Revolver for bowling pins

[RGVshooter]

Reading thru that bowling pin thread got me all pumped up and since our club regularly shoots bowling pin matches every week I'm feeling this burning itch to get a new revolver. For some reason I keep thinking about a 41 magnum or 44 magnum next. At least 6" barrel and adjustable target sights. I already own a 4" 686-6 but I'd like a little bit more horse power in case I every take the thing out hog or varmint hunting. For bowling pins I can always reload lite 44 specials. I have a buddy that shoots a 44 magnum for bowling pins but full magnum loads are kinda overkill but there's no question they leave the table in a hurry if hit square.

Any suggestions as to which revolver model to get next? 41 or 44 magnum? Classic 29 or 629? Model 57?

 

[jimbo728]

I used an L frame .357 for a long time loaded with my favorite .38 spl
158gr LSWC loads and had no regrets. I have used .44`s loaded to 850 fps but it slowed me down. But thats just me. Everybody has something that works best for them.
Jim

 

[RGVshooter]

I used an L frame .357 for a long time loaded with my favorite .38 spl
158gr LSWC loads and had no regrets. I have used .44`s loaded to 850 fps but it slowed me down. But thats just me. Everybody has something that works best for them.
Jim

I have a older 4" model 10 and a 4" 686-6. that I've used for bowling pins. The sights on the 686 are far much better than the fixed sights on the model 10. I have a pal that has a performance center model 327 TRR8 357 mag that sparked my interest.

 

[Fishinfool]

I shot a fair amount of pins when it first became popular. I used a 1911 .45, and 4 and 6 inch 29's. I found that large diameter lead bullets at moderate velocities worked well at clearing the table with good recovery time. Smaller calibers didn't seem to knock the pins off as reliably. Magnum loads are not needed, and slow you down.

If you are going against good shooters, having to shoot a pin a second time, or reload means you have already lost the match.

I like a barrel heavy balance for quicker recoil recovery, and would probably pick a 4 or 6 inch 29 / 629 with the full barrel underlug. Speed from a holster is usually not a consideration, as most pin shooting is done from the low ready position.

Larry

 

[OLDSTER]

.44 cal. Big, slow, soft lead, flat nose bullet that'll "squish" onto the pin with plenty of oomph and not ricochet

 

[one eye joe]

I SUGGEST THAT YOU CONSIDER TWO VERSIONS OF THE N FRAME, M625...........

THE FIRST IS THE 4" "MODEL OF 1989", IN .45 ACP. QUICK RELOADS ARE FACILITATED BY THE USE OF MOON CLIPS. I FAVOR THE RIMZ BRAND. THEY ARE MADE FROM A FINGER FRIENDLY, FLEXIBLE, MOLDED-POLYMER. THEY ARE EASILY LOADED, AND UNLOADED, WITHOUT THE USE OF TOOLS......

THE SECOND IS THE 4", "MOUNTAIN GUN", IN .45 COLT. THE MG CAN ALSO BE HAD IN .45 ACP, IF YOU ARE LUCKY ENOUGH TO FIND ONE......

EITHER ONE OF THESE REVOLVERS WILL GET THE JOB DONE, ESPECIALLY IF YOU ARE A HAND LOADER. IT SHOULD BE NOTED THAT THE MODEL OF 1989, CARRIES A FULL BARREL LUG, WHILE THE MG HAS A TAPERED BARREL, AND AN ABBREVIATED UNDER LUG. MY MOUNTAIN GUN, IN .45 COLT, IS SHOWN BELOW, AS AN EXAMPLE.......

 

[Laketime]

I used a four inch 29-3 with reduced loads in the day.

 

[madmikeb]

My choice is a 627 8 shot V-comp with a 5" barrel and mid-range loads in .357 cases. It's cut for moonclips for quick reloads, but as was stated above, if you have to reload chances are you've already lost!

 

[nachogrande]

BOWLING PINS

YES, they are a small target especially if they are flat on the table with the small end facing you. The good news is that they are pretty close. After multiple hits, the pins all become different in how they react to a shot. That said, a "square solid hit" by a 38 special, 9mm,40, 44, 45 will "generally" knock it off the table. From MY exp the 45 acp does a very good job. IMO BEST FOR YOU would be whatever YOU are the fastest & most accurate with. A heavy for caliber cast boolit with a flat nose seems to work best in whichever caliber you choose. We shoot with 3 different guns, 22/ center fire revolver/ center fire semi. A 4" L frame is a popular choice, as is the model 10. Just remember the goal is to knock the pins from the table, NOT destroy them. Pins are becoming harder to come by, so destroying them will likely get you DQ'd. BP seems to have a more laid back crowd, there to have fun & less hung up on having expensive latest/greatest gear. I'd recommend for a first time, just use what you have & see how it goes.

 

[Geronimo Jim]

I used a 29-2 8 3/8 barrel with 245 grain Keith bullet at about
800 to 850 fps. Perfect!

 

[Collo Rosso]

When I have shot revolver for pin matches its been with a 627-5 pro model. As others have said, magnums don't make it. 158gr. SWC loaded to about 1K fps worked OK, but you have to hit them just right. If you want to get serious with 357 Penn bullets makes a 230gr. "thunderhead" flat faced bullet just for pins. I never tried them but can tell you they work! The shooter that dominated the revolver class at my club used them to great effect!
Pin matches are the most fun you'll have with your clothes on. At my club they are serious competition, but they tend to draw more laid back types who realize team Glock is not looking to hire them.

