4-H Shooting Sports Event Handbook

4-H Shooting Sports Introduction

Goals, Aims, and Purpose

4-H Shooting Sports strives to enable young people 8 to 18 years old, their parents, and adult volunteers to become responsible, self-directed, and productive members of society via involvement in shooting sports activities. MSU Extension professionals coordinate 4-H Shooting Sports statewide. Hundreds of MSU Extension employees and adult volunteers deliver the program throughout Mississippi.

The goals of the 4-H Shooting Sports program are

• To enhance development of self-concept, character, and personal growth through safe, educational, and socially acceptable involvement in shooting-related activities.
• To teach safe and responsible use of sporting equipment to include firearms and archery equipment.
• To promote the highest standards of safety, sportsmanship, and ethical behavior.
• To expose participants to the broad array of vocational and lifelong avocational activities related to the 4-H Shooting Sports program.
• To strengthen families through participation in lifelong recreational activities.
• To complement and enhance the impact of existing safety and shooting educational programs using experiential educational methods and progressive development of skills and abilities.

The Mississippi 4-H Shooting Sports program consists of several discipline areas:

• .22 Rifle
• .22 Pistol
• Air Rifle
• Air Pistol
• Archery
• Muzzleloading
• Shotgun
• Hunting
• Western Heritage (separate event)

Participation in Contests

Young people ages 8 through 18 (4-H age as of January 1) may join local 4-H Shooting Sports clubs, although participation in certain disciplines is limited to older 4-H’ers. Trained and certified adult leaders help train participants in specific discipline areas while teaching them important life skills. Please refer to additional sections of this handbook for more information about specific disciplines.

All participants are required to complete 8 hours of training each year in each discipline in which they are going to compete. In addition, before the district event, youth must have participated in at least one competition identical to that of the district discipline in which they are going to compete. Postal scores are required for youth to register for the district events. All rules in this handbook apply to this competition.

A 4-H Shooting Sports certified instructor must verify the qualifications for each 4-H member registered for a district event. The instructor must be certified in the discipline that he/she is verifying. A list of registered participants for each discipline is printed by the MSU Extension agent and then signed by the certified instructor. For a list of certified 4-H Shooting Sports instructors, please visit your local Extension office or contact the Center for 4-H Youth Development at (662) 325-3350.

All participants will be required to have a postal score to register for district events. All participants must shoot a minimum score (listed below) for the discipline (class) to advance to the district event. 4-H Shooting Sports district leadership will release specific information (such as deadlines) for each specific district’s sanctioned matches.

Postal Scores Required to Qualify for District Event

Discipline	Minimum Qualifying Score
5-Meter Air Pistol	15
10-Meter Air Pistol (Juniors)	30
10-Meter Air Pistol (Seniors)	60
.22 Pistol	45
5-Meter Air Rifle	25
10-Meter Air Rifle	45
.22 Rifle	45
Muzzleloader (Junior II)	15
Muzzleloader (Junior III and above)	20
Archery	30
Shotgun	2 of 15 targets
Hunting	No minimum required

There will be four district contests for the Mississippi 4-H Shooting Sports program.

1. Northwest District Counties: Bolivar, Carroll, Coahoma, DeSoto, Grenada, Holmes, Humphreys, Issaquena, Leflore, Montgomery, Panola, Quitman, Sharkey, Sunflower, Tallahatchie, Tate, Tunica, Washington, and Yalobusha.
2. Northeast District Counties: Alcorn, Benton, Calhoun, Chickasaw, Choctaw, Clay, Itawamba, Lafayette, Lee, Lowndes, Marshall, Monroe, Noxubee, Oktibbeha, Pontotoc, Prentiss, Tippah, Tishomingo, Union, Webster, and Winston.
3. Southwest District Counties: Adams, Amite, Attala, Claiborne, Copiah, Franklin, Hinds, Jefferson, Lawrence, Leake, Lincoln, Madison, Pike, Rankin, Scott, Simpson, Smith, Walthall, Warren, Wilkinson, and Yazoo.
4. Southeast District Counties: Clarke, Covington, Forrest, George, Greene, Hancock, Harrison, Jackson, Jasper, Jefferson Davis, Jones, Kemper, Lamar, Lauderdale, Marion, Neshoba, Newton, Pearl River, Perry, Stone, Wayne, and Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians.

