TargetTalk

A Summary of Proposed 2017-2020 ISSF Rules Changes Regarding Shooting Equipment

This summary was prepared by Gary Anderson, ISSF Vice President. Anyone with questions may contact Mr. Anderson at gary.anderson@issf-sports.org.

IMPORTANT NOTIFICATION: The rule changes summarized in this document are proposed rules that were recommended by ISSF Committees, but these rules are still subject to further comments and final approval by the ISSF Administrative Council that will meet on 29 June 2016. No 2017 Rule changes will become final until the ISSF Administrative Council approves them.

Uniform Standard for Equipment and Clothing

The ISSF’s standard for evaluating new and modified equipment has been strengthened. The full text of this rule is printed below:
Shooting is a sport where equipment and clothing play a critical role. ISSF Rules and rule enforcement procedures do not prohibit performance enhancing equipment and clothing, but they strive to limit and control equipment, clothing and accessories to ensure that all athletes have equipment and clothing with relatively equal performance enhancing capabilities. Athletes must use only equipment and clothing that complies with ISSF Rules. Any gun, device, equipment, accessory or other item that may give an athlete an unfair advantage over others and that is not specifically mentioned in these Rules, or that is contrary to the spirit of these Rules, is prohibited.
IMPORTANT: When manufacturers consider the introduction of new products, they are urged to contact ISSF HQ to request a determination regarding whether the new item of equipment is legal according to ISSF Rules.

Sound-Enhancing Hearing Protection
Athletes may not wear sound-enhancing hearing protection on the firing line or shooting stations. Competition officials are allowed to wear sound-enhancing hearing protection.

Clay Targets
The use of bio-degradable (eco-friendly) clay targets is encouraged in all ISSF Championships. The use of bio-degradable (eco-friendly) clay targets is required in all ISSF World Championships and the Olympic Games.

Paperless (Sustainable) Competitions
Organizing Committees will have the option of using paperless systems (start lists, results, notices) to conduct their competitions if wireless Internet connections are generally available on the shooting venue.

Mobile Phones
Mobile phones or hand-held communication devices many not be used by athletes on the firing lines or shooting stations.

Blinders
Only shotgun athletes will be permitted to use side blinders (60 mm maximum depth). Rifle, pistol and shotgun athletes can wear one front blinder 30 mm
maximum width), but no side blinders.

Corrective Lenses in Rifle Sights
Rifle athletes will be allowed to place corrective lenses in their rear sights.

Air Rifle Specifications
The limitation on how low the butt-plate may be fixed was eliminated (was 220 mm elow the centerline of the bore). No part of the butt stock between the butt plate and pistol grip may be more than 130 mm below the centerline of the bore.

50m Rifle Specifications
No part of the butt stock between the butt plate and pistol grip may be more than 130 mm below the centerline of the bore.

Rifle Clothing Rules
Rifle clothing rules remain unchanged, but strict no tolerance post-competition testing for stiffness and thickness will continue.

Rifle Bipods
Rifle bipods may not remain on rifles during firing times.

Pistol Sights
Fiber optic and reflecting color sights are prohibited.

Pistol Support Stands
Pistol athletes will be permitted to use adjustable “pistol support stands” on their tables or benches during training and competitions (qualification and finals) provided the total height of the table and support stand does not exceed 1.00 m (see illustration).

Shotgun Ammunition
The use of colored wads is prohibited. Only transparent or translucent wads may be used. Strict enforcement of maximum shot charge limits (24.0 g +0.5g tolerance) will continue.

Shotgun Butt Stocks
The lowest point of the butt stock or toe of the butt plate may not be more than 170 mm below a horizontal line extending from the bottom of the shotgun action.

25m Pistol Women Final
The present finals format with a semifinal and two medal matches will be replaced by a progressive elimination format where the eighth place athlete will be
eliminated after 20 shots (4 5-shot series) and the gold and silver medal winners will be determined after 50 shots 10 5-shot series).

Shotgun Finals
The present finals format with a semifinal and two medal matches will be replaced by a progressive elimination format where the sixth place athlete will be eliminated after 20/25/30 shots (skeet/trap/double trap) and the gold and silver medal winners will be determined after 60/50/80 shots.

10m/50m Single Position Finals
In all Rifle and Pistol single position Finals, the two 3-shot series at the beginning of the Final will from 2017 be changed to two series of 5-shots.

conradin wrote:
25m Pistol Women Final
The present finals format with a semifinal and two medal matches will be replaced by a progressive elimination format where the eighth place athlete will be
eliminated after 20 shots (4 5-shot series) and the gold and silver medal winners will be determined after 50 shots 10 5-shot series).

Thank god for that. The current final format is shit!

Corrective lenses in the rear sight is quite a change, for the better I think.

Corrective lenses in the rear sight sounds great for a person who uses glasses like myself, but wow, how small of a lens are you talking about, unless its something full size that connected to the sight somehow. Interesting

Does anyone proof-read this stuff at the ISSF?
First of all they say that shotgun athletes can use side blinders, then they say they can't.

Only shotgun athletes will be permitted to use side blinders........shotgun athletes can wear one front blinder...but no side blinders.

