Choosing your first sport shooting pistol: the measurable criteria

Four measurable criteria decide a first sport shooting pistol: weight, barrel length, trigger type and legal category — plus the event you are aiming at, never the brand. The licence, meanwhile, does not open Category B straight away: three controlled sessions two months apart precede any authorization.

The four measurable criteria of a first pistol

"Which pistol should I choose to start sport shooting" is a question no text answers with a model name. Five quantities, however, are written in black and white in the shooting rules: four describe the firearm, the fifth describes the event you want to shoot. Those are what decide, and they alone are verifiable.

• Weight, accessories and empty magazine included: 1,400 g at most at 25 meter events, 1,500 g at 10 meter air pistol, no limit at 50 meters1415.
• Barrel length: 153 mm at most at 25 meters, unlimited elsewhere.
• Trigger weight and type: at least 1,000 g at 25 meters, at least 500 g at 10 meters, no minimum at 50 meters.
• The firearm's legal category, which commands the formality — authorization, declaration or free purchase — and the delay18.
• The event you are aiming at, which determines which of those thresholds apply, and which adds the capacity constraint: the two 25 meter events exclude single-shot pistols, the 50 meter event requires one14.

Two of these criteria behave very differently. Weight discriminates almost nothing: no common model on the French market exceeds 1,400 g, from the Glock 17 at 710 g33 to the CZ Shadow 2 at 1,300 g35. Barrel length, on the other hand, genuinely eliminates models — and often the dearest ones.

What the shooting licence lets you buy, and when

The FFTir licence is taken out at one of the 1,650 affiliated clubs and runs from 1 September to 31 August12. Its federal share is the only amount identical everywhere in France: €69 for an adult, €49 for a young shooter, for the 2025/2026 and 2026/2027 seasons1112. Anything beyond that on the invoice is local subscription, insurance and league and committee shares.

It does not, however, open the right to buy a firearm. The lock is elsewhere, in the arrêté of 28 April 2020, whose article 3 requires "the shooter's participation, during the twelve months preceding the application, in three controlled shooting practice sessions, at least two months apart"3. The federation repeats the wording exactly: "maintenance of the obligation of three shoots at least two months apart"9.

No text imposes a minimum time as a licence holder. It is the arithmetic that imposes the delay: three sessions two months apart occupy four months at minimum, and the prefecture then has three months to answer, its silence amounting to refusal7. A first Category B purchase therefore takes four to seven months of licensed practice. The full mechanism, from file to authorization, is set out in our guide to the Category B firearm authorization.

The first authorization does not open the full quota either: article R312-41-1 limits a first-time holder to six firearms for five years — unless they take part in national or international competitions — where a shooter at the full quota holds fifteen27. A first purchase therefore uses only one place out of six. We covered the subject in detail in our article on firearm and ammunition quotas.

Which .22 LR pistol to start sport shooting with

First point to state, because it sends many beginners into a wall: a .22 LR pistol is in Category B, not Category C. The firearm's classification is independent of the ammunition's. Article R311-2 places in Category B, II, 1° "handguns and firearms converted into handguns not included in the other categories"1 — with no distinction of caliber.

The .22 LR cartridge itself is indeed in Category C, which changes nothing: it is the firearm that is authorized, not the ammunition. The detail is in our guide to Categories A, B, C and D.

Then the market. We favor here the models whose dimensions and price were surveyed at two or more dealers on 30 July 2026, which rules out a good part of the catalog from the start.

Two warnings on that table. The last two rows — Walther CSP Classic and Pardini SP New — rest on a single dealer: they are markers, not market ranges. And the real floor for a new Category B .22 LR goes lower still, to €399 for a Mauser HSR PP7 and €415 for a Mauser 1911-2226 — there too at a single dealer.

Two models say the difference in intended use better than any argument. The Pardini SP New ships with two five-round magazines and six counterweights36: it is a match tool, not a versatile pistol. The Buck Mark Standard URX, with its adjustable rear sight and fixed front21, costs four times less and covers everyday practice. The choice of caliber itself we worked through with the figures in our comparison of 9mm and .22 LR.

