris Borisovich Kokorev (russian: Борис Борисович Кокорев, 20 April 1959 in Tbilisi – 22 October 2018 in Moscow
Moscow ( , US chiefly ; rus, links=no, Москва, r=Moskva, p=mɐskˈva, a=Москва.ogg) is th ...
from Russia during the ISSF 50 meter pistol 2007 World Cup in Munich.
Celine Goberville during Air Pistol match at London 2012 Summer Olympic Games.jpg, Women's 10 meter air pistol at the 2012 Summer Olympics
Bullseye shooting with rifles
* The six rifle
ISSF shooting events (including two Olympic events:
10 meter air rifle and
50 meter rifle three positions) consist of long-time target shooting from distances of .
*
Fullbore target rifle involves prone shooting with single-shot rifles at distances of 300yds to 1200yds. It is particularly popular in Britain and within the
Commonwealth of Nations
The Commonwealth of Nations, simply referred to as the Commonwealth, is a political association of 56 member states, the vast majority of which are former territories of the British Empire. The chief institutions of the organisation are the C ...
(mostly former constituents of the British Empire).
*
Gallery rifle shooting
Gallery Rifle Shooting or Gallery Rifle and Pistol shooting is a popular shooting sport throughout the world. In countries such as the UK, Ireland, Germany, South Africa and Australia national and international competitions are regularly undert ...
is popular in the UK, using carbine rifles chambered in pistol calibres. Gallery Rifle was introduced as a substitute for many pistol shooting disciplines following the 1997
handgun ban.
*
High Power Rifle (also known as "Across the Course" or 'traditional' High power) in the United States is a format that shoots 3-position (standing, kneeling, or sitting, and prone) at 200, 300, and 600 yards. The term "Across the Course" is used because the match format requires the competitors to shoot at different distances to complete the course of fire.
* Military
Service Rifle shooting is a shooting discipline that involves the use of rifles that are used by military forces and law-enforcement agencies, both past and present use. Ex-military rifles, sniper rifles (both past and present) and civilian versions of current use service rifles are commonly used in the Military Service Rifle shooting competitions. It is popular in the United States and culminates each year with the National Matches being held at
Camp Perry
Camp Perry is a National Guard training facility located on the shore of Lake Erie in northern Ohio near Port Clinton. In addition to its regular mission as a military training base, Camp Perry also boasts the second largest outdoor rifle ran ...
, Ohio. Some countries have outlawed civilian shooting at human-silhouette targets; silhouette targets are not used in the National Match Course of Fire. Bullseye targets are used. High Power Rifle competition often is held at the same events as Service Rifle, such as the U.S. national championships each year at Camp Perry. High Power competitors generally are civilians using whatever rifles they prefer within the rules, whereas Service Rifle entrants are limited to current or previous U.S. armed forces weapons. Although according to NRA rules only certain matches allow optical sights, normally those conducted at ranges over 600 yards.
*
Project Appleseed is a rifle marksmanship program by The Revolutionary War Veterans Association that teaches both rifle marksmanship and oral history regarding the American Revolutionary War. It shoots 3-position (standing, sitting, and prone) at 25 meters at reduced scale targets, simulating shooting at 100, 200, 300, and 400 yards. The techniques taught easily apply to transitioning to
High Power Rifle.
* Full bore and small bore rifle shooting in the United Kingdom.
*
Three position airgun competitions, popular in the
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country Continental United States, primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., ...
.
* Four position
small bore is a popular sport in the U.S, which adds Sitting to the
Three positions
International Rifle events that occur in three positions are conducted with an equal number of shots fired from the Kneeling, Prone and Standing positions, although the order has changed over the years. Each of the three positions shot during the ...
used internationally.
Hattie Johnson 2.jpg, The ISSF 10 meter air rifle
10 metre air rifle (N.B. For "Meter" in this article – read "Metre") is an International Shooting Sports Federation (ISSF) shooting event, shot at a bullseye target over a distance of using a calibre air rifle with a maximum weight of . It ...
discipline is part of the Olympics
The modern Olympic Games or Olympics (french: link=no, Jeux olympiques) are the leading international sporting events featuring summer and winter sports competitions in which thousands of athletes from around the world participate in a vari ...
.
Jungschütze in einer Praxisübung.jpg, A junior shooter in Switzerland
). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...
exercising bullseye shooting with a SIG 550
The SG 550 is an assault rifle manufactured by Swiss Arms AG (formerly a division of Schweizerische Industrie Gesellschaft, now known as SIG Holding AG) in Switzerland. "SG" is an abbreviation for ''Sturmgewehr'' ("assault rifle"). The rifle ...
. The rifle is equipped with a brass catcher to avoid disturbing other shooters with the ejection.
Eric uptagrafft usas larr training 2012.jpg, An ISSF 50 meter rifle prone
50 meter rifle prone (formerly known as one of four free rifle disciplines) is an International Shooting Sport Federation event consisting of 60 shots from the prone position with a .22 Long Rifle
The .22 Long Rifle or simply .22 LR or ...
competition in Los Angeles
Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world ...
, USA in 2012.
300m_shooters_in_two_positions.jpg, Two shooters during an ISSF 300 meter rifle three positions (prone, kneeling and standing).
Field shooting
Field-Shooting or Terrain-Shooting refer to a set of pistol and rifle shooting disciplines that usually are shot from temporary shooting ranges in outdoor terrain at varying (and sometimes unknown) distances, rather than at permanent shooting ranges at fixed distances.
Field shooting with handguns
* Nordic Handgun Field-Shooting competitions are shot with pistol and revolver in different classes depending on equipment, with classes up from small-bore .22 LR to large-bore
.500 S&W Magnum. Matches are held outdoor throughout the year with varied
shooting targets and distances, and are arranged by the
Norwegian Shooting Association (NSF), the
Danish Gymnastics and Sports Associations (DGI Shooting) and the
Swedish Pistol Shooting Association (SPSF).
*
Swiss field shooting with handguns is a discipline under the
Swiss Shooting Sport Federation The Swiss Shooting Sport Federation, ''German'': Schweizer Schiesssportverband (SSSV), is an association for sport shooting in Switzerland. It was founded in its current form in 2001, but has roots as far back as in 1824. It is associated with the I ...
arranged under a common Swiss ruleset, and has been part of the annual field shooting championship since 1919 alongside field shooting with rifles, which have been arranged since 1899.
APK feltskyting.jpg, Nordic Handgun Field Shooting in Arendal, Norway
Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country in Northern Europe, the mainland territory of which comprises the western and northernmost portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula. The remote Arctic island of ...
in 2007.
Field shooting with rifles
* Nordic Rifle Field-Shooting are shot with either small-bore .22 LR cartridge at 100 meters, or
intermediate (such as
.223 Remington
The .223 Remington (designated as the 223 Remington by the SAAMI and 223 Rem by the CIP) is a rimless, bottlenecked rifle cartridge. It was developed in 1957 by Remington Arms and Fairchild Industries for the U.S. Continental Army Command ...
or
6mm BR) or battle rifle cartridges (such as the
6.5×55mm,
.308 Winchester
The .308 Winchester is a smokeless powder rimless bottlenecked rifle cartridge widely used for hunting, target shooting, police, military, and personal protection applications globally. It is similar but not identical to the 7.62×51mm NATO ...
or the
.30-06 Springfield
The .30-06 Springfield cartridge (pronounced "thirty- aught-six" ), 7.62×63mm in metric notation, and called the .30 Gov't '06 by Winchester, was introduced to the United States Army in 1906 and later standardized; it remained in military use ...
) at distances from 100 to 650 meters. With 200 and 300 meters being ordinary shooting distance in Nordic Bullseye Rifle-Shooting, those targets placed well beyond 300 meters in Rifle Field-Shooting means that the competition format also can be classified as a
long range shooting discipline. Matches are usually held in the winter season with varied targets, and are arranged by the
National Rifle Association of Norway
Det frivillige Skyttervesen (DFS) (), known in English as the National Rifle Association of Norway, and by DFS themselves as the Norwegian Civilian Marksmanship Association since 2020, is a civilian marksmanship association in Norway and the lar ...
(DFS), the
Danish Gymnastics and Sports Associations (DGI Shooting) and the
Swedish Shooting Sport Association (SvSF).
*
Swiss field shooting with rifles is a discipline under the
Swiss Shooting Sport Federation The Swiss Shooting Sport Federation, ''German'': Schweizer Schiesssportverband (SSSV), is an association for sport shooting in Switzerland. It was founded in its current form in 2001, but has roots as far back as in 1824. It is associated with the I ...
arranged under a common Swiss ruleset. The annual Swiss Field Shooting Championship has been held since 1899. From 1919, Swiss field shooting with handguns has also been av part of the Swiss Field Shooting Championship.
