I miss pin shooting.
My buddies and I discovered it back in the middle eighties.
At that time Steve, Cecil and I were just casual tin can shooters. (The names were not changed to
protect the innocent, because they are never innocent!”) We had .22 pistols that we shot a .22
league with at our local indoor pistol range on Thursday nights. I had a Ruger Single Six, Cecil and
Steve had Ruger Mark II’s. It was a lot of fun, and we thought we were pretty hot stuff.
Since we were at the range every Thursday, we got wind that people were shooting at bowling
pins on Tuesday nights. One day, we decided we should go check it out. The first week we just
watched through the window at the guys blasting away at the pins. At seven yard’s, they stood a lot
closer to the pins than we stood when shooting our bulls eye matches at twenty-five. Besides that, a
lot of the guys were missing the pins, few hitting them five for five. We were all standing there
thinking the same thing. How hard could this be? The pin shooters were all nice guys as is the
shooting sports fraternity in general, and several of them, seeing the new guys watching through the
glass came out to visit with us. They told us how the game was played, how there are both .22 and
center fire events, and that we should show up next week and shoot. Oh yeah, they also said don’t
worry about what kind of guns you own, that they all are fine for pin shooting.
At that time we didn’t do a whole lot of center fire shooting, but we did all have a center fire
pistol of some sort or the other. We loaded our shells with single stage presses, and at a rate of a
couple of hundred rounds a year, thought we were high volume shooters. Cecil had a S&W model
629, I had a Ruger Security Six, and Steve was hot stuff with his Springfield 1911-A1. It had the
old style grip safety, old style hammer, old style short trigger, small stock fixed sights, and a smooth
front strap. It was still cool, because we didn’t know better. We were happy, content, and thought
we new it all.
After a long week of much anticipation, the next Tuesday finally arrived. We entered the .22,
stock revolver, and stock auto events. Since I did not have an auto .22 to shoot, and Steve did not
have a center fire revolver, and Cecil and I did not have a .45 auto, we would have to pool our guns
so we could all shoot the three events. Between us we could cover all the events except the open
class, as none of had ever even seen a compensator at that point. The regular Tuesday night pin
shooters were all nice, and very tolerant of the new guys, as we fumbled to get our stuff to the
firing line. We were a little nervous, all of us being so new to this new and exciting shooting sport.
Since you don’t need things like ammo holders, extra magazines, and range bags to shoot the .22
leagues, we were pretty much a comedy of errors getting guns, ammo and stuff swapped out, and
to the line.
We learned a few things that night. First thing was that they don’t honk a start horn along with a
stop watch in the .22 leagues. Those big old bowling pins setting only seven yards away should
pose no problem for three veteran .22 bulls eye shooters, but when the horn honked, and the timer
started, things like sight picture and trigger control become a distant memory. Match nerves was a
term we learned about that night too.
When the evening was over and the smoke had cleared, thanks to the way they classed you in
order of your shooting times, we didn’t fair all that badly. We had all at least placed in the money in
at least one or another class. In the money meant that we could at least get us a pop from the
vending machine.
The other thing we learned that night was that we were all hooked on pin shooting. Of coarse
being hooked meant that none of us had the proper guns to shoot pins with. All those guy who told
us whatever we had at home was fine to shoot pins with were lying! I needed a .22 auto, my
Security Six would have to be replaced with a Smith and Wesson revolver preferably in .45ACP,
and I needed a .45 auto. Steve and Cecil had the .22 event covered with their Mark II’s, but like I,
their revolver situations would need upgraded. Like me, Cecil’s revolver, a .44 mag, would not do,
as every one knows you need a S&W model 25 in .45 ACP to shoot pins with.(The Smith and
Wesson new model 625, in .45 ACP was yet to be introduced.) Steve did not even have a center
fire revolver. Of coarse Steve did have a .45 auto, in which Cecil and I did not, but he now knew it
was no good for pin shooting. It would have to have a beaver tail grip safety, Videkki trigger, and
Bo-Mar adjustable sights added. Skate board tape could be added to the front strap as a poor mans
checkering. Of coarse a second .45 auto would be needed for the open event, and that meant one
with all the above mentioned stuff, plus a compensator! Those compensators sure looked cool on
the end of that .45!
