The official dimensions of sport shooting targets
Published on · 24 min read · Anthony Baillon
At 10 meters, the 10 ring measures 11.5 mm on the pistol target and 0.5 mm on the rifle target — a white dot. These official dimensions of sport shooting targets are set out in the ISSF rulebook, 2025 edition, in force since 1 July 2026, discipline by discipline.
The official dimensions of ISSF targets
The page leading on this query gives a card size in centimeters — 10 × 10, 17 × 17, 52 × 52 — and stops there: no ring in millimeters, no rule number, no tolerance, no date8. The rare more serious pages stay single-discipline or scattered, with no consolidated table and no edition1011. Yet the real dimension of a target is not its card: it is its ring layout, set to the tenth of a millimeter.
That layout comes from a single text: the ISSF rulebook — ISSF Rule Book, general technical rules 6.3.1 to 6.3.4 — in its 2025 edition (Second Print), in force since 1 July 202613. The change of edition did not move the figures: they are strictly identical in the First Print of December 2025, checked PDF against PDF2. The French federation publishes a French translation of the general technical rules and carries these targets over into its own rulebooks47.
Before the numbers, five words that half the pages online confuse4:
- The card: the paper backing, sold in a format (17 × 17 cm, for instance). It is what you buy by the packet.
- The aiming area and the black: the target printed on that card, and the central black zone used to aim.
- The ring: each scoring band, numbered from 1 at the edge to 10 at the center.
- The inner ten: a circle drawn inside the 10, which separates tied shooters without adding a point.
- The ring line: the stroke that draws each ring; its thickness is standardized too.
The table below brings together the seven official targets set out in this article, from 10 to 300 meters. Each row refers to its rule, before the ring-by-ring detail that follows14.
| Target (distance) | 10 ring | Spacing | Inner ten | Black | Minimum card | ISSF rule |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10 m rifle | 0.5 mm | 5 mm | — | 30.5 mm | 80 × 80 mm | 6.3.4.3 |
| 10 m pistol | 11.5 mm | 16 mm | 5.0 mm | 59.5 mm | 170 × 170 mm | 6.3.4.6 |
| 50 m rifle | 10.4 mm | 16 mm | 5.0 mm | 112.4 mm | 250 × 250 mm | 6.3.4.2 |
| 25 and 50 m pistol | 50 mm | 50 mm | 25 mm | 200 mm | 550 × 520-550 mm | 6.3.4.5 |
| 25 m rapid fire pistol | 100 mm | 80 mm | 50 mm | 500 mm | 550 × 520-550 mm | 6.3.4.4 |
| 300 m rifle | 100 mm | 100 mm | 50 mm | 600 mm | 1,300 × 1,300 mm | 6.3.4.1 |
| 50 m running target | 60 mm | 34 mm | 30 mm | Ø 94 mm (aiming mark) | — | 6.3.4.7 |
The dash "—" marks a figure that does not apply: the 10 m rifle target has no distinct inner ten, its 10 already being a dot of 0.5 mm, and the 50 m running target carries an aiming mark rather than a conventional black. The sections that follow unfold each target.
The 10 m pistol target, ring by ring
The air pistol target (rule 6.3.4.6) is the most consulted. Its 10 ring is 11.5 mm, and each following ring grows by a regular spacing of 16 mm14. The inner ten, at the center, measures 5.0 mm: it is a subdivision that separates, not the 10 ring. The black extends over 59.5 mm, from the edge of the 7 ring in to the center.
