Gourt Home::Gourt :: 25 m Rapid Fire Pistol
| Men's 25 m Rapid Fire Pistol | |
|---|---|
| Number of shots | 2x30 + 20 |
| Olympic Games | Since 1896 |
| World Championships | Since 1933 |
| Abbreviation | RFP |
25 m Rapid Fire Pistol is one of the ISSF shooting events. Though its rules changed heavily until after World War II assuming similarity to today's rules, the event has been a part of the Olympic program ever since the beginning.
Today, the competitors use semi-automatic handguns in caliber .22 (5.6 mm). On January 1, 2005 the equipment rules were changed heavily to conform with those of 25 m Standard Pistol, thereby banning .22 Short cartridges as well as encircling grips and low trigger-pull weight. This caused a decline in results: the pre-2005 world record was 597, while the present world record is 589.
Course of fire
A series (or string) consists of five shots fired at one target each within a limited time. The targets stand next to each other at a 25 m distance from the shooter. When the targets appear, the competitor must raise his arm from a 45 degree angle, and fire his five shots. If a shot is too late, it will score as a miss.
There are three different time limits for the series: 8 seconds, 6 seconds, and 4 seconds. A stage consists of two series of each type, and a full course of fire comprises two such stages, or a total of 60 shots. Since the targets are divided into concentric score zones with 10 being the most central part, the total maximum score is 600.
In major competitions, the top six shooters qualify for a final round of four additional 4-second series, using decimals of points. The results of the qualification round and the final are added together, and any ties are broken by firing an additional 4-second series.
Notable RFP shooters
- Hungarian Károly Takács not only had to change from his right hand to his left due to an accident, but also thereupon became the first to win two successive Olympic gold medals, in 1948 and 1952.
- Pole Josef Zapedski was the second to achieve this, in 1968 and 1972. Ammunition malfunction prevented him from attempting a third gold.
- German Ralf Schumann, the most merited RFP shooter of all times, is the only shooter ever to achieve the three-time Olympic victory: 1992, 1996 and 2004.
- Russian Sergei Alifirenko won the 2000 Olympic gold, and was the shooter who was most successful in the first year with the new rules, winning the European championships and the World Cup Final. Schumann has also adapted well and now shares the world record with Alifirenko.
Current world records
| Men - Qualification | 589 | Sergei Alifirenko 2005, Munich 2006, Munich | Team | 1738 | Russia2005, Belgrade |
| Men - Final | 787.7 587+200.7 | Ralf Schumann
2006, Milan | |||
| Junior Male | 577 | Philipp Wagenitz2005, Belgrade | Team | 1716 | Germany2005, Belgrade |
Olympic and World Champions since 1947
External links
- The International Shooting Sport Federation - Official site
- The Young Persons Guide to ISSF Rapid Fire
"25 m Rapid Fire Pistol"