# ISSF crossfire rules: when you hit the wrong target

> Under ISSF rules a crossfired competition shot is a miss (zero), a sighting shot on another athlete's match target costs a 2-point deduction, and an extra hit on your own match target can be annulled if a Range Officer confirms it was not yours.

- Canonical URL: https://target-log.net/blog/issf-crossfire-rules-when-you-hit-the-wrong-target/
- Published: 2026-09-23 (updated 2026-09-23)
- Category: Scoring rules
- Tags: rules, beginner, scoring
- Read time: ~8 min

## Key takeaways
- A competition shot fired on another athlete's match target is scored as a miss, no matter how well it was aimed.
- Crossfiring a sighting shot onto someone's match target costs a 2-point deduction from your first series.
- If an unclaimed extra hit appears on your target and nobody confesses, the highest-value hit is nullified.

You are on shot 34 of a 60-shot match, running on autopilot, and the target in your [sight picture](/blog/sight-alignment-and-sight-picture-for-10m-air-rifle/) is not yours. It happens at every level of the sport, usually to the person staring hardest at their sights. The ISSF crossfire rules decide what that shot is worth, and the answer changes depending on whether it was a competition shot or a sighting shot, and whose target it landed on. This guide walks through every case with the current rule numbers so you know exactly what to expect from the scoring desk.

## What counts as a crossfire in ISSF shooting?

A crossfire is any shot you fire that lands on a target other than your own, whether that is another athlete's match target, their sighting target, or in some setups a neighbouring lane's carrier. ISSF rule 6.11.6 governs how each case is scored, and the outcome ranges from no penalty at all to a lost shot plus a point deduction.

On most ranges the lanes are close enough that a sloppy [natural point of aim](/blog/how-to-find-your-natural-point-of-aim-in-10m-air-pistol/), or simply forgetting which lane you moved to after a relay change, puts your shot one target over. Electronic targets make crossfires obvious fast, because the system shows a hit on lane 12 while lane 11 reports a miss.

## The scoring outcomes at a glance

| Situation | Outcome for you | Rule |
|---|---|---|
| Competition shot on another athlete's match target | Scored as a miss (zero) | 6.11.6.1 |
| Sighting shot on another athlete's sighting target | No penalty | 6.11.6.2 |
| Sighting shot on another athlete's match target | 2-point deduction from your first series | 6.11.6.3 |
| Extra hit on your match target, crossfire confirmed | You keep your own shots; the crossfire is ignored for you | 6.11.6.4 |
| Extra hit on your match target, nobody confirmed as the firer | Highest-value hit on your target is nullified | 6.11.6.5 |

Read that last row twice if you are new. An unexplained extra hole can cost you points even when you did nothing wrong, which is why speaking up quickly matters.

## Why a competition crossfire is scored as a miss

Rule 6.11.6.1 is blunt: crossfires of competition shots must be scored as misses. Your shot on someone else's target earns zero, and it does not count for the person whose target you hit either. There is no transfer of value, no appeal to how good the shot looked, and no refire. The shot is simply gone.

The logic is practical. A scoring system that let you donate points to a neighbour, or that required officials to work out whose ten was whose on a shared card, would collapse the first time two shooters crossfired in the same series. A flat miss keeps the arithmetic clean and the responsibility where it belongs: on the shooter to verify their own target before firing.

If you want a refresher on how values are assigned to the hits that do count, our guide to [ISSF target scoring zones and decimal rings](/blog/issf-target-scoring-zones/) covers the ring layout, and the companion piece on [how shot gauges and plug scoring work](/blog/how-shot-gauges-work-plug-scoring-explained/) explains what happens when a hole sits on a line.

## Sighting shots follow different rules

Sighting shots get gentler treatment because they happen exactly when athletes are settling in, adjusting sights, and most prone to mixing up lanes. Rule 6.11.6.2 says a sighting shot crossfired onto another athlete's sighting target incurs no penalty at all. Breathe out, thank the rules, and carry on.

Aim one lane too far during sighting and you are safe. Land a sighting shot on someone's match target, though, and rule 6.11.6.3 bites: a 2-point deduction from your own score, taken from the first series. The deduction is not a replacement for the shot; it is a penalty on top, because the hit you left behind can distort that athlete's card.

The 25m pistol events add a wrinkle. Under rule 8.8.2.4, if you crossfire a sighting shot onto another athlete's sighting target you may not repeat the shot, but you are not penalized. If officials cannot quickly work out whose hits are whose, the athlete who was not at fault gets to repeat the sighting shots. If you are ever unsure during a precision stage sighting series, flag the Range Officer before firing again rather than after.

## Extra hits on your own match target

Now flip the situation around. A hole shows up on your match target and you are certain you did not put it there. What happens depends on confirmation.

