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Which pistol for which FFTir discipline?

Published on · Updated on · 8 min read · Anthony Baillon

Each discipline sets a caliber, a barrel, a trigger and sights, never a model. Four families of handguns follow: the air pistol for 10 m, .22 LR for 25 and 50 m, 9mm for practical shooting (TSV) and TAR, the revolver for TAR and metallic silhouette.

At a glance

Pistol Events open What fails it most
4.5 mm air pistol 10 m Box of 420 × 200 × 50 mm
.22 LR 25 m rimfire, 50 m, silhouette 153 mm barrel, single-shot firearm at 25 m
9mm TSV, TAR, 25 m centerfire 13 cm barrel in TAR, jacketed bullet at 25 m
.38 or .357 revolver TAR, 25 m centerfire, silhouette 15.5 cm barrel in TAR
  • At equipment control: caliber, barrel, trigger weight, sights and, at ISSF events, the measuring box.
  • Ammunition: from €26 to €48 a year with an air pistol, up to €1,051 to €1,416 in .38 Special, at 200 rounds a month.
Eligibility thresholds by event: 500 g of trigger weight for the 10 m pistol, 1,000 g and a 153 mm barrel at ISSF 25 m with a sight radius of 220 mm at most, no minimum trigger weight at 50 m, and 1,360 g of trigger weight with a 130 mm barrel in TAR pistol, 155 mm in TAR revolver.
The same firearm can pass at 25 m and fail in TAR: trigger and barrel do not have the same thresholds there. © Oplo
Eligibility limits by event: 500 g trigger in 10 m pistol, 1,000 g and a 153 mm barrel in ISSF 25 m with a sight radius of 220 mm at most, no minimum trigger in 50 m, and a 1,360 g trigger with a 130 mm barrel in TAR pistol, 155 mm in TAR revolver.
The same firearm can enter 25 m and leave TAR: trigger and barrel do not have the same limits there. © Oplo

Pistol by FFTir discipline: the table of thresholds

Every handgun falls in Category B, whatever the discipline1. Each discipline's rulebook then sets its own thresholds.

Event (FFTir code) Caliber Min. trigger Max. barrel Sights
10 m pistol (100) 4.5 mm, air 500 g Box of 420 × 200 × 50 mm Open
25 m pistol, rapid fire, standard (252, 253, 250) .22 LR, except single-shot 1,000 g 153 mm Open, 220 mm at most
25 m centerfire pistol (251) 7.62 to 9.65 mm, lead bullet 1,000 g 153 mm Open, 220 mm at most
50 m pistol (500) .22 LR, one round at a time None Free Open
TAR, pistol (830, 831, 832) 7.62 to 11.60 mm, jacketed bullet 1,360 g 13 cm Fixed and open
TAR, revolver (830, 831, 832) 7.62 to 11.60 mm, jacketed bullet 1,360 g 15.5 cm Fixed and open
TSV, Handgun 9x19 minimum Depends on division 127 mm in Production Depends on division

Sources: codes from the sporting management rules2, ISSF pistol rules3, TAR rulebook4, IPSC rules5.

At ISSF events, sights are open: no optic, no red dot, no fiber optic3. At 25 m, the firearm fits in a box of 300 × 150 × 50 mm and weighs 1,400 g at most, empty magazine included; compensators and muzzle brakes are prohibited there3. Event 251 is reserved for the senior categories S1, S2 and S32.

The minimum trigger weight, discipline by discipline

Minimum pistol trigger weight, in grams, under each discipline's rulebook; 50 m pistol imposes none

TSV, Production divisionTAR 830, 831, 832ISSF 25 m pistol10 m pistolIPSC Production and Production Optics — 2,270 g on the first shot, or 1,360 g on every shotTAR — 1,360 g for all handguns25 m, rimfire and centerfire — 1,000 g10 m air pistol — 500 g2,270 g1,360 g1,000 g500 g0 g625 g1,250 g1,875 g2,500 g

The Production division also accepts 1,360 g on every shot instead of 2,270 g on the first shot5. The other practical shooting divisions impose no minimum5. Values from the 2025-2026 TAR rulebook4 and the ISSF rules in force at 1 July 20263.

