Need some advice for my first bowling pin match?

[mtnman31]

My local shooting range is hosting a bowling pin match that I plan to shoot. I have never shot a bowling pin let alone a bowling pin match. I have extensive experience with competitive bullseye shooting and a fair amount of action shooting experience, just no bowling pins. Any advice would help.

I can shoot either a 9mm, .40 S&W, or .45ACP. I suppose I could do a revolver as well; .357 or .44. Heck, I have my .480 Ruger for guaranteed knock downs but a little slower on follow up shots. What is a good strategy - smaller for more speed or heavier for more likely knock downs?

Is there any advantage to cast bullets over jacketed or vice versa?

Any advice is greatly appreciated.

[shoot-n-lead]

Some places require that you knock them off the table...does your range have that requirement?

[jcren]

I like 45 with heavy, slow slugs.

[mtnman31]

Some places require that you knock them off the table...does your range have that requirement?

I don't know the answer to that. I guess they'll tell me when I get there. I assume that they must leave the table because I was told that they place them on the back edge of the table for 9/38 shooters.

I guess that begs the question; what is more important, shot placement (high) or heavy bullets to shove the pins down?

[tbj555]

Heavy bullet and try to hit 2" below the smallest part of the neck

[bob208]

the .40 will work. I used a .45 acp with 230 gr cast lead. also used the .38 loaded with the 358429 bullet at about 900 fps.

[nagantguy]

Avoid the 7 10 split

[jcren]

I haven't shot formal matches, just somethi g we tried for a while, but a 230-255 tc or swc in a 45 in the meat of the pin never failed to send them flying.

[NC_JEFF]

Most matches are going to require that the pins be knocked off the table not just knocked over. Table clearing requirements cause me to use 45 ACP whereas just knocking them over a 38 with tgt loads will suffice

[Pipefitter]

My advise is DON'T!!! I was shooting bowling pins at 25 feet with a Ruger in 45LC, ran out of my custom swaged ammo (250gn copper tubing jacket over a stout load of IMR4227) and walked about 25 yards behind me to the truck to get another box. I found one of my bullets on the ground between my shooting stand and the truck. That was the last shot I ever fired at a bowling pin.

Be aware that standard bowling pins have 2 holes drilled through them below the narrow part of the neck, a bullet will pass through this spot without knocking the pin down (if these holes are lined up with the path of the bullet, no way to tell until they have been shot a few times.)

[Petrol & Powder]

I've shot bowling pins during informal competition and it can be a lot of fun. There are different schools of thought. One theory is to use slow, heavy bullets to transfer as much energy to the pin as possible with the goal of getting the pin off the table. The other theory is accuracy and speed will trump energy. I've played in both of those camps and in the end it really comes down to the shooter.
One common denominator is soft bullets with a flat point or a hollow point are your best bet.

Using a heavy bullet will greatly increase your odds of knocking the pin off the table but accuracy is still important. When I was in my 1911 phase I got pretty good with that system. However, I could usually get hits faster with a Beretta 92. Unfortunately that 9mm bullet would occasionally fail to knock a pin off the table even with a good hit.

We would use a shot timer and compete for the fastest time to clear the table. I could often produce a winning time with a 9mm pistol if the pins cooperated. My advice is to have fun !

[taco650]

The two matches I shot in I used my Dan Wesson 44 mag with 44 Special level loads with 240 grain SWC. If I hit them in the fat part, they were picked up and carried well off the table. If not hit in the sweet spot, they would still roll off easily.
I beat a lot of guys using 1911 45's. Good times!

[DougGuy]

My best pin load was actually a 255gr Keith type LSWC over an unrememberable charge of 700x. It flat put the pins airborne. Takes them off the table with authority!

You need to set up a 1911 for this load, recoil spring is CRITICAL in that with the correct spring, follow up shots are right back to where the sights started from.

I recently loaded a bunch of 452423 over 6.0gr Unique with WLP primers that really shows potential for a kick butt pin load. You will need the barrel throated for these, and maybe try several different slide stops to get one that doesn't get knocked up and lock the slide. I have a 5" 1911 with WWII Remington Rand upper, throated HS barrel, and a newer parked Auto Ordnance frame and internals that gobbles this round up and is very accurate and cycles flawlessly mag after mag. <<< THIS will make a good pin gun.

