Will A .40 Knock bowling pins off

[longbowhunter]

Will a .40 cal knock bowling pins off the table ???

[Kingrat]

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]

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.

[techres]

Oh, yeah it will. I have even won some money doing it.

[Ahab]

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

YouTube - Bowling pin shooting - Glock 24

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]

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]

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]

Originally Posted by longbowhunter

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]

Originally Posted by chizzle

. . . 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.

[jimbo-indy]

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.