Weight and barrel length: the ISSF thresholds

The only figures that can be held against you at equipment control come from the ISSF rules, and they fit in one table. At 25 meter pistol, rimfire as well as centerfire: maximum weight 1,400 g, minimum trigger weight 1,000 g, barrel 153 mm, sight radius 220 mm, measuring box 300 × 150 × 50 mm1415.

At 10 meter air pistol: 1,500 g, 500 g of trigger, a box of 420 × 200 × 50 mm, barrel and sights limited by the box alone. At 50 meter pistol: "No Restriction" on all five lines. These three families correspond to federal codes 100, 250 to 253 and 500 of the sporting management rules13.

That last point breaks any reasoning of the sort "a match gun necessarily meets an envelope". The 50 meter event imposes neither weight, nor trigger, nor size: it imposes loading one cartridge at a time, in rimfire .22 LR14.

The most telling counter-example is a model dearer than the others. The Ruger Mark IV Hunter shows a 174 mm barrel on the manufacturer's sheet, 175 mm at its French dealer1828. It exceeds the 153 mm ceiling by 21 mm, and costs €1,639 to €1,669 against €1,120 for a Mark IV Target with a 140 mm barrel2628. Paying €500 more here closes an event instead of opening one.

Three ISSF thresholds concern the ammunition rather than the firearm, and they carry over to the purchase. Projectiles must be "of lead or similar soft material only", jacketed projectiles being prohibited1415: the practice 9mm FMJ costed below is therefore excluded from ISSF competition.

The 25 meter rimfire event further requires a 5.6 mm caliber chambered for the long rifle cartridge, the 25 meter centerfire event a caliber of 7.62 to 9.65 mm, and both exclude single-shot pistols14.

The trigger: single action, striker, double action

This is the most decisive criterion in use, and the least documented. Across our whole survey, one manufacturer publishes a trigger weight: Walther gives the CSP Classic a "non-adjustable trigger, weight 1,000 g"19. Ruger, Browning, Smith & Wesson and Glock show no value on their accessible sheets. We will therefore not build a table of weights by model: it would be invented.

That single figure is instructive. One thousand grams is exactly the ISSF minimum at 25 meters, and the same pistol's 150 mm barrel is 3 mm from the 153 mm limit1419. Here is a firearm drawn by the rule, flush against the envelope, with no margin — and no adjustment possible.

Failing grams, the useful criterion is the type of mechanism, which dealers systematically state:

• Single action only: the Buck Mark Standard URX and the Ruger Mark IV Target are listed as "single action only"2125. One break, always the same, which is precisely what precision shooting looks for.
• Striker-fired: the SW22 Victory is described that way by its dealer29, as are Glocks. The break is longer and less crisp than a pure single action.
• Non-adjustable match trigger: the CSP Classic, set at 1,000 g from the factory19.

A reminder of the floors, because they change everything by event: 500 g at 10 meters, 1,000 g at 25 meters, no minimum at 50 meters1415. A trigger set at 700 g passes at 10 meters and is refused at 25.

Category B, C or D: what it changes at purchase

A pistol's classification depends not on its use but on its means of propulsion and its energy. Article R311-2 places in Category D, h firearms "whose projectile is propelled non-pyrotechnically with a muzzle energy between 2 and 20 joules", and in Category C, 4° the same firearms "with a muzzle energy greater than or equal to 20 joules"1.

The service-public factsheet on categories confirms the three formalities: Category D, free acquisition and holding; Category C, declaration; Category B, authorization8.

Practical consequence: a 10 meter pellet pistol falls in Category D. The one model whose energy we found published, the Weihrauch HW40 PCA, is measured at 3.5 joules by its dealer39 — nearly six times under the 20-joule threshold.

The second effect of the category concerns storage, and it weighs heavily in the budget. Article R314-3 requires Category A and B firearms to be kept "either in safes or strong cabinets suited to the type and number of items held", or in a strongroom with an armored door and barred openings57. The text covers neither Category C nor Category D: on the 10 meter route, that item disappears entirely.

