# Bowling Pin Shoot...with 9mm



## scubapro (Nov 27, 2010)

Anyone shoot bowling pins?

While traveling on business this week, I stopped in to a local range in Canton, GA for a little target practice. They had a bowling pin shoot scheduled with a $10 entry fee -- so I decided to try my hand at it.

To complicate matters, the pistol I intended to shoot (had target ammo for) was my new Walther PPQ that had not been fired by me before. I intended to use the range time to do a "break-in" session on the new - and somewhat unfamiliar pistol - to me.

Oh well, might as well add a little "pressure" from competition to make the effort a little more challenging.

All I can say -- is shooting bowling pins is FUN! And, the Walther PPQ is an awesome pistol out of the box (I prefer its stock trigger over my modified Glock triggers). Too bad the PPQ is only offered in 9mm and 40 S&W -- or this would become my new preferred CCW.

Anyway, I asked a stranger to take a video clip on my iPhone during my last string of bowling pins. His angle wasn't the best -- but you should get an idea....all targeted pins down and off the table with 5 shots. That is a good illustration of the capability of the Walther PPQ straight from the box with no practice, cleaning, or modification. If you have the notion to add one of these new pistols to your collection -- I highly recommend it!


----------



## Az-Vic (Jan 7, 2012)

Those used to be very popular back in the late 70s and thru the 80s; I shot pin matches all over the south west back then....big fun!
Looks like a different format from what was standard though; ours all had 5 pins set on a 4'X8' table, set one foot back from front edge,and pins had to be hit with a solid pistol or revolver round to be cleared the 3 feet of table left behind them, the .45 acp ruled then, a 9mm might take several magazines before the pins were cleared.
Would be a hoot to have a resurgence of pin shooting again, good fun, great practice and many times a very humbling expereince.


----------



## scubapro (Nov 27, 2010)

Yeah, this group varied the pin set-up from round to round. They allowed knocking a pin down - but not off the table a good hit....so some folks were shooting 22 LR target pistols in the matches. Kind of unfair in my opinion, but then I was just happy to be able to participate and put some lead downrange.

I would have used my trusty ol' G29SF on the pins -- but the only ammo I had with me was my DoubleTap solid copper hollowpoint carry ammo. I couldn't justify wasting it on the pins when 9mm would do.

This afternoon, I stopped in at another indoor range (Big Woods Outdoors) just down the street from the Hi-Caliber Range that I shot the bowling pins at last night (Holly Springs/Canton is fortunate to have two!) -- and it has a 10-lane set-up with the computerized controls similar to what was posted in the "stress relief" thread. In conversation with the owner, he said that just the range set-up was $600K. The rest of his gun shop investment was extra.

We'd need to find someone with some serious cash -- and access to borrowing power to be able to pull off such a venture here in Pensacola...

He does get a bunch of contract use from local law enforcement agencies in the small surrounding communities - so that supplements his private party use. Since half of Pensacola's borders are the Gulf of Mexico, we would be limited in attracting the same type of business from neighboring agencies.


----------



## pcola4 (Apr 13, 2009)

Did that years ago. A blast. You can buy used pins from local bowling alleys. Used to be pretty cheap. Pick a few up.


----------