View the data
DisciplineMinimum triggerMaximum weight
TSV, Production division2,270 g on the first shot, or 1,360 g on every shotNot limited
TAR 830, 831, 8321,360 gNot limited
ISSF 25 m pistol1,000 g1,400 g
10 m pistol500 g1,500 g
50 m pistolNoneNone

Four families of pistols, pros and cons

New prices surveyed on 24 September 2026 at two or more French gun shops per model.

The 10 m air pistol

Events open: 10 m pistol, and the federal 10 m rapid fire and standard events2. A match pistol costs €1,619 to €1,689 for a Steyr LP2, €2,499 to €2,589 for a Steyr LP501415.

Pros

  • No authorization, no safe: Category D from 2 to 20 joules1.
  • The cheapest ammunition: €5.50 to €9.90 per 500 pellets, so €26 to €48 a year at 200 shots a month16.

Cons

  • 10 m only.
  • A box of 420 × 200 × 50 mm and 1,500 g at most3: a leisure pistol does not always fit.

The .22 LR pistol

Events open: 25 m pistol, rapid fire, standard pistol, 50 m pistol, small-bore metallic silhouette23. From €589 to €610 for a Browning Buck Mark Standard URX, €1,299 to €1,386 for a Walther CSP Classic match pistol678.

Pros

  • Every precision event at 25 and 50 m.
  • €0.13 a round by the case17, €312 a year at 200 rounds a month.

Cons

  • Closed to TAR and TSV, which require centerfire45.
  • At 25 m, neither a single-shot firearm nor a barrel over 153 mm3.

The 9mm pistol

Events open: TSV, TAR 830 and 831, 25 m centerfire pistol with lead bullets245. From €699 to €739 for a Glock 17 Gen5, €1,830 to €1,867 for a CZ Shadow 291011.

Pros

  • The entry caliber for TSV: the IPSC sets 9x19 as the minimum cartridge5.
  • Named by TAR among the permitted calibers4.

Cons

  • Two rulebooks at odds on the bullet: jacketed in TAR, lead only at 25 m centerfire43.
  • Long versions fall outside TAR: the Glock 34 and 35 are named there as not allowed4.
  • €0.26 a round, €624 a year at 200 rounds a month18.

The detail by model is in our comparison of competition 9mm pistols.

The .38 Special or .357 Magnum revolver

Events open: TAR 830, 831 and 832, 25 m centerfire pistol, revolver metallic silhouette234. From €1,425 to €1,428 for a Smith & Wesson 686 Plus 6″, €1,589 to €1,690 for a Ruger GP100 6″, €2,895 to €2,955 for a Manurhin MR73 Sport 5¼″1213.

Pros

  • A longer barrel admitted in TAR: 15.5 cm against 13 cm for a pistol4.
  • A .357 Magnum shoots in TAR with .38 Special cartridges4.
  • A lead wadcutter cartridge exists in .38 Special for 25 m centerfire193.

Cons

  • Absent from the national TSV program, which has no revolver division2.
  • The most expensive ammunition: €0.44 to €0.59 a round by the box of 5019, €1,051 to €1,416 a year at 200 rounds a month.
  • A compensated model falls outside TAR: the rulebook prohibits any recoil compensation system4.

What disqualifies a pistol at FFTir equipment control

At equipment control, the firearm is measured, not judged on its brand. What most often fails a firearm that is otherwise lawfully held:

  • A caliber out of range: a 9mm at 25 m rimfire, a .22 LR in TAR.
  • A barrel too long: over 13 cm in TAR for a pistol, 127 mm in the Production division, 153 mm at ISSF 25 m453.
  • A trigger too light: under 500 g at 10 m, 1,000 g at 25 m, 1,360 g in TAR; at 25 m, the weight is also checked after the last series34.
  • Non-compliant sights: optic, red dot or fiber optic at ISSF events and in TAR34.
  • Competition add-ons in TAR: compensator, counterweight, Picatinny rail above the barrel, protruding magazine well, palm-rest grip4.
  • The ammunition: jacketed at ISSF 25 m, lead in TAR34.