*
Precision rifle competition
Long range shooting is a collective term for shooting disciplines where the distance to target is significant enough that shooter has to put effort into calculating various ballistic factors, especially in regards to the deviating effects ...
s, like the
Precision Rifle Series
Precision Rifle Series (PRS) is an American long-range and precision rifle-based shooting sport derived from practical shooting. The series have a championship style where competitors collect points from 45 matches spread across nearly twenty U.S. ...
(PRS), is both a field and long range shooting discipline where rifles with intermediate or battle rifle cartridges are shot in the terrain at varying distances from about 10 to 1000 meters.
*
Field Target is an outdoor
air gun
An air gun or airgun is a gun that fires projectiles pneumatically with compressed air or other gases that are mechanically pressurized ''without'' involving any chemical reactions, in contrast to a firearm, which pressurizes gases ''chemical ...
discipline originating in the United Kingdom, but gaining popularity worldwide.
Hunter field target is a variation of
field target.
Fältskytte.jpg, Nordic Rifle Field Shooting in Sweden during the winter in 2012.
NM feltskyting.jpg, The Norwegian Rifle Field Shooting Championship at the 2007 Landsskytterstevnet.
M1 Garand competition.JPEG, Field-like shooting competition in USA using a National Match M1.
Re-exposure.JPG, Field target shooting in Germany
Rapid fire
Rapid fire with handguns
*
The Bianchi Cup, a fusion of
IPSC (without the "run and gun" element) and bullseye shooting (except shot with two hands and going prone whenever rules allow it) where accuracy under tight time limits in four simulated scenarios, known as the "Event(s)", is the basis of this competition. Shooters must start with gun in the holster on every strings of fire and distances range from 10 to 50 yards.
*
Fast draw, also known as quick draw, a form of pistol action shooting from North America, based on the romanticized art of the gunslingers in the American Old West, using traditional single action revolvers. But unlike Cowboy action shooting, Fast Draw is done with special blanks or wax bullets. While some competitions are strictly against the clock, with the fastest time winning, many are set up as head-to-head single or double elimination matches.
Sanderson9209 (28322239393).jpg, Keith Sanderson from USA during the ISSF 25 meter rapid fire pistol
25 meter rapid fire pistol is one of the ISSF shooting events and is shot with .22 LR pistols. The event has been a part of the Olympic program ever since the beginning in 1896, although its rules changed greatly before World War II, after whic ...
event at the 2016 Rio Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro.
John Pride at the 2008 NRA Bianchi Cup.jpg, John Pride at the 2008 Bianchi Cup.
Rapid fire with rifles
* The
CISM Rapid Fire match is a sped-up version of the ISSF
300 m Standard Rifle event.
*
Felthurtigskyting
Felthurtigskyting, literally field-rapid-shooting, is a practical rifle competition popular in Scandinavia, where the shooter has to engage three different targets placed at different distances with one shot each in the shortest time possible.
...
(literally Field Rapid Shooting) and
Stangskyting
Stangskyting, literally Stang-shooting named after Colonel Georg Stang (1858–1907), is a practical rifle competition popular in Norway where dueling shooters have two periods of 25 seconds to get as many hits as possible on a target at an unk ...
are a type of variable rapid-fire rifle competitions popular in
Scandinavia
Scandinavia; Sámi languages: /. ( ) is a subregion in Northern Europe, with strong historical, cultural, and linguistic ties between its constituent peoples. In English usage, ''Scandinavia'' most commonly refers to Denmark, Norway, and S ...
.
Stangskyting1.jpg, Stang-Shooting at the 2007 Landsskytterstevnet in Norway. The nearest targets are placed at 155 meters, the farthest at 221 meters.
Felthurtigskyting.jpg, Field-Rapid-Shooting
Felthurtigskyting, literally field-rapid-shooting, is a practical rifle competition popular in Scandinavia, where the shooter has to engage three different targets placed at different distances with one shot each in the shortest time possible.
...
at the 2007 Landsskytterstevnet in Norway.
Clay target
Clay pigeon shooting are shotgun disciplines shot at flying
clay pigeon targets.
* The three Shotgun ISSF/ Olympic shooting events are all are based on quick reaction to clay targets thrown by machines called "Traps".
**
Skeet: Targets are either thrown in singles or doubles from two throwers called "traps" placed 40 meters apart.
**
Trap and Double Trap: Either one (trap) or two targets (double trap) are thrown from 15 meters in front of the shooter.
* The
Fédération Internationale de Tir aux Armes Sportives de Chasse
Fédération Internationale de Tir aux Armes Sportives de Chasse (FITASC, "International Shooting Federation of Hunting Sport Weapons") is an international sport federation for sport shooting, specifically clay pigeon shooting similar to sportin ...
(FITASC)
Compak Sporting is a type of shotgun sport shooting similar to sporting clays, trap and skeet.
* Other shotgun sports with (at least partial) international recognition include
Sporting Clays,
Down-The-Line/ATA and
Five stand.
File:A typical "American" trap shoot scene.jpg, Trap shooting in USA.
File:Skeet. William H. Keever, USA.JPEG, Skeet shooting in USA.
File:USMC-120414-M-EY704-001.jpg, Clay targets being placed in an automatic throwing machine.
File:Trap shooting at WPFG (19279134951).jpg, Trap shooting at the 2015 World Police and Fire Games in USA.
File:Skeet.gif, Sketch of a Skeet shooting range.
Running target
Running target shooting
Running target shooting refers to a number of target shooting sports and events involving a shooting target—sometimes called a boar, moose, or deer—that is made to move as if it is a running animal. Competitions are shot at known target dist ...
refers to a number of disciplines involving a shooting target—sometimes called a
boar
The wild boar (''Sus scrofa''), also known as the wild swine, common wild pig, Eurasian wild pig, or simply wild pig, is a suid native to much of Eurasia and North Africa, and has been introduced to the Americas and Oceania. The species is ...
,
moose
The moose (in North America) or elk (in Eurasia) (''Alces alces'') is a member of the New World deer subfamily and is the only species in the genus ''Alces''. It is the largest and heaviest extant species in the deer family. Most adult ma ...
, or
deer
Deer or true deer are hoofed ruminant mammals forming the family Cervidae. The two main groups of deer are the Cervinae, including the muntjac, the elk (wapiti), the red deer, and the fallow deer; and the Capreolinae, including the re ...
—that is made to move as if it is a running animal. Events of this type include:
*
ISSF 10 meter running target
*
ISSF 10 meter running target mixed
*
ISSF 50 meter running target
*
ISSF 50 meter running target mixed
50 meter running target mixed is an ISSF shooting event, shot with a .22-calibre rifle at a target depicting a boar moving sideways across a 10-meter wide opening. A part of the ISSF World Shooting Championships since 1970, it differs from 50 mete ...
*
100 m running moose, popular in Scandinavia both as a sport and hunting exercise. Competitions in Sweden are held at 80 meters.
*
100 meter running deer, also somewhat popular in Scandinavia and Great Britain
Moving target
Shooting at the 1908 Summer Olympics – Men's moving target small-bore rifle
Disappearing target
Shooting at the 1908 Summer Olympics – Men's disappearing target small-bore rifle
Practical shooting
Practical shooting
Practical shooting, also known as dynamic shooting or action shooting, is a set of shooting sports where the competitors try to unite the three principles of precision, power, and speed, by using a firearm of a certain minimum power factor to sc ...
, also known as
action shooting
Practical shooting, also known as dynamic shooting or action shooting, is a set of shooting sports where the competitors try to unite the three principles of precision, power, and speed, by using a firearm of a certain minimum power factor to sco ...
or
dynamic shooting, is a generic term applicable to shooting sports where speed is of equal importance as precision. Many of the disciplines involve movement, and when using handguns they are often drawn from a
holster
A handgun holster is a device used to hold or restrict the undesired movement of a handgun, most commonly in a location where it can be easily withdrawn for immediate use. Holsters are often attached to a belt or waistband, but they may be at ...
.
* The
International Practical Shooting Confederation (IPSC) is the oldest and largest sanctioning body within practical shooting. IPSC is sometimes considered the "Formula One" of shooting sports, and is shot with handguns, rifles and shotguns. While the
United States Practical Shooting Association (USPSA) is the U.S. regional affiliate of IPSC, many of USPSA's rules differ slightly from those used internationally. IPSC was developed by former police and civilian marksmen and later used as a basis for modern military and police exercises. It is a variation where the shooter often moves during shooting, and hits scored and shooting time are equally important. Stage procedure is generally not dictated (freestyle) and the shooter is allowed to determine the order and manner in which he or she engages the targets.