At these district events, 4-H’ers may compete in a maximum of three live fire events with Hunting included as one of the three since it is now a live fire event. To be eligible for participation in these events, youth must have received at least 8 hours of training from a certified 4-H Shooting Sports instructor in each of the disciplines. Additionally, youth must have participated in at least one competition identical to that of the district discipline(s) (must be a complete course of fire) in which they are going to compete. All rules in this handbook apply to this competition. There are no exceptions to this policy.

Recognition and Awards

District awards and recognition will be administered by the district leadership in each respective district. Senior participants who score a minimum score in their discipline event will be invited to the State Championship and, if successful, may represent Mississippi at the National 4-H Shooting Sports Contest. National 4-H Contest rules state that youth will only be allowed to attend the National 4-H Shooting Sports Contest once per discipline. Thus, a 4-H’er may compete at the National Contest in .22 rifle only once but may go again competing in another discipline (e.g., air rifle, .22 pistol, air pistol, etc.).

2025 4-H Shooting Sports Handbook Updates/Changes

General Rules

1. All firearms—air pistols, air rifles, .22 caliber rifles, .22 pistols, and shotguns—must have a breech block safety flag inserted in the chamber and must extend the length of the barrel and protrude from the muzzle of the firearm.
2. Ammunition will be stored so as not to be readily accessible except on the firing line. Participants should never have control of ammunition and firearms at the same time during the event unless on the firing line. Ammunition that is stored inside a case when checked at firearm check-in or on the firing line will also constitute a disqualification from the range.
3. Fully enclosed shoes must be worn for safety reasons by all participants. No open-hole “Crock type” soft-soled shoes to provide adequate foot protection from hot brass.

Sporter Air Rifle

1. .22 Rifle: Jr. .22 Rifle will now shoot the CMP Rifle Course but shoot the slow fire portion of the competition only. 10 shots standing, kneeling or sitting, and prone at 25 yards at the B-19 target.

Archery

1. Arrow weight: Arrows must be no larger than 27/64ths and must meet AMO standard minimum weight (5 grains of arrow weight per pound bow peak draw weight).
2. Archery field tips: Field tips must be smooth where the field tip screws into the arrow shaft and not be flared to prevent damage to targets.

Shotgun

1. Sr. 4-H’ers can qualify for State Championship with a score of 10.

Air Pistol

1. Pellets are now allowed on the 5M air pistol discipline. Any smooth bore .177 caliber pellet pistol. Flat-nosed lead pellets are permitted as ammunition. With metallic sights only.

4-H Shooting Sports Competition Categories

Competition Categories

NOTE: Participants are allowed to participate in three live fire disciplines, including Hunting as one of the three since it now has a live fire portion to the contest.

Category	Junior I 8–9 years	Junior II 10–11 years	Junior III 12–13 years	Senior I 14–15 years	Senior II 16–18 years
Rifle
Air Rifle 5-meter BB/Pellet	X	X	X
Air Rifle 10-meter Pellet	X	X	X	X	X
.22 Rifle 3-position		X	X	X	X
Archery Males and females will be scored separately and compete in different classifications.
Recurve	X	X	X	X	X
Standard Compound	X	X	X	X	X
Bare Bow	X	X	X	X	X
Compound Bare Bow	X	X	X	X	X
Unlimited	X	X	X	X	X
Pistol
Air Pistol 5-meter BB and Pellet	X	X	X
Air Pistol 10-meter Pellet	X	X	X	X	X
.22 Pistol Combination Fire				X	X
Muzzleloading * Junior II and Junior III participants will compete using the 50-yard Bullseye target only. Seniors (ages 14–18) are required to compete using all three targets: Bullseye, Bottles, and Critters.
50-yd Bullseye		X*	X*	X	X
25-yd Bottles & Critters			X	X	X
Shotgun
Clover Clays		X	X	X	X
Hunting
Written Exam	X	X	X	X	X
Hunter Decision Making	X	X	X	X	X

Review Period

Each district leadership team will determine when scores will be posted. A 30-minute review period will follow during which event participants only may request a formal review. Targets will be re-scored by a three-person committee and will not be returned to the competitors. The review fee is determined by each district. The fee will be returned to the participant if an error is found.

