59 replies to this topic

[JimFromFL]

QUOTE (Norm @ Jul 2 2004, 02:03 PM)

Once, I shot an old bowling ball with a 12 gauge slug. It wasn't pretty!

So, what happened?

[JimFromFL]

As far as targets go, fruits and veggies are always fun to shoot at.

Water jugs to see them explode.
Empty soda cans to watch them bounce around.
Furniture
Piece of wood about 3 feet by 3 feet and watch holes appear
Stuffed animals

[Walter63a]

I was shooting at 1/4" steel plate, at about 50 feet, using my Glock-30, on the afternoon that President Reagan died. I guess most of the FMJ's just bounced off to the side. My brother insisted it was safe (we were shooting behind his house in the country), but I was a little nervous, especially after finding some of the bullets flattened to dime-sized disks! It reminded me of the description of the slug taken out of President Ronald Reagan's lung, in 1981. We discussed this on that afternoon, at about 3:00 p.m., about the same hour the "Gipper" went to that great ranch in the sky. It felt kind of spooky, when later that day I heard on the radio that he had died! I felt a lot better pulverizing concrete blocks and exploding apples. Wax figures (especially if filled with Tannerite, or something that would be set off by .45 cal. rounds) of Saddam Hussein, Zarqawi, Osama Bin Laden, et al, would be interesting to shoot at. Regards, Walter

[Norm]

Jim,

The bowling ball exploded, like Death Star in Star Wars.

Norm

[Hawkeye_Joe]

Wow! talk about an attitude...I see several things wrong with lots of these posts .. one was the snotty attitude ..

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I guess the ignorant will take care of themselves.

and

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I knew there must be a few smart people here.

Saying that you had it happen with a Sharps Rifle

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45 acp is a little too slow moving, it will actually bounce off of the pin and might come back at you. I had it happen with a 50-70 Sharps,

A 50-70 Sharps will go nearly through a Buffalo but bounced off of a plastic bowling pin? yeah right...



Balder? I've shot 9MM through galvanized steel. I can see 32's and 45's maybe bouncing but not a 9MM I'm not saying it didn't happen but maybe you had a bowling pin with a flak jacket on..



Norm, You state that you have never shot at a bowling pin but you make this statement:

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One round of 30-06 or .308 would probably turn a bowling pin into sawdust. Pistol rounds, just bounce off (usually.)

I think a 30.06 would go through it like butter through a goose..but to say pistol rounds just bounce off (usually) is a pretty broad statement for someone who hasn't shot at any.


But you had the best advise of all:

QUOTE

To be 100% (or at least 99.9%) sure that your target won't throw a round back at you, stick with soft targets. They are messy though, but no ricochets. Milk jugs full of water have nice effect, and water just dries up. Remember, when it comes to firearms: better safe than sorry!

And I would have loved to see that Bowling ball go boom..

[Norm]

Hawkeye_Joe,

The statement about the 30-06 and .308 rounds were just guesses. Maybe they would just go straight through them.

As for pistol rounds bouncing off of bowling pins, they did the day my friends were shooting them with .45 ACP. Remember, I said was there with them when they were shooting them; I just did not shoot at them myself. Maybe three or four out of about 100 rounds penetrated into the bowling pins. The pins had scars on them afterward.

I didn't mean to get caught up in a "bowling pin war." I'm no expert, so everyone will have to forgive me of my lack of expertise. I'm only telling you what I saw.

The bowling ball was funny, but looking back, it was not a smart thing to do. I guess I hit it just right and almost all of the energy of that slug went into the ball. By the way it was an 8 pound Brunswick ball that the local bowl-o-rama let me have because it all beat up.

[Gunner]

Just got back from our shoot. We used (in addition to paper plates), 4 used bowling pins, 1 watermelon, and 3 round yellow melons about the size of cantalopes (I think they were "Canary Melons").

The yellow melons were a lot more fun than the watermelon, which just kept splitting into smaller and smaller pieces. The yellow guys exploded, and kept exploding even after several hits.

I had shot bowling pins before with 9mm & .45, and never had any problems. All of the hits today were .45, and most didn't penetrate, just left a black circular ding. A few times they would split the thick plastic coating, and as more and more hits accumulated, the wood was beginning to splinter. I brought them home because they'll be good for a few more round next time.

Thanks for the advice and debate.

[Sgt. Fox]

We hold these truths to be self evident... not all bowling pins are created equally...

Various pins are made to various standards. I've shot right thru pins with everything down to 9mm, I've also had pins that shrug off .308 like it was airsoft. It's entirely possible that a pin would ricochet .45acp. Is it probable? No. But entirely possible.

I'd just reccomend keeping your distance and playing safe. Nobody wants an exploding milk jug head.

