I am considering setting up a 45 semi auto pin gun. Never had a 45 so tell me what you think is the best set up for this type of pin gun.

Type of gun, sights. load , bullet etc. Any tricks to the trade?

Thanks

The dichotomy of pin shooting is the need for a gun that one can sight and track with quickly throwing a projectile of sufficient mass and weight to efficiently cause a heavy bowling pin to react violently; For the most part, a contradiction in terms and physics.

Everyone has their favorites - but from personal experience the best pin gun I ever owned was a 1911 in 10mm. I know that would not work for a lot of folks but it did for me. The recoil impulse is quick and sharper than the 45 and one must practice to maximize their speed with such, but there was no doubt about it's effectiveness when a solid hit was accomplished - the pins would be flung violently back off the table some 4 or 5 feet. Even peripheral hits usually caused such a violent spinning reaction that the pin was carried off the table.

I would avoid anything less than the 10mm or the 45 ACP in a semi-auto and anything less than 44 caliber in a revolver.

Fast misses in competition will lose to slower hits every time. You get the largest, most powerful caliber/cartridge that YOU can comfortably handle, and practice, practice, practice. For the most part one cannot "buy" higher scores. Only when you have maximized your skill level can you begin to wring the minuscule advantages out of a "race" gun. Until you reach that point, your money is better spent on practice ammo.

As a practical manner, sights must be easily picked up and present a clear contrast and aiming point to the target, as will all speed shooting. This varies from shooter to shooter based on eyes, experience, and practice. A smooth reasonably light trigger action is the other major component. A flat nosed or even a hollow point bullet is preferable so it tends to "bite" into the target. The rest is covered above.

Bowling Pin Matches are broken into 2 classes, automatic & revolver. The matches I shoot are two shooters side by side, 5 pins each on a table at about 35 feet, first shooter to clear all pins off his table wins. Deadwood doesn’t count! We shoot 5-7 strings depending on how many shooters are there. The round count is about 50 rounds for each class, some use more. I think a red dot sight is faster to get on target.
My favorite revolver for pins is a model 25-2. It reloads very fast if you can’t get it done with 6.



I also like this Redhawk. A medium load knocks the pins right off.



For shooting the automatic class I use this Kimber Classic Custom Target series I. The dot makes things go pretty fast.

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Shoot fast & live long
Warren

For pins I prefer the magnificent 610 !
The 40 S&W is just a tad wimpy but the 10mm REALLY works well!!!

And 45acp 230 does a fine job too....it's just I prefer wheel guns for most anything.

__________________
Dum vivimus Vivamas

This is my pin gun.



It took a bit of work on my part to make it 100% reliable. My best pin load is a 250 grain LSWC @ 750 fps - I went to this after it became impossible to get 230 grain pin grabbers. 230 grain FMJ work OK.

Buck

Thanks for all the input, keep it coming. Haggis, How much money do you have wrapped up in that rig? What exactly is your favorite load? Powder, primer and bullet. Is a compensator that big of a deal? I am a die hard revolver guy but want to be competitive as I can.

I started shooting pins with a Model of 1911 with the trigger reworked a bit and Bo-Mar sights added.
Ended up shooting a custom Para-Ordnance with Hybrid Comp Caspian top end. Also Bo-Mar sights. Never shot optics on pins. The comped Para was a stock gun at the Second Chance Bowling Pin Shoot because it was no longer than a regular .45. That was a nice set up for pins. The Hybrid really does reduce muzzle jump and aid controllability.

Revolver was a M57 six-inch. It was stock except for the trigger. I had the serrations removed by the Cylinder & Slide gunsmith while at the Second Chance Shoot.

I've got less in it than you might think, mostly parts since I can do the work myself. There's only $250 in the basic gun - it was a jamo-matic when I first got it. Most of that was due to slide galling, a bad ejector, slide stop, and barrel link, and improper throating. Total cost of those parts, along with the Weigand mount, red dot scope, new disconnector and sear, and the Fire Dragon compensator bushing brought the total to about $450. The rig is heavy (it's over 50 ounces) and I haven't tried it without the comp, but it doesn't recoil much and is easy to get back on target. I run a 19 pound mainspring, a 14 pound recoil spring, 0.020" hammer hooks, 0.005" sear relief, and a 3½ pound trigger pull.

Insofar as loads, I have used a 250 grain LSWC with about 4.8 grains of Universal, but I really think that standard 230 grain FMJ hardball works just about as well as anything. I use Federal large pistol primers, primarily because I shoot S&W 625's in competition, but just about any good primer will work in a 1911.

I've shot a lot of pins with an 8⅜" M27-2, but my old eyes don't like black iron sights much anymore.

Buck

I love shooting pins...so much fun..but the looks I get when I go to the alley and tell them I only want one game and dont need a ball...