NRA B-8 Pistol target
The B-8 is the B-6 slow fire target with only the 9 and 10 rings black, used for the timed and rapid fire stages of the National Match Course and the NRA Short Course: five-shot strings in 20 or 10 seconds. A shot fired early or late can cost the shooter the best hit on the target.
Shot one? Score it from a photo
Courses of fire
20 or 10 shots
| Course | Shots | Maximum |
|---|---|---|
| Timed Fire Match4 × 5 · 20 s per series | 20 | 200 |
| Rapid Fire Match4 × 5 · 10 s per series | 20 | 200 |
| NMC timed fire2 × 5 · 20 s per series | 10 | 100 |
| NMC rapid fire2 × 5 · 10 s per series | 10 | 100 |
| Camp Perry slow fire5 min | 10 | 100 |
| League timed (15 yd)2 × 5 · 20 s per series | 10 | 100 |
| League rapid (15 yd)2 × 5 · 10 s per series | 10 | 100 |
Badges
United States · CMP and NRA
CMP Achievement Awards
Every CMP rulebook, from air gun and smallbore to service rifle, pistol and the CMP Games, sets achievement awards as an incentive to take part and improve. In EIC matches, shooters already Distinguished, who earn no more credit points, still compete for achievement pins. If extreme weather lowers every score in a CMP Games match, or many competitors are new, the match director may lower the bronze score, but not below the 40th-percentile competitor.
Gold, silver or bronze for equalling or exceeding the cut score in one match at a CMP-sanctioned or CMP-run competition. The cut scores come from earlier national championship scores, set so that roughly the top 40 percent of competitors earn an award: the top sixth of them gold, the next two sixths silver, the rest bronze.
CMP Air Rifle and Air Pistol Competition Rules, 5th ed. (2026), rule 11.1; CMP Highpower Rifle Competition Rules, 29th ed. (2026), rules 4.11.3, 9.3.9–9.3.10 and 10.3.3; CMP Games Rifle and Pistol Competition Rules, 13th ed. (2026), rules 4.8 and 4.8.4
As-Issued Pistol Matches
CMP
Course of fire40 shots at 25 yd, standing: four stages of 2 × 5 in 60, 50, 40 and 30 s, the first strong hand only
| Match | Gold | Silver | Bronze |
|---|---|---|---|
| As-Issued M1911 Pistol Match | 360+ | 346–359 | 310–345 |
| Military & Police Service Pistol Match | 360+ | 348–359 | 330–347 |
- Points over the 40-shot CMP As-Issued Pistol Course at 25 yards on the B-8 (or the CMP BEFF with BERC25 centres): four stages of two 5-shot strings with a magazine change, in 60, 50, 40 and 30 seconds, standing — the first stage strong hand only, the rest one- or two-handed.
- At competitions only: medals at the National Matches and CMP Competition Games, pins that clubs order for their CMP-sanctioned matches.
CMP Games Rifle and Pistol Competition Rules, 13th ed. (2026), rules 4.8, 8.5.2 and 8.6.2–8.6.3, Table 11, pp. 39–40, 78–79, 81–82; Annex A, p. 104
NRA Marksmanship Qualification Program
The NRA dates the programme to 1903 and measures shooters against par scores in 23 qualifications, from BB gun to shotgun and multi-gun. Awards are ordered from the NRA’s Program Materials Center: the discipline’s patch at the start, then a rocker, medal, pin and certificate for each rating. NRA members who reach Distinguished Expert get its packet free, and those who earn it in 2 or 3 of rifle, pistol and shotgun become Double or Triple Distinguished.
Ratings are earned in order, from Pro-Marksman up, at the shooter’s own pace; a score counts only toward the rating being worked on and cannot be held for a higher one, and the repetitions need not be fired in a row or in one session. Distinguished Expert firing is witnessed by an NRA member, instructor or coach, unless it is shot in competition.
NRA Marksmanship Qualification Program guide book, 11th ed. (January 2021), pp. 1–3 and 53–54; NRA Marksmanship Qualification Program, “Courses of Fire” and “FAQs”
Conventional Bullseye Pistol Qualification
NRA
Course of fireSlow fire 10 shots in 10 min; timed 2 × 5, 20 s a string; rapid 2 × 5, 10 s a string; standing, one hand
Stage course: slow, timed and rapid fire
| Rating | Slow fire10 shots in 10 min | Timed fire2 × 5 shots, 20 s each | Rapid fire2 × 5 shots, 10 s each | Aggregate30 shots |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pro-Marksman | 40 ×5 | – | – | – |
| Marksman | 50 ×5 | – | – | – |
| Sharpshooter | 60 ×5 | – | – | – |
| No rating printed | 68 ×4 | 58 ×3 | – | – |
| No rating printed | 72 ×4 | 70 ×3 | 50 ×3 | – |
| No rating printed | 76 ×4 | 82 ×3 | 70 ×4 | – |
| Expert | – | – | – | 250 ×5 |
| Distinguished Expert | – | – | – | 269 ×10 |
| Distinguished ExpertAt two NRA sanctioned competitions | – | – | – | 258 ×2 |
Aggregate Skill Course: 10 slow, 10 timed and 10 rapid-fire shots
| Rating | Pointsof 300 | Times |
|---|---|---|
| Pro-Marksman | 125 | 2 |
| Marksman | 175 | 2 |
| Sharpshooter | 210 | 2 |
| Expert | 250 | 2 |
| Distinguished Expert | 269 | 10 |
| Distinguished ExpertAt two NRA sanctioned competitions | 258 | 2 |
- Points of 100 for 10 shots and of 300 for the 30-shot aggregate; ×5 is five times.