I have another 4 1/4" 1911 with a Colt upper, IMI barrel, and an identical AO lower, I used a Kimber slide stop and the 452423's knock it up every few rounds and lock the slide. I will probably swap it out a time or two and see what works best and ride with that one. Other than that, the 452423 is likely the best pin boolit going in the 1911 camp.

[Virginia John]

I have had a lot of fun shooting bowling pins, I have done it with both .38Spl and .45ACP. In both calibers I loaded heavy and it helprd to carry the pins off the table. A lot has to do with your distance, we shoot at 15 yds.

[Rick Hodges]

When I shot them (40 yrs. ago when Second Chance bullet proof vests were sponsoring the shoots) the 45Auto was king. I used a Model 66 S&W (my service revolver) with 158 swc in moderate 38 special load and would occasionally get a spinner on the table...grrrrrrrr. A gov't model 1911 with 200gr. swc at 850-875 fps would clear them with authority. Hit the fat part at least 2" above the base and you should be good to go.

[country gent]

The 45 acp does a very good job of clearing the table. Use a solid load with a 200-230 grn bullet with a flat point to get as much energy into the pin as possible. I used a 225 grn full wadcutter in my 1911 for a while and it was like an invisible hand knocking the pins off the table. .40 cal should work okay with the heavier bullets also. The few times I tried 9mm I left pins on the table, bullets passed thru not leaving enough energy in the pin. My wife used 357 with 200 grn bullets at around 850-900fps with good results. Hit in the body pins will absorb alot more energy than a head shot and move much better. A good 45 load 200 grn swc at arounf 850-900 will just leave a lump on the plastic coating on the back side not exiting the pin. Origininally the pin table was 4' wide and 8 ' long pins were set 1 foot from front and 1 ft apart. Time started with a buzzer and ended when last pin hit the ground. Second chance tables were hard for a downed pin since they had a 4" wide kevelar face centered on tables front edge. A downed pin only gave about 2 1/2" to shoot at. I have used 45 acp with good results 38 supeer ( left pins on table due to pass thru), 9MM ( same results pass thrus leaving pins on table) in auto loaders. In revolvers 44 cal both mag and spl ( mag is fun but recovery time is slower spl with a 200-240grn bullet do great) 45 colt ( A wide flat point at 900fps works great energy dump is amazing) 357/38spl ( both will work with heavier bullets), Your best times will almost always be when there are 5 shots and 5 pins off the table. Concentrate on sights and keep moving dont let the pins jumping distract you. Fire at a pin and move to next after all five then survey for stragglers. Some clubs allow mag changes reloads, some dont, Some limit magazine capacity some dont. Ask questions while sighning in or get match rules ahead of the match. Team matches can be fun also. 22 matches are a ball and some really great times are posted. Above all have fun and enjoy the day

[Outer Rondacker]

Never done it. Met a man once who had a room full of metals and what not. Anyway the winner of the pin matches used to get to keep a pin I guess. On it they wrote a bunch of stuff. He claimed he shot a 310g 44spl loaded to an over all length of a 44mag. Medium load so not to blast rite though the pin and heavy enough to carry the power over. Just telling you what he bragged to me about how he used to win. No clue if it worked. I bet you will have fun no mater what you do. If it was me I would load the flattest bullet profile I had to whap them pins.

[Mike in Reedley]

Go fast, don't miss ;). Sacco/Redding makes an awesome 45 SWC mould (#58 I believe), mine drops at 220 grain. Huge meplat and very accurate out of my 1911s and my Colt SAA.

[noisewaterphd]

I like 45 with heavy, slow slugs.

+1

Bowling pins are so fun! I wish we had more local matches.

[StrawHat]

...I used a 225 grn full wadcutter in my 1911 for a while and it was like an invisible hand knocking the pins off the table...

country gent,

I am new to 1911 but would like to know more about that load and your set up for the 1911.