*
International Defensive Pistol Association (IDPA) is an action shooting sport that uses semi-automatic handguns and revolvers with a strong emphasis on concealed shooting. Many aspects of stage engagement are dictated to competitors and penalties are given to competitors whom the safety officer determines attempted to gain a competitive advantage or engaged in a forbidden action with a "guilty mind" - that he knowingly failed to do right.
*
Multigun are practical shooting events where each of the stages generally require the competitor to use and transition between a combination of rifles, handguns, and/ or shotguns or other types of firearms. 3-Gun has a lot in common with ordinary IPSC/USPSA matches, having courses of fire where the shooter must move through different stages and engage targets in a variety of different positions.
*
Steel Challenge is a speed shooting championship solely about shooting steel targets as fast as possible, and is governed by the Steel Challenge Shooting Association (SCSA). There are eight standardized courses of fire, and a special "stop plate" must be shot last to stop the timer.
*
International Confederation of Revolver Enthusiasts (ICORE) is an international community which promotes action shooting competitions with revolvers. Founded in 1991, the sport has elements from the Bianchi Cup, IPSC, and the Steel Challenge.
*
IPSC Action Air follows the same principle of
IPSC, using
airsoft
Airsoft is a team game in which participants eliminate opposing players by tagging them out of play with spherical plastic projectiles shot with mock air weapons(usually powered by an electronic motor) called airsoft guns.
Although similar ...
instead of real firearms. The ranges, paper targets and poppers are scaled down to suit airsoft, and the sport enjoys popularity in countries such as
Taiwan
Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia, at the junction of the East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, with the People's Republic of China (PRC) to the northwest, Japan to the no ...
,
Hong Kong
Hong Kong ( (US) or (UK); , ), officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China (abbr. Hong Kong SAR or HKSAR), is a List of cities in China, city and Special administrative regions of China, special ...
, and
Japan
Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the n ...
where civilian ownership of real firearms are either illegal or extremely difficult to obtain.
*
Bowling pin shooting (primarily shot with handguns) has the competitors race against one another to knock standard bowling pins from a table in the shortest elapsed time.
Open division master class competition shooter.jpg, An Open division practical pistol shooter during a stage.
Norwegian Open division competitor at the 2017 IPSC Rifle World Shoot.jpg, A Norwegian practical rifle shooter at the 2017 IPSC Rifle World Shoot in Russia.
IPSC Revolver World Champion Ricardo López Tugendhat from Ecuador.jpg, Three times practical revolver world champion Ricardo López Tugendhat from Ecuador.
Long range
Long range shooting is shooting held at such distances that sight adjustment based from judging atmospherical conditions become critical.
*
Fullbore target shooting is concerned with shooting at targets at ranges of 300–1200 yards. The sport is internationally governed by
ICFRA, and is popular in the UK, US, Germany and Commonwealth countries. Similar disciplines called bullseye and field shooting are popular in Scandinavia, although fired at shorter distances.
**
Palma
Palma or La Palma means palm in a number of languages and may also refer to:
Geography Africa
* Palma, Mozambique, city
** Palma District
* La Palma, one of the Canary Islands, Spain
** La Palma (DO), a ''Denominación de Origen'' for wines from ...
is an ICFRA fullbore competition format that dates from 1876, featuring long-range rifle shooting, out to 1,000 yards. The first Palma match was contested by teams from the U.S., Australia, Canada, Scotland and Ireland (with muzzle loaded rifles at that time). The matches continued to the late 1920s, and the trophy was eventually lost in Washington DC around the outbreak of WW2. The match was revived in the modern era in 1966 in Canada, and continues between teams from around the world. The PALMA bolt-action rifles are 7.62mm NATO caliber (Winchester .308) and fire Match Grade ammunition using a 155 grain bullet using micrometer aperture (iron) sights, or a 5.56mm NATO (.223 Remington) with a max bullet weight of 90 grains, and iron sights. Due to recent bullet technology, an 85.5 grain bullet out of a .223 can out shoot a .308, with the right load. The last two International Long-range Target Rifle Matches were held in Australia in 2011 and the U.S. in 2015, were won by Great Britain.
**
F-Class is another ICFRA fullbore competition format shot with Fullbore Target Rifles at ranges up to 1000 yards, the rifles being fitted with telescopic sights and the use of fore-end and butt rests being permitted. This is a fast-growing variant of Fullbore Target Rifle. The 'F' honours George Farquharson, the Canadian inventor of F-Class.
*
Precision Rifle Competition
Long range shooting is a collective term for shooting disciplines where the distance to target is significant enough that shooter has to put effort into calculating various ballistic factors, especially in regards to the deviating effects ...
s, a relatively new long range competition format which seeks to find a balance between speed and precision, often involving movement and shooting from unusual positions with a time limit, at both known and unknown distances.
**National Rifle League (NRL) is a
501(c)(3)
A 501(c)(3) organization is a United States corporation, trust, unincorporated association or other type of organization exempt from federal income tax under section 501(c)(3) of Title 26 of the United States Code. It is one of the 29 types of ...
non-profit organization
A nonprofit organization (NPO) or non-profit organisation, also known as a non-business entity, not-for-profit organization, or nonprofit institution, is a legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public or social benefit, in co ...
dedicated to the growth and education of precision rifle shooting in the United States. Their match format allows any caliber between .224 to .308 and not to exceed , involving at least 50 shooters with each firing minimum 140 rounds in at least 12 individual stages, over the course of at least two days. Since its debut in 2017, currently 11 clubs from eight states are involved in the league.
**National Rifle League 22 (NRL22) is a sub-league under the National Rifle League dedicated to
.22 Long Rifle
The .22 Long Rifle or simply .22 LR or 22 (metric designation: 5.6×15mmR) is a long-established variety of .22 caliber rimfire ammunition originating from the United States. It is used in a wide range of rifles, pistols, revolvers, smo ...
rimfire rifles. It was established to address the fact that most localities do not have access to 1000 yard ranges, but nearly all localities have 100-yard ranges and most shooters own .22 rifles. Their championship match consist of minimum 170 rounds fired in at least 15 individual stages. Currently 68 clubs from 31 states in the US participate in NRL22 matches, with addition to two overseas clubs from UK and Australia.
* T-Class Shooting Sport Competitions. Practical sniping with precision rifle systems is a shooting sport, which gains tremendous popularity worldwide over a short period of time. It concentrates on shooting onto static or dynamic targets of various distances (known and unknown), from different positions, under artificially created, but realistic stressful circumstances. It proves to be extremely interesting both for implementation and observation, due to its demanding level of difficulty
The International T-Class Confederation(ITCC) is a non-profit organization, which is founded in 2014 for the purpose of promotion of the T-Class shooting sport internationally, with headquarters residing in Bulgaria. It offers a Set of Rules for designing and managing T-Class Competitions.
Connaught Cadets.JPG, Palma shooting
The International Confederation of Fullbore Rifle Associations (ICFRA) is the international association for the fullbore rifle shooting sports of Target Rifle ('TR') (in the US 'Palma' Rifle) and F-Class, which are long range competitions shot a ...
in Canada in 2011.
BCM Europearms F-Class OPEN.jpg, An ICFRA F-Class rifle equipped with a scope and bipod.
Benchrest
Benchrest shooting is concerned with shooting small groups with the rifleman sitting on a chair (bench) and the rifle supported from a table. Of all shooting disciplines, this is the most demanding equipment-wise. Depending on equipment class, international benchrest competitions are governed by either the
World Benchrest Shooting Federation or
World Rimfire and Air Rifle Benchrest Federation
In its most general sense, the term "world" refers to the totality of entities, to the whole of reality or to everything that is. The nature of the world has been conceptualized differently in different fields. Some conceptions see the worl ...
.
JGA1903-BR50.jpg, An Anschütz 1903 rifle in caliber .22 LR used for benchrest shooting at 50 meters.
BCM Europearms BARREL BLOCK.jpg, A BCM Europearms single shot benchrest rifle.