Surveyed prices of entry-level .22 LR pistols

The most useful fact in this survey is not a price, it is a spread. The Buck Mark Standard URX was listed at €529.00 at L'Armurerie Française and €609.90 at Armurerie Auxerre on the same day2123, a 15% spread on an identical reference. At Auxerre, the stainless finish was even €25 less than the blued version, at €584.9022. Comparing a range is not enough: you have to compare variant by variant.

That spread is not a general rule. The Glock 17 Gen5 was surveyed at €699.95, €722.00 and €739.00 at three dealers323334 — a range tightened to 6%. And the Ruger Mark IV Target varies by only €5 between two dealers2526. The dispersion depends on the model, not on the market.

Two market facts deserve flagging without being explained, for want of a source. First, Ruger publishes an MSRP of $689 for the Mark IV Target and $1,019 for the Mark IV Hunter1718, where the French prices surveyed are €1,120 to €1,125 and €1,639 to €1,669252628. We do not convert: no open source explains the gap.

Second, availability is part of the price — the SW22 Victory was in immediate stock at neither of the two dealers consulted2629.

The budget of a first pistol, item by item

The firearm is never the only item, and rarely the most discriminating. Here is what we were able to cost, source by source.

Licence and club subscription: €165 to €250 the first year. Three affiliated clubs publish their fees for the 2026-2027 season: €165 at USO Tir, €200 plus a €50 joining fee per family at Tireurs du Loch, €205 for a new membership at AS Monts-Tir — €175 on renewal505152. All three charge a single price, federal licence, insurance and shares included: the club's own share is not separable, and we will not invent it.

Medical certificate: €30. This is not a regulated fee: the sports certificate is not a treatment act listed in the schedule, its pricing is free and it gives no right to reimbursement59. The €30 retained here is a simple marker, the agreed fee for a sector 1 GP consultation in mainland France in force at 1 January 202616; the amount actually charged is entirely yours to pay, so ask for it when booking. The club requires it at registration, with identity documents and proof of address51. The required wording and the period of validity are in our guide to the FFTir medical certificate.

Safe: €69 to €393, with most of the offer between €115 and €259 for one to four handguns4748. EN 0 certified models exceed €500, but article R314-3 requires no certification: only a safe "suited to the type and number of items held"5.

Hearing protection: €15 to €50 for an adequate passive muff, electronics remaining optional up to €35049. Against that, joining a club can give access to the club's firearms and to part of the equipment — gloves, jackets, trousers50. Clothing is therefore not a first-year item; personal hearing protection is.

The real cost: the gun, then three years of ammunition

The purchase price is the visible part. Over three years, ammunition overtakes it as soon as you shoot regularly.

In .22 LR, four dealers consulted on the same day give the box of 50 between €5.50 and €11.50, so €0.11 to €0.23 a round, with a median at €8.0040424344. Buying by the case brings the bill down: €45 to €78.90 for 400 or 500 rounds, so €0.11 to €0.16. At one and the same dealer, CCI Standard Velocity works out at €7.59 per 50 by the case against €8.99 by the box, 16% less41.

Match ammunition costs €9.50 to €25.50 the box of 50, so €0.19 to €0.51 a round404244. And the price dispersion there is spectacular: the same Eley Tenex Pistol was listed at €18.00 at one dealer and €24.90 at another on 30 July 2026, a 38% spread on an identical reference4044.

Practice 9mm FMJ sits at €12.90 to €15.95 the box of 50, so €0.26 to €0.32 a round, with a case of 1,000 at €25945. At the same dealer, on the same day, the ratio against .22 LR is 1.6 — €7.99 against €12.90 the box of 504245.

So it is not a ratio of two: the per-round gap is about €0.10 to €0.13. ⚠️ Only one dealer returned a complete FMJ listing that day, and we flag that fragility.

