Shooting sports involve tests of accuracy and precision using firearms. Some popular shooting sports include target shooting, skeet shooting, trap shooting, and precision rifle shooting. Riddles can offer fun brain teasers related to shooting sports. Here are 51 shooting riddles with answers.
Riddles About Shooting Targets
Shooting sports often involve shooting at targets. Here are some riddles related to shooting targets:
Riddle 1
I’m round or square and full of holes. People enjoy shooting arrows or bullets at me. What am I?
Answer: A shooting target.
Riddle 2
I’m a small round target that makes a metallic ping when you hit me. Sharpshooters like to aim at me from long distances. What am I?
Answer: A steel target.
Riddle 3
We’re round with a bullseye in different colors. Shooting clubs have lots of us lined up in rows. What are we?
Answer: Paper targets.
Riddles About Different Shooting Disciplines
There are many disciplines or categories within competitive and recreational shooting sports. Here are some riddles about the different shooting categories:
Riddle 4
Clay discs fly through the air and I try to hit them with my trusty shotgun before they hit the ground. What shooting sport am I doing?
Answer: Skeet shooting or trap shooting.
Riddle 5
I lie down with my high powered rifle and peer through the scope, trying to hit tiny targets from 100 yards, 200 yards, or even 1,000 yards away. What shooting activity describes me?
Answer: Precision or long range rifle shooting.
Riddle 6
My friends and I saddle up our horses and gallop while shooting revolvers at metal targets. What type of shooting competition is this?
Answer: Cowboy mounted shooting.
Riddles About Shooting Technique and Training
Mastering proper shooting technique and lots of training are key to success in shooting sports. Here are some shooting riddles related to technique and practice:
Riddle 7
I’m the stance shooters use with pistols or rifles. Shooters slightly bend their knees and arms while aiming. What shooting position am I?
Answer: The isosceles stance.
Riddle 8
We breathe in as we prepare to squeeze the trigger and breathe out lightly as the gun fires. What shooting technique are we using?
Answer: Breath control.
Riddle 9
Shooters dry fire me frequently to practice handling recoil, proper grip, sight alignment and trigger control without using real ammo. What am I?
Answer: An empty gun or dummy rounds.
Riddles About Shooting Equipment and Gear
A wide variety of specialized gear and equipment is used in different shooting sports. Here are some brainteasers about shooting gear:
Riddle 10
I’m tube-shaped equipment that you look through to aim rifles and handguns. I precisely align the rear and front sights. What am I?
Answer: A scope or sights.
Riddle 11
We’re made of leather or nylon and wrap around your torso to hold ammunition. Shooters wear us to keep ammo handy. What are we?
Answer: Ammunition belts or cartridge belts.
Riddle 12
I’m a shooting accessory mounted to rifles to reduce recoil. I attach to the barrel and use springs or hydraulics. What am I?
Answer: A recoil pad or muzzle brake.
Riddles About Shooting Safety Rules
Safety is paramount in shooting sports. Here are some riddles about basic shooting safety rules:
Riddle 13
Always point guns in this direction until ready to shoot, even if you think it’s unloaded. What safety rule am I?
Answer: Always keep guns pointed in a safe direction.
Riddle 14
Don’t do this until ready to shoot. It’s an important trigger safety rule. What am I?
Answer: Keep your finger off the trigger until ready to shoot.
Riddle 15
Experienced shooters always use these on shooting ranges to protect their hearing from loud gunfire. What are they?
Answer: Hearing protection like earmuffs or earplugs.
Riddles About Ammo and Reloading
Shooting sports require a lot of ammunition, which shooters can handload themselves. Here are some ammunition riddles:
Riddle 16
We consist of a primer, casing, gunpowder and projectile. Shooters insert us into guns to fire. What are we?
Answer: Bullets or ammunition cartridges.
Riddle 17
For economy and accuracy, many shooters reuse cartridge cases to assemble their own ammo using new primers and gunpowder. What is this process called?
Answer: Handloading, reloading or rolling your own ammo.
Riddle 18
I’m a machine shooters use to reload cartridges. I press new primers into used brass cases and seat bullets. What am I?
Answer: A reloading press.
Riddles About Shooting Competition Formats
Shooting tournaments feature diverse formats to test shooter skills. Can you solve these competition format puzzles?