Metallic silhouette
Metallic silhouette
Metallic silhouette shooting is a group of target shooting disciplines that involves shooting at steel targets representing game animals at varying distances, seeking to knock the metal target over. Metallic silhouette is shot with large bore rifl ...
competitors shoot at animal-shaped steel silhouettes (chickens, pigs, turkeys and rams) that must be knocked down to score. Banks of 5 targets are placed at up to 500 meters, with distance and size of target determined by firearm class. Classes include Handguns, Small Bore Rifle (Hunter, Silhouette), High Power Rifle (Hunter, Silhouette), air rifle and black powder rifle. Handguns used in the Unlimited Categories are rifle-like in appearance;
Thompson Contender,
Remington XP-100, and other pistols are chambered in rifle calibers with the power,
aerodynamic efficiency, and
external ballistics required for precise shooting at 200 meters. There are silhouette categories appropriate for virtually all types of adjustable sight pistols and rifles, only excluding high-velocity armor-piercing rounds that would damage targets. Targets for open sighted guns are placed between 25 and 200 meters, and are designed to provide a usable size of the hit zone of about 1.5
milliradians (or 5
minutes of arc).
IHMSA silhouetten bogenscheiben.jpg, Cut cardboard targets of the same shape and sizes which are used for IHMSA metal targets in metallic silhouette shooting
Metallic silhouette shooting is a group of target shooting disciplines that involves shooting at steel targets representing game animals at varying distances, seeking to knock the metal target over. Metallic silhouette is shot with large bore rif ...
.
Metallic silhouettes.jpg, Chicken, pig, turkey, and ram. The different targets are placed at different distances, and in this image the targets are scaled to how they would appear to the shooter in angular sizes ( mil or moa).
Western
*
Cowboy action shooting (CAS), almost identical to USPSA and IDPA stage design but with Western cowboy themed props, shot with long guns and revolvers of the same era. Mere act of shooting itself is not enough. Competitors must choose and go by a cowboy nickname or alias and are required to look the part by donning authentic cowboy and cowgirl garments.
*
Cowboy mounted shooting, also called Western Mounted Shooting or simply Mounted Shooting, is a competitive equestrian sport involving the riding of a
horse
The horse (''Equus ferus caballus'') is a domesticated, one-toed, hoofed mammal. It belongs to the taxonomic family Equidae and is one of two extant subspecies of ''Equus ferus''. The horse has evolved over the past 45 to 55 million yea ...
to negotiate a shooting pattern. Rule sets vary between shooting sport organizations, it can be based on the
historical reenactment of historic shooting events held at
Wild West shows in the late 19th century. Modern events use
blank ammunition instead of live rounds, certified to break a target balloon within twenty feet.
Cowboy Action Shooting.JPG, A Cowboy action shooter firing a lever action rifle at steel targets. The Range Officer to the left is holding a shooting timer to measure the time.
Cowboy Action Shooting stage.JPG, Scenery in a Western scenario.
Cowboy Action Shooting - stage targets.JPG, The shooter uses different firearms during a stage. In this stage revolvers were used at the close range blue targets and a lever action at the red targets furthest away.
Mounted Shooting Champion Chad Little by Western Shooting Horse.jpg, Cowboy mounted shooting at the 2012 AQHA Mounted Shooting World Championship.
Muzzleloading
Muzzleloading are concerned with shooting
replica (or
antique) guns.
Shooting laying on back at the 2015 MLAIC Long Range World Championship.jpg, Competitor shooting at 1000 yards (914.4 meters) laying on back
Norwegian competitor at the 2015 MLAIC Long Range World Championship.jpg, Competitor from Team Norway shooting at 1000 yards (914.4 meters)
A replica Rigby rifle at the 2015 MLAIC Long Range World Championship 2.jpg, Replica Rigby rifle used at the 2015 MLAIC Muzzleloading Long Range Championship
A member of Team USA loading his blackpowder rifle at the 2015 MLAIC Long Range Championship.jpg, A member of Team USA loading his blackpowder rifle
Para shooting
Paralympic shooting, also known as "shooting Para sport", is an adaptation of shooting sports for competitors with disabilities. Paralympic shooting first appeared in the
Summer Paralympics
The Summer Paralympics also known as the Games of the Paralympiad, are an international multi-sport event where athletes with physical disabilities compete. This includes athletes with mobility disabilities, amputations, blindness, and cerebra ...
at the
1976 Toronto Games. Para shooting is internationally governed by the
International Paralympic Committee
The International Paralympic Committee (IPC; german: Internationales Paralympisches Komitee) is an international non-profit organisation and the global governing body for the Paralympic Movement. The IPC organizes the Paralympic Games and func ...
. To help establish fair competition, a shooting classification called
Para-shooting classification is in place for the
Paralympic Games
The Paralympic Games or Paralympics, also known as the ''Games of the Paralympiad'', is a periodic series of international multisport events involving athletes with a range of physical disabilities, including impaired muscle power and impaired ...
.
The events mirror to some extent the shooting events at the Olympic Games. Air Pistol is typically shot from a seated position with the pistol unsupported. The amount of back-support permitted is determined by the athlete's level of disability. The Air Rifle events include Rifle "Standing", which is shot seated like Air Pistol, with variable levels of back support. "Prone" Rifle uses the basic
prone shooting position utilising a sling for the supporting arm, but is shot rested on a table with the athlete seated either in a chair or wheelchair.
Schiessen-koerperbehinderung.jpg, Para shooting with a rifle sitting in a wheelchair
A wheelchair is a chair with wheels, used when walking is difficult or impossible due to illness, injury, problems related to old age, or disability. These can include spinal cord injuries ( paraplegia, hemiplegia, and quadriplegia), ce ...
.
Defense.gov photo essay 110517-F-QE915-898.jpg
Defense.gov photo essay 110517-M-XXXXK-007.jpg
Locomotive_mechanic_competes_in_Army_Trials_150330-A-ZU617-055.jpg, Para "Prone" modifies the basic prone shooting position to be shot from a table.
Competitions using factory and service firearms
Shooting competitions for factory and service firearms, usually called Service Rifle, Service Pistol, Production, Factory or Stock, describe a set of disciplines or equipment classes where the types of permitted firearms are subject to
type approval and few aftermarket modifications are permitted. Thus the terms refer to permitted equipment and modifications rather than the type of shooting format itself. The names Service Rifle and Service Pistol stem from that the equipment permitted for these types of competitions traditionally were based on
standard issue Standard may refer to:
Symbols
* Colours, standards and guidons, kinds of military signs
* Standard (emblem), a type of a large symbol or emblem used for identification
Norms, conventions or requirements
* Standard (metrology), an object t ...
firearms used by one or several armed forces and civilian versions of these, while the terms Production, Factory and Stock often are applied to more modern disciplines with similar restrictions on equipment classes. Factory and service classes are often ''restrictive'' in nature, and the types of firearms permitted are usually rugged, versatile and affordable. In comparison, more expensive custom competition equipment are popular in more ''permissive'' equipment classes. Both types of equipment classes can be found within many disciplines, such as
bullseye,
field,
practical
Pragmatism is a philosophical tradition that considers words and thought as tools and instruments for prediction, problem solving, and action (philosophy), action, and rejects the idea that the function of thought is to describe, represent, ...
and
long range shooting.
Merjenje z M48.jpg, Service rifle shooting in Slovenia
Slovenia ( ; sl, Slovenija ), officially the Republic of Slovenia (Slovene: , abbr.: ''RS''), is a country in Central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the west, Austria to the north, Hungary to the northeast, Croatia to the southeast, and ...
with the Zastava M48
The Zastava M48 (Serbo-Croatian: ''Puška M.48 7,9 mm'' / Пушка M.48 7,9 mm, "Rifle M.48 7.9 mm") is a post World War II Yugoslav version of the German Karabiner 98k designed by Mauser and the Belgian designed M24 series. It was the st ...
rifle.
US Navy 070712-N-6832D-055 Senior Chief Machinist's Mate Curtis Norris peers down the sight of his service rifle.jpg, Service rifle shooting in United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country Continental United States, primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., ...
with an M16
The M16 rifle (officially designated Rifle, Caliber 5.56 mm, M16) is a family of military rifles adapted from the ArmaLite AR-15 rifle for the United States military. The original M16 rifle was a 5.56×45mm automatic rifle with a 20-roun ...
/AR-15
An AR-15-style rifle is any lightweight semi-automatic rifle based on the Colt AR-15 design. The original ArmaLite AR-15 is a scaled-down derivative of Eugene Stoner's ArmaLite AR-10 design. The then Fairchild Engine and Airplane Corporation ...
style rifle.