On the 10 meter route, 4.5 mm pellets cost €0.011 to €0.018 for practice and €0.022 to €0.049 for match3746: about nine times less than .22 LR per shot. ⚠️ These prices come from a single dealer; the order of magnitude is robust, the precise range remains to be cross-checked.

One last useful marker: the firearm's share of the total collapses as the rate rises. Over 36 months, with a Buck Mark at €570 and €0.13 a round, the gun accounts for 55% of the spend at 100 rounds a month, 38% at 200 and 23% at 40021234044. A committed shooter should therefore settle the caliber before settling the model.

New or used: what the discount is really worth

Buying used saves money, but less than advertised and not always. We retained only pairs at identical reference, surveyed on 30 July 2026.

The observed discount therefore runs from 17 to 28% on identical references — and the last case shows it is not automatic: a sought-after model can list dearer used than new. The far wider discounts announced elsewhere hold on no pair in our survey.

Two methodological precautions, which we impose on ourselves here:

• Do not compare two generations. The only used Glock 17 surveyed was a Gen 3 RTF2 at €52531, against new Gen 5s: the computed gap would mean nothing.
• Look beyond the big brands. The used catalog also held a Unique MOD/D2 .22 LR at €349, an Anschütz 1451 P at €275, a CZ P09 .22 LR at €629 and a SIG Sauer P220 .22 LR at €5903031.

On procedure, one clarification is needed. Articles R313-24 to R313-26 require the dealer to consult the national file of persons prohibited from acquiring and holding firearms, to enter in their daily register "the category, type, make, model, caliber, serial number" and to record the buyer's identity from an official document with a photograph6.

That text describes the dealer's obligations when they are involved. It does not make their involvement compulsory in a private Category B transfer, and we found no article that does.

Glock, CZ, SIG: what the common 9mms are worth

The 9mm deserves looking at with the same quantities, if only to establish that the regulatory envelope says nothing about a firearm's vocation. The Glock 17 Gen5 weighs 708 to 710 g and its barrel measures 114 mm, for 17 rounds and €700 to €739323334. It is therefore very comfortably under the ISSF ceilings of 1,400 g and 153 mm — which does not make it a match pistol.

The CZ 75 Shadow 2 reasons the other way: 1,300 g, 119 mm barrel, 19-round magazine, €1,84935. A hundred grams under the 25 meter ceiling, so heavy without being outside the envelope. The top of the market exists mainly used: a SIG Sauer P226 X-Five was listed at €3,199, a Manurhin MR 73 in .357 Magnum at €2,19930.

The Glock range gives a useful scale: €579 for a 43 Gen3, €660 for a 43x, €699 for a 26 Gen5, €722 for a 17 Gen5 FS as for a 19 Gen5 FS, €768 for a 19X, €829 for a 17 MOS, €920 for a 34 MOS34. A .22 LR exists there too: the Glock 44 Gen5 at €539, €629 with a threaded barrel34.

On the events side, 9mm falls inside the caliber window of the 25 meter centerfire event, which the ISSF sets at 7.62 to 9.65 mm, single-shot pistols excluded14. The cost reads off the chart above: at 200 rounds a month for three years, 9mm comes to €1,088 more than .22 LR.

Ruger Mark IV or Buck Mark: which to choose

This is the most requested comparison, and it settles on homogeneous figures. Both models are in .22 LR, in Category B 1°, single action only, with a 10-round magazine and a 140 mm barrel2125. Weight separates them by 29 g: 980 g for the Buck Mark Standard URX, 1,009 g for the Mark IV Target on Ruger's sheet1721. Both are inside the ISSF 25 meter envelope.

Price, on the other hand, separates them not by 29 g but by €550: €529 to €610 against €1,120 to €1,12521232526. The Mark IV Target brings a receiver drilled for an optic25; that is the only published specification difference we were able to establish.

The real lesson lies elsewhere: the variant counts more than the brand. Inside the Buck Mark range, the barrel drops to 100 mm on the Black Label at €695.9524. At Ruger, the 22/45 Tactical is 112 mm for 944 g and €1,17927, and the Hunter climbs to 174 mm — outside the 25 meter envelope1828.

