Will A .40 Knock bowling pins off

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  • Kingrat

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    Jan 24, 2009
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    some people use 22lr to knock pins over, i dunno about knocking them clear off a table, the harder it hits em the quicker they need replacement and the farther you have to go to pick them back up again
     

    slacker

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    Yeah, it will do better than a 9mm and less good than a .45.

    The type of ammo you use also has an impact. something with a broad or flat nose will work better than your typical wwb.
     

    Ahab

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    Jan 27, 2009
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    Absolutely it will. A 180 grain .40 S&W around 950 FPS will clean a pin right off the table.

    [ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iJGZG9_IKl0]YouTube - Bowling pin shooting - Glock 24[/ame]

    The trick to pins with a .40 is to get good hits. You want to induce the pin to flop backward and start rolling, because the .40 doesn't have enough juice to blow them clean off the tabla ala a .44 Magnum.
     

    slow1911s

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    Weight is favored in that equation. If you reload your 40, try pushing a 200 or 220 gr pill with a medium powder @ 1000-1050 fps.

    45 ACP guys are pushing 230's over 900. Ken Tapp, who's shot and won as many bowling pin matches as anyone, says you need 195+ power factor regardless of caliber.
     

    x10

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    Apr 11, 2009
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    I won 2 bowling pin shoots Sat. before last with my Eaa Witness match against a whole bunch of 45's

    Power and Accuracy are needed, Remember you can't miss fast enough to win
     

    chizzle

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    Dec 8, 2008
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    Will a .40 cal knock bowling pins off the table ???

    I've shot pins quite a bit, and wouldn't recommend .40. While it will work effectively with hot loads, accurate hits, and new bowling pins, it tends to fail when the pins get "heavy" (full of lead). Most shooters do better with a .45 or .44 for our "Major Class" (3' from the back edge of table). Shooters that use 9mm and .38 fall into our "Minor Class" (2' from the back edge of the table) so that they can compete with the "Major Class" guys head-to-head.

    I would recommend that you check out the following website:

    Energy Calculator

    Plug in the following data, and you can compare the Momemtum of your loads with the loads I've seen used for pins:

    .45, 230 grain, 900 fps (.45 ACP), Momentum of 29
    .429, 240 grain, 1000 fps (.44 rem mag), Momentum of 34
    .40, 180 grain, 950 fps (.40 S&W), Momentum of 24....

    As you can see, you're putting yourself at a distinct disadvantage, unless you get some really HOT .40. Don't worry about the "Energy" (lbs/ft) number as much as the momentum; momentum is what really pushes the pins off the table.

    Check out our Range's bowling pin site, if you have any further questions:

    www.IndyRange.com

    Sincerely,
    Chuck
     

    rhino

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    . . . new bowling pins, it tends to fail when the pins get "heavy" (full of lead).

    Which raises another issue that is not frequently addressed. This is unsolicted advice, so take it for what it's worth. I'm choosing tomake the point now because I was recently reminded of some realities of bowling pins by a professional shooter who used to win lots of money and prizes at the Second Chance bowling pin matches in Michigan.

    It's not a good idea to use bowling pins once they get "heavy" after they retain multiple imbedded bullets. The primary reason is that when they're in that shape, the chances of a ricochet/bounce back of a fired bullet that still has enough velocity to do damage is increased significantly. In other words, it's not safe.

    The other reason is that it no longer provides the same challenge to all shooters. Shooting bowling pins and bowling in an alley have the shared characteristic that the "action" of the pins once they are struck is a part of the game. Once bowling pins get too heavy and their surfaces are deformed, they won't roll and spin the same way as new pins.

    Yeah, I know it's tough to get new bowling pins without spending a some amount of money. Yeah, for less competitive venues the "action" is no big deal since no prize money is at stake. I just don't think the safety issue can be overlooked in lieu of the economic advantage of shooting the pins until they are splinters.

    Most experienced shooters won't shoot steel plates that are damaged (cratered, pock-marked, etc.) because they know it dramatically increases the risk of injury or even death from a projectile bouncing toward the firing line. The same is true for bowling pins once they are damaged and heavy.
     
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    jimbo-indy

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    I've had good success shooting 40 S&W handloaded with a 180 gr. Rainier plated flatpoint over a heavy (but under max) load of Longshot. Cron'd at about 1050 out of my High Power. You arn't going to knowck them off the table unless you hit them right. A good solid hit is more important than load, assuming the load has at least minimum power. I have knocked pins straight back off the table with a 9mm using 124 gr. flatpoints. Had just enough to do the job with little to spare. You just gotta hit 'em right. Wish I could more often.
     

