Best .45 acp Bullet Type for Bowling Pin Shooting

[E7Wrangler]

School me on the best type of .45 acp bullet for shooting bowling pins. I have a theory that a soft lead bullet will work better than a FMJ bullet but it's just a theory. I am ready to be shown the correctness or error of my thoughts.

 

[Twangbanger]

You're thinking along the right lines, a hard cast SWC is your best bet.

 

[blkrifle]

have been shooting pins at Riley lately with my 9mm open gun. it changed my thinking about needing big heavy .45 bullets. using precision delta 124grn. fmj bullets.

 

[E7Wrangler]

Sorry I am a little dense. Do you mean you used the 9mm and decided a 45 would be better or did you mean that the 9mm worked well for you?

 

[chizzle]

You want something heavy, and with a flat or hollow point. I don't know if anybody has done any statistical analysis to prove the difference on wood; the pins tend to plug up hollow points and make them open less than they would in ballistic gelatin. I typically shot 230 grain hollow points, or similar flat point lead bullets. I believe you're after momemtum here, not just energy, so the heavy bullet tends to do better. Use this site for comparison purposes:

Energy Calculator

 

[m_deaner]

For me, the best bowling pin load has been a 180 grain 38 spl flat point loaded to about 1050-1100 FPS. This is after years of shooting 210 PF 45 acp flat nose or hollow point bullets between 230 and 255 grains. I made the switch to this 38 load earlier this year and my success has improved dramatically. It has caused me to rethink the idea that slow and heavy = good.

I think think the big difference with this load is bullet profile. With a revolver you can use a flat point that has such a big meplat that it is almost a full wadcutter.

My opinion is that the thing to look for is raw PF plus a bullet profile that gives up the most energy possible as soon as possible. What you don't want is a profile that allows the bullet to pass through the pins, because the energy transfer will be incomplete.

 

[blkrifle]

Sorry I am a little dense. Do you mean you used the 9mm and decided a 45 would be better or did you mean that the 9mm worked well for you?

the 9mm works well.

 

[SSGSAD]

have been shooting pins at Riley lately with my 9mm open gun. it changed my thinking about needing big heavy .45 bullets. using precision delta 124grn. fmj bullets.

My brother and I, used to shoot pins, at MCF&G, on Sat.

He used a 9 mm, and I used my S&W .357 .....

That is why his "handle", is Pinshooter .45 .....

The 9, was NOT effective for him .....

 

[m_deaner]

The 9mm in question here is an open gun with 125gr hps... Probably about 175pf.

 

[singlesix]

the 9mm works well.

You guys set the pins on a table or saw horse? I remember one club used saw horses, so it was just hit them and they fall off vs. push them off a table.

 

[blkrifle]

You guys set the pins on a table or saw horse? I remember one club used saw horses, so it was just hit them and they fall off vs. push them off a table.

we have tables...steel frames with wood tops.
pins are set different distances from the back of table based on caliber. we don't get any freebies.

 

[blkrifle]

The 9mm in question here is an open gun with 125gr hps... Probably about 175pf.

168 power factor

 

[pinhead56]

You guys set the pins on a table or saw horse? I remember one club used saw horses, so it was just hit them and they fall off vs. push them off a table.

MCF&G uses steel tables with steel tops... they've been there quite awhile and won't blow away in the wind
The pins 'fly' when hit squarely with 230 gr 45 acp (plated, wad-cutter or plain lead) bullet. Later in the game the pins soak up a lot of lead and won't 'fly' as nice

 

[ghitch75]

i have used these in my wheel guns......Penn thunderhead....270gr......these are loaded in AR cases......i have one 1911 that will feed and run these in ACP cases with mods to the slide stop...and they send pins flyin'!!!

 

[FreeLand]

I've had good luck with Winchester white box 9mm 147gr JHP shot from a Glock 17L which has a 6" barrel. I don't know the power factor, but have felt that the hollow point gives me a little more "bite" than a round nose and the heavier bullet that is being acted upon for a longer time gives me a very effective round. Round nose bullets seem to knock pins over to the side frequently rather than pushing the pin straight off the back. As the pins get heavy and lumpy later in a match they don't roll very well and I am not as competitive. One point I should make is that MCF&G does place the pins closer to the back of the table for people shooting a minor caliber. Without a handicap of this sort, my setup would only be competitive with fresh pins.