| Ring | Diameter | Tolerance |
|---|---|---|
| Inner ten | 5.0 mm | ± 0.1 mm |
| 10 | 11.5 mm | ± 0.1 mm |
| 9 | 27.5 mm | ± 0.1 mm |
| 8 | 43.5 mm | ± 0.2 mm |
| 7 | 59.5 mm | ± 0.5 mm |
| 6 | 75.5 mm | ± 0.5 mm |
| 5 | 91.5 mm | ± 0.5 mm |
| 4 | 107.5 mm | ± 0.5 mm |
| 3 | 123.5 mm | ± 0.5 mm |
| 2 | 139.5 mm | ± 0.5 mm |
| 1 | 155.5 mm | ± 0.5 mm |
The ring lines measure 0.1 to 0.2 mm, and the minimum visible card is 170 × 170 mm1. That is the format retailers sell as "17 × 17 cm"8, and which a guide devoted to the 10 m pistol cites correctly, as it does the height, without ever giving a single ring dimension10.
The 10 m rifle target: the white dot
Here is the figure that surprises most, and that no general-audience guide puts forward: on the 10 meter rifle target, the 10 ring is a white dot of 0.5 mm, at the exact center of the black. The French translation is explicit — "the 10 is a white dot = 0.5 mm (±0.1 mm)"41. Not a small black circle: a white dot. At that diameter you do not aim at a visible ring; the 10 is scored when the measuring gauge has made all the white disappear.
The remaining rings progress by a spacing of only 5 mm, the tightest of any discipline: the 9 is 5.5 mm, the 8 is 10.5 mm, the 1 at the edge 45.5 mm14. Every tolerance is ± 0.1 mm. The black measures 30.5 mm: it covers rings 4 to 9 and encloses the central white dot.
| Ring | Diameter | Tolerance |
|---|---|---|
| 10 (white dot) | 0.5 mm | ± 0.1 mm |
| 9 | 5.5 mm | ± 0.1 mm |
| 8 | 10.5 mm | ± 0.1 mm |
| 7 | 15.5 mm | ± 0.1 mm |
| 6 | 20.5 mm | ± 0.1 mm |
| 5 | 25.5 mm | ± 0.1 mm |
| 4 | 30.5 mm | ± 0.1 mm |
| 3 | 35.5 mm | ± 0.1 mm |
| 2 | 40.5 mm | ± 0.1 mm |
| 1 | 45.5 mm | ± 0.1 mm |
On the backing, the minimum ISSF figure is 80 × 80 mm, with a recommended 170 × 170 mm background of the same color1. Beware the commercial trap: targets sold as "10 × 10 cm" give the card format, not the ISSF figure8.
The 10 ring and the inner ten: the two 10 meter targets
Diameter in millimeters of the 10 and the inner ten — ISSF rules 6.3.4.6 (pistol) and 6.3.4.3 (rifle), 2025 edition
The rifle's 10 is not a ring but a white dot: it is not scored by diameter, but when the gauge has made all the white disappear1. The pistol's inner ten (5.0 mm) is a subdivision that separates tied shooters — not to be confused with the 10 ring, which is 11.5 mm14.
Voir les données
| 10 m target | Feature | Diameter | Tolerance | ISSF rule |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pistol | 10 ring | 11.5 mm | ± 0.1 mm | 6.3.4.6 |
| Pistol | Inner ten | 5.0 mm | ± 0.1 mm | 6.3.4.6 |
| Rifle | 10 ring (white dot) | 0.5 mm | ± 0.1 mm | 6.3.4.3 |
Putting the two 10 meter targets side by side gives the most telling contrast in precision shooting. The pistol's 10 ring is 11.5 mm; the rifle's, 0.5 mm. A ratio of 231. At the same distance, the rifle shooter aims at a target twenty-three times finer at its center.
The 10 ring is not the inner ten. You sometimes read that "the inner ten of the 10 m pistol target is 11.5 mm". That is wrong: 11.5 mm is the 10 ring. The inner ten is 5.0 mm. The two circles are concentric, but only the first counts for the score; the second comes out of the shadows only in the event of a tie. And on the 10 m rifle target there is no numbered inner ten at all.