Kevin

[44man]

I never shot it but I did watch others. The worst i seen was a guy with a .44 mag loaded too hot. he just shot through the pins, some did nothing more then jitter.
Heavy, slow and a good meplat sounds right.

[Forrest r]

Shot tons of lead at bowling pins for years, mostly with a 357. I did use a 44 or a 1911 every now and then. Don't know about your range but we used to set the pins up @ 36" from the back of the table for major loads/calibers (357's/44cal's/45acp's/ weren't any 40s&w's back then) and 30" for the 38spl/9mm/etc. The tables were 4 foot deep and 8 foot wide. The pins on the left and right ends of the row had a 1 1/2 foot to the side/edge of the table and were spaced 1 foot apart with 5 pins in the row.

I'd use whatever you're comfortable with, meaning what fits your hand the best controlling the recoil and more importantly, the trigger. I was pretty good with a l-frame 357 (6" bbl'd 586), used to ride the grip using a high hold. The more your hand is in line with the bbl, the less felt recoil. The club I shot at would have 8 bowling pin shoots a year and 20+ people would show up. Used to win allot of those shoots every year in head to head best time wins. Then they started doing two classes, revolver and semi-auto, bummer, nothing better than a wheelgun smoking a bunch of semi-auto's. They'd even started a single action class. They were fun to watch & man those guys were good with those blackhawks!!!!

Bowling pins have a trademark/decal on them below the neck. That's where you want to hit them, they are solid there. What you want to do is chop across the pins at an angle. Meaning after you take a shot let the firearm recoil, as you come back on to the next target, don't come over then down and line up and shoot. As you bring the firearm back down for the next shot you should be starting on your trigger pull as you cut across the next pin at a angle. A bowling pin is around 4" across at the trademark and the solid area is around 3"'s up and down above and below that trademark. Cutting across the pin high to low at a angle increases the size of the bowling pin/target/hit zone (to around 5" across). The muzzle of the firearm is already high from recoil, use it to your advantage. I'm right handed so when the front sight (pistol & shotgun use front sight only) was on the left edge of the bowling pin as I was angle cutting thru the pin. I'd touch the round off as I kept moving/following thru the shot. The better steel shooters do the same thing, fluid movements. Shoot on the leading edge of the target as they follow thru.

Allot of shooters shoot, move the firearm over & line up the sights then shoot, wash/rinse/repeat. Too slow!!!

Anyway, used to use of all things a 358311 158gr rn bullet in the 357 with a hot/heavy load of the old ww820 pull down powders (1300fps). When I used a 1911/45acp I'd use a full house load with the 454190 250gr fn bullet. That 454190 made a beautiful bowling pin thumper with nothing more than a full house load of unique (850fps). Every now and then I'd use a model 29 with the 249421 245gr swc and a mild load of unique (1000fps). Whatever firearm/load combo I used, I'd keep the power factor above 200.

A good load/hit and the pin jumps strait up a couple inches. You hit that pin square on the label/trademark and it doesn't jump up a couple inches, you are using too light of a load. Hit it too soon or too late and the pin spins as it travels back. The pin tells you the timing of your shots (left side hit ='s clockwise/right side hit ='s counter clockwise). Too high and the pin falls strait back and your looking at the bottom of the pin but it doesn't leave the table. Too low and the base kicks strait back and you're looking at the top of the pin but it doesn't leave the table.

Good luck and enjoy yourself

[Plate plinker]

My best pin load was actually a 255gr Keith type LSWC over an unrememberable charge of 700x. It flat put the pins airborne. Takes them off the table with authority!

You need to set up a 1911 for this load, recoil spring is CRITICAL in that with the correct spring, follow up shots are right back to where the sights started from.

I recently loaded a bunch of 452423 over 6.0gr Unique with WLP primers that really shows potential for a kick butt pin load. You will need the barrel throated for these, and maybe try several different slide stops to get one that doesn't get knocked up and lock the slide. I have a 5" 1911 with WWII Remington Rand upper, throated HS barrel, and a newer parked Auto Ordnance frame and internals that gobbles this round up and is very accurate and cycles flawlessly mag after mag. <<< THIS will make a good pin gun.