 

[NYlakesider]

Late 70s and 80s I shot a lot of local bowling pin matches.

I used 3 different guns over the course of time. A 1911 .45, A 4'' Model 29 and a 8 3/8 29. The two 29s had Pac grips and I shot my hand loads that were about 90% of full power loads. I only shoot double action and had no problem handling the 29s.

 

[Skeptic 9c]

When I shot pins back in the 1980's I used the Speer Sheriff's Load in .44 Magnum. HP bullets 180 gr at about 1100.. I was using my Ruger Superblackhawk in Single Action class. You got five pins and five rounds, there were penalties....
The club also had a fund raiser, for a fee you got to use a pair of cap and ball .44s and shoot at five pins for prizes and money. I never finished in the money, but I got to shoot Cap and ball without cleaning the pistols!
Geoff
Who was middle of the pack, usually.

 

[old&slow]

When I shot bowling pins,, I used a M29 with 245 gr LSWC @ about 900 fps. in the revolver class. And a 230 gr TC @ about 800 fps in a 1911 for the auto class.

A M625 or maybe even a M610 also might be a pretty good choice for a revlover pin gun.. If you were wanting something other than a .41 or .44.

 

[ACP230]

I shot a six-inch M57 .41 Mag in the old Second Chance Shoot.
In the revived Central Lake shoot, last summer, I shot a three inch M57.
Both worked. Loads were various LSWCs in 210, 225 and 230 grain
weights. Velocity was 1,000 feet per second.

Also used a S&W 1917 .45 ACP (Brazilian contract) less successfully.
The M57s had better sights.

Best for me was a .45 ACP custom pistol with a ported barrel and slide and loads that ran about 910 fps. Unique was my powder for both .41 and .45 loads.

 

[RGVshooter]

Our club is pretty causal and it's just too much fun this way.

We don't have any classes, it's shoot what you bring as long as it's centerfire. We have two steel tables at about 15-17 yards away and we cut the top 6" off the pins and use two large bodies and 3 tops and stagger them and load up with 6 rounds. At the start, who ever clears the table first wins. Now for pins that are laying over but still on the table, that's 1/2 a point. So for example. if table on the right still has one pin standing and table on the left has two pins laying on their side, but still on the table then that would be a tie and we do a reshoot. We reload, and at the start, start shooting. Since we're shooting mainly the tops and two bodies at 15 yards or so we don't really need a large bore pistol, but rather something more akin to precision target shooting. But the two large pin bodies get heavy after a couple stages. I have hit a pin head yesterday dead center with a 148 grain 38 special wadcutter loaded with 2.7 grains titegroup with my old police trade model 10. The wadcutter sunk into the pin all the way in up to the base of the bullet, which I thought was cool. But it's not exactly a target pistol with it's fixed sights.

I have a 4" 686-6 357 magnum but 357's are overkill for this type of pin shooting so I use either my wadcutter reloads or WWB 38 special +P's. A friend of mine uses his 5" pre lock 625-4 that is deadly accurate and blows the pins off the table very well. But I would like a good excuse to buy a new guy. I'm leaning towards a 41 mag model 57


Oh, we also buy our pins used from local bowling alleys for $1 a pin. We usually get them in boxes of 500.

 

[getoff]

i used my 4" 586 for years. 158gr wad cutters. a friend had a special double top secret recipe for them. they had enough umph to knock pins down, but not so much that it reached magnum type recoil. used a 5" model 10 pencil bbl for a bit as well, but the extra weight of the full underlug won me over.

 

[TAROMAN]

My club shoots pins at 25 yards!
Accuracy + enough power to clean them off the table.
I use two 44 Magnum S&Ws.
629-4 with Matchdot II for optics matches.
or
29-2 (updated with -3 parts) for open sight matches.
Both of them use the same 44 Special load:
240 coated LSWC over 7.5 grains of Power Pistol.
Chronos at 908 FPS with a SD of 6.6.

 

[ImprovedModel56Fan]

Probably best to listen to folks with more experience than I, but IMO a 4" 625 or (cut-down) 25 in .45ACP is probably the best. A properly loaded 4" 29 or 629 is probably just as good.

Main thing is to use full-power .45ACP or .44Spl loads in a gun heavy enough to make the recoil insignificant.

 

[ImprovedModel56Fan]

I shot a fair amount of pins when it first became popular. I used a 1911 .45, and 4 and 6 inch 29's. I found that large diameter lead bullets at moderate velocities worked well at clearing the table with good recovery time. Smaller calibers didn't seem to knock the pins off as reliably. Magnum loads are not needed, and slow you down.

If you are going against good shooters, having to shoot a pin a second time, or reload means you have already lost the match.

I like a barrel heavy balance for quicker recoil recovery, and would probably pick a 4 or 6 inch 29 / 629 with the full barrel underlug. Speed from a holster is usually not a consideration, as most pin shooting is done from the low ready position.

Larry

Great post!

The bolded part should be particularly helpful in equipment choice, although the whole post is.