of the smoke of burnt
gunpowder and a
.38 Special bullet fired out of a
Smith & Wesson Model 686 revolver Gun shooting sports are shot with either
firearms or
air guns, which can be
handguns,
rifles or
shotguns. Handguns are handheld
small arms designed to be shot off-hand without needing a
shoulder stock. The two main subtypes of handguns are
pistols and
revolvers. They are much more convenient to carry in general, but usually have a shorter effective range and less
accuracy compared to
long guns such as rifles. In shooting sports, revolvers and
semi-automatic pistols are the most commonly used. A
rifle is a
long gun with a
rifled barrel, and requires the use of both hands to hold and brace against the shoulder via a
stock in order to shoot steadily. They generally have a longer range and greater accuracy than handguns, and are popular for hunting. In shooting sports,
bolt-action or
semi-automatic rifles are the most commonly used. A
shotgun is similar to a rifle but often
smoothbore and larger in
caliber, and typically fires either a
shell containing many smaller scattering sub-projectiles called
shots, or a single large projectile called a
slug. In shooting sports, shotguns are more often
over/under-type
break action or
semi-automatic shotguns, and the majority of shotgun events are included in
clay pigeon shooting.
Bullseye shooting with several hits in the center, which is called "bullseye"
Bullseye shooting is a category of pistol and rifle shooting disciplines where the objective is to achieve as many points as possible by hitting a round shooting target as close to the middle as possible with slow precision fire. These disciplines place a large emphasis on precision and accuracy through sight picture, breath and trigger control. Fixed and relatively long time limits give the competitors time to concentrate for a perfect shot. An example of bullseye shooting is the
ISSF pistol and rifle disciplines, but there are also many other national and international disciplines which can be classified as bullseye shooting. The shooting distances are typically given in round numbers, such as 10, 25, 50, 100, 200 or 300 meters depending on firearm type and discipline. Competitions are usually shot from permanent
shooting ranges and with the same target arrangement and distance from match to match. Usually the competitors each have their own
shooting target and shoot beside each other simultaneously. Because of the relatively simple match format, beginners are often recommended bullseye shooting in order to learn the fundamentals of marksmanship. Bullseye shooting is part of the
Summer Olympic Games, and a considerable amount of training is needed to become proficient.
Bullseye shooting with handguns • There are six individual ISSF pistol shooting events, comprising three events currently included in the Olympic programme—10 m Air Pistol, 25 m Pistol, and 25 m Rapid Fire Pistol—and three events not included in the Olympic programme but contested at ISSF World Championships: 25 m Centre Fire Pistol, 25 m Standard Pistol, and 50 m Pistol. Shooting has been part of the Olympic programme since the first modern Olympic Games in 1896. ISSF pistol disciplines include both precision and rapid-fire formats and are contested at distances of 10, 25, and 50 metres, depending on the event, with competitors required to hold and fire the pistol using one hand only under ISSF rules. In Great Britain (except Northern Ireland), it is no longer possible to practise for some Olympic pistol events following the Firearms (Amendment) (No. 2) Act 1997, enacted in response to the Dunblane massacre, which prohibited private possession of cartridge pistols, requiring British Olympic pistol shooters to train abroad. • The
CISM Rapid Fire match is similar to the
ISSF 25 meter rapid fire pistol event. •
NRA Precision Pistol is a bullseye shooting event where up to 3 handguns of differing calibers are used. Its history is almost as old as ISSF events. Shooters must fire the pistol one-handed at 6- and 8-inch bullseye targets placed 25 and 50 yards downrange respectively. •
Precision Pistol Competition (PPC), was originally a police shooting program started in 1960 by the
National Rifle Association of America. KOCIS London Korea Jinjongoh Shooting 13 (7683323904).jpg|The Men's
ISSF 10 meter air pistol final in the
2012 Summer Olympics Kokorev Munich07 50m event.jpg|
Boris Kokorev from Russia during the
ISSF 50 meter pistol 2007 World Cup in Munich Celine Goberville during Air Pistol match at London 2012 Summer Olympic Games.jpg|Women's 10 meter air pistol at the 2012 Summer Olympics
Bullseye shooting with rifles • The six rifle
ISSF shooting events (including two Olympic events:
10 meter air rifle and
50 meter rifle three positions) consist of slow-fire target shooting from distances of . •
Fullbore target rifle involves prone shooting with single-shot rifles at distances of 300yds to 1200yds. It is particularly popular in Britain and within the
Commonwealth of Nations (mostly former constituents of the British Empire). •
Gallery rifle shooting is popular in the UK, using carbine rifles chambered in pistol calibres. Gallery Rifle was introduced as a substitute for many pistol shooting disciplines following the 1997