The 25 m targets: precision and rapid fire
At 25 meters there is not one target but two, depending on the event. The precision target (rule 6.3.4.5) is the same as the 50 m pistol target: 10 ring of 50 mm, inner ten of 25 mm, black of 200 mm, regular spacing of 50 mm14. Its card is 550 mm wide by 520 to 550 mm high.
The rapid fire target (rule 6.3.4.4) is different: it counts only six rings, from 10 down to 51. Its 10 ring is 100 mm, its inner ten 50 mm, its spacing climbs to 80 mm. Below the 5, it is zero. Two white aiming lines of 125 × 5 mm replace the numbers, on either side of the 500 mm black.
- Precision: target 6.3.4.5, ten rings, 10 ring of 50 mm — shared with the 50 m pistol.
- Rapid fire: target 6.3.4.4, six rings (10 to 5), 10 ring of 100 mm, two white aiming lines.
50 m and 300 m targets: pistol and rifle
At 50 meters, three targets coexist, one per family of use14:
- 50 m rifle (6.3.4.2): 10 ring of 10.4 mm — not 10 mm, the rounding is a common error — spacing of 16 mm, inner ten of 5 mm, black of 112.4 mm, card of 250 × 250 mm (inserts of 200 × 200 mm allowed).
- 50 m pistol: no target of its own, it is shot on the precision target 6.3.4.5, 10 ring of 50 mm.
- 50 m running target (6.3.4.7): inherited from running boar, 10 ring of 60 mm, spacing of 34 mm, and a black aiming mark of 94 mm rather than a conventional black.
The 300 m rifle (6.3.4.1) changes scale: 10 ring of 100 mm, spacing of 100 mm, inner ten of 50 mm, card of 1,300 × 1,300 mm — or 1,020 × 1,020 mm on a background of the same color1. The running target carries on a single card two targets ringed 1 to 10 on either side of the aiming mark, the center of the 10 sitting 453 mm from that mark1.
The caliber does not change the target's dimensions: it is the distance and the discipline that set them. For the choice of caliber itself, we compared 9mm and .22 LR for beginners.
One last figure changes with distance, and it is cross-discipline: the height of the center of the target above the firing point.
The height of the center is not always 1.40 m
Height of the center of the 10 ring above the firing point, nominal value in meters — ISSF rule 6.4.6.1
Tolerances widen with distance: ± 0.05 m at 10 m, but ± 0.50 m at 50 m and ± 4.00 m at 300 m, a feature of long-range ranges1. At 10 m, the 1.40 m value is confirmed by the French federation's shooting-school rulebook5.
Voir les données
| Distance | Height of center | Tolerance | ISSF rule |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10 m | 1.40 m | ± 0.05 m | 6.4.6.1 |
| 25 m | 1.40 m | +0.10 / -0.20 m | 6.4.6.1 |
| 50 m | 0.75 m | ± 0.50 m | 6.4.6.1 |
| 300 m | 3.00 m | ± 4.00 m | 6.4.6.1 |
ISSF rule 6.4.6.1 sets 1.40 m at 10 and 25 meters, but 0.75 m at 50 meters and 3.00 m at 300 meters1. The height is measured at the center of the 10 ring. At 10 meters, the French federation's shooting-school rulebook confirms it word for word — "height of the center of the targets: standing: 1.40 m +/- 0.05 m" — and lowers the center to 0.60 m for the prone and kneeling positions5. Even a general-audience guide cites rule 6.4.6.1 correctly here10.
"The target is always at 1.40 m" is false. The claim holds for 10 m and 25 m, not beyond. At 50 meters the center drops to 0.75 m; at 300 meters it rises to 3.00 m, with a tolerance of ± 4.00 m specific to long-range ranges1. Taking "1.40 m" as a constant means being wrong at two distances.
C50, TAR and French targets
This section describes French targets. Everything above comes from the ISSF rulebook and applies wherever ISSF disciplines are shot. What follows belongs to tir aux armes réglementaires (TAR), the French service-firearm discipline run by the FFTir, the French shooting federation. Some of its targets derive from the ISSF; others exist only in France and have no equivalent elsewhere.
