 U.S. Olympic shooter Eric Uptagrafft in prone position at the 2013 USA Shooting 300 m Championship, Fort Benning, Georgia, United States. | |
| Highest governing body | International Shooting Sport Federation (ISSF) |
|---|---|
| Nicknames | Bullseye shooting competition |
| Characteristics | |
| Contact | No |
| Team members | Yes |
| Mixed-sex | Yes or no (depending on competition) |
| Type | Shooting sport |
| Equipment | Pistol or rifle |
| Venue | Shooting range |
| Presence | |
| Olympic | Yes |
| World Championships | Yes |
| Paralympic | Yes |
Bullseye shooting is a category of shooting sport disciplines where the objective is to score points with carefully placed precision fire by hitting a target as close to its center as possible. The name refers to the target center's nickname, the "bull's eye". In Scandinavia, this type of shooting competition is referred to as Range-Shooting (Danish: baneskydning,[1] Norwegian: baneskyting,[2] Swedish: banskytte[3]), as it usually takes place at dedicated shooting range.
A large emphasis is put on accuracy and precision through steady breath, sight picture and trigger control,[citation needed] and fixed and relatively long time limits give competitors time to concentrate for a perfect shot. An example of bullseye shooting competitions is the ISSF pistol and rifle events, but there are also many other national and international disciplines which can be classified as bullseye shooting, e.g., NRA Precision Pistol competitions in the United States.
Matches are normally held at permanent shooting ranges where the competitors are lined up beside each other and shoot during the same predetermined time period at their own stationary targets which are placed at the same fixed distances from match to match. Distances in bullseye shooting disciplines are typically given in round numbers such as 10, 15, 25, 50, 100, 200, or 300 meters, depending on firearm type and discipline. During competition, the line consisting of shooters is called the firing line, while the line consisting of targets is called the target line. Due to its simple format, bullseye shooting is often recommended for beginners in shooting sports in order to learn the general fundamentals of marksmanship.[citation needed] Bullseye shooting is a part of the olympics, and considerable training is needed to achieve a high level of proficiency.