ISSF Rapid Fire Pistol Timer

Running order

1.Series at 8 seconds 00:08
2.Series at 6 seconds 00:06
3.Series at 4 seconds 00:04

Total 00:18 across 3 steps.

25m Rapid Fire Pistol is shot at five separate targets, one shot at each, within a fixed time from the moment the targets face. The event is built around three time allowances — eight, six and four seconds — and the whole discipline lives in the transition between targets rather than in the shot itself^[1].

The arithmetic is unforgiving. Four seconds for five shots is 800 milliseconds per target including the transition, and there is no version of that which tolerates a wandering first shot. Shooters build the cadence from the eight-second series downward, so that the four-second rhythm is a compression of something already grooved rather than a different skill attempted cold.

Cadence is the event

A rapid fire series is one rhythm executed five times, not five separate decisions. Shooters who aim each target independently cannot make the four-second stage, because the decision time alone exceeds the budget.

Practise the rhythm before the accuracy. Dry firing the transition sequence to a metronome builds the timing pattern, and the sights follow the pattern rather than driving it.

Working down through the stages

Eight seconds is generous enough to shoot with a normal aiming process, six requires the rhythm to be established, and four requires it to be automatic. Training in that order matters — attempting four cold teaches panic rather than cadence.

The first shot has an outsized effect. Time lost getting the first target settled comes directly out of the four transitions that follow, and a first shot half a second late costs more than any single miss.

Verify against the current rules

Rapid Fire Pistol has been through significant format revisions, including changes to the course of fire and the finals structure. The series times here are stated as I have them.

Confirm against the current ISSF Rules before using them for anything that counts.

Series times as I have them from the ISSF rules; verify against the current edition^[1]. The per-target figures are arithmetic from those times.

Rapid fire series structure and cadence
Series	Time	Per target	What it demands
8 second	8 s	1.6 s	Normal aiming process fits
6 second	6 s	1.2 s	Rhythm must be established
4 second	4 s	0.8 s	Cadence must be automatic

Five targets, one shot at each, timed from the moment the targets face.
Train downward from 8 seconds. Attempting 4 cold builds panic rather than cadence.

Source: ISSF Official Statutes, Rules and Regulations — 25m Rapid Fire Pistol

Sources

ISSF Official Statutes, Rules and Regulations — 25m Rapid Fire Pistol , International Shooting Sport Federation (Check the current edition — the event has been revised significantly) — accessed 2026-07-28

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❓ Frequently Asked Questions

What are the rapid fire series times?

Eight, six and four seconds, each for five shots at five separate targets. Verify against the current ISSF rules — the event has been through significant format revisions and the figures here are stated as I have them.

How much time is there per target at four seconds?

About 800 milliseconds including the transition. That is why the four-second series cannot be shot by aiming each target independently — the decision time alone would exceed the budget.

How do I build up to the four-second series?

Downward from eight. Eight seconds allows a normal aiming process, six requires an established rhythm, four requires it to be automatic. Attempting four cold teaches panic rather than cadence.

Why does the first shot matter so much?

Because time lost settling the first target comes directly out of the four transitions after it. A first shot half a second late costs more across the series than any single poor shot does.

Can I train this with dry fire?

Yes, and it is the most efficient way to build the rhythm. Dry firing the transition sequence to a metronome grooves the timing pattern; the sights then follow the pattern rather than driving it.

Is rapid fire about speed or accuracy?

It is about cadence, which is neither. A series is one rhythm executed five times rather than five separate aiming problems, and shooters who treat it as five decisions cannot make the shorter series at all.