- An aggregate counts only when its 30 shots are fired as one unit in one session.
- Any rimfire or centrefire pistol or revolver, fired standing with one hand; Pro-Marksman and Marksman may use a bench or both hands.
- Slow fire on the B-16 at 25 yards, the B-6 at 50 yards or the B-2 at 50 feet, timed and rapid fire on the B-8 at 25 yards or the B-3 at 50 feet (or the TQ-6 and TQ-7 at 25 feet, the B-4 at 20 yards).
- The stage table has three rows without a rating name (as printed; Sharpshooter bars in earlier editions).
NRA Marksmanship Qualification Program guide book, 11th ed. (January 2021), pp. 10–11
Explorer Service Handgun Qualification
NRA
Course of fire5-shot strings: slow in 5 min, timed in 20 s, rapid in 10 s, at 5 to 25 yd, benchrest then standing; a 30-shot aggregate
| Rating | Yards | Slow fire5 shots in 5 min | Timed fire5 shots in 20 s | Rapid fire5 shots in 10 s | Aggregate30 shots |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pro-MarksmanBenchrest | 5 | 25 ×5 | – | – | – |
| Pro-MarksmanBenchrest | 7 | 25 ×5 | – | – | – |
| MarksmanStanding | 7 | 30 ×5 | 25 ×5 | – | – |
| SharpshooterStanding | 15 | 36 ×5 | 33 ×5 | 25 ×5 | – |
| ExpertStanding | 20 | 43 ×5 | 37 ×5 | 33 ×5 | – |
| Distinguished Expert | 25 | – | – | – | 201 ×5 |
- Points of 50 for a 5-shot string and of 300 for the aggregate, two strings each of slow, timed and rapid fire fired as one unit in one session; ×5 is five times.
- Only for cadets of Law Enforcement Explorer Posts enrolled with NRA — not sworn officers — after an 8-hour firearm safety course; every qualifying score is witnessed by the range supervisor or the post’s officer in charge, and the post orders the awards.
- A service handgun authorized for duty carry by the sponsoring agency, on the standard NRA B-8.
NRA Marksmanship Qualification Program guide book, 11th ed. (January 2021), pp. 50–52
How it is shot
Course · Camp Perry Course · Target frames · Positions · Skid shots · Out-of-time shots · Ties
- Course
- In the National Match Course and the NRA Short Course, the B-8 takes two 5-shot strings of timed fire, 20 seconds each, and two of rapid fire, 10 seconds each, at 25 yards.NRA section 7
- Camp Perry Course
- The Camp Perry Course fires all three stages on the B-8 at 25 yards, its 10-shot slow fire string in 5 minutes; its scores are not used for classification.NRA section 7
- Target frames
- With outdoor-type frames (25 and 50 yards, 50 m), fixed frames may be used for slow fire only; timed and rapid fire in registered competition need frames that rotate on a vertical or horizontal axis.NRA rule 6.8(a)
- Positions
- The firing position is standing, with the pistol held in one hand only; the other hand may give it no support, and clothing, body and pistol must be clear of artificial support.NRA rule 5.5
- Skid shots
- A skid shot, an elongated hole made while the target turns into or out of view, gets the higher value if its leaded edge touches the ring, but never more than one ring above where it first struck the card.NRA rule 14.3(b) and glossary
- Out-of-time shots
- A shot fired before the signal to commence or after the signal to cease fire costs the highest hit, scored as a miss, when the required number of hits is visible on the target; if fewer are visible, each missing shot is a miss.NRA rule 14.5
- Ties
- In a match fired in stages, such as the National Match Course, ties go to the most X’s, then the higher rapid fire score, then timed fire, then slow fire, each ranked by rule 15.3 if still tied.NRA rule 15.4
Dimensions
6 rings · 499.9 mm
5.6 mm scoring gauge (.22)
| Ring | Colour | Diameter | Centre within |
|---|---|---|---|
| X ring | Black | 43.1 mm1.7 in | 24.35 mm |
| 10 | Black | 85.3 mm3.4 in | 45.45 mm |
| 9 | Black | 140.7 mm5.5 in | 73.15 mm |
| 8 | White | 203.2 mm8.0 in | 104.4 mm |
| 7 | White | 279.4 mm11.0 in | 142.5 mm |
| 6 | White | 375.9 mm14.8 in | 190.75 mm |
| 5 | White | 499.9 mm19.7 in | 252.75 mm |
The card
- Card
- The B-8 is exactly the same target as the 50-yard slow fire B-6 except that only the 9 and 10 rings are black. It comes as tag board (B-8(T)), paper (B-8(P)) and a repair centre (B-8(C)).NRA rules 4.7 and 4.8
Source: NRA Precision Pistol Rules, Revised February 2026, rule 4.7, 4.8. Sizes are nominal. Dimensions checked ; page updated .
Shooter is not affiliated with or endorsed by the National Rifle Association of America (NRA), and its scores are training estimates from a photo, not official results. Spotted an error? Tell us.
Scan offline or with AI
Training on paper? Photograph a card and the Shooter app finds the holes and scores them by these rings: every shot, your X count, the series total, your group’s size and centre. Holes merged? Add, move or remove a shot. Every card joins your training log, so drift shows up over time.
Scored with AI for now, which needs internet and your permission to upload the photo to an AI service in the US. Some AI scans may be free while we collect photos of this target; then each uses an AI credit (sold in packs in the app). Scoring by hand is free.