State Championship

To be invited to participate in State Championship, senior-aged youth must score a minimum in a discipline area. 4-H’ers who turn 19 on or before January 1 will be unable to attend the national competition, even if they qualified for it. The discipline rules listed in this handbook pertain only to the district events; a separate rulebook will be issued for the State Championship.

Participants who qualify for the State Championship must complete 2 additional hours of safety and rules instruction in the discipline in which they are going to compete. Hunting contestants must complete a minimum of 10 hours of safety and range instruction collectively from certified instructors in Rifle & Archery in the hunting discipline & each instructor must sign off on these additional hours, and participants must present their documentation to the appropriate agent before they register for the State Championship.

State Invitational Minimum Scores

Discipline	Minimum Needed
Air Rifle	150
.22 Rifle	390
Air Pistol	200
.22 Pistol	150
Shotgun	10
Archery (Recurve, Bare Bow, Compound Bare Bow)	60
Archery (Compound and Unlimited)	90
Muzzleloader	30
Hunting	No minimum required

The Mississippi 4-H Shooting Sports State Invitational will be held in mid-July in Jackson at the Capitol Gun Club and Mississippi Law Enforcement Officers’ Training Academy.

General Participation

Participants are required to have met the following regulations to be eligible to participate in a district event:

1. Completed 8 hours of 4-H Shooting Sports training each 4-H year in each discipline in which they compete.
2. Participated in at least one sanctioned competition identical to that of the district discipline in which they are going to compete.
3. A 4-H Shooting Sports certified instructor must verify on the participant’s registration forms that the participant has met his or her minimum training requirements. This instructor must be certified in the discipline in which he/she is verifying. For a list of certified 4-H Shooting Sports instructors, please contact your local Extension office.
4. The local MSU Extension agent is responsible for collecting fees and information and entering it into the computer system.
5. 4-H rules apply! Each participant must have a completed Parental Consent/Code of Conduct Form and Health Card in order to participate in any event. These forms can be obtained from your local MSU Extension office.
6. Any changes to classifications must be made before the start of the match and are the responsibility of the competitor.
7. Each district event will be coordinated following MSU Extension guidelines.

4-H rules supersede National Governing Body (NGB) unless noted. Please see appendix.

Safety Rules

Safety will be first and foremost at all times. A 4-H Shooting Sports committee will examine and inspect all ranges in accordance with NRA standards prior to live fire exercise.

