[chickenfried]

took a bowling ball to plinking day Saturday. At 50 yards, used .45 auto, .45 colt, .30-06, and 30/30. The .45's just bounced off, okay thought that might happen. But the .30's broke the shell and didn't do much to the creamy nougat center. So the bowling ball lives to be plinked at another day. Last time I saw someone shoot a bowling ball with a .308 M1A the thing got split into a bunch of pieces?

[KaceCoyote]

This may sound crazy but.....


I imagine a .223 FMJ could do some damage.

[Glamdring]

This just proves that deer rifles MIGHT work okay on a calm sleeping bowling ball. But to be safe you need a true Stopping Rifle. Must be controlled feed unless it is a double. I sugest the 700 Nitro in doubles or 50 BMG in bolt guns and other repeaters (CONTROLLED FEED!!! Chain guns are most reliable!).

For people with bad shoulders the 460 Weatherby or 577 NE can be used, but they are very borderline.

Stay Safe & Shoot Straight! :neener:

[DMK]

Last time I saw someone shoot a bowling ball with a .308 M1A the thing got split into a bunch of pieces? It could have been where they hit it. A lucky shot straight on the center would do some damage, but off to the side could deflect the bullet and roll the ball.

Got any AP for that '06? :p

[chickenfried]

I'll have you know it was a very ferocious bowling ball. Not one of those wussy blue marbled ones, it was a fearsome jet black ball. It gave me no choice, it was either me or him.

[buy guns]

point blank with a .50 deagle :D

[Glamdring]

"A very ferocious bowling ball?" I think not. If you want to see what havoc a ferocious bowling can wreck you should watch the movie Mystery Men :D

[CentralTexas]

All this time wasted on 9mm VS> 45 when we could be all over 223 VS> 308! :D

[seeker_two]

If this is really a concern of yours, you probably should find a bowling alley in a less-dangerous part of town.... :p


I'd bet the old steel-core Russian & Chinese ammo (esp. 7.62x25) would be interesting to watch... :D

[Warren]

Have you thought about having the pro shop drill the finger holes for you?

Dosen't cost that much and it will be a better job then you will do.

[rbrowning]

I haven't had to face down any bowling balls but once I had to deal with 4 of his bro's, the fearsome Pin gang. Five 12 ga slugs sent them off to the big alley in the sky!

The two guys next to me at the 25 yard range were frustrated at the appearant lack of effect of their AK's, they offered me the chance to try the pins. 5 shot and 4 dead pins and they decided that their "assualt rifles" weren't as potent as they had thought. At the post mortum I saw that their FMJ's were shoting thru with little dramatic effect. A 1 oz slug had lots of dramatic effect:D

[Ukraine Train]

I've shot one with 7.62x54R, it sent pieces flying everywhere. I have it on video too, I should rip it and put it online.

[Selfdfenz]

This thread may come to approach the humor of the shotgun sitter!

My vote (for the jet black ones):
1. Pepper spay and zip the bag shut real fast
2. 50 bmg for sure

What were the people bowling in the other lanes using?

S-

[JPL]

In my younger and far more insane days, a friend and I stole a bowling ball from an alley (don't ask how!) and drilled it to accept a stick of dynamite that he snarfed from his father.

We dropped in the dynamite, went out to an old dry quarry, lit the fuse, and rolled it down the access road.

It was pretty impressive.

[mattf7184]

Bowling Pins are pretty tuff (plastic coated solid core wood). .223 thru em at 50 yards just leaves a hole in em and sometimes splits it. Pistol rounds bounce.


Got a spare 13lb ball I can take out and shoot unless it becomes a bowling ball cannon.

[JohnKSa]

Pistol rounds bounce.That's what I was thinking.

If you're talking pistol calibers then I would choose a round you don't mind bouncing back at you!

[Einzelgaenger]

I can see two or three calibers that might do it.
1. .50 BMG
2. 12 Gauge Slug
3. .338 Lap Mag?

I've never personally shot bowling balls before, but those look powerful enough to do the job...

[firearms_instructor]

The holes are the vulnerable spots... did you shoot for the holes?

[Tharg]

There i was.... creeping along slowly - quietly - i spotted my prey - a VERY pretty red/white/black mix bowling ball....

I took careful aim' w/ my scope'd 30.06.... @ erm... 10 yards?

pulled the trigger smoothly!

POW... red/white/black disintegrated - throwing bits of bowling ball all over the place... one bit bouncing 3 times to land 3 feet from me!

hehe


the other two weren't nearly impressive.......

J/Tharg!

[WonderNine]

This may sound crazy but.....


I imagine a .223 FMJ could do some damage.


I imagine a 5.56 or .223 FMJ out of a 20" barrel would have the potential to do some serious damage, while a .45-70 out of same might crack the shell and bounce off..

[Majic]

Nice to have fun, but ricochets from high powered centerfire rounds are nothing to joke about. You may have no idea where one may end up.

[entropy]

Haven't tried a bowling ball with it yet, (Hmm...I have one out on the porch gathering dust....:evil: ) but I will stand behind Ukraine Train's statement that the 7.62x54R ought to do the job, particularly with Czech silvertip!:cool:

.50 BMG should do the trick nicely. I can't imagine needing more than one round! :what:

[Sisco]

point blank with a .50 deagle
I can tell you from experience the 50 AE will do the trick.

