Looking to get into pin shooting need some tips

[Road_Clam]

Come to find out a gun club in my home town has pin shoots twice monthly open to the public and this has sparked my curiosity. Looking for feedback from the pin experts as to what would be the best suited caliber. Did some research and seems the below handguns could be a good fit :

FNX45T in 45acp
Ruger GP100 in 357 mag
Kimber Target II 10mm 6" bbl
Desert Eagle in 44 mag

Also interested in feedback as to red dot optics choices and if they offer an advantage (or not) for pin shooting. Thanks is advance

[dahermit]

You should visit the club and see/find out exactly how they run the match and what their rules are. My local club used steel "pins" (six in line, facing shooter) that were knocked over so there were matches wherein .22 rimfire handguns were used. Then there are clubs that use real salvaged bowling pins set in a typical "V" configuration that must be shot off a table and therefore heavy bullets .44, .45, etc. (rimfire will not clear the table), must be used. There does not seem to be a standard...different clubs use different systems. It would behove you to find out before showing up with equipment that is not appropriate for their particular interpretation of what a "bowling pin match" is.

[Road_Clam]

Originally Posted by dahermit

You should visit the club and see/find out exactly how they run the match and what their rules are.

My plan is in fact to visit a pin match just as an observer.

Basic rules off their website:

The maximum allowed caliber is .44 Magnum.
.38 Specials or milder rounds are prohibited
(These pins are TOUGH!)
Shooters may shoot up to two matches,
either shooting the same gun twice or two different guns,
unless there are more than 15 competitors,
in which case shooters are limited to only one match.

At our matches, we shoot full size tenpins at 25-30 feet. Any sights are allowed. Shooters start at low ready, with the end of the barrel on the table, and have eight seconds to clear their table. Pins must be off the table to count as a hit. Any pins left lying on the table are scored as misses. Fallen pins bridging two tables are considered hits.
Matches consist of six tables of pins, with five pins on each table, shot in two three-table relays. The tables are four feet wide and two feet deep, with the pins evenly spaced across the table's midline.
While the 9mm cartridge is adequate, the caliber of choice for semi-auto pistols is the 45 ACP, while revolvers tend to be 357 or 44 Magnums. 38 Special and lighter cartridges are prohibited, due to bullet bounce back. Regardless of caliber or capacity, magazines may be loaded with no more than ten rounds.

[David R]

Every club is different.

Our club uses 5 steel pins. We have thin ones for rimfire and thick ones for center fire.

Because all Ineed is a hit, I can shoot light loads in any center fire gun. We have 2 tables for head to head competition.

A dot sight is an adavantage for me and most "Old guys". Don't laugh, my 30 year old daughter shoots every week in all 3 classes. Rifmfire, Center fire semi auto, and Revolver.

Its a friendly bunch. We have been shooting for 2 seasons now. Most are pretty good. Some nights it comes down to if One person is having a good night, they will clean up. Kind of like who screws up usually will not win. Beginners are appreciated. They will take extra time to work with them.

I shot "Real" bowling pins in the 80s. I had a Dan Wesson 4" 357 and full size 45. I could do as well with both. Pins were on a 4X8 table one foot back. Folks would come along with their wonder nines and ask to play. We would say Sure! After a full magazine, sometimes the table would be cleared off.

To win, you had to be able to clear the table with out a reload.

My dad shot a 3" 44 special. I now have that gun and use it at least once a year.

Go see what is going on, bring a few guns and maybe shoot the second match. Its a total blast.

David




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[Skans]

I use 10mm when shooting pins.

[GarrettJ]

Shooting “real” pins, it depends on how deep the table is. If it’s a short table where the pin is placed a foot or less from the rear of the table, most any centerfire will work. If it’s a deeper table where you have to push the pin back 2 to 3 feet, you want a heavy, larger caliber.

The deal for gun/ammo selection is to find one that provides just enough power, without giving excessive recoil, which will slow your shot-to-shot times. Generally, something in the .45 ACP or .44 Spl range is about right.

10mm with 200 or 220 gr. bullets isn’t a bad choice either.

I find my Desert Eagle .44 is slower shot-to-shot, and it tears up the pins pretty bad so they can’t be reused as much. The .357 Desert Eagle seems to do well though.

I find a red dot helps more for some people than others.

Shooting pins really teaches you to pay attention to sight picture and trigger control. When I find myself missing, it’s usually either because I’m focusing on the pin and not the front sight, or I’m mashing down on the trigger, rather than pressing straight back with an even, steady pressure. Fundamentals are important.