Choosing "a Buck Mark" or "a Mark IV" says nothing; choosing a precise reference says everything.

Trying a pistol at the club before buying

This is the most repeated advice on the subject, and the worst framed. The law is precise. Without a licence, article R312-43-1 provides that the persons concerned "may not take part in more than two introductory shooting sessions per twelve-month period"4. Two tries a year, then, and no more.

The federation adds the conditions of practice: the firearm is provided by the association, in Category B or C, and personal firearms are prohibited; handling takes place "under the direct supervision" of a qualified supervisor designated by the president; the FINIADA check goes strictly through the federal intranet ITAC10. In other words, you never try the gun you covet: you try the club's.

One asymmetry changes everything, and it is written into paragraph III of the same article: introductory sessions "using compressed-air firearms" are excluded from that cap4. Trying at 10 meters is therefore the only unrationed route before buying. Hence a trial strategy in three steps:

1. Try the air pistol, with no limit on the number of sessions, to validate the technique and the appetite.
2. Use your two firearm introductory sessions in the year, explicitly asking for different models.
3. Take the licence, which gives access to the club's firearms — USO Tir says so in its fee schedule50 — and shoot for several months before buying anything.

That last step is also the cheapest. AS Monts-Tir sells a half-day practice card for €1052, and membership at USO Tir gives access to firearms as well as gloves, jackets and trousers50.

On the 10 meter route, a new entry-level pistol costs €212 to €400 — €211.99 for a Weihrauch HW40 PCA at one dealer, €229.90 at another, €399.99 for an HW453839 — while match guns run from €1,529 to €2,8543738. The gap between the two worlds plays out within the same discipline.

Which pistol to start with: the essentials

Sources 62 references

Regulatory texts reread on Légifrance in their version in force; ISSF thresholds cross-checked between two editions eight years apart. Prices come from dealer surveys dated 30 July 2026 and are flagged as commercial, non-regulatory data. Click a note marker in the text to highlight the matching source.

