Aishwary Pratap Singh Tomar is circumspect at first and then passes judgement: “Getting my choice of bullets is the difference between scoring a 587 in qualification or a 595,” he admits.

One score barely gets him into the final of his event, the other launches him into world record territory. Shooting and its difference of decimals means it isn’t just about the rifle or its wielder, but the relationship of the barrel with the pellet – one that’s built on a balancing scale of rigorous testing, followed by availability.

“What has happened now is that there is decimal scoring. To put it in perspective, the 10 ring at 10 metres is like 0.5 millimeters, which is literally a pin size. Even in this, there is a decimal, that is, the diameter of your pellet is 4.5 millimeters. If it just touches, you get 10, and as it comes into the circle, 10.1, 10.2, 10.3, till a 10.9. Accuracy is very important.  If you see the accuracy equation of the gun and this system, the two most important things are the gun’s barrel and the projectile, which is the pellet,” says YP Shirsat, director of Preciholes Sports, an Indian manufacturer of air rifles and pellets.

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The 10m pistol and rifle events use a lead pellet, while the 50m events use a .22 cartridge. Both require intensive testing – most Indian Olympic shooters will make a trip to manufacturers in Germany or other European countries at least once a year to ensure that their barrel and pellets are in harmony. That relationship often ends up influencing their results.

“Any manufacturer who is making the pellets, his one batch might be best for your barrel. Typically, shooters will try to test different batches and once they find a batch that suits their barrel, they will try to buy as much of it as possible. That is the general way it is done. When you are looking for that elusive gold on the international stage, you save your best pellets for the matches and use the other ones for practice,” says Shirsat.

Practice makes perfect

Aishwary, one of India’s most consistent 50m 3P shooters, said that he has a meticulous bullet-testing process. Part of it is to go through multiple lots of bullets, test which one synchronises best with his barrel, and then buy the ‘best fitting’ lot.

“Usually, if we go to a brand like Lapua, we get 30 lots of bullets,” says Aishwary. “We test bullets from each lot and see which bullets work best with our barrel. Different shooters have different rifles, so the lot that works for you might not do so for another shooter. All the ammunition is good, but it’s a matter of what suits your barrel.”

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For a while, getting their hands on pellets and bullets had become tough for Indian shooters. The Russia-Ukraine war meant top suppliers had to redirect their wares elsewhere. Indians and their sport shooting needs took a backseat.


“Shooters in Europe get priority from brands so they get new ammo and the chance to test combinations regularly. We are able to test regularly only now as ammunition was not available readily earlier because of the war in Ukraine. If you want to score in the mid 590s, your ammunition has to be tested. Otherwise scores drop into the 580s,” said Aishwary.

The Indian 50m 3P mainstay said that he had been using bullets that he had saved over the last two years. Those bullets were with him for the Asian Championships and multiple World Cups. The situation is starting to improve only now.

“We have received ammo only a month back. The ammunition I had been using prior to this is stuff that I had saved over the last two years. All my major tournaments in the last couple of years were played with the ammo I had saved,” added Aishwary.