4-H Shooting Sports

Ask your local Extension agent for the most recent copy of the 4-H Shooting Sports Event Handbook (Extension Publication 2752).

The goal of the 4-H Shooting Sports program is youth development. Through participation in firearm safety training and shooting sports activities, young men and women are given the opportunity to learn responsibility, sportsmanship, self-discipline, and other qualities critical to the development of productive citizens.

4-H Shooting Sports is a national program with 428,020 young people taking part, making it one of the largest shooting education programs in the United States. Here in Mississippi, 4-H Shooting Sports involves thousands of kids and continues to grow annually. An established core of over 700 adult volunteer instructors and 4-H agents provide training and leadership for our program throughout the state. So you want to join 4-H?

Select a discipline below to learn more.

A teenager aiming his bow and arrow from his wheelchair.

Archery

The bow and arrow have helped shape the history of the world, and the challenge and fun of archery continue today. This competitive sport teaches patience, skill, repetition, and attention to detail.

A man firing a muzzleloader as smoke fills the air.

Muzzleloading

Smokepole and frontstuffer are just a couple of the names used to describe this fun and exciting discipline. You will learn how to use this firearm as well as how to clean and care for it.

Pistol

Through the 4-H Shooting Sports Program, you will learn the safe and correct way to use handguns. Steady hands and a keen eye will help you “keep on target.”

Rifle

Keep your eye on the target, control your breathing, and squeeze the trigger. In the rifle discipline, you’ll learn to use your body to steady your shooting form and improve marksmanship.

Shotgun

Pull! Few things can compare to the feeling of watching a clay target flying through the air to be broken by a well-placed shot. The shotgun discipline helps develop hand-eye coordination.

A hunter wearing orange cap and orange on his sleeves, practices safety while aiming a rifle.

Hunting

Do you want to learn to identify wildlife, call to game, select camo, and plan for a camping trip? These are just a few of the things you’ll learn as you “travel the trails” in this discipline!

Publications

Publication Number: P2751

2023 State Invitational Rulebook

Publication Number: P1565

Introduction to the Rifle

Publication Number: P2980

Cleanliness: A Guide to Firearm Maintenance

Publication Number: P3877

4-H Shooting Sports Safety Officer Reference Guide

Publication Number: P3878

10 Steps to a Successful 4-H Shooting Sports Program

more publications

Success Stories

A teenage boy wearing a Shooting Sports National Championships shirt stands between his mother and father as they all smile.

Steady Focus

4-H, 4-H Shooting Sports
Volume 8 Number 1

Pearl River County 4-H’er excels at 4-H National Shooting Sports competition

If Dad considers himself a “gun person,” but Mom sees herself as “gun-shy,” what should their son do if he’s dreaming of a career in the military?

A young woman kneels down next to a board with targets.

On Target

4-H, 4-H Shooting Sports
Volume 2 Number 3

Hinds County 4-H’er learns patience, persistence through rifle competition

When a heart condition kept Brandy Barnes from playing basketball, she ramped up her dedication to 4-H shooting sports.

4-H Shooting Sports teaches teen character and generosity

4-H, 4-H Shooting Sports
Volume 1 Number 2

4-H Shooting Sports teaches teen character and generosity

Quitman native Taivon Collins learned an important life lesson when he broke his gun during a 4-H shooting sports competition.

“If life gives you lemons,” he says, “you get a new .22 rifle.

A teenage boy stands outside with a firearm resting on his shoulder.

Aiming for Greatness

4-H, 4-H Safety Programs, 4-H Shooting Sports
Volume 6 Number 1

4-H S.A.F.E.T.Y. is Mississippi 4-H’s biggest program. Competitors in the Safe Archery and Firearms Education and Training for Youth program are immersed in essential firearm-safety training to learn maturity, self-discipline, responsibility, and sportsmanship.