Riddle 19
In this shooting tournament, competitors race against the clock while moving through challenging courses with multiple targets. Fast, accurate shooters win. What competition is this?
Answer: Three gun shooting or 3-gun competitions.
Riddle 20
We’re circular shooting events with multiple stations where competitors shoot clay targets launched in unpredictable ways from fixed traps. What are we?
Answer: Skeet shooting or trap shooting competitions.
Riddle 21
Many shooting tournaments use these paper grids to score targets by marking shot placement. Each ring has a different point value. What are they?
Answer: Shooting score sheets.
Riddles About Famous Shooters
Skilled champions have made their mark in shooting sports history. How well can you identify these legendary marksmen in disguise?
Riddle 22
I’m the White Feather and won over 4,000 trophies in exhibition shooting displays in the late 1800s. Many consider me the greatest shooter of all time. Who am I?
Answer: Annie Oakley.
Riddle 23
I’m a Soviet sergeant who domainted the sport of biathlon, winning 7 Olympic medals between 1956 and 1972. My deadly shooting skills earned me the nickname “The Bullet Man.” What biathlete am I?
Answer: Aleksandr Tikhonov.
Riddle 24
I broke 16 clay targets in 2.5 seconds with a shotgun in 1922, setting a speed record that stands today. Shotgun experts respect my legendary shooting ability. Who am I?
Answer: Ed McGivern.
Riddles About Shooting Positions
Competitive shooters use specialized stances and postures to stabilize aim. Can you identify these shooting positions?
Riddle 25
Rifle shooters like me lie down in a prone position, using the ground to steady my aim at long range targets. Who am I?
Answer: A prone shooter.
Riddle 26
For action shooting sports, competitors like me shoot pistols and submachine guns at multiple targets while running from station to station. What shooting position does this?
Answer: Dynamic shooting or shoot-on-the-move.
Riddle 27
Skeet shooters assume this squat-like position, with most of the body weight on the forward leg. It allows quick swing through to track flying clay targets. What is this shooting stance called?
Answer: The skeet squat.
Riddles About Shooting Terminology
Like any specialized sport, shooting has its own unique vocabulary and slang. Solve these shooting word puzzles:
Riddle 28
I’m a shooting term for the area directly surrounding the bullseye on a target. Hitting me earns maximum points. What central zone am I?
Answer: The X-ring or center ring.
Riddle 29
When shooters do this, they fire shots in rapid succession by quickly pulling the trigger again and again. I describe fast trigger pulling. What shooting term am I?
Answer: Fanning the hammer or spamming the trigger.
Riddle 30
SK class competitors all use me, the same type of high velocity rifle cartridge. I help evaluate shooter skill since everyone uses the same ammo. What rifle cartridge am I?
Answer: .22 Long Rifle or .22 LR ammunition.
Riddles About Shooting Physics
Marksmanship requires understanding ballistics and physics. How much do you know about the science behind shooting sports?
Riddle 31
I describe the curved path bullets travel after firing from rifled gun barrels. Air resistance bends my trajectory over long distances. What word am I?
Answer: Bullet ballistics or bullet trajectory.
Riddle 32
To hit distant targets, skilled shooters must account for me when aiming. I describe the effect of gravity pulling bullets downwards. What shooting term am I?
Answer: Bullet drop.
Riddle 33
Wind causes bullets to drift this much per value of wind speed. Skilled shooters adjust their aim to compensate. I’m a rule of thumb for estimating wind deflection. What am I?
Answer: Minutes of angle or MOA.
Riddles About Handgun Shooting
Handguns like pistols and revolvers are widely used in target shooting events. Take aim at these handgun shooting puzzles!
Riddle 34
Bullseye competitors carefully aim these .22 caliber pistols at tiny targets 25 yards to 50 yards away. What specialized target shooting pistol am I?
Answer: A rimfire pistol.
Riddle 35
IPSC shooters rapidly draw these short-barreled handguns from holsters and fire on the move. What dynamic shooting pistols am I?
Answer: Speed shooting pistols.
Riddle 36
We’re flintlock pistols used in historical shooting events. Black powder muzzleloaders take patience and skill to aim and fire. What traditional handguns are we?
