H. K. Uriah, SASS #74619 Posted January 16, 2022 Share Posted January 16, 2022 Anybody ever use their Cowboy guns to shoot a bowling pin match? Might make for an interesting side match. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cholla Posted January 16, 2022 Share Posted January 16, 2022 Nope but count me in. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dantankerous Posted January 16, 2022 Share Posted January 16, 2022 Yes it would! I used to love knocking over pins. My 45 Colts would be perfect for this. I'm betting a 250 grain slug backed by FFFg would do the trick. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frontier Lone Rider Posted January 16, 2022 Share Posted January 16, 2022 We have had them as a regular target a couple of times. The ladies dressed them up like rabbits with tall ears. That is one target that you aim center mass for good results. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mud Marine,SASS#54686 Life Posted January 16, 2022 Share Posted January 16, 2022 I have shot various Pistol matches with my SASS .45 Colt revolvers. Slow fire was fine, timed fire was OK but rapid fire sucked. :-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Abilene, SASS # 27489 Posted January 16, 2022 Share Posted January 16, 2022 Whatever you do, don't shoot bowling pins with shotgun! Talk about splatter! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frontier Lone Rider Posted January 16, 2022 Share Posted January 16, 2022 Some .22 rounds may come back at you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cypress Sun Posted January 16, 2022 Share Posted January 16, 2022 Count me out. Seen to many bullets come back due to light loads. Thanks, but no. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slapshot Posted January 16, 2022 Share Posted January 16, 2022 I'd try it shouldn't be any different than shooting them with 38's or 45acp's. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wallaby Damned Posted January 16, 2022 Share Posted January 16, 2022 If you haven’t shot a round of IPSC or a round of trap, especially at one of the “fancy” clubs, while using full power BP loads, you’re missing out on a great time! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big Timber SASS #19724Life Posted January 16, 2022 Share Posted January 16, 2022 I always shot my 7 1/2 bbl Super Blackhawk in 44 mag for pin matches , and I won lots of matches You only need 5 shots to win ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sedalia Dave Posted January 16, 2022 Share Posted January 16, 2022 1 hour ago, Cypress Sun said: Count me out. Seen to many bullets come back due to light loads. Thanks, but no. THIS ^^^ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snakebite Dust SASS 75484 Posted January 16, 2022 Share Posted January 16, 2022 They did it at my club several years ago. Mostly cowboys shooting against each other. The ones shooting light loads didn’t fare too well Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G W Wade Posted January 16, 2022 Share Posted January 16, 2022 3 hours ago, Abilene, SASS # 27489 said: Whatever you do, don't shoot bowling pins with shotgun! Talk about splatter! Shot Second Chance bowling pin shoot in 80 Minimum shot size was 00 Buck. 12 ga traps load cone back at the spotters. Least I ever saw was 4 buck at a shoot in Iowa. Recommended power factor for pistols is 200 + Have seen bullseye 45 loads spit back past the firing line. Great time but not as much fun as SASS GW Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Abilene, SASS # 27489 Posted January 17, 2022 Share Posted January 17, 2022 Travis County Regulators used to have a few bowling pins for rifle targets. Eye screw in top, hung from trees out about 25 yards. They danced when hit, no resetting needed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Redleg Reilly, SASS #46372 Posted January 17, 2022 Share Posted January 17, 2022 We tried this years ago but with our light loads, the pins were shooting back at us. Decided we didn't need to do that again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big Timber SASS #19724Life Posted January 17, 2022 Share Posted January 17, 2022 Cowboy loads don't work well for pins. I used a 44 mag with 8.5 Unique and a 250kt . Worked well Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Assassin Posted January 17, 2022 Share Posted January 17, 2022 I used 357 mag in a pair of Vaqueros. They knocked the pins down with authority. Won a few rounds. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cholla Posted January 17, 2022 Share Posted January 17, 2022 I used to compete in bowling pin shoots with a 1911. The .40 S&W is the lightest round that will reliably knock pins off the table, assuming the regulation table setup is used. If set on a saw horse, lesser loads would do the job. I did not like the saw horse setup as it didn’t require as much skill and shot placement to knock the pins off. The gamers liked to put a round into the 2x4 saw horse so that multiple pins would fall off. if it is going to be a side match, require full power loads and have fun. No spotters are required as the rules require pins to be off the table. The first shooter to clear the table wins. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Col. Cornelius Gilliam, SASS#5875TG Posted January 17, 2022 Share Posted January 17, 2022 Local gun club has a pin match that does have a single action category. 5-pins, must completely clear the table. Uses two single actions. Reload if req'd. A lot of fun, I've done quite well with 45 Colt, 250gr SWC, 800 fps loads. As mentioned above, loads approximating 45 acp hardball ballistics work best - have to clear the pins off a wide table, not just knock them down. Light loads are not allowed, too much bounce back. Finish up the match to completely destroy the pins with a shotgun category, 00 Buckshot or slugs only. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Buckshot Bear Posted January 17, 2022 Share Posted January 17, 2022 Never had the pleasure of shooting pins but would love to..... How many rounds can they take before there cactus? