TargetTalk

Could someone give me information on current Olympic Rapidfire Pistol. What pistols are used, a reasonable starter gun targets ect.

I understand there have been some changes in the rules since I was last around international shooting and I think my son would like to get started .

Gun
All 25m .22LR guns are now covered by the same rules. If it's legal for Standard Pistol or 25m Pistol (Sport Pistol) then it's legal for Rapid Fire Pistol.

Ammunition
.22LR, lead (or similar soft metal) un-jacketed bullet with a minimum weight of 39 grains giving a minimum velocity, when measured 3m from the muzzle of the competition gun of 250m/s.

Target
The 25m Rapid Fire Target as detailed in section 6.3.4.4 of the current ISSF rules.

I hope this helps.

depending on how long ago since...

shooters on a range section fire together
LOAD - one minute to load and prepare, then
ATTENTION - targets face (or green light for EST) after 7 seconds

Thanks for the information guys.

Could you be a little more specific about what pistols to start with, keeping in mind its a new pistol shooter and $ are a factor. Also it sounds like the first 60 are done more or less the way it always was - 5 shots in 8, 6 and 4 seconds at 5 targets. And the big changes are finals and pistol type. Is that right?

Spencer you brought up time. Well the first time I saw it actually fired was at the US Team trials in probably '78 in Phoenix. At the time I thought it would be good to shoot. Phoenix in June is about 110 F . We shot rifle in 2 sweatshirts and a leather coat for about 2-3 hours. ORP shooters come to the line with one box of ammo and a small briefcase in shorts and tee shirts. They are done in about 45 minutes and back at the pool drinking a beer by noon.

You could use anything from a IZH-35M, High Standard, S&W 41, or Ruger (as long as they met the rules - barrel length probably the biggest possible issue), however top shooters use Pardini, Walther, Benelli, Feinwerkbau European style guns with low bore axis and comparatively higher prices. Pardini for example has a version specifically for rapid fire with changes supposed to reduce recoil at some reduction in accuracy. As posted earlier, any pistol legal for Standard Pistol is now legal for Rapid Fire, but the more expensive guns do have advantages.

It used to be 6 silhouettes for 8, 6, 4 seconds and people used revolvers to do it before the 1930s, it is mind boggling. I hope you were not shooting RFP back in the 1920s and asking for advice...:)

gwsb wrote: They are done in about 45 minutes and back at the pool drinking a beer by noon.

I knew there was a reason it's been my favourite event for nearly 25+ years!

conradin wrote:It used to be 6 silhouettes for 8, 6, 4 seconds and people used revolvers to do it before the 1930s, it is mind boggling. I hope you were not shooting RFP back in the 1920s and asking for advice...:)

Actually 8, 6, 4, 3 and 2; though 10 seconds was included for 1924 games