The detail of factory trigger weights is in our pistol trigger guide.

Budget by discipline: €26 to €1,416 of ammunition a year

Beyond the firearm, ammunition decides the yearly cost, at 200 rounds a month:

Pistol Price per round Ammunition a year Safe
4.5 mm air pistol €0.01 to €0.02 (box of 500) €26 to €4816 No
.22 LR €0.13 (case of 400 to 500) €31217 €115 to €28920
9mm FMJ €0.26 €62418 €115 to €289
.38 Special €0.44 to €0.59 (box of 50) €1,051 to €1,41619 €115 to €289

On top of that come, each year, the license and club, €165 to €320 the first year and then €165 to €2702122, and the medical certificate, about €3023. For a Category B firearm, the purchase comes four to seven months after the license2425. The detail is in our article on the cost of the first year of sport shooting.

Choosing a pistol by the discipline you aim at

What you gain, what you give up

For 10 m, the air pistol is bought without an authorization and is the cheapest to use. In return, it only serves at that distance.

For precision at 25 and 50 m, the .22 LR pistol opens every ISSF rimfire event. In return, it closes TAR and TSV.

For TSV and TAR, the 9mm pistol is the only one to open both. In return, the same pistol often changes configuration between them: sights, magazine well, jacketed ammunition or not.

For TAR and silhouette with a revolver, .38 Special or .357 Magnum also open 25 m centerfire. In return, the revolver has no division in the national TSV program, and its ammunition costs twice that of 9mm.

Choosing a first pistol is covered in our guide to choosing a first sport shooting pistol.

Three misconceptions about pistols and disciplines

  • "A TSV pistol works in TAR." TAR prohibits fiber optics, compensators, protruding magazine wells and barrels over 13 cm; it names the Glock 34 among the firearms not allowed4.
  • "TSV has no barrel limit." The Production division caps the barrel at 127 mm5: a Glock 34, at 135 mm, does not fit.
  • "A single-shot .22 LR pistol works everywhere in precision." At 25 m, single-shot firearms are excluded; only 50 m is shot one round at a time3.
Sources 26 references

Thresholds come from each discipline's rulebook in force, in the edition stated; prices from dated surveys at several French gun shops. Click a note call in the text to highlight the corresponding source.