Plinking
Plinking refers to informal
target shooting
Shooting sports is a group of competitive and recreational sporting activities involving proficiency tests of accuracy, precision and speed in shooting — the art of using ranged weapons, mainly small arms ( firearms and airguns, in forms suc ...
done for pleasure or practice typically at non-standard targets such as
tin can
A steel can, tin can, tin (especially in British English, Australian English, Canadian English and South African English),
steel packaging, or can is a container for the distribution or storage of goods, made of thin metal. Many cans ...
s,
logs,
cartons,
fruit
In botany, a fruit is the seed-bearing structure in flowering plants that is formed from the ovary after flowering.
Fruits are the means by which flowering plants (also known as angiosperms) disseminate their seeds. Edible fruits in partic ...
s, or any other homemade or naturally occurring objects like rocks (however, it is unsafe to shoot at rocks) or tree branches. The primary appeals of plinking as a sport are the broad variety of easily available locations, minimal costs, freedom in practice styles, and more relaxing and less restrictive shooting experience.
The flexibility of target choice is also why plinking is popular. A small, three-dimensional target in an outdoors setting is much more akin to a real-world
hunting
Hunting is the human activity, human practice of seeking, pursuing, capturing, or killing wildlife or feral animals. The most common reasons for humans to hunt are to harvest food (i.e. meat) and useful animal products (fur/hide (skin), hide, ...
and
varminting
Varmint hunting or varminting is the practice of hunting vermin — generally small/medium-sized wild mammals or birds — as a means of pest control, rather than as games for food or trophy. The targeted animals are culled because they are cons ...
scenario, presenting a better simulated opportunity to practice shooting skills. A plinking target will also often react much more positively to a hit than a
paper target
Paper is a thin sheet material produced by mechanically or chemically processing cellulose fibres derived from wood, rags, grasses or other vegetable sources in water, draining the water through fine mesh leaving the fibre evenly distributed ...
used in formal competitions, either audibly with a sharp impact sound (hence the name "plink") or visually by bouncing, splattering or falling over.
Steel targets used for formal
action and
long range shooting competitions are also popular for plinking due to the ease of setting up and confirming good hits.
Having Fun in Alaska.jpg, A woman plinking with a Hi-Point pistol in .40 S&W in Alaska.
Burro Canyon fun shoot - 8444999291.jpg, Plinking with a Ruger 10/22 rifle in Burro Canyon, Arizona, US.
NO LOADED GUNS IN RACK.jpg, Plinking on a Saturday in Burro Canyon, Arizona, US. On this range firearms must be kept unloaded in the rack, except when on the firing line.
Athletic shooting sports
Athletic shooting sports are hybrid events of normally stationary shooting sport competitions and the
sport of athletics
Athletics is a group of sporting events that involves competitive running, jumping, throwing, and walking. The most common types of athletics competitions are track and field, road running, cross country running, and racewalking.
The results ...
or other physically demanding non-shooting sports. Many were borne from military exercises and emphasize physical endurance.
*
IBU Biathlon is a
Winter Olympic
The Winter Olympic Games (french: link=no, Jeux olympiques d'hiver) is a major international multi-sport event held once every four years for sports practiced on snow and ice. The first Winter Olympic Games, the 1924 Winter Olympics, were he ...
sport combining
cross-country skiing
Cross-country skiing is a form of skiing where skiers rely on their own locomotion to move across snow-covered terrain, rather than using ski lifts or other forms of assistance. Cross-country skiing is widely practiced as a sport and recreatio ...
(normally freestyle skate skiing) and shooting with .22 LR rifles.
In Scandinavia the discipline is simply known as "Ski Shooting" (Swedish: ''skidskytte'', Danish: ''skiskydning'', Norwegian: ''skiskyting'').
*
Bike biathlon or ''velo biathlon'' (Russian ''Велобиатлон'') combines
cycling
Cycling, also, when on a two-wheeled bicycle, called bicycling or biking, is the use of cycles for transport, recreation, exercise or sport. People engaged in cycling are referred to as "cyclists", "bicyclists", or "bikers". Apart from ...
(
road
A road is a linear way for the conveyance of traffic that mostly has an improved surface for use by vehicles (motorized and non-motorized) and pedestrians. Unlike streets, the main function of roads is transportation.
There are many types o ...
or
mountain bike
A mountain bike (MTB) or mountain bicycle is a bicycle designed for off-road cycling. Mountain bikes share some similarities with other bicycles, but incorporate features designed to enhance durability and performance in rough terrain, which m ...
) and shooting (
handgun or
rifle
A rifle is a long-barreled firearm designed for accurate shooting, with a barrel that has a helical pattern of grooves ( rifling) cut into the bore wall. In keeping with their focus on accuracy, rifles are typically designed to be held with ...
).
*
ISSF Target Sprint combines medium-range run (3 × 400 m) and
airgun
An air gun or airgun is a gun that fires projectiles pneumatically with compressed air or other gases that are mechanically pressurized ''without'' involving any chemical reactions, in contrast to a firearm, which pressurizes gases ''c ...
shooting.
*
Modern pentathlon is a
Summer Olympic sport
Sport pertains to any form of competitive physical activity or game that aims to use, maintain, or improve physical ability and skills while providing enjoyment to participants and, in some cases, entertainment to spectators. Sports can, ...
includes a combined event called
Laser-run that consists of 4 laps of 800 metres combined with 4 rounds of timed shooting with a
laser air pistol as one of its original five parts.
* Nordic Ski Field Shooting (Norwegian: ''skifeltskyting'', Swedish: ''skidfältskytte'') is a Nordic discipline organised by the
National Rifle Association of Norway
Det frivillige Skyttervesen (DFS) (), known in English as the National Rifle Association of Norway, and by DFS themselves as the Norwegian Civilian Marksmanship Association since 2020, is a civilian marksmanship association in Norway and the lar ...
and the
Swedish Shooting Sport Association which is based on the origins of modern biathlon. It is normally held using
classic (in-track) skiing, but competitions can also be held in a freestyle
skate skiing
Cross-country skiing is a form of skiing where skiers rely on their own locomotion to move across snow-covered terrain, rather than using ski lifts or other forms of assistance. Cross-country skiing is widely practiced as a sport and recreatio ...
format. Furthermore, shooting is done with fullbore calibers and usually in the field from temporary shooting ranges. The discipline is considered as a near precursor to modern biathlon.
*
Nordic shooting with cross-country running Nordic shooting with cross-country running or running biathlon (''Norwegian'': skogsløp med skyting, ''Swedish'': springskytte, ''Danish'': terrænløb) is a biathlon sport which combines running and shooting.
Norway
In Norway, "skogsløp med sk ...
(Norwegian: ''skogsløp'', Swedish: ''springfältskytte'') is a Nordic discipline arranged by the
National Rifle Association of Norway
Det frivillige Skyttervesen (DFS) (), known in English as the National Rifle Association of Norway, and by DFS themselves as the Norwegian Civilian Marksmanship Association since 2020, is a civilian marksmanship association in Norway and the lar ...
and the
Swedish Shooting Sport Association which combines running with shooting. It is considered the summer edition of Ski Field Shooting. Running distances are usually between 2 and 3 kilometers with 2 to 3 shooting series.
*
Military patrol was a team
winter sport in which athletes competed in cross-country skiing,
ski mountaineering
Ski mountaineering (abbreviated to skimo) is a skiing discipline that involves climbing mountains either on skis or carrying them, depending on the steepness of the ascent, and then descending on skis. There are two major categories of equipmen ...
and
rifle shooting
Shooting sports is a group of competitive and recreational sporting activities involving proficiency tests of accuracy, precision and speed in shooting — the art of using ranged weapons, mainly small arms (firearms and airguns, in forms such as ...
. It was usually contested between countries or
military units.
*
Moose biathon
Moose biathlon ( fi, Hirvenhiihto) is a variation of the winter sport biathlon comprising cross-country skiing, range estimation of paper targets resembling a moose and rifle shooting at a 10 ringed target using fullbore biathlon rifles. Competit ...
(Finnish ''Hirvenhiihto'') is a variation of biathlon comprising cross-country skiing, range estimation and rifle shooting at paper targets of moose.
Moose shooting with cross-country running (Finnish ''Hirvenjuoksu'') is a summer variant where the skiing part is replaced with running.
*
Orienteering shooting
Biathlon orienteering or orienteering shooting is a multisport consisting of shooting and orienteering. The sport is organized internationally by the International Biathlon Orienteering Federation (IBOF), and is mainly practiced in the Nordic co ...