The French service-firearm discipline uses a set of targets that nobody documents elsewhere6. Some derive from the ISSF, others are France-specific — the distinction matters.
The C 50 is the French name for the ISSF 25 and 50 m pistol target (6.3.4.5). The TAR rulebook gives its dimensions itself — "10 ring: 50 mm (± 0.2 mm) … Inner ten: 25 mm (± 0.2 mm)" — and refers back to the ISSF edition of March 201864. TAR uses it at 25 and 50 meters: the rulebook heads its scoring section "Scoring on C50 (25 and 50 m)", and the C 50 serves the precision part of handgun events 830 and 832 at 25 m, as well as the three 50 m rifle events (820, 822 and 823)6. The six 200 m events are shot on the C 200 Mod. 75, with a dispensation at 100 m on the C 200 50% — never on the C 50. The 25 m rapid fire target of TAR is likewise the ISSF target 6.3.4.4. The C 200, biathlon-type and gong targets, by contrast, are specific to TAR.
| Target (TAR) | 10 ring or aiming area | Card / backing | Equivalent to |
|---|---|---|---|
| C 50 | 10 ring 50 mm, inner ten 25 mm | 550 × 520-550 mm | ISSF 6.3.4.5 |
| 25 m rapid fire target | 10 ring 100 mm, inner ten 50 mm | 550 × 520-550 mm | ISSF 6.3.4.4 |
| C 200 Mod. 75 | 10 ring 80 mm, ring line 3 mm | 850 × 850 mm | specific to TAR |
| C 200 50% | 10 ring 40 mm, ring line 1.5 mm | 520 × 530 mm | specific to TAR |
| Biathlon-type target | aiming area Ø 11.5 cm | 5 white falling targets | specific to TAR |
| Falling gong | plate 200 × 200 mm, 12 mm thick | base 150 × 80 mm, 20 cm apart | specific to TAR |
The biathlon target is the most cited of these French targets: "five (5) white falling targets, biathlon type, whose aiming area is 11.5 cm in diameter"6. That figure appears identically in the previous TAR edition, that of 202514: it is therefore not a typo in one edition. Their centers are placed at 1 m at 25 meters and at 1.40 m (± 10 cm) at 50 meters. Federation-adjacent resources cover this vocabulary but stay scattered, one page per discipline, with no rule number119.
A single source, to be owned as such. The C 200 Mod. 75, the C 200 50% and the falling gong (200 × 200 mm, 12 mm thick, base 150 × 80 mm, 20 cm apart) are documented only by the TAR rulebook 2025-20266. It is an official source, but a lone one, with no ISSF equivalent: we could not cross-check it. The C 50, the rapid fire target and the biathlon target, by contrast, are anchored to the ISSF or confirmed across two editions.
The spacing between two rings
The spacing between two rings, from 5 to 100 mm
Difference in diameter between two neighboring rings, in millimeters — ISSF rules 6.3.4.1 to 6.3.4.6
The spacing is the difference in diameter between two neighboring rings; the width of a single ring, line to line, is half of it — 8 mm on the 10 m pistol target1. It grows with distance without making difficulty constant: in angular terms, the 10 ring of the 10 m rifle target stays about 23 times finer than the pistol's at the same distance14.
Voir les données
| Target | Distance | Spacing (difference in diameter) | ISSF rule |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rifle | 10 m | 5 mm | 6.3.4.3 |
| Pistol | 10 m | 16 mm | 6.3.4.6 |
| Rifle | 50 m | 16 mm | 6.3.4.2 |
| Precision pistol | 25 and 50 m | 50 mm | 6.3.4.5 |
| Rapid fire pistol | 25 m | 80 mm | 6.3.4.4 |
| Rifle | 300 m | 100 mm | 6.3.4.1 |
One regularity runs through all these targets: within a single target, the rings are equally spaced. The difference in diameter between two neighboring rings — the spacing — is constant, and it is what gives the target its scale. Watch the sense of the word: the spacing is a difference in diameter. The width of one ring, taken line to line, is half the spacing — 8 mm for the 16 mm of the 10 m pistol target1.
