The International Pistol Team’s missions are to raise the standard of marksmanship and combat readiness throughout the Army and to enhance the Army’s recruiting effort. The team accomplishes the first element of its missions by conducting Basic Pistol Marksman Courses on Fort Benning for Active Army, Army Reserve, National Guard, and ROTC units.
The International Rifle Team enhances the Army’s recruiting effort by interacting with the public through various and local level Junior and JROTC competitions and clinics on Fort Benning, as well as representing the Army Marksmanship Unit on an international level.
Ultimately, competing in and winning National and International level competitions enables the International Pistol Team to share the knowledge gained from these competitions with the broader Army in an effort to increase the Army’s combat readiness. These competitions also enable the team to connect America’s people with America’s Army in unique ways that may support the overall Army accessions mission and subsequently raise the Army’s combat readiness as well.
Male shooters compete in: Free Pistol matches firing .22-caliber pistols at 50 meters; Standard Pistol matches in which they shoot slow fire, timed fire and rapid fire with time
limits; Rapid Fire Pistol matches using .22-caliber pistols at 25 meters; and Air Pistol matches firing .177-caliber pistols at 10 meters. Female shooters compete in Sport Pistol events, in which they shoot rapid fire and precision using .22-caliber pistols at 25 meters, and Air Pistol.
Olympic Pistol Events -- Pistol shooters can choose from five Olympic events, three for men and two for women.
AIR PISTOL
With separate events for men and women, air pistol shooting joined the Olympic program in 1988. Competitors use .177 caliber pistols to fire lead pellets at targets 10 meters away. The bullseye has a .45 inch 10-ring.
The Guns: World-class air pistols (e.g., Feinwerkbau, Walther, Steyr and Morini) are air or gas-powered guns. Trigger weight can be no lighter than 500 grams; the width of the grip and length of the barrel are also limited.
Course of Fire: Men take 60 shots in one hour and 45 minutes, while women have one hour and 15 minutes for 40 shots.
Perfect Match Score: For men, 600 is perfect and 585 is world-class. For women, 400 is perfect and 385 is world-class.
Finals: The top eight competitors advance to a 10-shot final round, with 75 seconds allotted for each shot. The final is scored in tenths of a point and added to the match score to determine medalists. A perfect final score is 109.
Perfect Aggregate (Match + Final) Score: 709 for men, 509 for women.
RAPID FIRE PISTOL
Rapid-fire pistol has been an Olympic event since the first modern Games in 1896. Shot with a .22 caliber pistol from 25 meters, competitors have eight, six, or four seconds to fire once at each of five adjacent targets. As an added difficulty, pistols must be held downward at a 45-degree angle until a green light flashes on. The 10-ring on this target is four inches wide.
The Guns: Rapid-fire pistols shoot .22 caliber cartridges (ammunition) from a five-shot magazine.
Course of Fire: Two five-shot series in eight seconds, two series in six seconds and two series in four seconds comprise a half course, fired in one day. The following day, the same course is repeated.
Perfect Match Score: 600 is a perfect score. Finals: After 60 shots, the top six shooters fire a final consisting of two five shot series at four seconds. The final is scored in tenths of a point and added to the match score to determine medal winners.
SPORT PISTOL
Sport pistol has been a women's Olympic event since 1984. Athletes use .22 caliber standard pistols to shoot precision and rapid-fire competition from a distance of 25 meters.
The Guns: Sport pistols shoot .22 caliber ammunition from a five-shot magazine.
Course of Fire: The 60-shot match is divided into 30 shots precision and 30 shots rapid-fire. The precision, or slow-fire stage, is fired in six series of five shots, and competitors have six minutes per series. In the 30-shot rapid-fire stage, competitors shoot strings of five shots. Three seconds are allotted for each shot.
Perfect Match Score: 600 is a perfect score.
Finals: The top eight competitors advance to a final, which consists of 10 shots fired one a time in a time limit of 75 seconds. Targets are scored in 10ths after each shot and added to the match score to determine medalists. A perfect final score is 109. Perfect Aggregate (Match + Final) Score: 709 points.
FREE PISTOL
Free pistol, a precision men's event, has been part of the Olympics since 1896. Competitors shoot .22 caliber pistols from 50 meters at bullseye targets.
The Guns: A free pistol is easily identified by its grip, which completely envelopes and stabilizes the shooter's hand. Regulations require only that it fires .22 caliber long cartridges and has metallic sights. The gun's barrel is longer than that of other pistols, providing greater accuracy at this longer shooting distance.
Course of Fire: Competitors fire 60 shots in two hours.
Perfect match Score: 600 is a perfect score.
Finals: The top eight competitors advance to a 10-shot final round, with 75 seconds allotted for each shot. The final is scored in tenths of a point and added to the match score to determine winners. A perfect final score is 109.
FOR ALL EVENTS
Clothing, Equipment, Accessories: Pistol shooters compete without the benefit of special clothing, gloves or boots. Most athletes wear flat-soled shoes for increased stability, but footwear must not extend above the shooter's ankle.
Competitors frequently wear blinders over their "non-shooting" eye to prevent squinting. Spotting scopes allow athletes to view their targets in 25- and 50-meter competition.
Our Mission,
The USAMU enhances the Army’s recruiting effort, raises the standard of the Army’s Marksmanship proficiency, and supports the Army’s small arms research and development initiatives in order to raise the Army’s overall combat readiness.