handgun ban. •
High Power Rifle (also known as "Across the Course" or 'traditional' High power) in the United States is a format that shoots 3-position (standing, kneeling, or sitting, and prone) at 200, 300, and 600 yards. The term "Across the Course" is used because the match format requires the competitors to shoot at different distances to complete the course of fire. • Military
Service Rifle shooting is a shooting discipline that involves the use of rifles that are used by military forces and law-enforcement agencies, both past and present use. Ex-military rifles, sniper rifles (both past and present) and civilian versions of current use service rifles are commonly used in the Military Service Rifle shooting competitions. It is popular in the United States and culminates each year with the National Matches being held at
Camp Perry, Ohio. Some countries have outlawed civilian shooting at human-silhouette targets; silhouette targets are not used in the National Match Course of Fire. Bullseye targets are used. High Power Rifle competition often is held at the same events as Service Rifle, such as the U.S. national championships each year at Camp Perry. High Power competitors generally are civilians using whatever rifles they prefer within the rules, whereas Service Rifle entrants are limited to current or previous U.S. armed forces weapons. Under NRA of America rules only certain matches allow optical sights, normally those conducted at ranges over 600 yards. •
Project Appleseed is a rifle marksmanship program by The Revolutionary War Veterans Association that teaches both rifle marksmanship and oral history regarding the American Revolutionary War. It shoots 3-position (standing, sitting, and prone) at 25 meters at reduced scale targets, simulating shooting at 100, 200, 300, and 400 yards. The techniques taught easily apply to transitioning to
High Power Rifle. • Full bore and small bore rifle shooting in the United Kingdom. •
Three position airgun competitions, popular in the
United States. • Four position
small bore is a popular sport in the U.S, which adds Sitting to the
Three positions used internationally. Jungschütze in einer Praxisübung.jpg|A junior shooter in
Switzerland target shoots with a
SIG 550. A brass catcher is fitted to avoid disturbing other shooters with the ejection. 02 - 2023 Welsh 50Metre Smallbore Rifle Championship.jpg|Competitors shoot in an ISSF 50 metre prone competition in
Wales. A para-athlete shoots from a chair. 300m_shooters_in_two_positions.jpg|Two shooters during an
ISSF 300 meter rifle three positions (prone, kneeling and standing)
Field shooting Field-Shooting or Terrain-Shooting refer to a set of pistol and rifle shooting disciplines that usually are shot from temporary shooting ranges in outdoor terrain at varying (and sometimes unknown) distances, rather than at permanent shooting ranges at fixed distances.
Field shooting with handguns • Nordic Handgun Field-Shooting competitions are shot with pistol and revolver in different classes depending on equipment, with classes up from small-bore .22 LR to large-bore
.500 S&W Magnum. Matches are held outdoor throughout the year with varied
shooting targets and distances, and are arranged by the
Norwegian Shooting Association (NSF), the
Danish Gymnastics and Sports Associations (DGI Shooting) and the
Swedish Pistol Shooting Association (SPSF). •
Swiss field shooting with handguns is a discipline under the
Swiss Shooting Sport Federation arranged under a common Swiss ruleset, and has been part of the annual field shooting championship since 1919 alongside field shooting with rifles, which have been arranged since 1899. APK feltskyting.jpg|Nordic Handgun Field Shooting in
Arendal,
Norway in 2007
Field shooting with rifles • Nordic Rifle Field-Shooting are shot with either small-bore .22 LR cartridge at 100 meters, or
intermediate (such as
.223 Remington or
6mm BR) or battle rifle cartridges (such as the
6.5×55mm,
.308 Winchester or the
.30-06 Springfield) at distances from 100 to 650 meters. With 200 and 300 meters being ordinary shooting distance in Nordic Bullseye Rifle-Shooting, those targets placed well beyond 300 meters in Rifle Field-Shooting means that the competition format also can be classified as a
long range shooting discipline. Matches are usually held in the winter season with varied targets, and are arranged by the
National Rifle Association of Norway (DFS), the
Danish Gymnastics and Sports Associations (DGI Shooting) and the
Swedish Shooting Sport Association (SvSF). •
Swiss field shooting with rifles is a discipline under the
Swiss Shooting Sport Federation arranged under a common Swiss ruleset. The annual Swiss Field Shooting Championship has been held since 1899. From 1919, Swiss field shooting with handguns has also been a part of the Swiss Field Shooting Championship. •
Precision rifle competitions, like the
Precision Rifle Series (PRS), is both a field and long range shooting discipline where rifles with intermediate or battle rifle cartridges are shot in the terrain at varying distances from about 10 to 1000 meters. •
Field Target is an outdoor
air gun discipline originating in the United Kingdom, but gaining popularity worldwide.