It is 5 mm on the 10 m rifle target, 16 mm on the 10 m pistol and the 50 m rifle, 50 mm on the 25 and 50 m pistol, 80 mm in rapid fire, 100 mm on the 300 m rifle14. The spacing therefore grows with distance — but do not conclude from that that difficulty would be constant from one distance to the next.
The spacing does not make difficulty equal everywhere. In angular terms, the 10 ring of the 10 m rifle target (0.5 mm, about 0.05 milliradian) is roughly 23 times finer than the 10 m pistol's (11.5 mm, about 1.15 mrad), at the same distance1. The spacing compensates for distance, never completely: the rifle stays far more demanding than the pistol. We give the raw dimensions here, not an equivalence of difficulty that would be misleading.
Printing a shooting target at the right dimensions
The minimum card size, discipline by discipline
Minimum side of the visible card, in millimeters — A4 (210 mm) and A3 (297 mm) given as printing markers
Not to be confused with the ring dimensions: the "10 × 10 cm" sold for the 10 m rifle target is not the ISSF figure, which sets a minimum card of 80 × 80 mm18. The A4 (210 mm short side) and A3 (297 mm) markers only place what can be printed at home.
Voir les données
| Target | ISSF minimum card | Format sold, or marker | ISSF rule |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10 m rifle | 80 × 80 mm | "10 × 10 cm" as sold | 6.3.4.3 |
| 10 m pistol | 170 × 170 mm | "17 × 17 cm" as sold | 6.3.4.6 |
| 50 m rifle | 250 × 250 mm | 200 × 200 mm inserts | 6.3.4.2 |
| 25 and 50 m pistol | 550 × 520-550 mm | "52 × 52 cm" as sold | 6.3.4.5 |
| 300 m rifle | 1,300 × 1,300 mm | or 1,020 × 1,020 mm | 6.3.4.1 |
Printing at home makes sense at short distance. At 10 meters, the pistol card (170 × 170 mm) fits on a sheet of A4 or A3, and the rifle card (80 × 80 mm) fits easily on A41. Beyond that, the formats quickly become unmanageable: 550 mm wide at 25 m, 1,300 mm at 300 m. The rule is to respect the rings, the ring lines and the minimum card — not to reproduce a card size read off a shop shelf.
To buy, these targets stay cheap, including the large ones. Surveyed on 30 July 2026 at two retailers, as an indication and with no regulatory weight: the C 50 (52 × 52 cm) is found at around €37.50 to €40 per 100, so €0.40 to €0.50 each1213, and the 50 m rifle target (20 × 20 cm) at around €7 per 10012. These prices vary by retailer and quantity, excluding shipping.
A home-printed target is not "approved". Rule 6.3.1.2 is explicit: "All targets used in ISSF Championships must comply with the scoring ring, dimension or other specifications given in these rules and must be approved by the ISSF"1. In other words, at a championship the target must comply AND be approved by the ISSF: two conditions, not one. A printed target serves for practice, never to validate an official score4.
A word on our figures: the dimensions are facts, freely reproducible. The target plates in the ISSF rulebook, however, carry "© ISSF" on every page. Our charts and tables are redrawn from the published dimensions — they are neither reproductions of the official artwork nor approved targets.
Electronic targets or paper targets
Electronic scoring targets (EST) change nothing about the geometry. Rule 6.3.2 requires their black to be identical to that of the corresponding paper target, and an accuracy of at least half a decimal ring14. The electronics read the shot by the same ring diameters; the paper target remains the geometric reference. At 10 meters, a paper check strip is in fact still required behind the electronic target.