Answer: Dueling pistols.
Riddles About Rifle Shooting
Precision rifles are essential equipment in many shooting sports. Take your best shot at solving these rifle riddles!
Riddle 37
Varmint hunters use these heavy barrel rifles with high magnification scopes to target small critters from long range. What specialized hunting rifles am I?
Answer: Benchrest rifles.
Riddle 38
Biathletes ski and carry these light repeating rifles to shoot targets between cross country laps. What type of biathlon rifle am I?
Answer: Biathlon rifles.
Riddle 39
USSS agents use these customized sniper rifles with advanced optics to guard VIPs from extreme distances. What specialized rifles am I?
Answer: Precision bolt-action rifles.
Riddles About Shotgun Shooting
Shotguns are essential for shooting flying clay targets in skeet and trap competitions. Take aim at these shotgun shooting brainteasers!
Riddle 40
Trick shooters spin and bounce me one-handed while hitting a series of aerial targets. I’m an old West style lever-action shotgun. What firearm am I?
Answer: A cowboy shotgun.
Riddle 41
Double trap competitors use these shotguns with side-by-side barrels to hit two clay targets launched simultaneously from 15 meters away. What specialty shotgun type am I?
Answer: Over and under shotguns.
Riddle 42
Action shooters like the 3-Gun nation use these magazine-fed semi-auto shotguns to quickly engage multiple targets on tactical courses. What fast-shooting shotgun am I?
Answer: A combat shotgun.
Riddles About Shooting Optics
Special lenses and sights help shooters precisely aim firearms. Can you solve these shooting optics puzzles?
Riddle 43
Bullseye pistol competitors use these tiny mounted lenses with adjustable focus to hit tiny targets out to 50 yards. What specialized pistol sight am I?
Answer: A pistol scope.
Riddle 44
Precision rifle shooters use me to view targets at extreme distances. I gather lots of light and magnify images to spot bullet hits 1,000 yards away. What powerful telescopic device am I?
Answer: A spotting scope.
Riddle 45
IPSC and 3-gun competitors append these holographic sights to rifles and pistols for fast target acquisition while moving. What gear am I? I project a red dot overlay image to show exactly where shots will hit.
Answer: A reflex sight or red dot sight.
Riddles About Shooting Range Types
Different shooting sports require specialized ranges or courses. See if you can hit the target in solving these shooting venue puzzles!
Riddle 46
Cowboy mounted shooters compete on these fenced areas with props like saloons and cattle ranches. Riders navigate the course, shooting balloon targets along the way. What venues do we compete on?
Answer: Shooting ranges styled like Old West towns.
Riddle 47
You’ll find me at Olympic training centers or universities. I’m a pool with lanes and electronic scoreboards for competitors to shoot pistols at target mechanisms that slide out from under the water. What type of specialized shooting range am I?
Answer: An underwater firearms training range.
Riddle 48
US military snipers practice on these outdoor ranges with target stands at various elevations and distances from 100 to 1,000 yards away. What long distance shooting complex am I?
Answer: A 1,000-yard rifle range.
Riddles About Shooting Sports Culture
Shooting sports have developed rich cultures and traditions over time. See if you can draw a bead on these puzzles related to the social side of shooting!
Riddle 49
At the end of shooting tournaments, you’ll often find competitors here socializing, grabbing food and drinks while comparing scores. What post-match gathering place am I?
Answer: The clubhouse lounge or banquet hall.
Riddle 50
Precision rifle shooters belong to my online community to share information on gear, ballistics data, shooting techniques, reticles, cartridges and barrel twist rates. What long range shooting forum am I?
Answer: Sniper’s Hide or Long Range Hunting forums/message boards.
Riddle 51
When new shooters join shooting clubs, more experienced members take them under their wing to teach skills in this mentorship tradition. What am I called in shooting sports culture?
Answer: Taking someone “behind the gun” or being a “range buddy.”
Conclusion
I hope you enjoyed testing your shooting sports knowledge with these 51 riddles! Shooting sports require mastery of proper technique, specialized gear, safety protocols and the physics of ballistics. As these puzzles show, the shooting world is filled with fascinating history, culture and technical details. Let me know if you have any other shooting sports riddles you’d like me to take aim at!
