25 meter rapid fire pistol is one of the ISSF shooting events and is shot with .22 LR pistols. The event has been a part of the Olympic program ever since the beginning in 1896, although its rules changed greatly before World War II, after which they were only slightly changed until the two major revisions of 1989 and 2005. The latter restricted the event to sport pistols, thereby banning .22 Short cartridge (last used in 2004 and replaced by .22 Long Rifle in 2005) as well as encircling grips and low trigger-pull weight. This caused a decline in results, as evidenced by a comparison of the world records under the pre-2005 rules (597) and post-2005 rules (593).
Instead of dropping specialized rapid fire pistols, manufacturers designed new pistols, such as the Walther SSP, conforming to the standard pistol requirements, but optimized for the rapid fire event.
Course of fire
Traditionally, RFP competitions use paper targets that are able to turn 90 degrees to appear to the shooter and then turn back to disappear when the shooting time is up. During the last few decades, these targets have gradually been replaced by electronic devices which use red and green lights to indicate the beginning and the end of the shooting time, and which automatically handle late shots. As these systems are expensive, they are normally only used in international competitions.
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. As with all ISSF pistol disciplines, all firing must be done with one unsupported hand. When the targets appear or when the green light comes on, the competitor must raise his arm from a 45-degree angle starting position 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, with a shot scoring at or above 9.7 being counted as a hit, or a miss otherwise. To score 9.7 or above, the shot must be within a circle of diameter 124 mm (4.88 inches). The results of the qualification round and the final are added together, and any ties are broken by firing an additional 4-second series.
World Championships, Men
Year Place Gold Silver Bronze1933 Granada1935 Rome1937 Helsinki1939 Luzern1947 Stockholm1949 Buenos Aires1952 Oslo1954 Caracas1958 Moscow1962 Cairo1966 Wiesbaden1970 Phoenix1974 Thun1978 Seoul1982 Caracas1986 Suhl1990 Moscow1994 Milan1998 Barcelona2002 Lahti2006 Zagreb2010 Munich2014 Granada2018 Changwon2022 New Administrative Capital2023 Baku
World Championships, Men's Team Year Place Gold Silver Bronze1937 Helsinki FinlandVilho EloErik LjungqvistArvo OdenvallJaakko RintanenSulo Cederström LithuaniaPranas GiedrimasKazys SruogaAntanas JelenskasAntanas KarčiauskasAntanas Mamžeika GermanyFritz BuchererHans FunckWalter HartwigPaul JasperCornelius van Oyen1939 Luzern HungaryLaszlo BadinszkyLajos Borzsonyi Dr.Ede DombyKároly TakácsLaszlo Vadnay LithuaniaPranas GiedrimasVladas NakutisAntanas MamžeikaJonas MiliauskasAntanas Jelenskas GermanyFritz BuchererLudwig LeupoldWalter L.Cornelius van OyenZindel M.1947 Stockholm ItalyFerdinando BerniniBertoni G.Linari F.Mazzavillani B. FinlandVäinö HeusalaMatti KallioMauri KuokkaLeonard Ravilo GreeceEvangelos ChryssafisAngelos PapadimasConstantin MylonasGeorges Vichos1949 Buenos Aires ArgentinaCarlos Enrique Díaz Sáenz ValienteDionisio FernándezOscar Rosendo CervoEnrique Furtado FinlandVäinö HeusalaMatti KallioLeonard RaviloEino Saarnikko United StatesHuelet BennerHancock W.Logie C.Harry Wendell Reeves1952 Oslo United StatesHuelet BennerWalter DevineWilliam McMillanHarry Wendell Reeves FinlandVäinö HeusalaVeli-Jussi HölsöLeonard RaviloLauri Toikka ArgentinaCabral G.Oscar Rosendo CervoSchack E.Carlos Enrique Díaz Sáenz Valiente1954 Caracas Soviet UnionEvgeni CherkassovNikolai KalinichenkoVictor NasonovOleg Zhgutov United StatesHuelet BennerWilliam McMillanThomas MitchellPhilip Clay Roettinger FinlandVäinö HeusalaPentti LinnosvuoLeonard RaviloLauri Toikka1958 Moscow Soviet UnionEvgeni CherkassovAleksandr KropotinVictor NasonovAlexander Zabelin United StatesHuelet BennerWilliam McMillanMiller D.Aubrey Smith HungaryAladár DobsaJózsef GyönyörűFerenc KunKároly Takács1962 Cairo Soviet UnionEfim HaydurovIgor BakalovRenart SuleimanovAlexander ZabelinJames Henderson McNallyWilliam McMillanAubrey SmithCecil Wallis ItalyUgo AmicosanteGiovanni LiverzaniRoberto MazzoniSergio Varetto1966 Wiesbaden Soviet UnionIgor BakalovStanislav FrantsevskiRenart SuleimanovAlexander Zabelin RomaniaVirgil AtanasiuMihai DumitriuMarcel RoşcaIon Tripşa East GermanyGerhard FellerGerhard DommrichChristian DueringLothar Pinnig1970 Phoenix CzechoslovakiaLadislav FaltaVladimír HurtRudolf KolinekLubomír Nácovský RomaniaVirgil AtanasiuDan IugaMarcel RoșcaIon