Fun With Bowling Pins

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B. Lahey

New member
I went to the range today with a friend of mine and when we walked out to the 50 yard target frames, we couldn't help but notice that somebody had left about a dozen bowling pins and a long board to set them up on. So we set them up...

Fun!

I had never shot at pins before and I have to say it is very entertaining. I know it was popular many years ago, with organized matches and the whole deal, but it seems to have died out.

Why?

Is it hard to find old pins these days or is there another reason that it's no longer popular?

Any other fans of pin-blasting around here?
 
A

AllAmerican

Moderator
It sounds like a good idea if ...

...the bullets don't ricochet to an unsafe area. I am referring to shooting outside. I live in the country and never had to pay to shoot at a fancy indoor range.
 
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B. Lahey

New member
Yeah, I figured riccochets may be one of the reasons it's no longer as popular as it used to be. Were there problems at the old pin matches?

We were shooting them at 50 yards with a 9mm carbine, and the pins were very close to the bottom of a huge berm, so even if there was some pinball action, the projectile would still end up in the dirt.

Seems like it could be an issue in less favorable range conditions, though.
 
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NRAhab

New member
you will very rarely get ricochets off pins, because the pin tends to act like a bullet sponge for jacketed and lead ammo. The plastic shell is easily penetrated, and bullets will often just lodge on the backside of the plastic instead of exiting. My club shoots pins once a month, the only times during the match when we get ricochets are when someone hits the table instead of the pin.

Pin shooting died out because it never really acquired the sponsorship of IDPA/IPSC, despite the sponsored Second Chance match. Plus, with Pin shooting, you need to have a specific gun in an effective pin caliber, whereas in your more "traditional" handgun games, you can enter with your off the shelf Glock 17 and roll in the production class. So it was a lot easier to attract new shooters to the other action pistol games.
 
T

tranks

New member
we have metal pins and bowling ball plates set up at our range. its a blast to shoot at them. they have a dirt backstop behind it and excavator tires stacked up on both sides. i've seen lead from .45 go high enough to clear the tires but its lost all of it velocity. i don't think theres any danger from ricochets.

i don't know why more people shoot at them. i know its hard to tell where your hitting on the target but i like switching between the targets with each shot.
 
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mikejonestkd

New member
We still have weekly pin matches at our local conservation club. I used to go before my work schedule changed..:(

Tons of fun and great competition too!!!
 
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