Hunter field target is a variation of
field target. Fältskytte.jpg|Nordic Rifle Field Shooting in Sweden during the winter in 2012 NM feltskyting.jpg|The Norwegian Rifle Field Shooting Championship at the 2007
Landsskytterstevnet M1 Garand competition.JPEG|Field-like shooting competition in USA using a
National Match M1 Re-exposure.JPG|Field target shooting in Germany
Rapid fire Rapid fire with handguns • The
ISSF 25 meter pistol and
ISSF 25 meter rapid fire pistol events are contested at the Olympic Games. •
The Bianchi Cup, a fusion of
IPSC (without the "run and gun" element) and bullseye shooting (except shot with two hands and going prone whenever rules allow it) where accuracy under tight time limits in four simulated scenarios, known as the "Event(s)", is the basis of this competition. Shooters must start with gun in the holster on every strings of fire and distances range from 10 to 50 yards. •
Fast draw, also known as quick draw, a form of pistol action shooting from North America, based on the romanticized art of the gunslingers in the American Old West, using traditional single action revolvers. But unlike Cowboy action shooting, Fast Draw is done with special blanks or wax bullets. While some competitions are strictly against the clock, with the fastest time winning, many are set up as head-to-head single or double elimination matches. Female athlete fires an ISSF Sport Pistol.jpg|Female athlete competes in
25 meter pistol event. Sanderson9209 (28322239393).jpg|Keith Sanderson from USA during the
ISSF 25 meter rapid fire pistol event at the 2016 Rio Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro John Pride at the 2008 NRA Bianchi Cup.jpg|John Pride at the 2008
Bianchi Cup Rapid fire with rifles • The
CISM Rapid Fire match is a sped-up version of the ISSF
300 m Standard Rifle event. •
Felthurtigskyting (literally Field Rapid Shooting) and
Stangskyting are a type of variable rapid-fire rifle competitions popular in
Scandinavia. Stangskyting1.jpg|
Stang-Shooting at the 2007
Landsskytterstevnet in Norway. The nearest targets are placed at 155 meters, the farthest at 221 meters. Felthurtigskyting.jpg|
Field-Rapid-Shooting at the 2007
Landsskytterstevnet in Norway
Clay target Clay pigeon shooting are shotgun disciplines shot at flying
clay pigeon targets. • The three Shotgun ISSF/ Olympic shooting events are all are based on quick reaction to clay targets thrown by machines called "Traps". •
Skeet: Targets are either thrown in singles or doubles from two throwers called "traps" placed 40 meters apart. •
Trap and Double Trap: Either one (trap) or two targets (double trap) are thrown from 15 meters in front of the shooter. •
100 meter running deer, also somewhat popular in Scandinavia and Great Britain
Moving target Shooting at the 1908 Summer Olympics – Men's moving target small-bore rifle Disappearing target Shooting at the 1908 Summer Olympics – Men's disappearing target small-bore rifle Practical shooting Practical shooting, also known as
action shooting or
dynamic shooting, is a generic term applicable to shooting sports where speed is of equal importance as precision. Many of the disciplines involve movement, and when using handguns they are often drawn from a
holster. • The
International Practical Shooting Confederation (IPSC) is the oldest and largest sanctioning body within practical shooting. IPSC is sometimes considered the "Formula One" of shooting sports, and is shot with handguns, rifles and shotguns. While the
United States Practical Shooting Association (USPSA) is the U.S. regional affiliate of IPSC, many of USPSA's rules differ slightly from those used internationally. IPSC was developed by former police and civilian marksmen and later used as a basis for modern military and police exercises. It is a variation where the shooter often moves during shooting, and hits scored and shooting time are equally important. Stage procedure is generally not dictated (freestyle) and the shooter is allowed to determine the order and manner in which he or she engages the targets. •