Tripșa ItalyUgo AmicosanteRoberto FerrarisGiovanni LiverzaniSilvano Mignardi1974 Thun Soviet UnionYuri AlekhinAfanasijs KuzminsVictor TorshinMikhail Ziubko CzechoslovakiaVladimír HurtVladimír HykaJan KotoraLubomír Nácovský RomaniaVirgil AtanasiuCorneliu IonMarin StanMarcel Roșca1978 Seoul West GermanyWerner BeierAlfred RadkeHelmut SeegerHeinz Weissenberger ItalyRolando ComazzettoRoberto FerrarisGianfranco MantelliAlberto Sevieri SwedenCurt AnderssonOve GunnarssonBoo LevinRagnar Skanåker1982 Caracas Soviet UnionAfanasijs KuzminsIgor PuzirevSergei RysevVladimir Vokhmianin RomaniaGrațian CalotăCorneliu IonVirgil SuciuMarin Stan HungaryLászló OrbánLaszlo NemethGábor PlankIstvan Szalai1986 Suhl Soviet UnionAfanasijs KuzminsOleg TkachyovVladimir Vokhmianin HungaryCsaba HellZoltan KovacsLászló Orbán East GermanyRoger HerzigPeter SchumannJuergen Wiefel1990 Moscow Soviet UnionMiroslav IgnatiukAfanasijs KuzminsVictor Torshin HungaryLászló BaloghZoltan KovacsLajos Pálinkás SwitzerlandOtto KellerAnton KuechlerHansrudolf Schneider1994 Milan PolandAdam KaczmarekAndrzej MacurKrzysztof KucharczykMeng GangWang RunxiZhang Ruimin HungaryIstván JambrikSándor KacskóLajos Pálinkás1998 BarcelonaRalf SchumannDaniel LeonhardLars UehlinJi HaipingZhang PenghuiMeng GangShoichi UenosonoTomohiro KidaShuji Tazawa2002 LahtiRalf SchumannMarco SpangenbergKlaus-Dieter SchmidtJi HaipingLiu GuohuiZhang Penghui UkraineOleg TkachyovRoman BondarukTaras Magmet2006 ZagrebZhang PenghuiLiu ZhongshengLiu Guohui RussiaSergei AlifirenkoSergei PoliakovAlexei Klimov ItalyMarco LiberatoRiccardo MazzettiNicola Nello Pizzi2010 MunichZhang JianLi YuehongDing Feng RussiaAlexei KlimovLeonid EkimovDmitry BraykoBrad BalsleyKeith SandersonEmil Milev2014 GranadaOliver GeisChristian ReitzAaron Sauter Czech RepublicTomas TehanMartin PodhráskýMartin Strnad RussiaLeonid EkimovAlexei KlimovAlexander Alifirenko 2018 ChangwonLin JunminZhang JianYao ZhaonanOliver GeisChristian ReitzChristian Freckmann South KoreaKim Jun-hongSong Jong-hoPark Jun-woo 2022 New Administrative CapitalLi YuehongLu ZhimingZhang JuemingMaksym HorodynetsPavlo KorostylovDenys KushnirovKim Seo-junLee Jae-kyoonLee Gun-hyeok2023 Baku Wang XinjieLi YuehongLiu Yangpan Florian PeterOliver GeisChristian Reitz Song Jong-hoLee Gun-hyeokKim Seo-jun
World Championships, Women
Year Place Gold Silver Bronze1962 Cairo
World Championships, Mixed
Year Place Gold Silver Bronze2022 New Administrative CapitalYulia KorostylovaMaksym HorodynetsSimranpreet Kaur BrarAnish BhanwalaKim Jang-miKim Seo-jun
World Championships, total medals
Current world records
Current world records in 25 metre rapid fire pistol Men Final 39 Aug 22, 2023 Baku Junior Men Individual 589 July 26, 2015 September 10, 2018 September 15, 2019 Maribor Changwon Bologna Final 35 September 10, 2018 Changwon Teams 1747 (Zhu, Cheng, Pan) September 10, 2018 Changwon
Olympic and World Champions
The dominant shooter of the event has been Ralf Schumann of Germany with a total of five major World-level Championship titles, with three Olympic gold medals and two Individual World titles. He is the first and one of the only two shooters to have won a particular Olympic event three times, and is the first of three shooters to have won three individual Olympic titles. Károly Takács and Józef Zapędzki also won two consecutive Olympic titles. Huelet Benner won two consecutive World Championships.
A rare double is that between this rapid fire event and its direct opposite 50 metre pistol; this has only been accomplished by Alfred Lane (completed in 1912), Torsten Ullman (1939), Huelet Benner (1952) and Pentti Linnosvuo (1964), with Lane (both events at the 1912 Olympics) and Linnosvuo using only Olympic titles. Benner, on the other hand, is the only shooter with two titles in both events.
Year Venue Individual Team 1896 Athens 1900 Paris 1912 Stockholm 1920 Antwerp 1924 Paris 1932 Los Angeles 1933 Granada 1935 Rome 1936 Berlin 1937 Helsinki 1939 Luzern 1947 Stockholm 1948 London 1949 Buenos Aires 1952 Oslo 1952 Helsinki 1954 Caracas 1956 Melbourne 1958 Moscow 1960 Rome 1962 Cairo 1964 Tokyo 1966 Wiesbaden 1968 Mexico City 1970 Phoenix 1972 Munich 1974 Thun 1976 Montreal 1978 Seoul 1980 Moscow 1982 Caracas 1984 Los Angeles 1986 Suhl 1988 Seoul 1990 Moscow Juniors 1992 Barcelona Individual Team 1994 Milan 1996 Atlanta 1998 Barcelona 2000 Sydney 2002 Lahti 2004 Athens 2006 Zagreb 2008 Beijing 2010 Munich 2012 London 2014 Granada 2016 Rio de Janeiro 2018 Changwon 2021 Tokyo 2022 New Administrative Capital 2023 Baku 2024 Paris
References
External links The International Shooting Sport Federation—Official site