Pistol spinner

OK, so I got a few tips on the rifle spinner now on to the pistol spinner !
I expect to see a pistol spinner in my next match and I've never had the opportunity. I've watched several youtube vids for tips and I think I'm squared away but one can always use more good advice for these things. I watched a vid from In Range TV and in it they compared 9mm 115 and 124, .45 auto and .50 GI on the spinner.

It was obvious that the 300gr .50 GI made the biggest impact. My choices are limited to 9mm 115 and 124 and .38 super auto in 124 and 130. So I did some testing with my two 8" steel plates hung together on the same hooks for maximum weight. My sole judgement instrument was my own eyes. At 15yrds the Wolf 115 made almost zero impression on the plates, barely registering movement. The 124 @ 1100fps made for some movement. Greater movement was observed with .38 super using a 124gr @ 1200+fps and even more using factory 130gr, velocity untested.

My next test will be using 9mm 124gr NATO spec [1200fps ?] and, if I can get some, 147gr out of the .38 super.

My question is do I want a little greater impact at the expense of fewer rounds [10+1] or more ammo [18+1] and less impact? I do know a guy who has shot a pistol spinner at the same match last year and he timed out at the expense of 42 rounds fired. He purposely used factory 9mm NATO spec ammo !

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Originally Posted by 1986s4

OK, so I got a few tips on the rifle spinner now on to the pistol spinner !
....My question is do I want a little greater impact at the expense of fewer rounds [10+1] or more ammo [18+1] and less impact? I do know a guy who has shot a pistol spinner at the same match last year and he timed out at the expense of 42 rounds fired. He purposely used factory 9mm NATO spec ammo !

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So he fired 42 rounds but how many hits? Timing is also a key element of beating this target. The hits need to be regular (just like pushing a kid on a swing).
If you have to do a magazine change and it takes more than a half a swing, you'll be spending rounds to build up momentum again.

You can use heavier bullets to increase the momentum delivered to the plate, but the key is to -hit- it and at the proper time.

Maybe this will help:

https://youtu.be/mfr5Cyi2xa8

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Originally Posted by Wildcat

So he fired 42 rounds but how many hits? Timing is also a key element of beating this target. The hits need to be regular (just like pushing a kid on a swing).
If you have to do a magazine change and it takes more than a half a swing, you'll be spending rounds to build up momentum again.

You can use heavier bullets to increase the momentum delivered to the plate, but the key is to -hit- it and at the proper time.

Maybe this will help:

https://youtu.be/mfr5Cyi2xa8

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Yes I get the old adage, one can't miss fast enough to win.. and thanks for the video, it does help.
My situation boils down to this: more rounds-less power or fewer rounds-more power. More experimentation today reinforced my earlier finding that the factory load .38 super moving a 130gr bullet at 1200-1300 fps makes a bigger impact on my double plate system than a 124 factory 9mm load. I'm moving toward the .38 super based on my confidence that I can get the hits even though I am sacrificing 7 rounds of capacity vs. the 9mm pistol I own. As another plus I have a .22 top end I can practice with for trigger time.

Its all timing and NOT shooting a plate coming at you.
The ammo really doesnt matter, skill and approach does, but given your question, id go for capacity.

They are tricky the first tine, but once you do a couple you get a feel for it.

Until you get really good you're WAY better off trying for one hit per plate per swing. In other words - shoot the top plate, then the bottom plate just as it starts to swing backwards. Then the top plate just as it starts to swing backwards. And so on until it spins completely over.

The FASTEST way is to make three hits on the bottom plate, two hits on the top plate, etc. But very few people can actually make multiple quick hits on a moving plate and just end up blowing a whole bunch of ammo.

Yep, going for the one hit per plate approach. I'll find out this weekend how I do...
Thanks all !

Be sure to report back!

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Originally Posted by Matt in TN

Be sure to report back!

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My report: I never made it far enough in the spinner stage to use the pistol.... So the mystery remains. The stage was tough, it combined a 200yd rifle spinner with a 100 yd rifle spinner and once those were done then one ran up and spun the second spinner with the pistol, I timed out before firing the pistol. The rising sun was tough and I lost my sight picture after every shot. It could have been done, just not by me that morning....

Sounds like a tough stage! I bet you were not alone in not finishing -

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Originally Posted by Matt in TN

Sounds like a tough stage! I bet you were not alone in not finishing -

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I was not....