    CarmelHP

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    Shooting a 9mm at heavy bowling pins is a real challenge, often taking multiple hits to clear them off, but I agree with Rhino, after they're really full, dangers of ricochet and bouncebacks (especially separating jackets) increases a lot.
     

    Topshot

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    Oct 16, 2015
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    I hope to try my first match next week. Rather than start a new thread, my question is about shot placement with a .40 (and maybe it doesn't matter which caliber). Obviously, closer to the centerline is better, but what about the height? I know the bottom and top are not good. I assume at or just above CoG would be best but I don't know where that is. I know the largest diameter is at 4.5" so maybe 5-6" is ideal?
     

    Twangbanger

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    It will knock them off sometimes, but .40 is not a good caliber. In fact, if you shoot someplace like MCFG which has different power classes and pin settings, overall .40 might be the worst, because it's the smallest caliber in the highest power class (the real-estate rule of being the cheapest in the highest neighborhood doesn't apply here).

    You want approx. 190 Power Factor minimum. A 180 gr. load at 1,000 fps. falls 10 short of that. The sweet spot is closer to 200 PF, and if you still want to blow pins off the table reliably once they get heavy, you need 210+ PF (which is hard to get in an auto pistol).

    Aim center of mass. That's the part you want moving backwards. The more you deviate from center-mass, the more of your energy is getting converted in to torque, which is turning the pin about an axis, but not necessarily moving it backwards at full efficiency.

    And yes, bowling pins shoot back, if the round fails to penetrate. It's the most dangerous shooting sport I've participated in. You're usually only 10 yards from the target, and once those pins get laying sideways on the table, you cannot predict what kind of primary and secondary angles of incidence the bullets are going to have. And if you have another shooter blasting away next to you, you just almost doubled your chances for harm.

    If you just want to have fun, and don't care how you do, you can of course shoot whatever. However - as an aside...shooters trying to get away with shooting underpowered guns is a significant contributor to rounds failing to penetrate & getting ricochets. All kinds of people will tell you all kinds of things about what they "have used." But for safety's sake, you owe it to yourself (and others) to use a 190 or higher PF load. You do not want to be bouncing bullets off anything. You want that bullet *in* the pin.
     

    Topshot

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    Aim center of mass. That's the part you want moving backwards. The more you deviate from center-mass, the more of your energy is getting converted in to torque, which is turning the pin about an axis, but not necessarily moving it backwards at full efficiency.
    The theory I know (I'm an engineer). Since the pin is 15" and widest part is only at 4.5", I figured CoG would be a bit higher than that. I also understand that it will change some once the pin has many bullets in it.

    All I own currently are 40s. Not sure how Top Guns runs their match but tables don't look 4' deep from videos I've seen. I'm only doing it for fun. I'm planning to move to 9mm soon but may keep a 40 for something like this.
     

    Grelber

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    And yes, bowling pins shoot back, if the round fails to penetrate. It's the most dangerous shooting sport I've participated in.

    Is it really dangerous?
    I've had a 45 come back off of a bowling pin & hit me in the leg but it did not hurt or cause a bruise. That is just one data point though, perhaps somebody has been hurt. Shooting steel targets has gotten me small cuts once or twice, nothing to fret about but a very strong indicator that we all need eye protection.
     

    jimbo-indy

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    When I shot pins at MCFG, I would aim for just below the widest area. Best performance for me was a S&W 610 pushing 180 grain flat nosed bullets at 1250 FPS. Pins would do a back flip off table. Doubt if a 40 will do that.
     

    browndog2

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    The only time I've been hit with a ricochet was my own bullet at Friday Night Steel many years ago.

    Back on topic. I've had success with 40 cal but in the form of 10mm.
    220 gr hp or flat nose at about 1000fps gently sends the pin off the back of the table.
    Good hits with warm 40 cal do work well.
    I've lost many heats to better shooters shooting 40 cal over the years.
     

    Topshot

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    Based on my practice today, I'll be lucky to hit them. :rolleyes: I'll shoot real slow to give myself a chance. Can't focus on front sight unless tilting my head up for bifocals so will just deal with fuzzy sights. Have decided I really don't like factory Glock sights anymore either so will shoot the Beretta.
     

    browndog2

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    Topshot,
    I would suggest using the bifocal tilt to keep the front sight in focus and shooting the fuzzy bowling pins.
    Seems to work better when I do it that way.
     
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