[leid]

Guys,
I HAVE BEEN HIT BY BULLETS THAT BOUNCED OFF OF BOWLING PINS.I have a collection of bullets that I have been hit with. One in my collection is a 115gr 9mm FMJ that bounced off of a bowling pin and hit me hard in the sternum, but did not penetrate. I shot bowling pin matches in the 70s & 80s and have shot thousands of rounds of 9mm, .357mag, .41mag, .44 mag, and .45ACP at bowling pins. The Second Chance body armor company promoted this game . A 3 ft wide table was set up at 25 ft. and the pin had to be knocked completely off the table to be considered a good "Hit". FMJ 9mm & occasionally .45ACP ball bounced back. So many people were hit that the table was covered in energy absorbing material, sometimes used body armor. If a pin was shattered, it was considered a "Hit". The only handguns that I ever saw shatter a pin, were .41 magnum and up. We learned a lot about bullet energy from shooting pin matches. The 9mm and the .357mag were totally lacking in energy. And this is what we observed on deer when shot with soft points or hollow points of the same caliber.
Don't use FMJ ammo on hard targets, including bowling pins. The last time I was shot was by someone using FMJ 5.56 on a steel plate target, and it did penetrate. Another one for my growing collection.
Carey

[Norm]

OUCH!!!!

[Sgt. Fox]

Yikes! No disrespect intended (honestly), but if you have a "collection of bullets you have been hit with" I think it is time to hang up the rifles and find a new hobby. Nobody should ever get shot, neverless get shot multiple times. Hobbies aren't worth dying for...

[Hawkeye_Joe]

I think this is the best statement on the subject so far:

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not all bowling pins are created equally...

Holy Crap Batman...

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I've also had pins that shrug off .308 like it was airsoft.

Maybe they should start to cover APC's like the old 113 with the plastic off of old bowling pins.

If I were the Second Chance Co. and people were being hit by richochets I would look for new targets.

If I had a "collection" of rounds I'd been hit with .. I'd step back a lil more and show up at matches looking like a "bomb defuser" .

Hey Normie.. No problem.. you stated your case with respect for the people listening. You reported what you saw. I really have nothing against that...If we were talking over a campfire or the back yard BBQ we could call each other assholes and laugh it off..

[full auto 45]

Old Christmas or holiday yard art is another favorite to explode! Sit the old plastic Santa up at 50 yards and go at it. You can pick them up at yard sales for 1-2 bucks each. Santa didn't bring you just what you wanted? Let him have it!!

[Norm]

Mike,

Plastic Santa's! - funny!! What about a Santa full of Tannerite!

Clock radios seem to soak up .45s fairly well. Extra points if you hit snooze button at 30 yards!

Really warm cans of unopened sodas have a neat effect also, but can be a little expensive. This is the only good use I know of for TAB soda.

Norm

[Sgt. Fox]

Hey, does anyone know about the legality of Tannerite explosive targets in Arizona?

I'd love to try some out, but they won't even let us have sparklers here. I find it hard to believe these explosive targets would be legal...

[Balder]

QUOTE (Hawkeye_Joe @ Jul 3 2004, 09:00 AM)

Balder? I've shot 9MM through galvanized steel. I can see 32's and 45's maybe bouncing but not a 9MM I'm not saying it didn't happen but maybe you had a bowling pin with a flak jacket on..

Hawkeye_Joe

I've also shot 9mm through all kinds of things; I was very surprised when Geco Ogival-Geschoss 7,5 g, LOT 06-DAG-77 came right back at me. I'm through with firing at bowling pins.

Balder

[junkyard4$]

Hawkeye_Joe,
Lets use a little common sense and logic here. A Buffalo is a heavy, almost immovable object made of meat, bones and fur. Try shooting a free standing penny with a Sharps, yeah you’ll probably put a dent in it but you won’t put a hole in it, if you could ever even find it after it was shot. Use the same logic on a bowling pin. That bullet isn’t going to always penetrate or just come to a dead stop and drop straight down when it hits the pin. It has to go somewhere.

[Walter63a]

QUOTE (junkyard4$ @ Jul 3 2004, 03:47 PM)

That bullet isn’t going to always penetrate or just come to a dead stop and drop straight down when it hits the pin. It has to go somewhere.

junkyard4$, I agree with you, from my experience of shooting at that 1/4" steel plate. It's really a crap shoot. Some of the FMJ rounds bounced off, some came to a dead stop in front of the target, but not one penetrated (hardly even dented the steel, just polished it a little)! It is almost like playing Russian roulette. It would be infinitely safer to shoot at tannerite, watermellons, etc. Regards, Walter

[Kevin]

That Barry Mantilow record was fun- but it was a mess to clean up
Kevin

[Norm]

PhilOhio,

How about a .300 Winchester Magnum?!