(Finnish ''ampumasuunnistus'') combines shooting with orienteering, and competitions are organised in Denmark by
DMSA
Succimer, sold under the brand name Chemet among others, is a medication used to treat lead, mercury, and arsenic poisoning. When radiolabeled with technetium-99m, it is used in a number of types of diagnostic testing. A full course is 19 day ...
, in Sweden by the civilian
Swedish Multisport Association and in Finland by the
FRSF.
*
Pistol shooting with cross-country running (''maastokilpailu''), organized in Finland by the
FRSF.
*
Pistol skiing
A pistol is a handgun, more specifically one with the chamber integral to its gun barrel, though in common usage the two terms are often used interchangeably. The English word was introduced in , when early handguns were produced in Europe, an ...
(Norwegian ''pistollangren'', Swedish ''pistolskidskytte'', Finnish ''pistooliammuntahiihto'') is biathlon with pistols and revolvers, and is organised in Norway by
NROF, in Sweden by
SPSA and in Finland by the
FRSF.
*
Summer biathlon, with skiing replaced by either running or rollerskis, is popular in
Germany
Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwee ...
.
* Ski Archery is a variation of biathlon combining archery marksmanship with cross country skiing.
*
Underwater target shooting is a combined
underwater and shooting sport that tests a competitors’ ability to accurately use a
speargun via a set of individual and team events conducted in a
swimming pool using
free diving or Apnoea technique.
Bundesarchiv Bild 102-12927, Riesengebirge, Reichswehrübung.jpg, German military patrol in Giant Mountains in 1932.
Bjorndalen-Trondheim09.jpg, Ole Einar Bjørndalen
Ole Einar Bjørndalen () (born 27 January 1974) is a retired Norwegian professional biathlete and coach, often referred to by the nickname, the "King of Biathlon". With 13 Winter Olympic Games medals, he is second on the list of multiple medal ...
in Trondheim
Trondheim ( , , ; sma, Tråante), historically Kaupangen, Nidaros and Trondhjem (), is a city and municipality in Trøndelag county, Norway. As of 2020, it had a population of 205,332, was the third most populous municipality in Norway, an ...
during the 2009 Biathlon World Cup
The Biathlon World Cup is a top-level biathlon season-long competition series. It has been held since the winter seasons of 1977–78 for men and 1982–83 for women. The women's seasons until 1986–87 season were called the European Cup, alt ...
.
Bike Pistol Biathlon.jpg, Bike biathlon competition using handguns.
Bow shooting sports
Archery
Modern competitive archery involves shooting
arrow
An arrow is a fin-stabilized projectile launched by a bow. A typical arrow usually consists of a long, stiff, straight shaft with a weighty (and usually sharp and pointed) arrowhead attached to the front end, multiple fin-like stabilizers ...
s at a target for accuracy from a set distance or distances. A person who participates in archery is typically called an archer or a bowman, and a person who is fond of or an expert at archery is sometimes called a toxophilite. The most popular competitions worldwide are called
target archery. Another form, particularly popular in Europe and America, is
field archery, which generally is shot at targets set at various distances in a wooded setting. 3D archery, which differs from field archery in that the targets are animal models, is also quite popular in the same regions. There are also several other lesser-known and historical forms, as well as archery novelty games. Note that the tournament rules vary from organization to organization.
World Archery Federation rules are often considered normative, but large non-WA-affiliated archery organizations do exist with different rules. Competitive archery in the United States is governed by USA Archery and National Field Archery Association (NFAA), which also certifies instructors.
Run archery is a shooting discipline connecting archery with running.
WA target shot with a compound bow (Devizes Bowmen).jpg, Target shooting with a recurve bow.
ArcheryGermanyEarly1980s-2.jpg, Archery competition in Mönchengladbach
Mönchengladbach (, li, Jlabbach ) is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is located west of the Rhine, halfway between Düsseldorf and the Dutch border.
Geography Municipal subdivisions
Since 2009, the territory of Möncheng ...
, West Germany
West Germany is the colloquial term used to indicate the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG; german: Bundesrepublik Deutschland , BRD) between its formation on 23 May 1949 and the German reunification through the accession of East Germany on 3 ...
, June 1983.
Crossbow
The
International Crossbow Shooting Union (''Internationale Armbrustschützen Union'' or IAU) was founded in
Landshut
Landshut (; bar, Landshuad) is a town in Bavaria in the south-east of Germany. Situated on the banks of the River Isar, Landshut is the capital of Lower Bavaria, one of the seven administrative regions of the Free State of Bavaria. It is also ...
,
Germany
Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwee ...
on June 24, 1956, as the world governing body for
crossbow
A crossbow is a ranged weapon using an Elasticity (physics), elastic launching device consisting of a Bow and arrow, bow-like assembly called a ''prod'', mounted horizontally on a main frame called a ''tiller'', which is hand-held in a similar ...
target shooting. The IAU supervises World, Continental and International crossbow shooting championships in 3 disciplines; 30 m Match-crossbow, 10 m Match-crossbow and Field-crossbow shooting. IAU World Championships take place every two years with Continental Championships on intervening years. Other International and IAU-Cup events take place annually.
World Crossbow Shooting Association
In its most general sense, the term "world" refers to the totality of entities, to the whole of reality or to everything that is. The nature of the world has been conceptualized differently in different fields. Some conceptions see the worl ...
(WCSA) organises competitions in 7 disciplines: Target, Target match play, Forest, Forest match play, 3D, Bench & prone target and Indoor target.
IAU 10m match xbow.jpg, Anna Sushko of Russia, 2006 Junior World Champion, holding an ICU 10 m Match Crossbow
IAU match xbow.jpg, A competitor at the 30 meter event at the 2008 ICU Match-Crossbow World Championships in Sulgen, Switzerland
). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...
.
Dart shooting sports
Sport blowgun
There are several competition styles of
sport blowgun practised around the world. A standardization of competition style is based upon
fukiya, and governed by the International Fukiyado Association. It is a 10-metre target shooting, using a standardized barrel caliber and length, and a standardized dart length and weight as outlined by IFA.
There are two more styles, both based upon the Cherokee Annual Gathering Blowgun Competition. The Field Style competition is similar to the winter Biathlon, where the shooter runs from a starting line to a target lane, shoots and retrieves the darts, and continues to the next station. The course length varies from 400 to 800 m with from 9 to 16 targets at various heights and shooting distances. The final style is the Long Distance target shoot. The target is a circle of 24 cm diameter, and the firing line is 20 m away. Three darts are fired by each shooter, at least one of which must stick in the target. All successful shooters move to the next round, moving back 2 m each time.
Confrontational shooting sports
Confrontational shooting sports is a set of relatively new
team sports using
non-lethal ranged weapons that are safe enough to shoot at other people. Previously such games were not possible due to safety concerns since bows and guns are generally too lethal and dangerous for human targets, but the development of newer
airgun
An air gun or airgun is a gun that fires projectiles pneumatically with compressed air or other gases that are mechanically pressurized ''without'' involving any chemical reactions, in contrast to a firearm, which pressurizes gases ''c ...
and
infrared
Infrared (IR), sometimes called infrared light, is electromagnetic radiation (EMR) with wavelengths longer than those of Light, visible light. It is therefore invisible to the human eye. IR is generally understood to encompass wavelengths from ...
technologies allowed for the development of safe confrontational disciplines. While initially only for sport and recreations, professional sport competitions are now held. These type of games are also used for tactical
gunfight training by military and law enforcement agencies to some extent.
Olympic dueling
Olympic dueling
Pistol dueling was a sport at the 1906 Intercalated Games and 1908 Olympics.
In the 1906 Intercalated Games, male competitors fired duelling pistols at plaster dummies from 20m and 30m.
In 1908 pistol dueling was demonstrated as part of the concu ...
is an archaic individual sport that sought to safely emulate the deadly practice of pistol
duel
A duel is an arranged engagement in combat between two people, with matched weapons, in accordance with agreed-upon rules.
During the 17th and 18th centuries (and earlier), duels were mostly single combats fought with swords (the rapier and ...
ling, akin to
fencing
Fencing is a group of three related combat sports. The three disciplines in modern fencing are the foil, the épée, and the sabre (also ''saber''); winning points are made through the weapon's contact with an opponent. A fourth discipline, ...
emulating sword fighting. It involved the use of specially built
primer
Primer may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Films
* ''Primer'' (film), a 2004 feature film written and directed by Shane Carruth
* ''Primer'' (video), a documentary about the funk band Living Colour
Literature
* Primer (textbook), a te ...