The difference lies in the score, not in the dimensions. The paper target carries only the whole rings, 1 to 10: decimal scoring (10.0 to 10.9; 9.0 to 9.9) is obtained by dividing each ring into ten, and exists only through an electronic target or a scoring machine1. Manufacturing tolerances for paper, finally, do not apply to EST. For the shooter, that means one simple thing: the layout you know on card is exactly the one the machine measures.
An accurate layout is only worth something if the sessions follow: that is the role of the shooting logbook and its controlled sessions, on which your whole compliance record rests.
On this subject the trap is not the dimension, it is the edition. The French service-firearm rulebook still refers back to an ISSF edition of March 2018, the edition in force is the Second Print of July 2026, and a French translation from May 2023 circulates alongside. I took every ring diameter from the Second Print and compared it, to the tenth of a millimeter, with the First Print of December 2025 and with the French translation: all three coincide. The geometry of the targets has not moved — but it had to be checked line by line rather than assumed.
The target dimensions to remember
10 ring, constant spacing, the right card
The 10 ring varies from 0.5 to 100 mm depending on the discipline. At 10 meters it is 11.5 mm on the pistol and 0.5 mm — a white dot — on the rifle. And the 10 ring is not the inner ten: on the 10 m pistol target the latter is 5.0 mm and serves only to break ties.
The rings are equally spaced: a constant spacing, from 5 mm on the 10 m rifle to 100 mm on the 300 m rifle. But that spacing does not make difficulty equal everywhere — the rifle stays far more demanding in angular terms. The card is not the aiming area: 80 × 80 mm of ISSF figure on the 10 m rifle target is not the 10 × 10 cm sold in shops.
In competition, only a target that complies AND is approved by the ISSF counts (rule 6.3.1.2). A printed target serves for practice. And the height of the center is not always 1.40 m: 0.75 m at 50 m, 3.00 m at 300 m.
If in doubt, the source runs to a few pages: ISSF rules 6.3.4.1 to 6.3.4.7.
Sources 14 references
All the dimensions come from the ISSF rulebook, reread in its 2025 edition (Second Print) in force since 1 July 2026, and cross-checked against the previous edition and the FFTir's French translation. The France-specific targets come from the TAR rulebook. Prices, which are not regulatory data, rest on dated commercial surveys. Unofficial or commercial sources are flagged with ⚠️. Click a note marker in the text to highlight the matching source.
- ISSF — ISSF Rule Book, General Technical Rules, rules 6.3.1 to 6.3.4.8 and 6.4.6.1 — 2025 edition (Second Print 07/2026), in force since 1 July 2026. Primary source for every ring-by-ring dimension, tolerance, black, inner ten, ring line and card, for the height of the target center, for the requirements on electronic targets (6.3.2), decimal scoring (6.3.3.1) and the approval rule 6.3.1.2. Every page carries "© ISSF": the plates are not reproduced here, our diagrams are redrawn from the dimensions alone.
- ISSF (mirror of the Polish federation PZSS) — ISSF Rule Book, 2025 edition (First Print 12/2025), in force from 1 January to 30 June 2026. Previous edition, cited as an inter-edition control: every dimension in rule 6.3.4 is strictly identical to those in the Second Print — no figure moved at the change of edition.
- ISSF — Rules (official rulebook page), consulted 30 July 2026. Canonical entry point establishing which edition of the rulebook is in force at the date of writing: "ISSF Rule Book 2026 Edition 2025 Second Print 07 2026 — Effective 1 July 2026".
- FFTir — ISSF technical rules for all shooting disciplines (RTG), 6.3.4 "Cibles officielles ISSF", issued May 2023. Independent French-language cross-check of every 6.3.4 dimension ("Le 10 est un point blanc = 0,5 mm", "Mouche : 5,0 mm", "Noir des zones 7 à 10 = 59,5 mm") and source of the official terminology: visuel noir, cordon, mouche, dix intérieur, carton, anneau.
