How the 10m air rifle target is laid out

The ISSF 10m air rifle target has ten concentric scoring rings numbered 1 through 10, printed in black on a white background. The innermost rings (7 through 10) are solid black; the outer rings alternate white and black. shooters fire from exactly 10 meters away.

Ring sizes decrease as you move inward. The 1-ring has a diameter of 45.5 mm, while the 10-ring is just 0.5 mm across. That means the difference between a 10 and a 9 is a margin thinner than a human hair. This is why 10m air rifle is considered one of the most precise sports in the world.

Each integer ring is subdivided into ten sub-rings for decimal scoring. A shot that clips the inner edge of the 10-ring scores 10.0, while one dead center scores 10.9. The scoring machine measures the distance from the center of the shot hole to the center of the target and assigns a score accordingly.

Decimal scoring explained

Older scoring systems only awarded whole numbers: a shot inside the 10-ring was simply a 10, with no way to distinguish between a shot barely inside the ring and one perfectly centered. ISSF adopted decimal scoring in the late 1980s to add granularity.

Here is how the decimal system works in practice:

  • A shot whose center is between 0.0 mm and 0.5 mm from target center scores 10.0 through 10.9, depending on exact position.
  • A shot between 0.5 mm and 5.5 mm from center falls in the 9-ring and scores 9.0 through 9.9.
  • This pattern continues outward through the 1-ring.

The result is that every shot in a 60-shot match receives a unique value like 10.7, 9.3, or 8.1. This level of detail matters because top-level shooters regularly average above 10.3 per shot. Without decimals, dozens of world-class athletes would tie on every single match.

How electronic targets measure your shots

Modern ISSF competition uses electronic target systems from manufacturers like Meyer and SIUS. These systems detect where a pellet strikes using either acoustic sensors (microphones that detect the shockwave of the pellet hitting the rubber membrane) or optical sensors (cameras that visually locate the impact point).

The system calculates the shot position to within 0.01 mm, then converts that position into a decimal score using the official ring dimensions. The score appears on a display monitor within a fraction of a second, so both the shooter and the range officer see the result immediately.

This technology removed the need for judges to physically measure targets with scoring gauges. It also made the inner-ten count (the number of shots scoring 10.1 or higher) a standard tiebreaker, since the machine tracks it automatically.

For shooters training at home or on paper-target ranges, apps like TargetLog use on-device machine learning to analyze a photo of your target and score each hole with the same decimal precision. The app reads your phone camera, detects the bullet holes and target rings, and returns a shot-by-shot breakdown. It is a practical way to get electronic-target-style feedback without an electronic range. You can see how it works on the features page.

Qualification format and total scores

A standard ISSF 10m air rifle qualification match consists of 60 shots. Men and women now compete under the same format, following the ISSF gender-integrated rules that took effect for the 2024 Olympic cycle.

Shooters have 75 minutes to complete their 60 shots, plus an additional 15 minutes of preparation and sighting-in time before the match begins. During sighting-in, shots fired at a separate sighting target do not count toward the score.

The maximum possible qualification score is 600.0 (60 shots all scoring 10.0 or higher). The world-class benchmark sits around 595 to 598, with occasional scores above 600 when counting inner tens. Scores above 630 inner-ten points are typical of medal-contending performances.

Tiebreaking in qualification

When two or more shooters finish qualification with the same total score, ISSF applies a specific tiebreaking sequence:

  1. Greatest number of inner tens (shots scoring 10.1 or higher). This is the primary tiebreaker and resolves the vast majority of ties.
  2. Greatest number of 10s (shots scoring 10.0 or higher, a broader count than inner tens).
  3. If still tied, the shooter with the highest-scoring individual shot wins. If those are equal, the next-highest is compared, and so on.

This system rewards consistency at the center of the target. A shooter with twenty 10.9s and forty 9.5s will usually beat a shooter with zero inner tens but sixty 10.0s, because the inner-ten count is checked first.

How finals scoring differs

The top eight shooters from qualification advance to the finals, where the format changes substantially. Finals use a different, more aggressive target with wider ring spacing and no sub-ten decimals: each shot simply scores 10.x or 9.x, and ring values drop off more steeply from the center.

Finals are conducted in elimination stages. Shooters start with their qualification score, then fire additional shots in series. After certain intervals, the lowest-scoring shooter is eliminated. The final two shooters compete head-to-head for the gold medal. The ISSF finals scoring guide covers this format in full detail.

Understanding your score on paper targets

Not every range has electronic targets. If you are shooting on paper, scoring still follows the same decimal system, but someone (you, a coach, or a range officer) must measure each shot manually using a scoring gauge or a transparent overlay.

A scoring gauge is a small plastic or metal template with concentric circles that match the target's ring dimensions at a 1:1 scale. You align the gauge over each hole, note which ring the center of the hole falls in, and record the decimal value.

This process is slow and somewhat subjective, especially for shots near ring boundaries. That is one reason why shooters increasingly use scoring apps. As mentioned above, TargetLog photographs your paper target and scores it automatically, which is faster and more consistent than manual gauging. If you want to understand what different score levels look like on the actual target, the score benchmarks article breaks down what counts as a beginner, intermediate, and elite score.

Practical tips for scoring your own targets

Whether you use an app or a scoring gauge, a few habits will help you get accurate, consistent results:

  • Photograph the target straight-on. Angled photos distort the apparent position of holes relative to the rings. Rest your phone flat or use a small stand.
  • Score immediately after shooting. Fresh pellet holes have clean, defined edges. Over time, the paper can tear or deform, making measurement less reliable.
  • Check your sighting shots separately. It is easy to accidentally include sighting shots in your score. Mark them or use a separate target.
  • Track scores over time. Individual session scores tell you less than trends over weeks and months. A training log, whether digital or on paper, reveals whether your average is climbing, flat, or slipping.

For a deeper look at tracking your progress, the training log article explains what to record and how to use that data to improve.

Common scoring questions

Can a shot score 10.0 but still be outside the 10-ring?

No. The 10-ring boundary is defined at 0.5 mm from center. A shot whose center is at exactly 0.5 mm scores 10.0. Anything beyond 0.5 mm, even 0.51 mm, drops into the 9-ring and scores 9.9 at best.

Why do some shooters care more about inner tens than total score?

Because total score has a hard ceiling at 600, but inner tens can keep climbing. Once a shooter is consistently hitting the 10-ring on nearly every shot, the inner-ten count becomes the primary differentiator. Two shooters with 598 total could be separated by ten or more inner-ten points, which reflects a meaningful difference in center-grouping ability.

How does the app handle torn or overlapping holes?

When two pellet holes overlap or the paper tears between them, manual scoring becomes guesswork. TargetLog's ML detection model is trained on real target images, including damaged ones, and can usually separate overlapping holes. For heavily torn targets, the best practice is to photograph from multiple angles and use the clearest image.