  1. Légifrance — article R311-2 du code de la sécurité intérieure (in French), version of 7 September 2025: Category B, 1° « Armes à feu de poing et armes converties en armes de poing non comprises dans les autres catégories » [handguns and firearms converted into handguns not included in the other categories]; Category D, air guns from 2 to 20 joules.
  2. Fédération française de tir — Règlement de gestion sportive 2025-2026, vie nationale (PDF, in French, V3 of 23 March 2026), reread on 24 September 2026: "100 - Pistolet 10 m", "102 - Pistolet vitesse 5 Cibles 10 m", "103 - Pistolet standard 10 m", "253 - Pistolet vitesse 25 m", "250 - Pistolet standard 25 m", "252 - Pistolet 25 m", "251 - Pistolet percussion centrale 25 m : S1, S2, S3", "500 - Pistolet 50 m"; metallic silhouette, events 400 to 403 in large bore and 404 to 407 in small bore, including "Revolver position libre"; TAR 830, 831 and 832; TSV "HANDGUN : Open, Standard, Classic, Production, Production Optic, PCC", reserved for authorized clubs.
  3. Fédération française de tir — Règles Pistolet ISSF, édition 2025, 2e impression en vigueur au 1er juillet 2026 (PDF, in French, update of 04/07/2026), reread on 24 September 2026: table 8.12 (10 m, 1,500 g and 500 g, box 420 × 200 × 50; 25 m, 1,400 g and 1,000 g, box 300 × 150 × 50, barrel 153 mm, sight radius 220 mm, compensators prohibited; 50 m, no limitation, a single round); 8.4.1.2 a (open sights only); 8.4.2.3 (trigger check after the last series); 8.4.3.1 c (revolver barrel measured without the cylinder); 8.4.3.2 and 8.4.3.3 (single-shot pistols excluded at 25 m, 7.62 to 9.65 mm in centerfire); 8.4.4 (jacketed projectiles prohibited).
  4. Fédération française de tir — Règlement TAR, saison 2025-2026 (PDF, in French, circulated 12 January 2026), reread on 24 September 2026: centerfire, 7.62 to 11.60 mm; pistol barrel of 13 cm at most, threading included; revolvers over 15.5 cm not allowed outside appendix 832; trigger of 1.360 kg; fixed open sights, laser and fiber optic prohibited; counterweights, « systèmes de compensation de recul » [recoil compensation systems], protruding magazine wells, Picatinny rail above the barrel, palm-rest grips prohibited; "GLOCK 34 et 35" named; 9mm Parabellum and .38 Special permitted, « 357 Magnum […] si elles utilisent la munition de 38 Spécial » [if they use .38 Special ammunition]; projectiles « chemisés, pelliculés » [jacketed, plated], lead bullets prohibited.
  5. IPSC — IPSC Handgun Competition Rules, Jan 2026 Edition, link published by the official IPSC Rule Books page, reread on 24 September 2026: 5.1.2, 9x19 minimum; appendix D4 Production, trigger of 2.27 kg on the first shot or 1.36 kg on every shot, barrel of 127 mm at most; no minimum trigger in appendices D1, D2 and D3; appendix D5, Revolver division.
  6. Armurerie Douillet — pistolets et revolvers .22 LR (in French), surveyed on 24 September 2026: Buck Mark Standard URX €589.00, Walther CSP Classic €1,386.00. ⚠️ Commercial data.
  7. Armurerie Auxerre — Browning Buck Mark Standard URX (in French), surveyed on 24 September 2026: €609.90. ⚠️ Commercial data.
  8. Armurerie de Strasbourg (recht.fr) — pistolets .22 LR compétition (in French), surveyed on 24 September 2026: Walther CSP Classic €1,299.00. ⚠️ Commercial data.
  9. Armurerie FMR — pistolets (in French), surveyed on 24 September 2026: Glock 17 Gen5 FS €699.00, CZ Shadow 2 9x19 €1,830.00. ⚠️ Commercial data.
  10. GunMarket — Glock 17 Gen5 cal. 9x19 (in French), surveyed on 24 September 2026: €739.00. ⚠️ Commercial data.
  11. Armurerie Auxerre — CZ Shadow 2 Black 9x19 (in French), surveyed on 24 September 2026: €1,866.75. ⚠️ Commercial data.
  12. Armurerie Douillet — revolvers de catégorie B (in French), surveyed on 24 September 2026: S&W 686 Plus Luxe .357 6″ barrel €1,428.00, Ruger GP100 .357 6″ stainless €1,589.00, Manurhin MR73 Sport 5″1/4 .38/.357 €2,955.00. ⚠️ Commercial data.
  13. Armurerie FMR — revolvers (in French), surveyed on 24 September 2026: S&W 686 Plus Luxe wooden grip 6″ €1,425.00, Ruger GP100 .357 6″ stainless €1,690.00, Manurhin MR 73 Sport 5 1/4″ €2,895.00. ⚠️ Commercial data.
  14. ABC Shootings — pistolets à air (in French), surveyed on 24 September 2026: Steyr LP2 €1,689.00, Steyr LP50 €2,499.00. ⚠️ Commercial data.
  15. Frankonia — armes de poing, tir sportif 10 m (in French), surveyed on 24 September 2026: Steyr LP 2 €1,618.99, Steyr LP 50 €2,589.00. ⚠️ Commercial data.
  16. Armurerie Loisir — plombs 4,5 mm (in French), surveyed on 24 September 2026: Swiss Arms pointed €5.50 per 500, Elite Airgun flat €9.90 per 500. ⚠️ Commercial data.
  17. Armurerie de la Bourse — munitions .22 LR (in French), survey of 30 July 2026: SK Magazine €57.00 per 500. ⚠️ Commercial data.
  18. Armurerie Centrale — munitions 9x19 (in French), surveyed on 24 September 2026: Fiocchi FMJ €12.90 per 50, STV Scorpio FMJ €259.00 per 1,000. ⚠️ Commercial data.
  19. Armurerie Centrale — munitions .38 Spécial (in French), surveyed on 24 September 2026: Geco FMJ €21.90, Geco Wad Cutter €22.50, Fiocchi Wad Cutter €22.90, STV Scorpio FMJ €29.50, per 50. ⚠️ Commercial data surveyed at a single dealer.
  20. Armurerie Loisir — coffres-forts et armoires fortes (in French), survey of 23 September 2026: handgun safes from €115.00 to €259.00. ⚠️ Commercial data. Safepro24 France — coffres-forts pour armes de poing (in French), survey of 24 September 2026: Profirst NY 2 €289.00, the ceiling used across the site.
  21. USO Tir, FFTir-affiliated club — tarifs, saison 2026-2027 (in French): adults €165, licence and subscription included.
  22. Tir Club Alpin — inscription et tarifs (in French), 2026-2027 season: €318 for a new member, €268 on renewal.
  23. Assurance maladie — tarifs conventionnels des médecins (in French): GP consultation, €30.00 at 1 January 2026.
  24. Légifrance — arrêté du 28 avril 2020 (in French), article 3: three controlled sessions at least two months apart during the twelve months preceding the application.
  25. Service-public.gouv.fr — armes de catégorie B pour un tireur sportif (in French), factsheet F2250 checked on 20 March 2025: three months of silence from the prefecture amount to refusal.
  26. GLOCK — G17 Gen5 specifications, consulted on 30 July 2026: barrel 114 mm, trigger 26 N.

