Bullseye Timed Fire Timer

Common uses for a bullseye timed fire timer

NRA precision pistol practice
Timed fire string drills
Building an even cadence
National Match Course preparation

Timed fire in NRA precision pistol — bullseye — is five shots in twenty seconds, fired one-handed at 25 yards^[1]. It sits between slow fire, which is a deliberate ten minutes for ten shots, and rapid fire, which compresses the same five shots into ten seconds.

Four seconds a shot is enough to aim properly and not enough to hesitate, which is exactly the intent. Most shooters find the string comfortable for the first three shots and then discover they have spent thirteen seconds, leaving seven for two shots. The discipline is spending the time evenly rather than front-loading it.

Even cadence beats a fast start

The shot that suffers is almost always the fifth, and it suffers because of time spent on the first. A metronomic four-second rhythm from the first shot leaves the last one exactly as much time as the others.

Counting in your head is unreliable under a running clock. Practising against an audible cadence until the rhythm is internal is more effective than trying to time the string consciously while shooting it.

Recovery between shots is the limiting factor

In one-handed pistol the sights leave the target under recoil and have to return before the next shot. How quickly they return is a function of grip and stance rather than of effort, and a shooter fighting the recovery cannot shoot an even cadence however hard they try.

If the last shots of a string are consistently low or scattered, work on recovery rather than on speed. The clock is rarely the actual constraint.

Check your match's rules

Course-of-fire details vary between NRA competition, CMP events and club matches, and the figures here are stated as I have them for NRA precision pistol.

Confirm against the rulebook the match is being run under.

As I have them for NRA precision pistol; confirm against the rules of the match you are shooting^[1].

Bullseye strings compared
String	Time	Shots	Per shot	Character
Slow fire	10 min	10	60 s	Fully deliberate
Timed fire	20 s	5	4 s	Aim, do not hesitate
Rapid fire	10 s	5	2 s	Cadence only

A National Match Course combines all three strings.
The fifth shot suffers from time spent on the first — spend the string evenly.

Source: NRA Precision Pistol Rules — course of fire and time allowances

Sources

NRA Precision Pistol Rules — course of fire and time allowances , National Rifle Association of America (Confirm against the current rulebook for your match) — accessed 2026-07-28

🔗 Related Timers

Bullseye Rapid Fire Timer

Bullseye Slow Fire Timer

Precision Pistol 10-Second Par Time Timer

ISSF Standard Pistol Timer

Dry Fire Par Time Timer

❓ Frequently Asked Questions

How long is a timed fire string?

Twenty seconds for five shots in NRA precision pistol — four seconds a shot. Confirm against the rulebook for the match you are shooting, since course-of-fire details vary between NRA, CMP and club events.

Why is my last shot always rushed?

Because of time spent on the first. Most shooters find the first three comfortable, then discover they have used thirteen of their twenty seconds. An even four-second rhythm from shot one leaves the fifth exactly as much time as the rest.

Should I count the cadence in my head?

It is unreliable under a running clock. Practising against an audible cadence until the rhythm becomes internal works better than trying to time the string consciously while also shooting it.

My last shots scatter. Is that a speed problem?

Usually not — it is recovery. In one-handed pistol the sights leave the target under recoil and must return before the next shot, and how fast they return is a function of grip and stance rather than effort. Work on recovery, not speed.

How does timed fire relate to rapid fire?

Same five shots, half the time — ten seconds instead of twenty. Timed fire allows a genuine aiming process; rapid fire is cadence alone. Training timed fire well is how most shooters build toward rapid.

What is a National Match Course?

A combined course of fire using all three strings — slow, timed and rapid — which is why an even process across different clocks matters more in bullseye than raw ability at any one of them.