How many shots are fired in Olympic shooting? Pistol, rifle, shotgun, trap & skeet rules explained

SHOOTING has been an Olympic sport since the 1896 Athens Games, which was the first Olympic Games in modern history. 

Public interest in the sport shot up during the Paris 2024 Games, with Team GB going on to win a medal in the sport. But how are shooting events organised?

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What are the different types of shooting events in the Olympics?

Shooting events at the Olympics are based around either the Rifle, the Pistol or the Shotgun.

Both Rifle and Pistol events are divided further into Air Rifle and Air Pistol events, alongside a regular Pistol and Rifle event. 

Rifle events

The two Rifle events involve Olympians firing at a fixed targets.

The first event is 50m Rifle 3 Position, where a participant fires in a kneeling, prone and standing position. 

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The other Rifle event is the 10m Air Rifle, where competitors take shots at a target, in a one hour and 15 minute time frame.

Pistol events

Pistol shooting has three sub categories in total.

In each, athletes must fire their pistols with one hand only, unsupported.

And, unlike the Olympic starting pistol, these pistols have real bullets.

The pistol subcategories are 25m Rapid Fire Pistol (a men’s only event), 25m Pistol (a women’s only event) and 10m Air Pistol (which has a men’s, women’s and a mixed category).

Shotgun events

The final category, Shotgun, is split into Skeet and Trap sports. 

Skeet involves both male and female athletes firing at clay targets from the left and the right.

As the targets cross paths, the competitors must fire.

Meanwhile, Trap involves players aiming for targets being fired from a single spot, known as a “house”.

Nathan Hales won a gold medal representing the UK at the Paris 2024 Olympics for Trap shooting.

How many shots are fired in Olympic shooting?

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Olympic shooting is as much about endurance as it is aiming for targets.

Olympians must hold their bodies steady for long periods of time, often in harsh weather conditions, and have tight control of their movements.

The amount of shots they must fire depends on the gun they are using in each event. 

Generally, more shots are fired in Air Gun events.

Rifle shooting involves a participant firing 40 shots, where they would fire 60 shots in Air Rifle shooting.

In Pistol events, a an athlete is given two rounds of 30 shots. 

In Air Pistol events, they get 60 shots in one timeframe. 

Trap and Skeet Shotgun events differ too, as an athlete fires five rounds of 25 shots when playing Skeet. 

 In Trap events, each competitor has three rounds, with 25 shots in each round.