I checked with all of my local bowling alleys a few weeks ago and none of them had any spare pins to sell. Where do people get bowling pins to shoot at? Do you get them free or have bowling alleys wised up and charge for them now? Do they make great targets? Do you prefer hanging them or setting them up to knock down? I plan to shoot them with: .308, 7.62x39, 7.62 x 25 and 9mm. Will any of these calibers have a problem with destroying them and/or possible ricochets? Thanks for any help.
Bowling Pins: Where to get them and do they make good targets?
- Thread starter hartzpad
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molonlabe
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We use to get ours from bowling alleys. Keep calling around.
You will shoot them once with rifle rounds. They are for pistols only unless you have a lot of them and only want to shoot them once.
You will shoot them once with rifle rounds. They are for pistols only unless you have a lot of them and only want to shoot them once.
For a time, I worked for a bowling alley. We recycled our pins about every 3-4 months. I would imagine most local non-professional alleys would do the same, due to usage.
As an avid shooter, I was very cautious of people asking for old pins. At about $30.00 case for new ones, we wanted to be sure we weren't giving away the pins for any ole reason. We used them ourselves...
My advice would be to tell the manager that you are not using the pins for targets, but to say you are volunteering for a local elementary school fund raising fair in the near future, and you would like the old pins to be donated (to you as liaison) for such an event.
After all, "It's for the children".
As an avid shooter, I was very cautious of people asking for old pins. At about $30.00 case for new ones, we wanted to be sure we weren't giving away the pins for any ole reason. We used them ourselves...
My advice would be to tell the manager that you are not using the pins for targets, but to say you are volunteering for a local elementary school fund raising fair in the near future, and you would like the old pins to be donated (to you as liaison) for such an event.
After all, "It's for the children".
"My advice would be to tell the manager that you are not using the pins for targets, but to say you are volunteering for a local elementary school fund raising fair in the near future, and you would like the old pins to be donated (to you as liaison) for such an event."
Communication on the internet can be a very difficult thing. You were kidding, right?
Communication on the internet can be a very difficult thing. You were kidding, right?
Cortland
Member
My local club has holds a monthly pin match. The pins make excellent reactive targets. The idea behind a pin match is to knock the pin off a table (not just knock it down). The pin is placed at varying distances from the back of the table based on the caliber you shoot. Hit too high or low, the pin just flips back, stays on the table, and is now a much smaller and more difficult target. Hit to the left or to the right, the pin starts to spin and may or may not fall off. So it emphasizes good shot placement.
A bowling pin can take a lot of pistol shots, but becomes HEAVY after a while (filled with lead). It's no longer good for competition, but is still a good target for just knocking down in front of a berm.
30 caliber rifles will blow a pin to pieces in relatively short order (quicker if you're using soft points, but in all cases they're good for more than one shot). 223s aren't so bad.
I'm told that August is the best time to acquire old pins, as this is when the alleys get new pins for the fall tournament season. Our club used to be able to get free pins easily, but it's now a struggle. We got our last batch for free from a bowling alley at a local Navy base (thanks to club contacts I assume). All the commercial lanes want to sell them for around $1 a piece (we go through 100 pins a match, and $1/pin is way too high for us). Commercial lanes are leary of giving pins away because a) they can sell all the old ones to people who make lamps, trophies, etc. (so they say
), and perhaps more importantly b) there are companies out there which re-condition old bowling pins. If you find that your only option is to buy old pins, my advice is to let the manager know that you'll be paying for them in CASH (if you catch my drift). A case of 10 new bowling pins is insanely expensive, so it's not surprising that alleys want to sell the used ones.
Failing that, you might try to find a club that conducts pin matches. There are always lots of used pins left over at our matches which, due to their weight, are no longer good for competition but still make fine in-front-of-berm targets. Some of our competitors (myself included) take these old pins back with them.
A bowling pin can take a lot of pistol shots, but becomes HEAVY after a while (filled with lead). It's no longer good for competition, but is still a good target for just knocking down in front of a berm.
30 caliber rifles will blow a pin to pieces in relatively short order (quicker if you're using soft points, but in all cases they're good for more than one shot). 223s aren't so bad.
I'm told that August is the best time to acquire old pins, as this is when the alleys get new pins for the fall tournament season. Our club used to be able to get free pins easily, but it's now a struggle. We got our last batch for free from a bowling alley at a local Navy base (thanks to club contacts I assume). All the commercial lanes want to sell them for around $1 a piece (we go through 100 pins a match, and $1/pin is way too high for us). Commercial lanes are leary of giving pins away because a) they can sell all the old ones to people who make lamps, trophies, etc. (so they say
), and perhaps more importantly b) there are companies out there which re-condition old bowling pins. If you find that your only option is to buy old pins, my advice is to let the manager know that you'll be paying for them in CASH (if you catch my drift). A case of 10 new bowling pins is insanely expensive, so it's not surprising that alleys want to sell the used ones.Failing that, you might try to find a club that conducts pin matches. There are always lots of used pins left over at our matches which, due to their weight, are no longer good for competition but still make fine in-front-of-berm targets. Some of our competitors (myself included) take these old pins back with them.
Uhh... try *at least* $150 (I've looked into it!)
Little Loudmouth
Member
We have a pile of bowling pins under our back porch. All of them have been shot quite a lot with .45. I don't know about rifle calibers on pins, but these have held up well after being bombarded with .45.
Sydwaiz
Member
The alley I used to get pins from gave em to me for free. The guy in the proshop asked me what I was using them for and I said "target shooting." "Cool" he said, "just take me shooting next time!" I'd rather be honest with them.
My pins last forever. Probably cuz I can't shoot worth a hoot! But as long as you are using ball ammo, they should last quite awhile even with rifles. I shoot em with .308 all the time. .454 Casull and .50 AE tears em to shread though. Haven't shot it with the S&W 500 yet.
My pins last forever. Probably cuz I can't shoot worth a hoot! But as long as you are using ball ammo, they should last quite awhile even with rifles. I shoot em with .308 all the time. .454 Casull and .50 AE tears em to shread though. Haven't shot it with the S&W 500 yet.
BillL223
Member
The last time I shot pins, they held up very well. This was at 500 yds with a .308. They kept ducking when I shot. My buddy had the same problem with his 7mm Magnum. There was a fair wind.
Chipperman
Member
The only thing I've seen blow a pin up with one shot was a 12 guage slug. I've fired lots of pistol rounds, .223, .308, 8mm, 7.62x54R, 7.62x39, etc.
I've never had a pin blow up until hit Many Many times with those.
I've never had a pin blow up until hit Many Many times with those.
Kingcreek
Member
We used to shoot mini pin matches at an indoor range in the winter. somebody made up a fixture to run em thru a table saw at the "shoulder" and we shot them with .22 pistols. Great fun. I think they were even recycled old pins after the centers were shot out by centerfires.
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