We went out and started buying guns, accessories and books on the subject. Of coarse since we
were all married, and had a combination of children, mortgages, rent, and stuff like that, it was over
a matter of years, but we did get outfitted pretty well for pin shooting. Our single stage reloading
presses soon gave way to progressive presses, and our round count shot unto the thousands for the
year. We shot heavy bullets with power factors of 195 and above, and even wore out gun parts that
usually last a life time. All too soon, we became big fish in a little pond, shooting at our local
indoor range on Tuesday nights. We were told of “real” pin shoots in places like Kansas City, and
Waterloo Iowa as well as other much more distant locations, we being from the Midwest. Of
coarse we had read in magazines of the mother of all pin shoots held by some guy named Richard
Davis, way up in Michigan. It is called the Second Chance Pin Shoot. We did make it to Kansas
city, and Iowa, and I regret never making it to Second Chance. For us it was the “big time” in pin
shooting, and we had a blast. We placed well in an event or two, and met people we had only read
about in shooting magazines.
Then one day, pin shooting started dying out. Both on the local and national level. I am not sure
why exactly. IPSC was gaining rapidly in popularity, and that could have something to do with it.
Of coarse we harbored no ill thoughts towards IPSC, and soon came up with race holsters and .38
Supers, because everyone knows that is what you have to have to shoot that game.
I still have several ammo cans full pin shooting ammo. Some of it is in .45 ACP with 255 gr.
SWC bullets, and some of it is .38 special cases loaded with a special pin shooing bullet that is a
230 gr. wadcutter. It sure gets some funny looks when I show it to fellow shooters who have never
been part of the old pin shooting crowd. That .38 special case and big old bullet is kind of ugly,
until you see how it moves a bowling pin rapidly backwards and off a table when traveling along at
about 1000 fps. (Even though it is a .38 special case, it’s over all length and pressure require it be
shot from a .357 magnum revolver. Preferably a stout one like a Ruger, or S&W N frame.)
I love my auto pistols, but when it came to pin shooting, I came to favor my big revolvers.
Lately I have found myself going to the gun safe and fondling the big N frames. One is a five inch
625, one is a six inch 25-2, and one is a eight inch model 27. It has the pinned barrel recessed
chambers and deep blue finish. They don’t make them like that anymore! The actions are all baby
butt smooth from thousands of double action strokes. IPSC and IDPA have the auto’s in the top
shelves, but man I miss the big revolvers.
I still have quite a few cases of old bowling pins out in my old chicken house. Since it has been
about seven or eight years since pin shooting died, I even burned of few of them last winter in my
work shop wood stove. It hurt to throw them in the fire and watch them burn. I think this winter I
will not do that. I had better save the pins. Who knows, pin shooting may rise again!
knzn = kansan
Bill
My buddies and I discovered it back in the middle eighties.
At that time Steve, Cecil and I were just casual tin can shooters. (The names were not changed to
protect the innocent, because they are never innocent!”) We had .22 pistols that we shot a .22
league with at our local indoor pistol range on Thursday nights. I had a Ruger Single Six, Cecil and
Steve had Ruger Mark II’s. It was a lot of fun, and we thought we were pretty hot stuff.
Since we were at the range every Thursday, we got wind that people were shooting at bowling
pins on Tuesday nights. One day, we decided we should go check it out. The first week we just
watched through the window at the guys blasting away at the pins. At seven yard’s, they stood a lot
closer to the pins than we stood when shooting our bulls eye matches at twenty-five. Besides that, a
lot of the guys were missing the pins, few hitting them five for five. We were all standing there
thinking the same thing. How hard could this be? The pin shooters were all nice guys as is the
shooting sports fraternity in general, and several of them, seeing the new guys watching through the
glass came out to visit with us. They told us how the game was played, how there are both .22 and
center fire events, and that we should show up next week and shoot. Oh yeah, they also said don’t
worry about what kind of guns you own, that they all are fine for pin shooting.
At that time we didn’t do a whole lot of center fire shooting, but we did all have a center fire
pistol of some sort or the other. We loaded our shells with single stage presses, and at a rate of a
couple of hundred rounds a year, thought we were high volume shooters. Cecil had a S&W model
629, I had a Ruger Security Six, and Steve was hot stuff with his Springfield 1911-A1. It had the
old style grip safety, old style hammer, old style short trigger, small stock fixed sights, and a smooth
front strap. It was still cool, because we didn’t know better. We were happy, content, and thought
we new it all.
After a long week of much anticipation, the next Tuesday finally arrived. We entered the .22,
stock revolver, and stock auto events. Since I did not have an auto .22 to shoot, and Steve did not
have a center fire revolver, and Cecil and I did not have a .45 auto, we would have to pool our guns
so we could all shoot the three events. Between us we could cover all the events except the open
class, as none of had ever even seen a compensator at that point. The regular Tuesday night pin
shooters were all nice, and very tolerant of the new guys, as we fumbled to get our stuff to the
firing line. We were a little nervous, all of us being so new to this new and exciting shooting sport.