The rules in force prevail. Sporting management rules and TAR rulebook for the 2025-2026 season, ISSF rules in force at 1 July 2026, IPSC rules of January 2026; prices of 24 September 2026. The applicable edition is confirmed by the club, and the eligibility of an individual firearm at equipment control.

Frequently asked questions

Which pistol for which FFTir discipline?

It depends on the event. The 4.5 mm air pistol serves 10 m. The .22 LR pistol opens the 25 m rimfire events and 50 m. The 9mm pistol opens practical shooting, TAR, and 25 m centerfire with lead bullets. The .38 Special or .357 Magnum revolver opens TAR, 25 m centerfire and metallic silhouette.

Is a Glock 17 admitted in TAR?

Its published dimensions fit the rulebook: 9mm Parabellum, a 114 mm barrel against 13 cm allowed, a 26 N trigger, so 2,650 g, above the 1,360 g required. The long-barrel Glock 34 and 35, on the other hand, are named by the rulebook as firearms not allowed. Equipment control rules on the individual firearm presented.

Can you shoot .22 LR pistol in TAR?

No: TAR admits only centerfire handguns, from 7.62 to 11.60 mm. .22 LR does open 25 m pistol, rapid fire, standard pistol and 50 m pistol, as well as the small-bore metallic silhouette events.

Is a 9mm pistol admitted at 25 m centerfire?

The caliber, yes: the event admits 7.62 to 9.65 mm. The common ammunition, no: projectiles must be lead or soft material, and the jacketed bullet of an FMJ cartridge is prohibited. Event 251 is also reserved for the senior categories.

What is the maximum barrel length in TAR?

13 cm for a pistol, threading included, and 15.5 cm for a revolver, except for the firearms on the list for event 832, the authentic-firearms event. At ISSF 25 m, the limit is 153 mm, measured from the muzzle to the breech face, without the cylinder for a revolver.

Is the revolver admitted in practical shooting (TSV)?

The IPSC has a Revolver division, but the federation's national program has none: its pistol divisions are Open, Standard, Classic, Production and Production Optic. The revolver finds its place in TAR, 25 m centerfire and metallic silhouette, which have their revolver events.

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