If the crossfire is confirmed and it is impossible to determine which hit belongs to whom, rule 6.11.6.4 credits you with the value of the highest undetermined shot. You are protected from losing points to someone else's mistake.

If the extra hit cannot be traced to another athlete, rule 6.11.6.5 nullifies the hit of the highest value on your target. Yes, you lose your best shot of that target. That is the price of an unexplained hole, and it is exactly why nobody stays quiet about a missing shot.

## How to disclaim a shot that is not yours

Rule 6.11.6.6 gives you one job: report it immediately to a Range Officer. Not after the series, not while packing up. Immediately. When the officer confirms you did not fire the disputed shot, they record it on a Range Incident Report and the Range Register, and the shot is annulled under rule 6.11.6.7.

If the officer cannot confirm beyond all reasonable doubt that the shot was not yours, rule 6.11.6.8 credits it to you. Reasonable doubt is a high bar, which is why 6.11.6.9 lists what actually justifies annulment: the officer saw that you did not fire, a missing shot was reported at roughly the same time from within the neighbouring two or three firing points, or the electronic scoring system flagged the crossfire at the control centre. On 300m EST with shot sensors, crossfires should not even register on the recipient's target; the firer gets a miss and an indication that they crossfired.

Waiting even one series before reporting destroys the second justification, because nobody remembers when their neighbour's shot went missing. Speed is the whole defence.

## Crossfires on electronic targets

Electronic scoring targets handle crossfires better than paper in one sense and worse in another. Better, because the system logs which target registered which shot, and a miss on lane 11 paired with an extra hit on lane 12 is a confirmed crossfire rather than a scrap of judgment. Our comparison of [electronic targets vs paper scoring](/blog/electronic-targets-vs-paper-how-issf-scoring-works/) goes into how these systems decide shot values in the first place.

Worse, because the machine cannot read intent. A sensor glitch or a shot that clips the frame can mimic a crossfire pattern, and untangling it falls to range officials working from the control centre logs. When you shoot on EST and your monitor shows a miss you strongly believe you fired, the same disclaim procedure applies: tell the Range Officer right away. The witness strip requirements for 10m EST exist precisely so these disputes can be settled with evidence.

## How to avoid crossfiring in the first place

Most crossfires trace back to three moments. The first is the lane change after a relay: you pack up, walk to a new firing point, and settle into the position your body remembers rather than the one your lane number says. Check the lane number against your score sheet every single time. The second is a poor natural point of aim that drifts your muzzle toward the neighbouring target; if your hold keeps settling off-center, re-check your position instead of muscling the sights back. The third is pure sight-lock during a long series, where tunnel vision narrows to the ring and drops all context. A quick glance at the target number before each load is cheap insurance.

Photographing your targets after the match helps too. Scoring apps like TargetLog's [ISSF scoring app](/issf-scoring-app/) give you a shot-by-shot record of each card, so if a crossfire dispute or an annulled shot ever leaves you wondering what actually landed where, you have the evidence on your phone.

## faq

### Can I refire a crossfired shot?

No. A crossfired competition shot is a miss with no refire. For 25m pistol sighting shots, rule 8.8.2.4 explicitly denies repeating the shot when you crossfire onto another sighting target, though the not-at-fault athlete may repeat theirs if the hits cannot be separated.

### Does the athlete whose target I hit gain my points?

No. Crossfired shots count for nobody. The recipient's own shots are protected under rules 6.11.6.4 and 6.11.6.5, but your ten on their card is worth exactly zero to them.

### Do crossfire rules differ between qualification and finals?

The crossfire rules in section 6.11.6 apply to qualification shooting. Finals run under tighter supervision with dedicated officials per athlete, so crossfires are rare there; if one occurs, the jury applies the same principles. For how scoring itself changes between the two rounds, see our guide to [ISSF finals scoring](/blog/issf-finals-scoring-how-it-works-and-differs-from-qualification/).

## FAQ
**Q: Is a crossfire a penalty in ISSF competition?**
A: A crossfired competition shot is scored as a miss (zero) under rule 6.11.6.1. A crossfired sighting shot on another athlete's match target carries an additional 2-point deduction under rule 6.11.6.3.

**Q: Who gets the points when a shot lands on my target?**
A: Nobody. The shot does not count for you, and the athlete who fired it has already lost it as a miss. If the extra hit cannot be credited to a confirmed crossfire, the highest-value hit on your target is nullified under rule 6.11.6.5.

**Q: What should I do if a hole appears on my target that I did not fire?**
A: Report it immediately to a Range Officer and ask them to make a Range Incident Report entry. Under rule 6.11.6.7 the shot is annulled if the officer confirms you did not fire it.

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