Sport shooting in Norway

Norway has two rifle traditions. Det frivillige Skyttervesen runs the volunteer rifle clubs under rules approved by the Storting, on programmes of its own, while Norges Sportsskytterforbund — grown out of NAIS, founded because DFS chose not to join the international shooting union — is the country’s ISSF member.

The NAIS skill medal is shared: army units, DFS clubs and NSF clubs can all hold NAIS shoots. The Home Guard trains on DFS’s ranges and helps run its Landsskytterstevnet. DFS and NSF shoot the same 15 m indoor card but judge its inner ten differently — DFS wants the 2 mm spot shot away, NSF a hit that touches the centre.

Gun licence in Norway

  • Pistol or revolver, each application: six months in an approved shooting organisation, its safety course, and 10 organised trainings or competitions in the last six months.
  • A rifle or shotgun for sport needs the safety course, membership and 6 organised trainings or competitions, with no period set.
  • No end date for an ordinary licence; to keep a pistol, the police guidelines look for 3 organised trainings or competitions for that type of gun in five years.

The whole road to a licence

Federations

  • DFS · Det frivillige Skyttervesen
  • Forsvaret
  • NSF · Norges Sportsskytterforbund
  • NBIF · Norges Bedriftsidrettsforbund

Targets

DFS

Norway’s volunteer rifle clubs, under rules approved by the Storting: range, field, ski-field and 15 m indoor shooting on its own programmes.

All 6 DFS targets

Forsvaret

The Norwegian Armed Forces: reduced cards for shooting the rifle tables at 30 m instead of 200 and 300 m.

All 6 Forsvaret targets

NSF

Norges Sportsskytterforbund, Norway’s ISSF member: Olympic rifle, pistol, clay and running target, and the NAIS skill medal.

All 3 NSF targets

NBIF

Norway’s workplace-sport federation: air rifle and air pistol at 10 m, .22 smallbore at 15 and 50 m, in seven classes set by last season’s results.

TargetWeaponDistanceScoring area
NBIF 10m Air RifleAir rifle10 m83 mm

Sources: Det frivillige Skyttervesen, Skytterboka 2027 (as of 1 October 2026), §§ 1-1, 1-2 and 9.410; Norges Sportsskytterforbund, Reglement for NAIS og Kvartmatch, history and § 1; Norges Sportsskytterforbund, Nasjonale rifleregler 2026, § 7.23.4; Hæren, UD 5-21-3 Reglement for automatgevær HK 416, hefte 3 (2010), § 5.6; Norges Bedriftsidrettsforbund, Aktivitets-reglement for skyting (2023), read on .