-fired pistols to propel
wax bullets. Two versions of the sport were
demonstration events at the
1906 Olympics
The 1906 Intercalated Games or 1906 Olympic Games was an international multi-sport event that was celebrated in Athens, Greece. They were at the time considered to be Olympic Games and were referred to as the "Second International Olympic Gam ...
and
1908 Olympics
The 1908 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the IV Olympiad and also known as London 1908) were an international multi-sport event held in London, England, United Kingdom, from 27 April to 31 October 1908. The 1908 Games were ori ...
. It was also a popular sport in France.
1908_Olympics_wax_duel_field.png, A duel at the 1908 Olympics.
1908_Olympics_wax_duel_portrait.png, Portrait shots of Olympic duelists, showing their safety equipment and modified guns.
Paintball
Paintball is a competitive sport in which players from opposing teams eliminate opponents out of play by hitting them with round, breakable,
dye
A dye is a colored substance that chemically bonds to the substrate to which it is being applied. This distinguishes dyes from pigments which do not chemically bind to the material they color. Dye is generally applied in an aqueous solution and ...
-filled
oil and
gelatin pellets ("paintballs"), shot from
HPA/
-powered
air gun
An air gun or airgun is a gun that fires projectiles pneumatically with compressed air or other gases that are mechanically pressurized ''without'' involving any chemical reactions, in contrast to a firearm, which pressurizes gases ''chemical ...
s called
paintball markers. It can be played on indoor or outdoor fields scattered with natural or artificial terrain, which players use for tactical cover. Paintball game types vary, but can include
capture the flag, elimination, ammunition limits, defending or attacking a particular point or area, or capturing objects of interest hidden in the playing area. Depending on the variant played, games can last from seconds to hours, or even days in
scenario play. The game was developed in the 1980s and is now regularly played at a formal sporting level with organized competition involving major tournaments, professional teams and players.
*
National Xball League is the
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country Continental United States, primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., ...
' professional paintball circuit. The league consists of a Professional Division, consisting of the best players the sport has to offer, that extends down to the beginner ranks of "Division 5" for those newer to the tournament atmosphere. The league hosts five national events across the country in places such as
Las Vegas
Las Vegas (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Veg ...
,
Dallas
Dallas () is the third largest city in Texas and the largest city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States at 7.5 million people. It is the largest city in and seat of Dallas County ...
,
Nashville
Nashville is the capital city of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the seat of Davidson County. With a population of 689,447 at the 2020 U.S. census, Nashville is the most populous city in the state, 21st most-populous city in the U.S., and th ...
,
Cleveland
Cleveland ( ), officially the City of Cleveland, is a city in the United States, U.S. U.S. state, state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County, Ohio, Cuyahoga County. Located in the northeastern part of the state, it is situated along ...
,
Chicago
(''City in a Garden''); I Will
, image_map =
, map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago
, coordinates =
, coordinates_footnotes =
, subdivision_type = List of sovereign states, Count ...
,
Atlantic City and
Orlando throughout the year, starting in March and ending their season in early November. The league's largest event each year is the season finale known as the World Cup, with the 2016 World Cup hosted 3,554 players from 35 countries.
*
National Collegiate Paintball Association is an all-volunteer,
non-profit organization
A nonprofit organization (NPO) or non-profit organisation, also known as a non-business entity, not-for-profit organization, or nonprofit institution, is a legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public or social benefit, in co ...
created by United States college players. The goal of the NCPA is to promote the positive aspects of the sport in an intercollegiate manner. The NCPA consists of two distinct classes which competes separately — Class AA is an open-class division where any college may enter and compete in regional and national tournaments. Class A is a closed-class division where only certain colleges may compete after securing a bid in the previous season, and represents the best talent of college paintball and includes universities such as
Drexel University
Drexel University is a private research university with its main campus in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Drexel's undergraduate school was founded in 1891 by Anthony J. Drexel, a financier and philanthropist. Founded as Drexel Institute of Art, ...
,
University of Maryland
The University of Maryland, College Park (University of Maryland, UMD, or simply Maryland) is a public land-grant research university in College Park, Maryland. Founded in 1856, UMD is the flagship institution of the University System of ...
,
Illinois State University,
Purdue University
Purdue University is a public land-grant research university in West Lafayette, Indiana, and the flagship campus of the Purdue University system. The university was founded in 1869 after Lafayette businessman John Purdue donated land and ...
,
University of Connecticut
The University of Connecticut (UConn) is a public land-grant research university in Storrs, Connecticut, a village in the town of Mansfield. The primary 4,400-acre (17.8 km2) campus is in Storrs, approximately a half hour's drive from H ...
,
Penn State University and 10 other teams across three conferences all fighting for a national title. The association's 2007 playoff tournament was aired on
Fox Sports Net's digital cable college sports network,
Fox College Sports.
SupAir Player.jpg, Players next to an inflatable Sup'Air bunker.
Speedball game.jpg, View of a course during a speedball game in progress.
Airsoft
Airsoft
Airsoft is a team game in which participants eliminate opposing players by tagging them out of play with spherical plastic projectiles shot with mock air weapons(usually powered by an electronic motor) called airsoft guns.
Although similar ...
is a competitive sport similar in concept to paintball, in which participants from opposing teams eliminate opponents by hitting each other with
solid round plastic pellets launched from low-powered
smoothbore air gun
An air gun or airgun is a gun that fires projectiles pneumatically with compressed air or other gases that are mechanically pressurized ''without'' involving any chemical reactions, in contrast to a firearm, which pressurizes gases ''chemical ...
s called
airsoft guns. It is different to paintball in that airsoft pellets do not visibly mark the targets like paintballs, and thus the sport relies heavily on an
honor system where a hit player has the ethical duty to call himself out of play, regardless of whether anyone else sees it happen. Most airsoft guns are also magazine-fed (unlike the commonly top-mounting pellet loader of paintball markers) with mounting platforms compatible with real firearm accessories, and tend to more closely resemble real guns in appearance, making them more popular for
military simulation
Military simulations, also known informally as war games, are simulations in which theories of warfare can be tested and refined without the need for actual hostilities. Military simulations are seen as a useful way to develop tactical, strateg ...
and
historical reenactments. The greater toughness of airsoft pellets also allows the use of better powerplants and apparatus such as
hop-up device for improved
external ballistics, making the gameplay more accurately resemble real gunfights. They are also much cheaper for casual players to participate than paintball.
Airsoft gameplay varies in style and composition just like paintball and is played in both indoor and outdoor courses. Situations on the field frequently involve the use of real-life
military tactics to achieve objectives, and it is not uncommon for participants to emulate the uniforms and equipment of real military and police organizations for a sense of realism. Games are normally supervised (and sometimes umpired) by trained on-site administrators, and players' airsoft guns are usually checked through a
chronograph
A chronograph is a specific type of watch that is used as a stopwatch combined with a display watch. A basic chronograph has an independent sweep second hand and a minute sub-dial; it can be started, stopped, and returned to zero by successiv ...
to enforce power output restrictions.
There are currently no formal national or international
governing bodies for the airsoft sport. Competitive tournaments are usually organized by private clubs or among enthusiasts and
professional
A professional is a member of a profession or any person who works in a specified professional activity. The term also describes the standards of education and training that prepare members of the profession with the particular knowledge and sk ...
/
semi-professional
Semi-professional sports are sports in which athletes are not participating on a full-time basis, but still receive some payment. Semi-professionals are not amateur because they receive regular payment from their team, but generally at a conside ...
teams (often referred to as "clans"), with rules and restrictions varying from event to event.
Three airsoft players defending an area.jpg, Three airsoft team members defending an area during an indoor CQB game.
RPGers Airsoft Arène.jpg, From an outdoor airsoft game.
Partida de airsoft.jpg, Three airsoft team members during a field game.
Laser tag
Laser tag (despite the name,
laser
A laser is a device that emits light through a process of optical amplification based on the stimulated emission of electromagnetic radiation. The word "laser" is an acronym for "light amplification by stimulated emission of radiation". The ...
is actually not used due to
safety concerns) is a
tag game played with
infrared
Infrared (IR), sometimes called infrared light, is electromagnetic radiation (EMR) with wavelengths longer than those of Light, visible light. It is therefore invisible to the human eye. IR is generally understood to encompass wavelengths from ...
light guns and
sensors worn on the body of the players. Since its birth in 1979, laser tag has evolved in both indoor and outdoor games, each with gameplay styles such as annihilation,
capture the flag, domination, VIP protection, (usually
sci-fi)
role playing
Role-playing or roleplaying is the changing of one's behaviour to assume a role, either unconsciously to fill a social role, or consciously to act out an adopted role. While the ''Oxford English Dictionary'' offers a definition of role-playing a ...
