tom turner

Hi all,

Are there any others on the forum who enjoy shooting bowling pin matches?

IMHO, they are one of the funnest, and best, ways to improve one's speed and accuracy!

T.

tom turner

Well . . . shootin' 'em is better than what baseball players have to do with bowling pins.

I always thought it would be VERY painful to be a P I N - C H I T T E R!

Here's the game:

VERSION #1:
FIVE regulation bowling pins are spaced out, about a foot apart, on a steel plate table. The distance is exactly 10 yards (30 feet) from the shooting box.

When the line is clear, the shooter loads their handgun and comes to the "low ready position." Maximum rounds - typically eight. Naturally, revolvers have less.

Upon the buzz of the random timer, the shooter engages the pins and stops shooting when all five pins are completely cleared from the table. The table depth is a couple of feet.

The maximum number of pins removes wins, with time being the tiebreaker and ranker.

Typically, each table is shot three times in a match.

Naturally, a six gun is NOT at a disadvantage, for if one misses a pin and has to follow up, they will have lost the stage.

In this version, you better load some STOUT rounds, for a wimpy load will probably just knock the pin over, requiring more rounds.


PROVEN BEST CARTRIDGE FOR THIS TYPE MATCH? .45ACP!

A .40 S&W does "ok" but leaves pins sometimes, whereas the .45 blows 'em right off the table with a direct, accurate hit.

Forget a 9mm, they don't have the umph to drive the pins off the table. A .38 is marginal. The .357 does pretty good but doesn't have the mass to the bullet to clean 'em like a .45.

The 10mm, .41mag. and .44mag. launch the pins into orbit . . . but the stout recoil makes 'em too slow to win against .45 shooters normally.



VERSION 2: (This one is fun too . . . and my favorite, for all handguns can compete against specific classes, (i.e.: Minor Auto, Major Auto, Magnum Revolver, Centerfire Revolver . . . and even rimfire .22 handgun) Here's why:

Same distance, and procedures SIX pins, rather than five, and ONLY SIX rounds loaded in the gun. YOU BETTER NOT MISS!

The pins need only be knocked over, not blown off the table, so competitors can load lighter loads for maximum SPEED. Also, even a .22 will knock a pin over when you hit the pin pretty square!

If you MISS a pin, you'll probably lose the entire match . . . and the timer is ticking!!!

Again, each shooter shoots three tables of pins, then hits and time are totaled for the final results.


YOU SHOULD TRY THIS SOMETIME . . . IMHO it is one of the most fun ways to learn to be a great handgunner, with the fun and pressure of good-natured competition amongst fine shooters in your area.

Tom

BTW: A bowling pin matches almost perfectly the vital area of the human body (heart/spine/near spine lung/neck). When a shooter can rip through 18 bowling pins at "light speed" at a distance of 30 feet, they can pretty much be confident that their skills will not fail them if the chips are ever down in a baaaaad situation!!!

I once got hot at a very spirited match with lots of great competition and lots of trash talk, in the .22 Open class (scopes, red dot sights, tricked out race guns, etc.). Someone set an all-time record on a stage . . . and I decided to burn the next stage and either go down in flames . . . or clean the table.

I was having a great day that day in several classes and everything clicked on my next stage. Firing as fast as I could, I cleared a table of six pins in 2.20 seconds. Not bad from a reaction time, to a sight picture . . . and then six fast shots as the gun swung . . . to the last pin hitting the table. Literally, I was firing my Ruger auto just as fast as I could pull the trigger. A magic round indeed!

GUYS . . . YA GOTTA TRY IT SOMETIME!!!

Tom

trumpetmike8

That sounds great. I'll probably try this on a smaller scale. Like me vs. Dad instead of a real tournament. Version 2 seems better to me because I could use a .22 revolver. Since I'm also on the cheap side I'll try replacing the pins 1 liter bottles that are full of dirt.
Well, thank for sharing.
Michael

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tom turner

Hi,

You'll LOVE it!

I'd suggest swinging by the local bowling alley and see if they'll give you a few old bowling pins though. Most of 'em will, for they replace them once they get dirty and scuffed up!

A real bowling pin is made of very dense wood (to handle the constant pounding of heavy bowling balls that hit 'em tens of thousands of times at speed. They are also coated with a thick, plastic shield. This makes 'em really tough!

In some pin matches I've attended, each pin will absorb a thousand rounds of lead or more . . . they just start getting fatter and heavier! Yep . . . the handgun rounds go IN . . . but down come OUT!

Five benefits . . .

1. Your practice set of five or six pins will last you for a very long time . . . vs. constantly creating and blowing up jugs and bottles (which can't really take any pounding at all).

2. Jugs don't "fly" like a pin does, plus they don't sometimes spin and not fall over. You need to have that lively action!

3. It is MUCH safer, for the pins absorb direct hits.

4. You don't create a bunch of trash at each trip to the range.

5. You can introduce other shooters to shooting pins that you meet at the range. Maybe interest will grow and you can start a "bowling" league!

IN THE LONG RUN . . . you pins will get amazingly heavy . . . and eventually literally split open!!! Then, when they are worn-out . . . you can get the lead bullets out . . . and melt the lead back down to cast new bullets if you cast and handload!!!

Yep, run by the bowling alley and sweet talk 'em into donating a few old pins . . . or let you buy 'em cheap. You'll be glad you did!!!

Tom

PS: Besides the normal safe gun handling rules, ALWAYS practice these safe pin shooting rules:

1. Always only load a set number of rounds so you don't end up with extra rounds in a gun . . . especially an auto!

2. Once the gun is "hot," keep the gun barrel pointed down range until the round is completed.

3. Once the set number of rounds is fired, remove your clip (if shooting an auto) and lock back the slide to show the weapon is safe . . . OR, if shooting a wheelgun, open the cylinder and push the ejector rod to clear the cylinder of spent (or LIVE ammo). Do these tasks before anyone goes down range to set pins up again!!!