International Defensive Pistol Association (IDPA) is an action shooting sport that uses semi-automatic handguns and revolvers with a strong emphasis on concealed shooting. Many aspects of stage engagement are dictated to competitors and penalties are given to competitors whom the safety officer determines attempted to gain a competitive advantage or engaged in a forbidden action with a "guilty mind" - that he knowingly failed to do right. •
Multigun are practical shooting events where each of the stages generally require the competitor to use and transition between a combination of rifles, handguns, and/ or shotguns or other types of firearms. 3-Gun has a lot in common with ordinary IPSC/USPSA matches, having courses of fire where the shooter must move through different stages and engage targets in a variety of different positions. •
Steel Challenge is a speed shooting championship solely about shooting steel targets as fast as possible, and is governed by the Steel Challenge Shooting Association (SCSA). There are eight standardized courses of fire, and a special "stop plate" must be shot last to stop the timer. •
International Confederation of Revolver Enthusiasts (ICORE) is an international community that promotes action shooting competitions with revolvers. Founded in 1991, the sport has elements from the Bianchi Cup, IPSC, and the Steel Challenge. •
IPSC Action Air follows the same principle of
IPSC, using
airsoft instead of real firearms. The ranges, paper targets and poppers are scaled down to suit airsoft, and the sport enjoys popularity in countries such as
Taiwan,
Hong Kong, and
Japan where civilian ownership of real firearms are either illegal or extremely difficult to obtain. •
Bowling pin shooting (primarily shot with handguns) has the competitors race against one another to knock standard bowling pins from a table in the shortest elapsed time. Open division master class competition shooter.jpg|An Open division practical pistol shooter during a stage Norwegian Open division competitor at the 2017 IPSC Rifle World Shoot.jpg|A Norwegian practical rifle shooter at the
2017 IPSC Rifle World Shoot in Russia IPSC Revolver World Champion Ricardo López Tugendhat from Ecuador.jpg|Three times practical revolver world champion
Ricardo López Tugendhat from Ecuador
Long range Long range shooting is shooting held at such distances that sight adjustment based from judging atmospherical conditions become critical. •
Fullbore target shooting is concerned with shooting at targets at ranges of 300–1200 yards. The sport is internationally governed by
ICFRA, and is popular in the UK, US, Germany and Commonwealth countries. Similar disciplines called bullseye and field shooting are popular in Scandinavia, although fired at shorter distances. • "Target Rifle" (also known as
Palma rifle) is an ICFRA fullbore competition format that dates from 1876, featuring long-range rifle shooting out to 1,000 yards. The first Palma match was contested by teams from the U.S., Australia, Canada, Scotland and Ireland (with muzzle loaded rifles at that time). The matches continued to the late 1920s, and the Palma trophy was eventually lost in Washington DC around the outbreak of WW2. The match was revived in the modern era in 1966 in Canada, and continues between teams from around the world. Regulations stipulate bolt-action rifles chambered in 7.62mm NATO caliber (Winchester .308) and firing Match Grade ammunition using a 155 grain bullet using micrometer aperture (iron) sights, or a 5.56mm NATO (.223 Remington) with a max bullet weight of 90 grains, and iron sights. Due to developments in modern bullet technology, an 85.5 grain bullet out of a .223 can out shoot a .308, with the right load. The last two International Long-range Target Rifle Matches were held in Australia in 2011 and the U.S. in 2015, were won by Great Britain. •
F-Class is another ICFRA fullbore competition format shot with Fullbore Target Rifles at ranges up to 1000 yards, the rifles being fitted with telescopic sights and the use of fore-end and butt rests being permitted. This is a fast-growing variant of Fullbore Target Rifle. The 'F' honours George Farquharson, the Canadian inventor of F-Class. •
