Hold still. Press smooth. Let the physics land the ten.

Ignoring drag, a pellet crosses the range at constant speed, so its flight time is t = d ÷ v. While it flies, gravity pulls it down by ½ g t². Sights are set (zeroed) for the target distance, so that drop is built into the aim: you never see it, but it's there.

Before the shot, the gun and pellet have zero total momentum. Afterwards, the pellet carries momentum m v forward, so the gun must carry the same amount backward: M V = m v. A heavier gun gets the same momentum at a lower speed, which is one reason target rifles are heavy (ISSF caps a 10 m air rifle at 5.5 kg with sights).

Why recoil still matters at 10 m

The pellet is still in the barrel while the gun starts to move, so any movement you add then (a flinch, a grip that changes) goes into the shot. That's why shooters train a position that stays the same through every shot.

On the ISSF 10 m air rifle target the 10-ring is a white dot just 0.5 mm across, and each ring is 5 mm wider than the last, out to 45.5 mm. The 10 m air pistol 10-ring is 11.5 mm, out to 155.5 mm. A shot scores the higher ring whenever any part of the pellet hole touches it, so with a 4.5 mm pellet the centre only has to be within 2.5 mm of the middle for a rifle 10, and within 8 mm for a pistol 10.

An aiming error is an angle. At 10 m, 1 milliradian (mrad) = 10 mm on the target.

Decimal scores

With electronic targets, each ring can be split into ten decimal rings (10.0 to 10.9). ISSF uses decimal scoring for 10 m air rifle qualification at its championships; 10 m air pistol is scored in whole rings.

Breathing moves your chest, shoulders and the gun with them. Shooters settle into a natural pause after breathing out and take the shot there. Even then the heartbeat sends small pulses through the body, so the sight picture drifts in a small, slow pattern rather than sitting dead still. Training is about making that pattern as small and as calm as possible.

• Breathe, settle, aim: take the shot in the natural pause, not while holding your breath to the point of strain.
• If the hold isn't settling, don't force it. Lower the gun downrange, breathe and start again; there's time (75 s per shot on average).

Between the trigger breaking and the pellet leaving the barrel there are a few milliseconds when the gun can still move. A smooth press that doesn't disturb the hold keeps the aim where it was; a jerk rotates the gun just when it matters. Follow-through means keeping your position and aim steady through the shot and a moment after it.

Even a 10 m pellet carries several joules (Ch 1), enough to injure an eye. ISSF rules (2026 edition) build safety into every step on the range:

• Safety flags: bright flags go into every rifle and pistol to show it is unloaded; for air guns the flag runs the full length of the barrel.
• Muzzle discipline: on the firing point, guns always point in a safe direction, and the action is closed only when pointing downrange.
• Commands: range officials give LOAD, START, STOP and UNLOAD. Guns are loaded only on the firing point after LOAD or START; on STOP, shooting stops immediately.
• Nobody handles guns while anyone is forward of the firing line.
• Hearing protection is required near the 25 m, 50 m and 300 m firing lines and on shotgun ranges; shotgun athletes must wear shatterproof eye protection.