The mixed (or "open") ISSF 50 meter pistol was a competition at the 1972 Summer Olympics.

The defending champion was Grigory Kosykh of the Soviet Union, who also held the world record with 572.

[3][1] Four of the top 10 shooters from the 1968 Games returned: gold medalist Grigory Kosykh of the Soviet Union, silver medalist Heinz Mertel of West Germany, bronze medalist Harald Vollmar of East Germany, and tenth-place finisher Vladimir Stolypin of the Soviet Union.

Dencho Denev of Bulgaria and Hynek Hromada of Czechoslovakia had finished second and third, respectively, to both Stolypin in 1966 and Vollmar in 1970; they were competing at the Olympics again seeking better results than in 1968, when neither made the top 10.

Albania, Belize (then British Honduras), Bolivia, and the Virgin Islands each made their debut in the event.