1. Légifrance — article R311-2 of the code de la sécurité intérieure: Category B, II, 1° (handguns and firearms converted into handguns), Category C 4° (20 joules and over), Category D h (2 to 20 joules).
2. Légifrance — code de la sécurité intérieure, "Tir sportif" section: article R312-41-1 (six firearms for five years for a first-time holder), repeal of article R312-43 (shooting logbook) on 1 July 2020.
3. Légifrance — arrêté of 28 April 2020, article 3: participation, during the twelve months preceding the application, in three controlled shooting practice sessions at least two months apart.
4. Légifrance — article R312-43-1 of the code de la sécurité intérieure: two introductory shooting sessions per twelve-month period; paragraph III excluding compressed-air sessions from that cap.
5. Légifrance — article R314-3 of the code de la sécurité intérieure: Category A and B firearms kept in safes or strong cabinets suited to the type and number of items held, or in a strongroom; no certification required.
6. Légifrance — articles R313-24 to R313-26 of the code de la sécurité intérieure: dealer's obligation to consult the FINIADA, entries in the daily register, recording the buyer's identity from an official document with a photograph.
7. service-public.gouv.fr — factsheet F2250, Category B firearms for a sport shooter: prefectural answer within 3 months, silence amounting to refusal, quota of six firearms for a first-time holder, storage obligation.
8. service-public.gouv.fr — factsheet on firearm categories: Category D free, Category C on declaration, Category B on authorization.
9. FFTir — 2020, new regime for issuing prior opinions: three shoots at least two months apart, register kept by the association, prior opinion as trusted third party, abolition of the shooting logbook.
10. FFTir — introductory session guidance: firearm provided by the association, personal firearms prohibited, direct supervision by a qualified supervisor, FINIADA check through ITAC.
11. FFTir — 2025/2026 fee schedule: federal share of €69 for an adult and €49 for a young shooter.
12. FFTir — licence and clubs: 1,650 affiliated clubs, season from 1 September to 31 August, fees unchanged for 2026/2027.
13. FFTir — sporting management rules: federal codes 100 (10 m air pistol), 250 to 253 (25 m) and 500 (50 m pistol).
14. ISSF — Pistol Rules, edition 2025 (First Print 12/2025), effective 1 January 2026: table 8.12 (weight, trigger, barrel, sight radius, measuring box by event), lead or similar soft material projectiles only, caliber windows, exclusion of single-shot pistols at 25 m, single loading at 50 m. ⚠️ PDF hosted by a Spanish club, not by the ISSF's own site; values cross-checked against the 2018 French edition.
15. FFTir — French edition of the ISSF pistol rules, 2018: identical values to the 2025 edition on the five dimensions capped.
16. Assurance maladie — agreed fee for a sector 1 GP consultation: €30 at 1 January 2026.
17. Ruger — Mark IV Target specification sheet: 140 mm (5.5") barrel, 1,009 g, single action only, MSRP $689. Sight radius not published.
18. Ruger — Mark IV Hunter specification sheet: 174 mm barrel, 1,240 g, MSRP $1,019. Sight radius not published.
19. Walther — CSP Classic specification sheet: 150 mm barrel, 840 g, non-adjustable trigger of 1,000 g. Sight radius not published.
20. Collaborative encyclopedia — Browning Buck Mark: weight given as 964 g. ⚠️ Encyclopedic source, diverging from dealer figures.
21. L'Armurerie Française — Browning Buck Mark Standard URX, €529.00, 980 g, 140 mm barrel, 10 rounds, single action only, adjustable rear sight, surveyed 30 July 2026. ⚠️ Commercial source.
22. Armurerie Auxerre — Buck Mark Standard URX stainless, €584.90, surveyed 30 July 2026. ⚠️ Commercial source.
23. Armurerie Auxerre — Buck Mark Standard URX, €609.90, surveyed 30 July 2026. ⚠️ Commercial source.
24. French dealer — Buck Mark Black Label, 100 mm barrel, 1,000 g, €695.95, surveyed 30 July 2026. ⚠️ Commercial source.
25. Armurerie Auxerre — Ruger Mark IV Target, €1,119.95, single action only, receiver drilled for an optic, surveyed 30 July 2026. ⚠️ Commercial source.