Precision Rifle Competitions, a relatively new long range competition format which seeks to find a balance between speed and precision, often involving movement and shooting from unusual positions with a time limit, at both known and unknown distances. • National Rifle League (NRL) is a
501(c)(3) non-profit organization dedicated to the growth and education of precision rifle shooting in the United States. Their match format allows any caliber between .224 to .308 and not to exceed , involving at least 50 shooters with each firing minimum 140 rounds in at least 12 individual stages, over the course of at least two days. Since its debut in 2017, currently 11 clubs from eight states are involved in the league. • National Rifle League 22 (NRL22) is a sub-league under the National Rifle League dedicated to
.22 Long Rifle rimfire rifles. It was established to address the fact that most localities do not have access to 1000 yard ranges, but nearly all localities have 100-yard ranges and most shooters own .22 rifles. Their championship match consist of minimum 170 rounds fired in at least 15 individual stages. Currently 68 clubs from 31 states in the US participate in NRL22 matches, with addition to two overseas clubs from UK and Australia. • T-Class Shooting Sport Competitions. Practical sniping with precision rifle systems is a shooting sport, which gains tremendous popularity worldwide over a short period of time. It concentrates on shooting onto static or dynamic targets of various distances (known and unknown), from different positions, under artificially created, but realistic stressful circumstances. It proves to be extremely interesting both for implementation and observation, due to its demanding level of difficulty. The International T-Class Confederation (ITCC) is a non-profit organization, which is founded in 2014 for the purpose of promotion of the T-Class shooting sport internationally, with headquarters residing in Bulgaria. It offers a Set of Rules for designing and managing T-Class Competitions. Connaught Cadets.JPG|
Fullbore target rifle ("Palma") shooting in Canada in 2011 BCM Europearms F-Class OPEN.jpg|An
ICFRA F-Class rifle equipped with a scope and bipod
Benchrest Benchrest shooting is concerned with shooting small groups with the rifleman sitting on a chair (bench) and the rifle supported from a table. Of all shooting disciplines, this is the most demanding equipment-wise. Depending on equipment class, international benchrest competitions are governed by either the
World Benchrest Shooting Federation or
World Rimfire and Air Rifle Benchrest Federation. JGA1903-BR50.jpg|An
Anschütz 1903 rifle in caliber .22 LR used for benchrest shooting at 50 meters BCM Europearms BARREL BLOCK.jpg|A BCM Europearms single shot benchrest rifle
Metallic silhouette Metallic silhouette competitors shoot at animal-shaped steel silhouettes (chickens, pigs, turkeys and rams) that must be knocked down to score. Banks of 5 targets are placed at up to 500 meters, with distance and size of target determined by firearm class. Classes include Handguns, Small Bore Rifle (Hunter, Silhouette), High Power Rifle (Hunter, Silhouette), air rifle and black powder rifle. Handguns used in the Unlimited Categories are rifle-like in appearance;
Thompson Contender,
Remington XP-100, and other pistols are chambered in rifle calibers with the power,
aerodynamic efficiency, and
external ballistics required for precise shooting at 200 meters. There are silhouette categories appropriate for virtually all types of adjustable sight pistols and rifles, only excluding high-velocity armor-piercing rounds that would damage targets. Targets for open sighted guns are placed between 25 and 200 meters, and are designed to provide a usable size of the hit zone of about 1.5
milliradians (or 5
minutes of arc). IHMSA silhouetten bogenscheiben.jpg|Cut cardboard targets of the same shape and sizes which are used for IHMSA
metal targets in
metallic silhouette shooting Metallic silhouettes.jpg|Chicken, pig, turkey, and ram. The different targets are placed at different distances, and in this image the targets are scaled to how they would appear to the shooter in
angular sizes (
mil or
moa).