[mfree]

I'm going to run the fun and talk physics :)

Bowling balls have a fluid center, right? What you need to do is find a round that will penetrate the shell and still have enough energy to hit the fluid, expand, and transfer all it's energy to the ball at a rate that the shock frequency exceeds the point where the fluid can keep up with itself. There's a term for that I can't remember, modulus of elasticity or summat.

Think of silly putty.... stick your finger to it and it bends. Drop it and it bounces. Throw it down quickly, or strike it with a hammer, and it shatters.

[Foreign Devil]

It's shot placement, people, not caliber.

Oh, and use a glock.

LOL

[halvey]

took a bowling ball to plinking day Saturday. At 50 yards, used .45 auto, .45 colt,...The .45's just bounced off, Duh! You should have used a hi capacity 9mm. That would have done it! ;)

[twoblink]

EASY..

Armor Piercing 30-06!!

http://cartridgecollectors.org/30-06intro/30-06he5.jpg
http://cartridgecollectors.org/30-06intro/30-06he6.jpg

http://cartridgecollectors.org/30-06intro/30-06he7.jpg

http://cartridgecollectors.org/30-06intro/30-06he8.jpg

http://cartridgecollectors.org/30-06intro/30-06he9.jpg
http://cartridgecollectors.org/30-06intro/30-0he10.jpg

[twoblink]

mfree, you are talking about water dispersionary rate.. the molecules are loosely held together by polarized bonds; but if you strike it fast enough, it will not have time to disperse, and it will then act like a solid. (That's why you can skip rocks on the water, and why you should be weary of ricochets when shooting at water)..

What you need is a 2-staged bullet; one for penetration, and the second one expansion once inside the fluid cavity. If you can get a hollow point to deliver enough air and mass into the fluid cavity, the entire bowling ball will explode, which is quite dangerous..

[clipse]

Pistol rounds bounce.

I shoot bowling pins with 9mm. You can see where they go in and stay in. Never had one bouce or ricohet


clipse

[chickenfried]

Well following halvey's advice on the matter
Duh! You should have used a hi capacity 9mm. That would have done it!
I just purchased a single action only CZ 75 :D my first 9mm. My quickest purchase yet I didn't even have to post asking opinions from 10 different forums. Got interested in it today, ordered it today. I had been planning on a 686 revolver. but compared .38 and 9mm prices.

On a serious note. Am I being unsafe shooting at it from fifty yards, knowing my rounds are ricocheting off? I wouldn't do it at 25 yards. To me 50 yards seems a safe distance. Just want to see if I'm mistaken.

[Jeff Timm]

For the fiendish bowling ball, only the flat point .358 Winchester is correct. Aim dead between the holes.

Geoff
Who notes a .223 is pretty well useles on the marble marked variety.

[50 Shooter]

Use one of these to bust it in two.

[bdhawk]

i hear that bowling balls charge if they are wounded.:D

seriously be careful with smaller less powerful stuff (like .22 or .38 special, or .380), they may come back and getcha.

[shep854]

Reading this thread provoked a thought:what: : Has anyone ever frozen jugs of water and shot them? It might be interesting (for a little while at least).

[Kurt S.]

7.62 X 39 "Exploding Tracer Incendiary" rounds I scarfed up at a gun show in Houston. Too cool! But expensive- $15 for 10 rounds. The "White Titanium Sparks" are pretty good, too.

[Cosmoline]

54R is a great option, primarily because standard size (203 grains) is quite a bit heavier than .308 or .30-30. Better SD = more penetration.

On frozen targets--I haven't done it with jugs of water but I have used frozen eggs. They formed a perfect ballistic gel for handgun slugs, showing every bit of metal through the yolk. I'm going to experiment with other frozen items next winter.

[Warren]

When the Pinlord sends his evil pinminions to take over the Earth we will all be glad that such wonderous devices exist.

[Ky Larry]

My cousin and I bougt 5 16lb bowling balls at a yard sale. Took them to the range and tried a few different guns on them. The .243 Winchester just bounced off at 75 yards. The .30-06 split the ball into 3 pieces. My .45-70 #1 Ruger shattered the ball into small pieces. This "scientific" experiment absolutely, positively proves, once and for all, that a big, slow bullet is better than a small, fast bullet. Take that, all you 9 minimeter weenies.:D

[rayra]

high-powered rifle with SBT rounds, and nothing else. Bullet-Spall=Bad.

[4v50 Gary]

Darn. It could have been used to mount an engraver's vise. :o

[Tharg]

Well don't know about big heavy bulllet or all that... i'm guessing at the 10 yard spacer... could have been 15 - but not more than that...

the 30.06 (can't recall the ammo used - it was what was around - i'd never shot this particular gun/calibre before....)

Split the plastic ball and sploded nicely - and the bit it actually pierced first was the bit that came back to me... to about 3ft from me.

the other two bowling balls just took thier hits in stride - maybe a chunk come loose... but didn't splode like that first one (maybe a hole hit? <rofl> naw - couldn't be - no hole around the outside shell where i could clearly see the "entry wound" heh)

Prolly wasn't smart to shoot a bowling ball at such close range w/ such a powerfull gun ... no one got hurt... which is always good -and i got the shoulder pounding i don't need to re-try... but it was fun :)

Over all tho - be more worried about the bowling ball frags than the higher powerd rifle leads commin back at cha - seems the lil one's are so much more likely to "bounce back" (well the lil slow 22's anyway)

J/Tharg!