I have another 4 1/4" 1911 with a Colt upper, IMI barrel, and an identical AO lower, I used a Kimber slide stop and the 452423's knock it up every few rounds and lock the slide. I will probably swap it out a time or two and see what works best and ride with that one. Other than that, the 452423 is likely the best pin boolit going in the 1911 camp.

This is spot on advice. Rhino rollers they call them.

[69daytona]

A good friend of mine use to shoot bowling pin comp when they first stared and they guy who was winning the matches almost every time was Jerry Michelick, he shot a S&away 357 I believe he said it was a 4" with rcbs 200gr RFN in 38 special cases at 650-700 fps, Jerry told him no recoil so you can shoot fast and enough weight to knock the pins off the table.

[hp246]

It has been a long time since I shot pins. The .40 wasn't invented yet. The .45 acp was king of the hill. Watched a guy with an Automag just blow the pins up and never clear the table. Back then, the preferred bullet was a JHP with a sharp lip. If my recollection is correct, a Super-Vel bullet was favored. The sharp hollow point allowed the bullet to bite into the plastic. Another tip was to hit them dead center in the heavy body of the pin. This allowed them to be carried from the table. A glancing blow just knocked them on the side, then you were trying to hit the bottom of the pin. Accurate was fast.

[StrawHat]

I believe these were called "Pin Grabbers" always wanted to get some but was too cheap to buy them.

161749

Kevin

[bobthenailer]

The club that I shoot at puts the pins on a 4x8 table with the pins set back 1 foot back from the front of the table and the pins have to clear the table to count.

For pins in the auto class using a 1911 45acp with the Saeco 058 215gr swc made for bowling pin shooting.@ 900 fps
In revolver class I use a S&W revolver in 44 mag using a Saeco # 944 200 gr WC @1,000 fps .
Although both are reliable pin loads, accuracy helps, been shooting pins for about 20 years

[taco650]

Shot tons of lead at bowling pins for years, mostly with a 357. I did use a 44 or a 1911 every now and then. Don't know about your range but we used to set the pins up @ 36" from the back of the table for major loads/calibers (357's/44cal's/45acp's/ weren't any 40s&w's back then) and 30" for the 38spl/9mm/etc. The tables were 4 foot deep and 8 foot wide. The pins on the left and right ends of the row had a 1 1/2 foot to the side/edge of the table and were spaced 1 foot apart with 5 pins in the row.

I'd use whatever you're comfortable with, meaning what fits your hand the best controlling the recoil and more importantly, the trigger. I was pretty good with a l-frame 357 (6" bbl'd 586), used to ride the grip using a high hold. The more your hand is in line with the bbl, the less felt recoil. The club I shot at would have 8 bowling pin shoots a year and 20+ people would show up. Used to win allot of those shoots every year in head to head best time wins. Then they started doing two classes, revolver and semi-auto, bummer, nothing better than a wheelgun smoking a bunch of semi-auto's. They'd even started a single action class. They were fun to watch & man those guys were good with those blackhawks!!!!

Bowling pins have a trademark/decal on them below the neck. That's where you want to hit them, they are solid there. What you want to do is chop across the pins at an angle. Meaning after you take a shot let the firearm recoil, as you come back on to the next target, don't come over then down and line up and shoot. As you bring the firearm back down for the next shot you should be starting on your trigger pull as you cut across the next pin at a angle. A bowling pin is around 4" across at the trademark and the solid area is around 3"'s up and down above and below that trademark. Cutting across the pin high to low at a angle increases the size of the bowling pin/target/hit zone (to around 5" across). The muzzle of the firearm is already high from recoil, use it to your advantage. I'm right handed so when the front sight (pistol & shotgun use front sight only) was on the left edge of the bowling pin as I was angle cutting thru the pin. I'd touch the round off as I kept moving/following thru the shot. The better steel shooters do the same thing, fluid movements. Shoot on the leading edge of the target as they follow thru.

Allot of shooters shoot, move the firearm over & line up the sights then shoot, wash/rinse/repeat. Too slow!!!