Which is it?

And if shotgun athletes can wear side blinders, why can't pistol shooters? If it is for safety reasons (ejecting shotgun cartridges), why can't pistol shooters (particularly in those events using semi-auto pistols) be afforded the same protection?

(grumble grumble...)

conradin wrote: 10m/50m Single Position Finals
In all Rifle and Pistol single position Finals, the two 3-shot series at the beginning of the Final will from 2017 be changed to two series of 5-shots.

Industry - Summary of Proposed 2017-2020 ISSF Rules Changes Regarding Sh...-1.pdf

Is the final still going to be 20 shots?
If so, to make the eliminations work, it means 7th and 8th get eliminated together at the 10th shot.
Cheers
Martin

...meanwhile the diagram accompanying the section on "Pistol Support Stands" is very confusing; I'm still trying to get my head around what exactly the diagram is supposed to be illustrating.

So glad about the sight mounted corrective lenses and the removal of the air rifle butt plate height limitation (tall shooters rejoice).

Martin H wrote:Is the final still going to be 20 shots?

I read it as the first two three-shot series would be replaced with two five-shot series (more time allowed per series?) and the total shot count rising to 24 shots.

I wish they would change up the 3p final. You spend an age watching them shoot without any real tension, then suddenly 5 shots go by and the whole thing is over.

Ian Harris wrote:

Martin H wrote:Is the final still going to be 20 shots?

I read it as the first two three-shot series would be replaced with two five-shot series (more time allowed per series?) and the total shot count rising to 24 shots.

We won't know for certain until we see the rule changes, and it doesn't matter until next year anyway.

if they want to make air pistol/rifle finals more exciting, they should consider dropping athletes after every shot, not two shots. In the current format, one of those 2 shots always steals some tension.

They realized their huge mistake of dropping people after only 8 shots and increased the number to now 12 shots.

But without changing anything they should start dropping people after the 13th shot, with each new shot the last person dropping out, 14th shot 7th place, 15th shot 6th place...., 19th shot 3rd place, 20th shot 2nd place "drops out" and the winner is decided on that shot. No need to change the records and it circumvents the mistake of 8 shots drop out, increases the tension and the "spectacle", and gives athletes more shots to come back if they do poorly in the beginning

This one is as clear as mud...

Pistol Sights
Fiber optic and reflecting color sights are prohibited.

What are "reflecting color sights"? I can understand not allowing reflecting sights since they would be similar to mirror sights which are already prohibited. At least, I think that's the case.

But, is painting sights any color other than black now a problem? And, can one not even add colored dots on black sights?

It is amazing that the things come out without some review by people well-versed in English.

Stan

I am a Bullseye shooter so please excuse my ignorance.

I wear side blinders after an empty .22 hit on the elbow of my glasses once. So I wear for safety.
I also use sound enhancing ear muffs for safety as well. If someone yells out cease fire during .45 fire I want to make sure I hear it. I don't see a competitive advantage to being able to hear. In fact I think I do better when I wear plugs and ear muffs (with sound enhancement turned off).

Chip

Source? Is this information credible?

On the prohibition of side blinders for rifle/pistol - are they still worried that the cameras can't see the shooter's faces well enough, or is there some other issue?

I wear side blinders after an empty .22 hit on the elbow of my glasses once. So I wear for safety

I'm in the same situation so the banning side-blinders on shooting glasses would really bother me. Though some ranges I have competed on have shade cloth dividing bays, most of our 25m ranges (including my home club) have plywood panels. I have occasionally experienced an ejected hot case bouncing off the panel to my right and striking my right-hand blinder; the presence of which I was very grateful for. I don't see how the introduction of a rule which has the effect of reducing safety for competitors in a shooting sport is a good idea.

On the prohibition of side blinders for rifle/pistol - are they still worried that the cameras can't see the shooter's faces well enough, or is there some other issue?

I suspect it is but out of all the ISSF videos I have watched, I can honestly say that I've never had any real difficulty in seeing the faces of competitors wearing blinders (I also don't have a great deal of interest in seeing their faces, but that's a different issue...). However this still doesn't answer the question as why shot gunners will be able to still wear blinders (if that is indeed the case) but pistol shooters won't.

Don't forget, these proposed rules only apply to ISSF sanctioned events. Olympics, World Champs, Continental Champs and World Cups.

You can wear your slide blinders until you're heart's content at you own club shoots!

Just a thought though, how wide can the arms of the glasses be before they are considered side blinders?

SamEEE wrote:Source? Is this information credible?

IMHO, totally.

Think about the 130 mm for AR stocks. Probably no current wood stock would pass. This might explain Anschutzs' new stock design. Also what about someone with big hands, half their hand would not be griping anything.

Currently the stock / pistol grip is a big issue touching the jacket, especially with women. We struggle with this all the time, almost all rifles used by our women shooters have had the pistol grip / stock cut away to meet the rule.

As far as mixed shooting. Paralympic shooting has mixed events, I see no results difference in terms of gender. They both shoot at 10 meters with similar or the same type rifles. Major difference is women shoot 60 shots instead of 40.