, etc. When compared to
paintball and
airsoft
Airsoft is a team game in which participants eliminate opposing players by tagging them out of play with spherical plastic projectiles shot with mock air weapons(usually powered by an electronic motor) called airsoft guns.
Although similar ...
, laser tag is painless and very safe because it involves no
projectile
A projectile is an object that is propelled by the application of an external force and then moves freely under the influence of gravity and air resistance. Although any objects in motion through space are projectiles, they are commonly found i ...
impacts, and indoor games may be considered less physically demanding because most indoor venues prohibit running or roughhousing.
* Zone Laser Tag World Championships were international tournaments among professional/semi-professional teams from North American, Europe and Australia, hosted every few years since 2003.
* Bi-lateral international championships have included USA vs. Australia and Australia vs. South Africa.
* National tournaments in various countries including Australia, US, Sweden, Finland, UK, etc.
* Private club-level events such as TagCon (annual in UK and US), Tagfest (annual in US), Dropzone (annual in UK), LaserStorm (annual in Australia), etc.
More sophisticated forms of laser tag, such as
MILES, are used (in conjunction with
blanks) by militaries to allow for non-lethal combat training.
Long Beach Comic & Horror Con 2011 - Party Xtreme Laser Tag (6301174661).jpg, An indoor laser tag competition at Long Beach, California
Long Beach is a city in Los Angeles County, California. It is the 42nd-most populous city in the United States, with a population of 466,742 as of 2020. A charter city, Long Beach is the seventh-most populous city in California.
Incorporate ...
in 2011.
Soldat français au CENZUB.jpg, Soldiers equipped with laser tag training equipment
Archery Tag
Archery Tag
Combat archery, sometimes known as battle archery, is a sport similar to dodgeball, paintball or Nerf war played with bows and arrows tipped with foam.
History
The Archery Tag equipment brand was invented by John Jackson of Waterloo, Indiana ...
is a form of combat archery sport where participants shoot one another using a bow with arrows with large
foam tips. The game's rules closely resemble
dodgeball. The game begins with a number of arrows in the center of the arena. At the whistle, players race to collect them, before firing them at one another across the playing field. A player is eliminated if struck by an arrow, and a player can bring an eliminated teammate back into play by catching an arrow. To avoid injury, participants wear
protective facemasks and use bows with less than draw weight. It was invented in 2011 by John Jackson of
Ashley, Indiana, and experienced a boost in popularity from the ''
Hunger Games'' books and
film series, which feature a bow-wielding protagonist
Katniss Everdeen
Katniss Everdeen is a fictional character and the protagonist of '' The Hunger Games'' trilogy written by American author Suzanne Collins. Her name comes from a plant with edible tubers called '' Sagittaria'' (katniss), from Sagittarius the Ar ...
. Jackson staged Archery Tag games at local premieres of the films. By 2014, Jackson had licensed the game to 170 locations, mostly in the
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country Continental United States, primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., ...
, but also in
Russia
Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It is the largest country in the world, with its internationally recognised territory covering , and encompassing one-ei ...
,
Peru
, image_flag = Flag of Peru.svg
, image_coat = Escudo nacional del Perú.svg
, other_symbol = Great Seal of the State
, other_symbol_type = National seal
, national_motto = "Firm and Happy f ...
and
Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia, officially the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), is a country in Western Asia. It covers the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula, and has a land area of about , making it the fifth-largest country in Asia, the second-largest in the Ara ...
.
Battle gaming variants of Archery Tag also exist, such as
Dagorhir
Dagorhir Battle Games was a live action role-playing game (Battle game) local to the Washington, D.C., U.S.A. metropolitan area with full-contact melee fighting and ranged combat as its primary focus. Fighters typically use foam weapons such a ...
,
Amtgard,
Belegarth and
Darkon, where archers are pitted among
melee players welding
foam weapons to simulate
medieval
In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire a ...
battles.
Archery Tag.jpg, A game of archery tag in Toronto
Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the anch ...
eSports
eSports
Esports, short for electronic sports, is a form of competition using video games. Esports often takes the form of organized, multiplayer video game competitions, particularly between professional sports, professional players, individually or as ...
is the competitive playing of
video games
Video games, also known as computer games, are electronic games that involves interaction with a user interface or input device such as a joystick, controller, keyboard, or motion sensing device to generate visual feedback. This feedbac ...
, often referring to play at the professional level. While the term eSports includes many types of video games unrelated to shooting sports, a major subset of eSports are the
shooters, namely
first-person shooters and
third-person shooters. Matches of these games can take a variety of forms but traditionally take formats similar to paintball, involving teams of players whose objective is to eliminate the opposing team in simulated combat, often while also focusing other key objectives. Major games of these styles currently in professional play include (among others) ''
Counter-Strike: Global Offensive'', ''
Overwatch
''Overwatch'' is a multimedia franchise centered on a series of online multiplayer first-person shooter (FPS) video games developed by Blizzard Entertainment: '' Overwatch'' released in 2016, and ''Overwatch 2'' released in 2022. Both games fe ...
'', ''
Team Fortress 2'', and ''
PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds''. Organized play is done both
online
In computer technology and telecommunications, online indicates a state of connectivity and offline indicates a disconnected state. In modern terminology, this usually refers to an Internet connection, but (especially when expressed "on line" ...
or in-person. While there has been serious interest to
include eSports in the Olympics and similar events, the inclusion of shooters has been less welcomed due to their often violent visual content.
Goście Intel Extreme Masters (8465481816).jpg, Casual players playing a shooter at the 2013 Intel Extreme Masters in Katowice
Katowice ( , , ; szl, Katowicy; german: Kattowitz, yi, קאַטעוויץ, Kattevitz) is the capital city of the Silesian Voivodeship in southern Poland and the central city of the Upper Silesian metropolitan area. It is the 11th most popu ...
, Poland
Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populou ...
.
MLG_Columbus_-_Luminosity_vs_Navi.jpg, A live professional ''Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, CS:GO'' match in 2016.
See also
* List of shooting sports organizations
* Shooting sports in Canada
* Shooting ranges in the United States
* Shooting ranges in Norway
* Shooting ranges in Switzerland
* Shooting targets
* Air travel with firearms and ammunition
*
Plinking
* Shot grouping
* Schützenverein
References
Further reading
* Axford, Ray. ''Archery Anatomy: An introduction to techniques for improved performance'' (Souvenir Press, 2017).
* Björklund, Glenn. "Shooting efficiency for winners of World Cup and World Championship races in men’s and women’s biathlon: where is the cut-off?" ''International Journal of Performance Analysis in Sport'' 18.4 (2018): 545-553.
* Chen, Yin-Ting, and Derick Mordus. "Shooting sports (archery, air rifle, trapshooting)." in ''Adaptive Sports Medicine'' (Springer, Cham, 2018) pp. 313–322.
* George, Judith Jenkins. "Women’s Riflery Teams: A Collegiate Anomaly of the Post World War I Period." ''Sport History Review'' 23.1 (1992): 32-45.
* Goldschmied, Nadav, and Jason Kowalczyk. "Gender performance in the NCAA rifle championships: where is the gap?" ''Sex Roles'' 74.7 (2016): 310-322
online* Ihalainen, Simo, et al. "Relation of elite rifle shooters’ technique-test measures to competition performance." ''International journal of sports physiology and performance'' 11.5 (2016): 671-677.
* Ihalainen, Simo, et al. "Which technical factors explain competition performance in air rifle shooting?" ''International Journal of Sports Science & Coaching'' 13.1 (2018): 78-85.
* Reeves, W. P. "The Adoption of Military Rifle Shooting as an Intercollegiate Sport." ''American Physical Education Review'' 23.3 (1918): 157-159.
* Spancken, Sina, Hannah Steingrebe, and Thorsten Stein. "Factors that influence performance in Olympic air-rifle and small-bore shooting: A systematic review" ''PLOS ONE'' 16.3 (2021): e024735
online
* Wadge, Richard. ''Archery in Medieval England: Who Were the Bowmen of Crecy?'' (The History Press, 2012).
* Wallace, Lacey N. "College Student Involvement in Hunting and Shooting Sports: What Drives Participation?" ''Recreational Sports Journal'' 44.2 (2020): 126-138.
External links
Get Inspired: How to get into Shooting - BBC SportHow to get into shooting - Shooting UKHow To Get Started , NRA ExploreGet the Best Sports Air Rifle & Pistols From Precihole SportsEverything You Need To Know About Paintball Games
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