| | Event type
Free Rifle, Three Positions, 300 metres, Men
| Date | 1 December 1956 — 9:00 | |
|---|---|---|
| Status | Olympic | |
| Location | Merrett Rifle Range, Williamstown, Victoria | |
| Participants | 20 from 14 countries | |
| Format | 300 metres. 120 shots, 40 shots prone, 40 kneeling, and 40 standing. 400 possible at each distance, 1,200 posible overall. | |
The best known Soviet free rifle shooter was Anatoly Bogdanov, who had won this event in 1952, was the current world record holder, and had won the 1954 World Championship and the 1955 European Championship. But he elected to compete in small-bore events only in Melbourne, and won the gold medal in the 3-position small-bore rifle. This left the field open to two of his countrymen, with Vasily Borisov winning the gold medal over Allan Erdman, thanks to the world record 396 that Borisov shot in the kneeling phase. Borisov also competed at Melbourne in both small-bore events, winning a silver medal in the English Match.
| Pos | Number | Competitor | NOC | Points | Prone Points | Kneeling Points | Standing Points | Prone | Kneeling | Standing | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | – | Vasily Borisov |  URS | 1,138 | 396 | 383 | 359 | 396 (1) | 383 (2) | 359 (=2) | Gold | ||
| 2 | – | Allan Erdman | URS | 1,137 | 392 | 385 | 360 | 392 (=2) | 385 (1) | 360 (1) | Silver | ||
| 3 | – | Vilho Ylönen |  FIN | 1,128 | 387 | 382 | 359 | 387 (=5) | 382 (3) | 359 (=2) | Bronze | ||
| 4 | – | Jorma Taitto | FIN | 1,120 | 392 | 379 | 349 | 392 (=2) | 379 (4) | 349 (4) | |||
| 5 | – | Constantin Antonescu |  ROU | 1,101 | 386 | 374 | 341 | 386 (7) | 374 (5) | 341 (7) | |||
| 6 | – | John Sundberg |  SWE | 1,094 | 384 | 367 | 343 | 384 (9) | 367 (8) | 343 (5) | |||
| 7 | – | Anders Kvissberg | SWE | 1,093 | 389 | 362 | 342 | 389 (4) | 362 (10) | 342 (6) | |||
| 8 | – | James Smith |  USA | 1,082 | 381 | 368 | 333 | 381 (11) | 368 (=6) | 333 (=11) | |||
| 9 | – | Sándor Krebs |  HUN | 1,078 | 379 | 364 | 335 | 379 (=12) | 364 (9) | 335 (=9) | |||
| 10 | – | Herbert Voelcker | USA | 1,075 | 385 | 355 | 335 | 385 (8) | 355 (13) | 335 (=9) | |||
| 11 | – | Gerry Ouellette |  CAN | 1,066 | 370 | 357 | 339 | 370 (=16) | 357 (12) | 339 (8) | |||
| 12 | – | Rubén Valdez |  PER | 1,044 | 373 | 338 | 333 | 373 (14) | 338 (17) | 333 (=11) | |||
| 13 | – | Martin Gison |  PHI | 1,043 | 387 | 368 | 288 | 387 (=5) | 368 (=6) | 288 (18) | |||
| 14 | – | Guillermo Baldwin | PER | 1,040 | 379 | 359 | 302 | 379 (=12) | 359 (11) | 302 (15) | |||
| 15 | – | Wu Tao-Yan |  TPE | 1,025 | 370 | 349 | 306 | 370 (=16) | 349 (15) | 306 (14) | |||
| 16 | – | Ian Wrigley |  AUS | 1,021 | 382 | 350 | 289 | 382 (10) | 350 (14) | 289 (17) | |||
| 17 | – | Norman Goff | AUS | 1,010 | 372 | 343 | 295 | 372 (15) | 343 (16) | 295 (16) | |||
| 18 | – | Steffen Cranmer |  GBR | 999 | 356 | 336 | 307 | 356 (18) | 336 (18) | 307 (13) | |||
| 19 | – | Chu Hwa-Il |  KOR | 903 | 338 | 286 | 279 | 338 (19) | 286 (19) | 279 (19) | |||
| 20 | – | Saifi Chaudhry |  PAK | 267 | 84 | DNC | 183 | 84 (20) | – | 183 (20) |