I just rewatched a Shooting Gallery episode on the pin shoot. Really got me excited for this summer.
Anyone have suggestions on where to stay? Should i just grab the tent and camp or rent a small camper? I still haven't decide if this will be a solo trip or if I'll try to bring the family.
If I don't make it for the whole week, would something like Wednesday - Friday be enough time?
Thanks all!
We stayed in Central Lake in the Airstream at Thurston Park and Campground. It was clean and well run.Originally Posted by Joe45
Wed - Fri is definitely doable.
I’ll be solo, Mrs RJ isn’t going to go. We’ll be in Petoskey this year, so I’ll be driving down in the truck.
There are cabins for rent on some of the nearby lakes.
We stayed at Lackawanna several years. We reserved for the next year before we left each year.
The JHP I'd ordered to try out just arrived; Hornady XTP 230+p #9096, in .45 American Communist Perforator, of course.
950 fps. Sweet Jesus.
I had thoughts of trying a flat nose bullet, so I bought a box of 50 Winchester Ready "RED45" 230 a couple months ago. It stunk. I had 3 fail to chamber in the box, and it made more smoke than a Turkish Hookah Parlour on Saturday night.
I would have much more confidence in Speer Lawman, for sure. Thanks for the tip, I'll look into it.
Current working spreadsheet with options for pin shoot ammo I've researched (or owned) to date. It is sorted top by bottom by "Power Factor", defined as velocity in fps x bullet weight in grains.
Any additions to this list appreciated.
Shot 12 rounds of this today at my local square range.
I felt the steel Garrison soaked up most of the felt recoil of the +p round pretty well. It "popped" but was not uncomfortable. All rounds fed with zero issues.
I shot it side by side with 22 rounds of Federal AE 230 ball for comparison. Although a good performer, the AE felt a little softer. I did shoot a "pin" target, out at 6-7 yards (this range has no yard markers) at a brisk pace, to see the effects of shooting rounds in succession. Despite the small number of rounds, my feelings matched the target results. The AE's 7 rounds grouped inside a 3 1/2" circle, the 4 rounds of XTP spread 7". In addition, it was perceptibly slower to bring the gun back on target with the +p hollow points. 7 of 7 of the Federal hit the pin somewhere, as opposed to 3 out of 5 for the Hornady.
I mean, I understand the effectiveness of the hollow point design vs. the round nose full metal jacket, but. There is a wider dispersion, the XTP is not as much fun to shoot and the cost is ridiculous. I think if I were gunning for a top 10 finish it might tip the scale for my score; but let's face it I'm just not that good that having HP vs. FMJ is going to make "that" much difference. I need to work on shot placement, and using AE for both practice and the match will eliminate any doubts about what to change between the range and The Pin Shoot. So bottom line I think I will stick with the AE from here on out.
By the way, the range was fun, but the surprise of the day was that they have a monthly "Bowling Pin" shoot every third Thursday. I will definitely check this out.
Last edited by RJ; 01-26-2023 at 03:11 PM.
@RJ Here's a cheaper and less recoil option: https://www.velocityammosales.com/pr...d-hollow-point
I predominantly load my own .45 ACP loads for bowling pins and use a Zero 230 JHP at approx. 800 fps. For me, I prefer a little less recoil and that load seems to work well. I've also been experimenting with a 200 gr JHP load at 900 fps and I like that load too, but I'll be upping the velocity a little bit more by switching to AA#5.
I do however have several boxes of the .45 Federal Hi-Shok 230 JHPs and have successfully used those in bowling pin matches.
Last edited by Exiledviking; 01-27-2023 at 01:51 AM.
I'm thinking about the shotgun side match. Anyone have any ammo opinions on that one...?
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