Bowling Pins...advice

[davers]

Hey gang! I have finally returned to shooting after a 15 year hiatus. I've purchased a Beretta PX4 storm .45 acp. I only have 100 rounds through it, but oddly enough, I find that I am still pretty good, although still a bit nervous when at the gun range. I'm definately not used to shooting at indoor ranges. Anyway, my question has to do with bowling pin shoots. My local gun range has a match every Wednesday night, and I was thinking of starting after a bit more range time. Any advice? Should my Beretta be ok for this type of shooting? What type of ammo? Hollow points? Rattle snake loads? (just kidding!)

Thanks,

Dave

 

[Sam1911]

I imagine your Beretta will be fine. I'd use a semi-wadcutter or maybe a hollowpoint. You want something that will grab the pin a bit, not just glance off.

Bowling pins are absurdly hard. I've seen them riccochet away off-center hits from .357 Mags. I have set up and (tried to) run an indoor bowling pin league, and I'll just say I wouldn't do it again. We had large, heavy bullets riccocheting every which way. A lot of them came back uprange at shin height. Tore the ceiling tiles up BAD, too. Wear good eye protection!

 

[davers]

Thanks Sam! I'm going to go check them out a few times to see what everyone is doing. They post the results for each match, and I'm seeing times of under 3 seconds for 5 pins. Ouch.

Dave

 

[EmbarkChief]

I've always wondered where you guys get the pins. Do you just get them from the local bowling alley when they are used up?

 

[Sam1911]

Yes. Just stop by early some evening and ask the lanes manager. They have to replace pins fairly regularly. He might want to sell them for a few bux or might let you have them for free.

 

[Sam1911]

And, by the way -- if you ever get the itch to try a .22 pin match, practice ducking, fast. NOTHING ricochets like a .22 off a bowling pin. I've been hit in the head, 25 yds back uprange, which means the bullet was still 6' off the ground and moving pretty fast.

 

[EmbarkChief]

Thanks for the heads up!

 

[Zednut]

At our range here in Canada, the bowling pins are set 6"from the back of the table for 22 rimfire, center of table for 9mm and .38's and at the front of the table for magnums, 45's ect. Our club record is just over 1 second for 5 pins. Lots of ricochets when the pins fall on the table and they shoot them off. They are even more fun when dueling.

 

[1SOW]

At a range in N. TX, we shot them with .22 cal off a 2x6 wood rail, so there wouldn't be any shooting with them laying flat. Lots of fun and also fast. I was using Fed Target loads. Needed to hit them high to be sure of a knock-down. With a low center hit, they may not even move.

In S. TX one range uses a 4x4 rail for both pins and 22cal plates .

 

[otasan56]

Pin Shooting

Mitchell Ota here, author of a book on pin shooting Pin Shooting - A Complete Guide. I assume that your pin table has three feet behind each pin, which narrows one's caliber choice for autoloading pistols to .45 ACP. Now with .45, and any other caliber, the RN bullets do indeed deflect off of the pin's hard plastic surface. JHP of SWC bullets are important to use. Now with .45 ACP factory loads, there are few things available, so reloaded cartidges are in use, for sure. The BEST bowling pin load for three feet of pin travel is a 255gr LSWC at 850 FPS. A 200gr JHP at 1050 FPS works almost as well. These loads are exotic, but getting a 3.5-lb pin to slide/roll across a surface filled with wood pieces and bullets is not that easy. It takes a bullet that will achieve a power factor of at least 210,000. Have fun at your shoot!

 

[davers]

Thanks for the advice otasan56!! I appreciate it!

Where can I get your book??

Dave

 

[otasan56]

Try - http://www.ebay.com/itm/PIN-SHOOTING-COMPLETE-GUIDE-HANDGUN-SHOOTING-BOOK-/260836789429. I still have one copy for me.