Men's 50 metre rifle three positions (then known as small-bore free rifle) was one of the thirteen shooting events at the 1988 Summer Olympics.

It was the first Olympic three positions competition to feature final shooting.

Alister Allan set a new Olympic record in the qualification round but lost the final to his countryman Malcolm Cooper, who thus defended his title from Los Angeles.

[1] OR Olympic record – Q Qualified for final OR Olympic record