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laramie Posted January 17, 2022 Share Posted January 17, 2022 4 minutes ago, Buckshot Bear said: Never had the pleasure of shooting pins but would love to..... How many rounds can they take before there cactus? You’d be amazed at how much lead a bowling pin can absorb! Laramie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cholla Posted January 17, 2022 Share Posted January 17, 2022 9 minutes ago, Laramie said: You’d be amazed at how much lead a bowling pin can absorb! Laramie Exactly. They wiggle a little when a 9mm hits them. A .45 ACP takes them off the table with authority if hit in the right spot. They take hit after hit with little change of appearance. But a .44 Magnum can splinter them into unusable kindling. They are made from hard maple. if you want a lesson in the difference in energy between a 9mm and a 45 ACP a bowling pin match is an eye opener. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LawMan Mark, SASS #57095L Posted January 17, 2022 Share Posted January 17, 2022 On 1/16/2022 at 1:34 PM, Frontier Lone Rider said: Some .22 rounds may come back at you. I've seen target 38s bounce back off of the pins. Bowling pins need high velocity rounds to be safe to shoot. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slapshot Posted January 17, 2022 Share Posted January 17, 2022 One of the old bowling pin loads for 38 I have read about uses a 200 gr bullet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pat Riot Posted January 17, 2022 Share Posted January 17, 2022 I used to have a few bowling pins. We would set them up about 50’ away and shoot them with revolvers and semiautos. .38 Special didn’t quite do it for knocking them over but my 1911 .45 did nicely. .357 Magnum with lead bullets worked well also. One day my daughter shot one with my 10/22 using Remington Thunderbolt ammo - she liked that ammo. Anyway, I got a good smack to the side of my head from a ricochet. That was the one and only time we shot at bowling pins with .22’s. Boy, did that get my attention. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Diamond Curly SASS#57086 Posted January 18, 2022 Share Posted January 18, 2022 Do not shoot bowling pins with you C&B revolvers. I shoot stout loads in my 44’s and the round balls come straight back at the shooter. No more bowling pins for me. DC Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doc X Posted January 18, 2022 Share Posted January 18, 2022 3 hours ago, Slapshot said: One of the old bowling pin loads for 38 I have read about uses a 200 gr bullet. I used to use a 220gr semi wadcutter loaded in .357 brass. Would only fit in a N or L frame Smith due to OAL although a friend used them in a Python. We ran them at 850-900 fps so they would clear a regulation Second Chance pin table, not just a knock over, it had to move the pin 3 feet straight back. The load worked ok, but a 230 grain 45 acp still did better. To use a cowboy gun on pins I'd stay with .45 Colt. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doc X Posted January 18, 2022 Share Posted January 18, 2022 3 hours ago, Buckshot Bear said: Never had the pleasure of shooting pins but would love to..... How many rounds can they take before there cactus? A lot, but you have to watch how long you use them. The biggest danger of ricochets is from a hit dislodging a buried round and sending it off to parts unknown. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charlie Harley, #14153 Posted January 18, 2022 Share Posted January 18, 2022 On 1/16/2022 at 11:36 AM, Cypress Sun said: Count me out. Seen to many bullets come back due to light loads. Thanks, but no. Light loads are not a problem I face. :-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cypress Sun Posted January 18, 2022 Share Posted January 18, 2022 30 minutes ago, Charlie Harley, #14153 said: Light loads are not a problem I face. :-) Me either. I stand behind someone bigger than me, with my back to the pins. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chantry Posted January 18, 2022 Share Posted January 18, 2022 As already mentioned, light loads and anything less then buckshot is bad. The least powerful factory ammo I've seen used was 9x18 Makarov. It knocked the pins over, but not off the table and did not ricochet back at the firing line. It's best to have the tables as close to the berm as possible, glancing hits can travel much farther than one would expect and most neighbors take a dim view of their homes being hit by gunfire. In general a pin will take quite a bit of punishment and the plastic cover will hold the pin together for quite a while.. I've pushed a 200 gr JHP at 1770 fps and the bullet did not exit a unshot pin. On the other hand I hit a well used pin with a 45-70 loaded with a 550 gr hard cast flat point at about 1200 fps and it blew the top of the pin about 30 feet in the air. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Linn Keller, SASS 27332, BOLD 103 Posted January 18, 2022 Share Posted January 18, 2022 13 hours ago, Diamond Curly SASS#57086 said: Do not shoot bowling pins with you C&B revolvers. I shoot stout loads in my 44’s and the round balls come straight back at the shooter. No more bowling pins for me. DC Here's something I hadn't considered ... good thing you spoke up, I dearly love my Old Army, and given the chance, I just might have tried that! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mustang Gregg Posted January 18, 2022 Share Posted January 18, 2022 That sounds like a fun shoot. We used to have regulation pin shoots at the Table Rock Gun Club. I reckon that some of the light .38 loads that we see at SASS shoots may glance back at the firing line. Mustang EDIT: Whatever you do---NEVER NEVER NEVER SHOOT A BOWLING BALL WITH YOUR REVOLVER! Ask me offline why I say that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DeaconKC Posted January 18, 2022 Share Posted January 18, 2022 On 1/17/2022 at 9:12 AM, Cholla said: if it is going to be a side match, require full power loads and have fun. No spotters are required as the rules require pins to be off the table. The first shooter to clear the table wins. That would be fun since I normally run Schofields! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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