Western •
Cowboy action shooting (CAS) is almost identical to USPSA and IDPA stage design but with Western cowboy-themed props. Competitors shoot with historical long guns and revolvers, and are required to use a themed alias and authentic dress. •
Cowboy mounted shooting, also called Western Mounted Shooting or simply Mounted Shooting, is a competitive equestrian sport involving the riding of a
horse to negotiate a shooting pattern. Rule sets vary between shooting sport organizations, it can be based on the
historical reenactment of historic shooting events held at
Wild West shows in the late 19th century. Modern events use
blank ammunition instead of live rounds, certified to break a target balloon within twenty feet. Cowboy Action Shooting.JPG|A
Cowboy action shooter firing a lever action rifle at
steel targets. The Range Officer to the left is holding a
shooting timer to measure the time. Cowboy Action Shooting stage.JPG|Scenery in a
Western scenario Cowboy Action Shooting - stage targets.JPG|The shooter uses different firearms during a stage. In this stage revolvers were used at the close range blue targets and a lever action at the red targets furthest away. Mounted Shooting Champion Chad Little by Western Shooting Horse.jpg|Cowboy mounted shooting at the 2012 AQHA Mounted Shooting World Championship
Muzzleloading Muzzleloading are concerned with shooting
replica (or
antique) guns. Shooting laying on back at the 2015 MLAIC Long Range World Championship.jpg|Competitor shooting at 1000 yards (914.4 meters) laying on back Norwegian competitor at the 2015 MLAIC Long Range World Championship.jpg|Competitor from Team Norway shooting at 1000 yards (914.4 meters) A replica Rigby rifle at the 2015 MLAIC Long Range World Championship 2.jpg|Replica Rigby rifle used at the 2015 MLAIC Muzzleloading Long Range Championship A member of Team USA loading his blackpowder rifle at the 2015 MLAIC Long Range Championship.jpg|A member of Team USA loading his blackpowder rifle
Para shooting Paralympic shooting, also known as "shooting Para sport", is an adaptation of shooting sports for competitors with disabilities. Paralympic shooting first appeared in the
Summer Paralympics at the
1976 Toronto Games. Para shooting is internationally governed by the
International Paralympic Committee. To help establish fair competition, a shooting classification called
Para-shooting classification is in place for the
Paralympic Games. The events mirror to some extent the shooting events at the Olympic Games. Air Pistol is typically shot from a seated position with the pistol unsupported. The amount of back-support permitted is determined by the athlete's level of disability. The Air Rifle events include Rifle "Standing", which is shot seated like Air Pistol, with variable levels of back support. "Prone" Rifle uses the basic
prone shooting position utilising a sling for the supporting arm, but is shot rested on a table with the athlete seated either in a chair or wheelchair. Schiessen-koerperbehinderung.jpg|Para shooting with a rifle sitting in a
wheelchair Defense.gov photo essay 110517-F-QE915-898.jpg Defense.gov photo essay 110517-M-XXXXK-007.jpg Locomotive_mechanic_competes_in_Army_Trials_150330-A-ZU617-055.jpg|Para "Prone" modifies the basic
prone shooting position to be shot from a table.
Competitions using factory and service firearms Shooting competitions for factory and service firearms, usually called Service Rifle, Service Pistol, Production, Factory or Stock, describe a set of disciplines or equipment classes where the types of permitted firearms are subject to
type approval and few aftermarket modifications are permitted. Thus the terms refer to permitted equipment and modifications rather than the type of shooting format itself. The names Service Rifle and Service Pistol stem from that the equipment permitted for these types of competitions traditionally were based on
standard issue firearms used by one or several armed forces and civilian versions of these, while the terms Production, Factory and Stock often are applied to more modern disciplines with similar restrictions on equipment classes. Factory and service classes are often
restrictive in nature, and the types of firearms permitted are usually rugged, versatile and affordable. In comparison, more expensive custom competition equipment are popular in more
permissive equipment classes. Both types of equipment classes can be found within many disciplines, such as
bullseye,
field,
practical and
long range shooting. Merjenje z M48.jpg|Service rifle shooting in
Slovenia with the
Zastava M48 rifle US Navy 070712-N-6832D-055 Senior Chief Machinist's Mate Curtis Norris peers down the sight of his service rifle.jpg|Service rifle shooting in
United States with an
M16/
AR-15 style rifle
Plinking Plinking refers to informal
target shooting done for pleasure or practice typically at non-standard targets such as
tin cans,
logs,
cartons,
fruits, or any other homemade or naturally occurring objects like rocks (however, it is unsafe to shoot at rocks) or tree branches. The primary appeals of plinking as a sport are the broad variety of easily available locations, minimal costs, freedom in practice styles, and more relaxing and less restrictive shooting experience. The flexibility of target choice is also why plinking is popular. A small, three-dimensional target in an outdoors setting is much more akin to a real-world
hunting and
varminting scenario, presenting a better simulated opportunity to practice shooting skills. A plinking target will also often react much more positively to a hit than a
paper target used in formal competitions, either audibly with a sharp impact sound (hence the name "plink") or visually by bouncing, splattering or falling over.
Steel targets used for formal
action and
long range shooting competitions are also popular for plinking due to the ease of setting up and confirming good hits. Having Fun in Alaska.jpg|A woman plinking with a Hi-Point pistol in .40 S&W in Alaska Burro Canyon fun shoot - 8444999291.jpg|Plinking with a Ruger 10/22 rifle in Burro Canyon, Arizona, US NO LOADED GUNS IN RACK.jpg|Plinking on a Saturday in Burro Canyon, Arizona, US. On this range firearms must be kept unloaded in the rack, except when on the firing line. ==Athletic shooting sports==