26. Armurerie Douillet — Ruger Mark IV Target €1,125.00, SW22 Victory €715.00, Walther CSP Classic €1,386, Mauser HSR PP7 €399, Mauser 1911-22 €415, Mark IV Hunter €1,639, surveyed 30 July 2026. ⚠️ Commercial source.
27. French dealer — Ruger Mark IV 22/45 Tactical, 112 mm barrel, 944 g, €1,179, surveyed 30 July 2026. ⚠️ Commercial source.
28. French dealer — Ruger Mark IV Hunter, 175 mm barrel, €1,669, surveyed 30 July 2026. ⚠️ Commercial source.
29. Le Pistolier — Smith & Wesson SW22 Victory, €749.00, 1,021 g, 140 mm barrel, striker-fired, not in immediate stock, surveyed 30 July 2026. ⚠️ Commercial source.
30. French dealer, used catalog — Glock 19 Gen5 €549, Ruger Mark IV Hunter €1,350, CZ 75 Shadow 2 €2,699, SIG Sauer P226 X-Five €3,199, Manurhin MR 73 €2,199, Unique MOD/D2 €349, surveyed 30 July 2026. ⚠️ Commercial source.
31. French dealer, used catalog — Glock 44 threaded barrel €455, Glock 26 Gen5 FS €599, Glock 17 Gen 3 RTF2 €525, Anschütz 1451 P €275, CZ P09 .22 LR €629, SIG Sauer P220 .22 LR €590, surveyed 30 July 2026. ⚠️ Commercial source.
32. Armurerie Laudier — Glock 17 Gen5, €699.95, surveyed 30 July 2026. ⚠️ Commercial source; struck-through recommended price not retained.
33. French dealer — Glock 17 Gen5, €722.00, 708 to 710 g, 114 mm barrel, 17 rounds, surveyed 30 July 2026. ⚠️ Commercial source.
34. GunMarket — Glock range: 17 Gen5 €739, 43 Gen3 €579, 43x €660, 26 Gen5 €699, 19 Gen5 FS €722, 19X €768, 17 MOS €829, 34 MOS €920, 44 Gen5 €539, 44 threaded €629, surveyed 30 July 2026. ⚠️ Commercial source.
35. French dealer — CZ 75 Shadow 2, €1,849, 1,300 g, 119 mm barrel, 19 rounds, surveyed 30 July 2026. ⚠️ Commercial source.
36. French dealer — Pardini SP New, €2,449, 1,060 g, two five-round magazines and six counterweights, surveyed 30 July 2026. ⚠️ Commercial source, single dealer.
37. French dealer — 4.5 mm match pellets €0.022 to €0.049 a shot; 10 m match pistols €1,529 to €2,854, surveyed 30 July 2026. ⚠️ Commercial source, single dealer.
38. French dealer — Weihrauch HW40 PCA €211.99, HW45 €399.99, match pistols up to €2,854, surveyed 30 July 2026. ⚠️ Commercial source.
39. French dealer — Weihrauch HW40 PCA €229.90, muzzle energy 3.5 joules, "free sale to adults", surveyed 30 July 2026. ⚠️ Commercial source.
40. French dealer — .22 LR ammunition: box of 50 from €5.50, match from €9.50 to €25.50, Eley Tenex Pistol €18.00, surveyed 30 July 2026. ⚠️ Commercial source.
41. Armurerie Loisir — 500 CCI Standard Velocity .22 LR rounds, price surveyed 30 July 2026: €75.90 (down from €79.90), ten boxes of 50, 40-grain bullet, 326 m/s, so €7.59 per 50 by the case against €8.99 by the box. ⚠️ Commercial source.
42. Armurerie Centrale — .22 LR ammunition, prices surveyed 30 July 2026: ELEY Match €17.80 the box of 50, Geco Rifle €6.99, CCI Blazer €7.99, Norma Tac-22 Subsonic €7.90. ⚠️ Commercial source.
43. Armurerie Auxerre — Category C ammunition, 468 references, prices surveyed 30 July 2026: RWS Z Lang €8.65 per 50, Eley High Velocity Hollow €10.75, RWS High Velocity HP €11.50, CCI Suppressor €13.55. ⚠️ Commercial source.
44. Armurerie de la Bourse — Category C ammunition, 49 .22 LR references, prices surveyed 30 July 2026: Aguila Standard SP €5.50 per 50, Sellier & Bellot Club €6.00, Geco €7.00, CCI Standard €8.00, Eley Tenex Pistol €24.90; cases of 500 from €59.90 (Remington Thunderbolt) to €78.90 (Winchester T22), so €0.12 to €0.16 a round. ⚠️ Commercial source.
45. Armurerie Centrale — 9x19 ammunition, prices surveyed 30 July 2026: Fiocchi FMJ 123gr €12.90 per 50, STV Scorpio FMJ €13.90, Fiocchi FMJ 115gr €13.90, Geco FMJ 124gr €14.49, Norma Range & Training €14.90; case of 1,000 at €259. ⚠️ Commercial source, the only complete FMJ listing returned that day.
46. Armurerie Loisir — 4.5 mm pellets, prices surveyed 30 July 2026: boxes of 500 from €5.50 (Swiss Arms pointed) to €8.90 (H&N Sport) for practice, so €0.011 to €0.018 a pellet; RWS Meisterkugeln €10.99, Norma S-Target Match €11.10, RWS R10 Match €14.90 for match. ⚠️ Commercial source.
47. Armurerie Loisir — gun safes and strong cabinets, prices surveyed 30 July 2026: handgun safes Fortify Delta 1 €115.00, Fortify SC6 €249.00, Infac C3A €259.00. ⚠️ Commercial source.
