The competition was held on 19 October 1964 at the Camp Asaka shooting ranges in Tokyo.

Ion Tripșa of Romania took silver, putting that nation back on the podium after a one-Games absence.

Czechoslovakia's first rapid fire pistol medal came in the form of Lubomír Nácovský's bronze.

Zabelin was the reigning (1962) world championship, with he his countryman and runner-up Igor Bakalov making up a formidable Soviet team in Tokyo.

Szilárd Kun of Hungary, the 1952 silver medalist, also made a return to Olympic competition.

[7] The top seven shooters beat the Olympic record, with the 8th through 10th place finishers matching it.