Get into a cadence between pins. If you miss one, don’t stop and go back for it. That will break your rhythm. Finish all of the pins, and then go back and clean up any misses.

Most of all, have fun.

https://youtu.be/RJNcLfMZP6E

[Willie D]

Some flavor of .45 because it's going to be the cheapest heavy bullet you're going to find.

[Road_Clam]

So I think i'm going to try my 10mm. I have the 1911 Kimber Target ii 6" bbl. I shoot this gun quite consistent. I found some Hornady 200gr XTP bullets so I think this will work well with pins from what i'm reading.

[David R]

Just have fun

David

[MarkCO]

Having shot a good number of pin matches, I typically did best with the 10mm 1911. I shot 200 grain HPs most of the time.

I also used .41Mag and .357Mag (6 shot Revolvers) and a .45 1911. One miss or a pin that fell, but did not go off the table, would slow me down enough that I would lose to a clean run. With the 10mm, one miss did not bother me, so I kept on at the same speed.

Our tables were 4x8 sheets of plywood on saw horses, 1 foot between the edges of each of 5 pins, 1 foot back from the front. So you had to drive them back 3 feet. Clean runs were not common, especially as the pins got shot up.

[Jim Watson]

None around here now, there used to be two.
One was run by a Magnumhead with a large table that called for large loads.
The other was run for fun on a small table, a .38 was adequate.

Sounds like the OP's 10mm will do well... if they let him pick up his brass.

[T. O'Heir]

The DE is way too much gun. Pin shooting is mostly about recovery time between shots. Too much with a .44 Mag. Too hard on the pins too as I recall. Said pins being wood.
Your .45 with target ammo(Used cast 230 grain RN's or FP's with 4.5 grains of Bullseye myself.) will do. So will the 10mm but with target loads of there is such a thing. Shot a Colt Delta Elite with Norma factory(there was nothing else then), long ago, when both were new. Factory 10mm is really just a hot .45. No advantage or disadvantage. It's about the pistol and the shooter.
"...red dot optics..." Probably not allowed. However, every match director has his own ideas. You'd have to read the match rules.
The original pin shoot was Second Chance in Northern Michigan. (Best vacations I've ever had. Playing with everything from my .45 to a .50 BMG with SMG's in between.) No optics allowed. Wouldn't help anyway.
There was a revolver match at Second Chance. .38's only, as I recall, but a .357 will do it. The .38 match only required the shooter to hit the pin with no 'off the table' required. Mind you, Miculek used a stock .38 with some success. Buddy of mine beat him in a man on man at Second Chance though.
Anyway, what pin shooting boils down to is having almost the most fun(Armoured Recce is first.) you can have with your pants on. Don't worry about placing or any of that. Just go have fun.

[David R]

Try any hand gun you have. After a few matches or so, you will have an AH HA! moment. You will get it. Watch the front sght as it recoils. SQUEEZE (dont jerk) the trigger as it comes down on the pin. You will find out the 44 mag is kind of big for the job, but it will blow the pins right off the table.

0ur club had a turkey shoot in the fall. We had all disciplins open. Trap, 300 yard gong, bullseye running deer and pins. I ran the pin match. Lots of folks that never shot. One fella said "You are cheating using a semi auto" So I went and got my Dan Wesson 357 and proceded to do just as well as the 45.

Like said above. Shoot pins one after the other. Don't even watch to see if it fell down,go on to the next one. You will develope a rythm.

After a bunch more matches, you will clear the table once and feel great! It is addicting. If you can do it once, you can do it again.

David

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[Road_Clam]

Today I spent some time exploring speed by shooting at our IDPA plate rack. It's 6 flip paddles that are about 5" in diameter. My 10mm 1911 and my FNX45 seem to perform about the same. I feel a bit more agile with the FNX45, but next target acquisition sight alignment is a bit slower than the 10mm. I feel slower transitioning target to target with the 10mm, but I seem to naturally align the sights faster. The clear energy "thump" goes to the 10mm. I'll just have to try both on the real pins and see what works more consistent.

[Roland Thunder]

I have participated in bowling pin shoots at several ranges near where I live. Each one has different rules. One place I've shot pins at meets every Thurs night. Each week is a different type gun.

1. Big bore night (e.g. 45acp)
2. .22 night
3. Revolver night
4. Anything you want to shoot

I would suggest something single action with a 6" barrel. I see more shooters shooting 9mm or 45acp 1911's than any other gun at pin shoots. Of the ones you listed I would choose the FNX or the Kimber 10mm (only if you can shoot the 10mm well). As T. O'Heir pointed out, it is mostly about recovery time between shots, so, I would forget the 357 or 44mag unless they have revolver night.