Anyway, used to use of all things a 358311 158gr rn bullet in the 357 with a hot/heavy load of the old ww820 pull down powders (1300fps). When I used a 1911/45acp I'd use a full house load with the 454190 250gr fn bullet. That 454190 made a beautiful bowling pin thumper with nothing more than a full house load of unique (850fps). Every now and then I'd use a model 29 with the 249421 245gr swc and a mild load of unique (1000fps). Whatever firearm/load combo I used, I'd keep the power factor above 200.

A good load/hit and the pin jumps strait up a couple inches. You hit that pin square on the label/trademark and it doesn't jump up a couple inches, you are using too light of a load. Hit it too soon or too late and the pin spins as it travels back. The pin tells you the timing of your shots (left side hit ='s clockwise/right side hit ='s counter clockwise). Too high and the pin falls strait back and your looking at the bottom of the pin but it doesn't leave the table. Too low and the base kicks strait back and you're looking at the top of the pin but it doesn't leave the table.

Good luck and enjoy yourself

Forest has very good advice. As mentioned in my previous post, I used my Dan Wesson 6" 44mag. I would shoot it single action and as it was coming down out of recoil, I would cock the hammer and usually be lined up on the fat part of the pin and would pull the trigger again. My trigger is VERY LIGHT so just a thought and the gun goes off. My load was a 240 gr lead SWC (store bought) about 900-1000 fps. As Forest mentioned, when hit correctly, the pin would go up about 2" and straight back off the table.

[mtnman31]

Well, for some reason the bowling pin match didn't go. They had a steel match set up instead. Oh well, shooting steel is always fun. I'll just make sure to attend the next scheduled bowling pin match.

[RedHawk357Mag]

Found a kind of cool book about pin shooting "Hit the White Part" Pretty thin book couple of cool tips for practice great information on the history of pin shooting and second chance vests. Looking forward to April when our first Bowling Pin match for the year happens here in Duncan Oklahoma.

[Sasquatch-1]

My club shoots a modified pin shoot once a month over the summer. We have a 4x8 table and the pins must be cleared from the table.

Technically there are three categories; .22 rimfire, minor everything up to .38 spl. and 9mm and major, .357 and up. Rim fire goes a foot from the back of the table, minor in the middle and major a foot from the front. In the major cat. energy is everything. I use a Redhawk in 44. I tried a light load of 7 grns of unique with a 240 grn bullet. They're fine at the beginning of the match, but once the pins start retaining lead I have problems clearing them. Several guys are using light 45 acp loads and have problems with unshot pins. I find with the 44, 10 grns of unique with a 240 grn bullet will do the job nicely. If you want to clear them with authority use 21 to 22 grns of H110 or W296.

I have never had a round completely penetrate the pin unless it hits close to the side or the pin is at the end of its useful life.

[country gent]

Straw Hat, I believe the bullet came from a saeco mould it was a 225 grn full wad cutter. The gentleman that cast them for me cast them on the soft side. I loaded them to just chamber in my Kimber. The full dia nose with small center was a short oal but would hit throat quick. I loaded these 800-850 FPS. Used a med crimp over edge of bullet. These hit pins hard and dumped all the energy into the pin. On new pins there would be a bulge in the plastic on what was the back of the pin. Bullets very seldom exited the pins so 100% energy dump. These bullets shot very accuratly, gave a very solid transfer of energy, and when a pin was hit solid the pin head never touched the table. Like an invisible hand picked them up and dropped them off the table. Shoot a solid load remeber these bowling pins wiegh 3-4lbs and you are shooting for time. A bullet that stays in the pin is transfering 100% of its energy to the pin, One that passes thru is only transfering part of that energy wasting the remainder on the backstop. in 38/357 a 180-200 grn bullet with a semi blunt nose works very well. In 40 / 10mm around a 200-210 flat nose should do very well ( I never used 40 S&W for pins and very little with 10MM) 44s the 180-200 grn wadcutters or semiwadcutters loaded 800-900 fps do great, 45 200-230 grn flat nose or round nosed loaded to 800-900 fps. These type loads dump alot of energy into pins and give a very useable load. The 200 grn 38 /357 is barely stable and when it his the pin tumbles makeing for a real good energy transfer.