1. Participants, instructors and parents are responsible for reading and understanding the rules. While on the firing line, each team or individual must be accompanied by an adult. Participants must have a sponsoring adult responsible for them at all times. Each county must have a minimum of one adult per five youths at the contest.
2. Participants must provide their own firearms and ammunition, bows and arrows, eye and ear protection, and other personal shooting equipment. This includes kneeling rolls, shooting blocks, shooting rolls, slings, jackets, shooting mats, etc. Adults are responsible for handling and controlling all ammunition. Counties sharing firearms or other equipment must limit the sharing to three or fewer youths per piece of equipment.
3. All firearms—air pistols, air rifles, .22 caliber rifles, .22 pistols, and shotguns—must have a breech block safety flag inserted in the chamber. It must extend the length of the barrel and protrude out of the muzzle. Breech block safety flags can easily be made from yellow or orange weed-eater type string and inserted into pistols, rifles, and shotguns of all kinds. Muzzleloader rifles must have a yellow safety flag attached to the barrel-inserted ramrod.
4. Arrows will not be nocked until the participant is on the shooting line. The use of a hip or ground quiver is required.
5. Participants must obey all range commands. Arrive at each event at least 15 minutes prior to relay times to receive range orientation.
6. Rifles must be single loaded, except when range officer dictates otherwise. Parent or person assisting participant must certify when each firearm is clear.
7. Participants must wear adequate eye and ear protection while on the firing line.
8. Ammunition will be stored so as not to be readily accessible except on the firing line. Participants should never have control of ammunition and firearms at the same time during the event unless on the firing line. Ammunition that is stored inside a case when checked at firearm check-in or on the firing line will also constitute a disqualification from the range. Arrows are not classified as ammunition and thus may be stored in the bow case.
9. All participants will check in equipment at the appropriate check-in station for their discipline. Equipment will be checked to ensure it is safe and in usable condition. Any loaded firearms will result in immediate disqualification! All equipment classifications will be checked at the range.
10. Range assignment cards will be issued with relay number and approximate time as well as the competition equipment class they will participate in.
11. All equipment, including firearms, will be the responsibility of the participant under the supervision of the certified 4-H instructor and MSU Extension agent.
12. A ready area behind the firing line will be designated for participants, instructors, and/or parents to gather in just before their relay is called to the line. There will also be a designated area for spectators and people not directly involved in the competition. Failure to remain in designated areas could result in removal of participant from the competition.
13. Appropriate clothing to be worn while on the firing line is as follows: closed-toe shoes, fingertip-length shorts or longer, t-shirts, or collared shirts. Participants and spectators are required to dress appropriately. Team shirts are encouraged but not required. Both young people and adults should wear attire appropriate for the weather while remaining modest and socially acceptable. Shooters must wear shirts with sleeves. Clothing deemed immodest or distracting to other shooters will not be permitted. Fully enclosed shoes must be worn for safety reasons by all participants. No open-hole “Crock-type” soft-soled shoes to provide adequate foot protection from hot brass. Dress code will be strictly enforced.
14. Participants, instructors, or parents violating any safety rules listed will be given one warning. A second infraction will disqualify him or her from further participation. If the safety violation is severe, the competitor may not be given a warning. Participants bringing loaded firearms, including BB guns and air rifles, to competition are automatically disqualified. Instructors and the MSU Extension agent will be notified and the infraction documented.
15. Each discipline event will have a registration fee to be determined by that district. Registration date and late fees will be determined by the district.
16. Tactical firearms are not permitted in the 4-H Shooting Sports program.
17. Dogs are not allowed on the range. The exception to this rule is service animals.
18. Mississippi State University Extension provides educational opportunities to the public on an equal opportunity basis and will make every reasonable effort to accommodate individuals with disabilities that would interfere with their ability to receive the information being provided. If you have a disability or impairment, please advise district management before competing in any district-sanctioned event. We will work with you to make appropriate accommodations to participate in this event.
19. No cell phones will be allowed on the firing line during live fire. This includes use of cell phones by parents, instructors, and participants (excluding range officer).
20. Once record shooting begins, no coaching is permitted unless initiated by the shooter through the range officer and with his or her permission. Time continues. Coaching is defined as giving guidance, whether verbal or non-verbal, to the competitor. (Example of spotting: Shot was low to the left. Example of coaching: Shot was low and to the left; aim higher and right.)

Rules Committee

1. There will be a rules committee in place to handle any rule discrepancies, challenges, or protests that arise.
2. This committee will consist of at least three of the following five:
   1. Range officer in charge of range in question.
   2. Event coordinator or state executive board member.
   3. State 4-H staff member, state 4-H Shooting Sports coordinator, or other pre-determined state staff on site.
   4. Level II or Level III instructor for discipline in question.
   5. Regional Extension coordinator on site.
3. The Extension agent with 4-H Shooting Sports responsibilities from the county in question may be present during the rules committee meeting in order to disseminate information to the 4-H member or family but may not have a voice or vote on the rules committee.

You can get a copy of Mississippi 4-H Youth Development Rules and Procedures (Extension Publication 2431) from your local 4-H office.

See the PDF at the top of this page for the complete 4-H Shooting Sports 2025 District Event Handbook (P2752), which includes specific rules for each competition category and target examples.

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Publication 2752 (POD-11-24)

Distributed by Reid Nevins, 4-H Environmental Science and Education Specialist, Extension Center for 4-H Youth Development.