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Thread: Bowling Pins

  1. #1
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    Bowling Pins

    Anybody else here shoot bowling pin matches? There's at least 4 ranges within 1hr of me that have been hosting matches that I've been going to for about a year. I'm hooked on it. The targets seem to me to be a semi-accurate representation of the anatomical area, both in size & shape, of what would be a good hit on a human. Also, you are competing head-to-head against another shooter, not just up on the line shooting for a score/time that I can compare to everybody else's when the match is over. That's a very different kind of stress, to me, than other competitions that I've tried.

  2. #2
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    I've been shooting the local bowling pin match for the last few years. One of my favorite competitions. A whole lot of fun and I consider it to be good practice. Running side by side against another competitor sure raises the pressure.

  3. #3
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    Haven’t done it in years, but used to love it! Especially because our local IPSC chapter could do it at an indoor range if the outdoor range was flooded or whatever.

    The best part for me was it made you deal with all the fundamentals, and then deal with the consequences of doing it wrong. I was always amazed how many bullets a pin lying on its side could soak up!


    Sent from 80ms in the future

  4. #4
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    "Man on Man" competition is great for seeing what you can do to channel that adrenaline dump.

    Bowling Pins, like jbjh said above, is all about; "sight picture, trigger control" and having a laser focus on staying on task.
    A true "Gun Guy" (or gal) should have familiarity and a modicum of proficiency with most all firearms platforms.

  5. #5
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    If you like shooting bowling pins, check out www.pinshoot.com. It's the former Second Chance shoot that has been resurrected. Lots of fun in Northern Michigan.

  6. #6
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    I don't know how I missed this, but yes-- The Pin Shoot. Been going since the re-start in '17.

  7. #7
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    Forgot to mention, I have some vids from The Pin Shoot on YT:
    https://www.youtube.com/playlist?lis...nMcxb-0GRoA1bA

  8. #8
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    The Pin Shoot (TPS) has been a big part of my life all these years-- me and my pin shooting friends. I went from '79 to '98, which was the last Second Chance. After twenty years of me and my pals complaining to each other about "no pin shoot", they restarted it in 2017 as TPS. That's 27 years for me, out of 30. 2024 will be number 31!

    I remember my first time up to the line-- knees shaking and the whole bit. I mean, there were lots of people watching and several of them were names right out of the gun magazines! That was a big deal to me then. If someone had bumped me on the shoulder, I'da collapsed in a heap right there on the line.

    The shooting is exciting and unique in the world of competition. It's true, only rarely do bowling pins form a gang and go on a crime spree. Usually if you encounter a bowling pin in a dark ally, it lets you pass. But I think a case can be made that a shooter who can get five pins off the table fast has better odds in a gunfight than one who bought a gun and has hardly seen it since.

    There are now, I think, eighteen separate events. Five are main events or "mains"; you need shoot only one main to move on to optionals.... check the site.

    But it's not just about the shooting. It's a family-friendly atmosphere and the area is really, really nice for a little wandering and touring. Lake MI is maybe 15 minutes away (maybe 20), there 's a state park for camping on the lake due west of TPS in Eastport and the beach there is wonderful-- find your own Petosky stones there. There's wine country less than an hour away-- The Leelanaw Peninsula is a spectacular drive. Charelvoix, to the north a bit, is a beautiful town on the water with great shopping and dining.

    Microbreweries abound, just sayin'.

    If I were coming in from the west and had to sell the trip as a family vacation AND we're gonna stop at "some shooting event" for a few days on the way, I would consider driving to Manitowoc, WI and overnight there. In the morning I would take the family to the marvelous sub museum there. Then board the car ferry SS Badger for the trip over to MI. The Badger is a precious bit of floating history-- built in 1952, it is the last coal-fired steamer operating in the US and is an official National Historical Landmark. Cool thing to note-- the USS Cobia at the sub museum and the Badger's Wisconsin-side berth are maybe 3/8 mile from each other. There is such a thing as overnighting on the USS Cobia but I don't know much about that. Passage on the Badger is about three hours.

    You can absolutely do TPS without a "pin gun" and other specialty gear. There are several newer events that cater to the 9mm shooter-- bring a 9mm handgun and PCC, you can be competitive. A stock .45? Competitive in its category and, could be, beyond. An AR and a 12 gage, if you are so inclined. I will say that it seems like this year the competition with shotguns was particularly tough, and popular.

    Read the rules thoroughly but you can also count on getting help from shooters that have been going for a while. And THAT is also a big part of the enjoyment, that is, friends, old and new. When I think about who my friends are and who I know in the firearms industry, a lot of them have some connection to TPS.

    https://www.ssbadger.com/
    https://www.wisconsinmaritime.org/submarines/
    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leelanau_Peninsula

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