- FFTir — CNS Écoles de tir, Règlement Écoles de Tir 2026, art. 1.1.3 and 1.5.3, rev. 2026 (file of 29/10/2025). Refers explicitly to ISSF targets 6.3.4.3 (rifle) and 6.3.4.6 (pistol) and sets the height of the center at 1.40 m ± 0.05 m (standing / fixed target), 0.60 m prone and kneeling.
- FFTir — CNS TAR, Règlement TAR (Tir aux Armes Réglementaires) 2025-2026, chapter VII "Cibles", issued 12 January 2026. The only source documenting the France-specific targets: C 50 (= ISSF 6.3.4.5), C 200 Mod. 75, C 200 50%, 25 m rapid fire target, biathlon-type target (aiming area Ø 11.5 cm) and falling gong (200 × 200 mm). Refers back to the ISSF technical rules of March 2018 for the C 50 and the rapid fire target.
- FFTir — Règlements sportifs (index page), consulted 30 July 2026. Dated entry point to the rulebooks in force (TAR of 12/01/2026, Écoles de Tir of October 2025, ISSF technical rules of 10/2023); used to date the federation references in this bibliography.
- ⚠️ Tir Sportif Chabris, "Tailles et Dimensions des Cibles de Tir", dealer blog, consulted 30 July 2026 (no publication date shown). Competitor leading on the main keyword: gives card sizes in centimeters (10 × 10, 17 × 17, 52 × 52) and nothing else — no ring in mm, no rule number, no tolerance, no source. Cited as a competitor, never as proof.
- ⚠️ Tir Sportif Chabris, "La Cible C50 : Dimensions Officielles", blog, consulted 30 July 2026 (undated). Same competitor on the "C50" query: gives inner ten, aiming area and ring line but not rings 1 to 10, no ISSF rule number, no official source. Cited as a competitor.
- ⚠️ Arctom (Thomas Hohn), "Taille Réglementaire de la Cible pour le Pistolet à 10 m", blog, published 20 October 2025. Correctly cites the ISSF height rule 6.4.6.1 (1.40 m ± 0.05 m) and the 170 × 170 mm card, but with no ring dimension or tolerance. Cited in support of the height and the card, not as proof of the diameters.
- ⚠️ Mon Tir Sportif, "Cible Precision C50 / Cible Pistolet Vitesse 25 m", federation-adjacent resource, consulted 30 July 2026 (undated; content rendered in JavaScript, not extractable by static retrieval). One page per discipline, accurate vocabulary but fragmented, with no rule number and no edition. Cited as a competitor.
- ⚠️ Objectif Cibles (retailer), "Cibles tir 25 et 50 m", prices surveyed 30 July 2026. Commercial, non-regulatory data: 100 C50 targets (52 × 52 cm) at €37.50, 100 50 m rifle targets (20 × 20 cm) at €7.00. Formats actually sold, to be distinguished from the regulatory minimums.
- ⚠️ Armurerie Auxerre (retailer), "Cible C50 pour le tir à 25/50 m", price surveyed 30 July 2026. Second independent survey: C50 target on 500 × 500 mm card at €0.50 each (€0.40 from 10 up). Confirms the commercial card size (50 × 50 cm).
- FFTir — CNS TAR, Règlement du Tir aux Armes Réglementaires (TAR) 2025, published March 2025. Previous edition, cited as an inter-edition control: confirms the biathlon-type target (aiming area Ø 11.5 cm) and its center heights (25 m = 1 m, 50 m = 1.40 m ± 10 cm) across two seasons, so not a typo in one edition.
The rulebook in force governs. This article cites the ISSF rulebook (2025 edition, Second Print, in force since 1 July 2026) and the French service-firearm rulebook 2025-2026. Editions change, and a dimension current today may be revised tomorrow. Check the edition in force on the ISSF site and, for the French targets, with your own federation before relying on any figure here.