48. Safepro24 France — handgun safes, prices surveyed 30 July 2026: Rottner GunBox €68.90, Profirst Patrol 2 guns €168.00, Profirst NY 2 €289.00, Profirst Teos 40 S1 €317.80, Rottner Gunmaster XL €392.80, Profirst Pistol EN0 EL €520.80 — the EN 0 certified models being the ones that pass €500. ⚠️ Commercial source.
49. Armurerie Loisir — hearing protection, prices surveyed 30 July 2026: foam plugs €3.00, elastomer plugs €5.99, passive muffs Real Hunter €14.90 to €29.90, Browning Compact €29.99, 3M Peltor €39.90 to €49.90, electronic models up to €350. ⚠️ Commercial source.
50. USO Tir, FFTir-affiliated club — 2026-2027 season fees, in force from 1 September 2026: adult men €165, women €155, young shooters €130 and €120; the fees include the federal licence, and membership gives access to the club's firearms as well as gloves, jackets and trousers.
51. Les Tireurs du Loch, FFTir-affiliated club — membership and fees, 2026-2027 season, registration open from 1 September 2026: adults €200, young shooters aged 9 to 20 €110, second club €110, joining fee €50 per family; medical certificate, identity document and proof of address required at registration.
52. AS Monts-Tir, FFTir-affiliated club — licence and fees, 2026-2027 season, from 1 September 2026 to 31 August 2027: adult €205 for a new membership and €175 on renewal, young shooter €155 and €120, half-day practice card €10.
53. Place des Armes — which firearm to start sport shooting with, published 13 April 2026: three-step progression, table comparing distance, recoil, noise, price and acquisition delay, budget by year. ⚠️ Commercial source, cited to characterize what competing guides do and do not publish.
54. Tir Sportif Chabris — which pistol to choose to start sport shooting, page consulted 30 July 2026, with no publication or update date shown. ⚠️ Community source, cited for the same purpose.
55. Tir Sportif Chabris — top 5 .22 LR pistols for sport shooting, page consulted 30 July 2026, undated: Ruger Mark IV, Browning Buck Mark, Smith & Wesson Model 41, CZ 75 Kadet, S&W Victory discussed. ⚠️ Community source, no dimensions or dated prices.
56. Clays Shooting / Perfect Shooting — pistol shooting, choosing your ideal firearm in 2025, page consulted 30 July 2026: three-axis decision frame, semi-automatic against revolver table. ⚠️ Commercial source.
57. A2T Pro — which firearm to choose to start sport shooting, published 19 March 2026: eleven-part plan, comparison table of .22 LR pistol / .22 LR rifle / air pistol. ⚠️ Commercial source; the comparison covers types of firearm, not models.
58. Decathlon, Conseils Sport — which firearm to choose to start sport shooting?, page consulted 30 July 2026, undated: overview of the twelve disciplines, Category B and C frame, licence conditions. ⚠️ Commercial source.
59. Sénat — written question no. 02063 from Mme Dominique Vérien, published in the JO Sénat of 31 October 2024 p. 4245, answer from the ministry of sport published in the JO Sénat of 5 December 2024 p. 4746: the sports medical certificate is not a treatment act listed in the schedule, its pricing is free and it gives no right to reimbursement.
60. Légifrance — article L312-1 of the code de la sécurité intérieure, version in force since 21 June 2019: "No one may lawfully acquire and hold war materiel, firearms, ammunition and their components of any category unless aged eighteen", subject to exceptions defined by decree.
61. Légifrance — article R312-52 of the code de la sécurité intérieure, version in force since 6 July 2023: holding of firearms of h and h bis of Category D by a minor over nine, subject to a current shooting licence and the authorization of a person with parental authority not entered in the FINIADA.
62. Légifrance — article R312-1 of the code de la sécurité intérieure, version in force since 10 February 2022: "The sale to minors of war materiel, firearms, ammunition and their components is prohibited"; acquisition made by the person with parental authority on production of the licence in the minor's name.