Since you don’t need things like ammo holders, extra magazines, and range bags to shoot the .22
leagues, we were pretty much a comedy of errors getting guns, ammo and stuff swapped out, and
to the line.
We learned a few things that night. First thing was that they don’t honk a start horn along with a
stop watch in the .22 leagues. Those big old bowling pins setting only seven yards away should
pose no problem for three veteran .22 bulls eye shooters, but when the horn honked, and the timer
started, things like sight picture and trigger control become a distant memory. Match nerves was a
term we learned about that night too.
When the evening was over and the smoke had cleared, thanks to the way they classed you in
order of your shooting times, we didn’t fair all that badly. We had all at least placed in the money in
at least one or another class. In the money meant that we could at least get us a pop from the
vending machine.
The other thing we learned that night was that we were all hooked on pin shooting. Of coarse
being hooked meant that none of us had the proper guns to shoot pins with. All those guy who told
us whatever we had at home was fine to shoot pins with were lying! I needed a .22 auto, my
Security Six would have to be replaced with a Smith and Wesson revolver preferably in .45ACP,
and I needed a .45 auto. Steve and Cecil had the .22 event covered with their Mark II’s, but like I,
their revolver situations would need upgraded. Like me, Cecil’s revolver, a .44 mag, would not do,
as every one knows you need a S&W model 25 in .45 ACP to shoot pins with.(The Smith and
Wesson new model 625, in .45 ACP was yet to be introduced.) Steve did not even have a center
fire revolver. Of coarse Steve did have a .45 auto, in which Cecil and I did not, but he now knew it
was no good for pin shooting. It would have to have a beaver tail grip safety, Videkki trigger, and
Bo-Mar adjustable sights added. Skate board tape could be added to the front strap as a poor mans
checkering. Of coarse a second .45 auto would be needed for the open event, and that meant one
with all the above mentioned stuff, plus a compensator! Those compensators sure looked cool on
the end of that .45!
We went out and started buying guns, accessories and books on the subject. Of coarse since we
were all married, and had a combination of children, mortgages, rent, and stuff like that, it was over
a matter of years, but we did get outfitted pretty well for pin shooting. Our single stage reloading
presses soon gave way to progressive presses, and our round count shot unto the thousands for the
year. We shot heavy bullets with power factors of 195 and above, and even wore out gun parts that
usually last a life time. All too soon, we became big fish in a little pond, shooting at our local
indoor range on Tuesday nights. We were told of “real” pin shoots in places like Kansas City, and
Waterloo Iowa as well as other much more distant locations, we being from the Midwest. Of
coarse we had read in magazines of the mother of all pin shoots held by some guy named Richard
Davis, way up in Michigan. It is called the Second Chance Pin Shoot. We did make it to Kansas
city, and Iowa, and I regret never making it to Second Chance. For us it was the “big time” in pin
shooting, and we had a blast. We placed well in an event or two, and met people we had only read
about in shooting magazines.
Then one day, pin shooting started dying out. Both on the local and national level. I am not sure
why exactly. IPSC was gaining rapidly in popularity, and that could have something to do with it.
Of coarse we harbored no ill thoughts towards IPSC, and soon came up with race holsters and .38
Supers, because everyone knows that is what you have to have to shoot that game.
I still have several ammo cans full pin shooting ammo. Some of it is in .45 ACP with 255 gr.
SWC bullets, and some of it is .38 special cases loaded with a special pin shooing bullet that is a
230 gr. wadcutter. It sure gets some funny looks when I show it to fellow shooters who have never
been part of the old pin shooting crowd. That .38 special case and big old bullet is kind of ugly,
until you see how it moves a bowling pin rapidly backwards and off a table when traveling along at
about 1000 fps. (Even though it is a .38 special case, it’s over all length and pressure require it be
shot from a .357 magnum revolver. Preferably a stout one like a Ruger, or S&W N frame.)
I love my auto pistols, but when it came to pin shooting, I came to favor my big revolvers.
Lately I have found myself going to the gun safe and fondling the big N frames. One is a five inch
625, one is a six inch 25-2, and one is a eight inch model 27. It has the pinned barrel recessed
chambers and deep blue finish. They don’t make them like that anymore! The actions are all baby
butt smooth from thousands of double action strokes. IPSC and IDPA have the auto’s in the top
shelves, but man I miss the big revolvers.
I still have quite a few cases of old bowling pins out in my old chicken house. Since it has been
about seven or eight years since pin shooting died, I even burned of few of them last winter in my
work shop wood stove. It hurt to throw them in the fire and watch them burn. I think this winter I
will not do that. I had better save the pins. Who knows, pin shooting may rise again!
knzn = kansan
Bill