Frequently asked questions
What is the diameter of the 10 ring on a sport shooting target?
It depends on the discipline. At 10 meters, the 10 ring measures 11.5 mm on the pistol target and only 0.5 mm — a white dot — on the rifle target. It is 10.4 mm on the 50 m rifle target, 50 mm on the 25 and 50 m pistol target, 100 mm on the 300 m rifle and the rapid fire pistol targets. These figures are set out in ISSF rules 6.3.4.1 to 6.3.4.7.
Why is the 10 on the 10 m rifle target a white dot?
Because ISSF rule 6.3.4.3 defines the 10 ring as a white dot of 0.5 mm, at the center of the black aiming area. At that diameter you do not aim at a ring you can see: the 10 is scored when the measuring gauge has made the white dot disappear entirely. It is the most counter-intuitive figure in precision shooting, and almost no general-audience guide mentions it.
What is the difference between the 10 ring and the inner ten?
The 10 ring is the central ring that counts for the score. The inner ten is a smaller circle drawn inside the 10: it does not change the value of the shot, it separates two tied shooters. On the 10 m pistol target, the 10 ring is 11.5 mm and the inner ten 5.0 mm. The 10 m rifle target has no numbered inner ten at all.
Is a sport shooting target always 17 × 17 cm?
No. 17 × 17 cm (170 × 170 mm) is the minimum card of the 10 m pistol target alone. Each discipline has its own size: 80 × 80 mm for the 10 m rifle, 250 × 250 mm for the 50 m rifle, 550 mm wide for the 25 and 50 m pistol, up to 1,300 × 1,300 mm for the 300 m rifle. And that size is the card's, not the scoring area's.
At what height is the center of the target placed?
At 1.40 m above the firing point for 10 m and 25 m, but not everywhere: ISSF rule 6.4.6.1 sets 0.75 m at 50 m and 3.00 m at 300 m. The height is measured at the center of the 10 ring. The French federation's shooting-school rulebook confirms 1.40 m ± 0.05 m at 10 meters. The idea of an "always 1.40 m" is therefore wrong beyond 25 m.
Can you print your own approved shooting target?
You can print a target to practice on, provided you respect the dimensions: at 10 m, the card fits on a sheet of A4 or A3. But "approved" has a precise meaning: ISSF rule 6.3.1.2 reserves competition for targets that comply AND are approved by the ISSF. A home-made target therefore serves for practice, never to validate an official score. Our own diagrams, redrawn from the published dimensions, are not approved either.
What is the C 50 target in the French service-firearm rulebook?
The C 50 is the French name for the ISSF 25 and 50 m pistol target: inner ten of 25 mm, 10 ring of 50 mm, card of 550 × 520 mm. The French service-firearm discipline (TAR) uses it at 25 and 50 meters — for precision in handgun events 830 and 832, and in the three 50 m rifle events — and itself refers back to the ISSF edition of March 2018. Its geometry is that of rule 6.3.4.5; the biathlon-type and the gong targets, by contrast, are specific to that French discipline.
Do electronic targets have the same dimensions?
Yes, the ring layout is identical to the card. The ISSF rule requires the black aiming area of an electronic target to be the same as that of the corresponding paper target, and an accuracy of at least half a decimal ring. The paper target carries only the whole rings 1 to 10; decimal scores (10.0 to 10.9) come from the electronics, not from the card.
Did the 2026 ISSF rulebook change target dimensions?
No. The target dimensions (rule 6.3.4) are strictly identical between the First Print of December 2025, applicable from 1 January 2026, and the Second Print of July 2026, in force since 1 July 2026. The comparison was made PDF against PDF, to the tenth of a millimeter. The French translation of the general technical rules gives the same values. It is the edition in force that must be cited, but the geometry itself has not moved.