Used Bowling Pins

Tarowah

Tarowah

Everybody’s Honey.... unless you’re an asshole.
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I spoke with the manager of Greensboro bowling alley and asked about buying some old bowling Pins to use as targets, he informed me that his branch replaces pins every two years and that the end of August his location will be at the two year mark so he gave me his contact info so I can follow up next month.

From what he told me they sell their old pins to a third party that re-covers the old pins and then sells them as novelty items for bowling alley birthday parties and things like that, he said he will double check with his corporate office to see if he can sell me some and that they get between $2-$4 per pin and that is what he would charge me for them.

If everything works out I’ll update the thread and will forward the information to anyone wanting to pick up a few, he said he’ll gladly sell as many as anyone wants, so those of us wanting some cheap reusable targets may be in luck next month.
 
I remember seeing a guy selling them at a gun show. Got home and regretted not buying some.
 
Tagged for interest
 
Loved shooting PINS! Back when I was in High School in Texas during the early 80s, I used to work in a complex that had a bowling alley. Used to get them for free then and set up them up on the range in the backyard. Then during the late 80s, went to the bowling alley on the Kaserne, got pins and then organized a German/American bowling pin shoots at the Rod and Gun Club. Might have go snag a few.

CD
 
Back in the day, Bowling pin matches were the thing! We were all bored with Metallic Silhouettes and this was the latest and greatest to happen next.
It took a good solid hit with a heavy bullet to knock them off the rail. I still have some pins left that I shoot at.
 
There was a gent that sold some on the old forum. I bought a couple and wish I had bought more.

I’d be interested in about 5 if you get some and sell them for a decent price
 
Gazengine said:
Back in the day, Bowling pin matches were the thing! We were all bored with Metallic Silhouettes and this was the latest and greatest to happen next.
It took a good solid hit with a heavy bullet to knock them off the rail. I still have some pins left that I shoot at.
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Yes, bowling pin matches. Pins are very bullet resistant. They were set on a table and the timer only stopped when the pins were cleared off the table, which sometimes took multiple hits.
 
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If any of you are near rural hall, stop in the bowling alley there. The guys there are super cool, and always had a shopping cart or two of old pins in the closet near the door. I bought dozens and dozens of them from them over a two year span. $1 each.
 
Dang it sounds like we may need to have the first annual CFF bowling pin shoot, we could set up 50-100 pins at various ranges, pistol pins are white, rifle pins are red and shotgun pins are green! we could break it down into stages, one pistol, one shotgun, one rifle and one with all three, if that’s too much it could be pistol, rifle and a rifle & pistol stage.

Maybe we could work out some CFF bowling pin shirts & or hats for everyone shooting, could have a modest entry fee to cover the swag, could keep them limited to the “match” shooters, want the shirt? Gotta shoot the pins!

I wouldn’t mind helping to set up the rules (which would be safe but easy enough for kids to handle) stage design, ROing and help with arrangements, we would just need to find a host range in a central location based on the interest, this would be set up exactly like a 2 gun or three gun match but basically just a casual & safe gathering of folks.

Thoughts?
 
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Could do it like a standard heads up bowling pin match. Double elimination bracket style. First one to clear six pins from a table top wins. Do pistol division at 15 yards. Benched Rifle at 1 or 200, use busted bowling pin tops to do a silhouette style rimfire at 25 or 50.
 
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When I was shooting pins, the weapon of choice was the 1911. Saw guys do multiple mag changes - myself included. The rascals were hard to knock off the table.
 
I joined a club that had Pin Shoots, so I signed up.

First match, first table, five pins, five shots, table cleared. I thought, "This is gonna be easy." Wrong!

I went to a bunch of matches. I think my best score was 26 out of six tables with five pins each.

For added fun, they cut off some heads and had a .22 side match.

Our matches were eight seconds on the timer per table with a ten round limit. Tiebreaker rounds (there were several guys who posted a perfect 30 just about every time, one guy with a revolver) had no time or round limit.

Somewhere along the way I picked up a box of used pins. Used by a bowling alley, not a range. I just brought the whole box to the club. Some of the pins we shot up were pretty heavy. I have no idea how many rounds they'll soak up. End of life was usually due to a few rounds lodged at the base bulging the flat bottom so they wouldn't stand up any more.

If we're going to have a CFF Pin Shoot, I'm game. That's some fun.
 
I have the place. I'm in BUT we will do it as Richard Davis did originally. The pin was selected because at 7 yards it gave an outline of a person at 25 yards. Original rules, we will do it here. Say When!
 
Once I find out if I can get enough pins I’ll definitely update the thread, I have co-worker checking with a friend of his that owns a bowling alley as well and he may be able to get some for free for me.

BatteryOaksBilly you are awesome!! I do not know the exact rules for how pin matches are setup but I’m game to have an original style match, if I can get enough pins I may look into cutting down enough for a .22 side match if you would be ok with that.

Slacker introduced me to rimfire matches a few years ago and I always had a blast shooting those so adding something for the rimfire folks would be awesome.
 
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Sorry, been on the range. I will be happy to help run this in it's original format. Can't wait!! Well have a trial run in October.
 
BatteryOaksBilly said:
Sorry, been on the range.
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Wow, I thought I'm the only person who apologizes for shooting.

Saying that, I might be the only person who has to apologize to the gun. :(
 
Rules for original Second chance Bowling Pin Match
1. Table is a 4 X 8 piece of sheet steel on as heavy a base as can be provided. You want NO movement. Front of table is buffered with a 4X4 flush with the top. Pins are 1 foot in from each end and spaced equally, set back 1 foot from the front edge.
2. 5 pins are set 21 feet from the "rail".
3. Shooter starts with muzzle on the rail. At the signal he engages the 5 pins until the last pin is ON THE GROUND.
4. Timing is done with 3 men and 3 stop watches. The high and low are thrown out and the middle is the time.
We did this and first prize was a Bren Ten. Yes that long ago. BIG FUN!!!
The pins are usually good for 3-5 runs. Once they lump up the have to be replaced to be fair to all.
 
Billy,

Where not going to do the original by Richard Davis and shoot ourselfs in the chest with a .44 Mag (wearing a Second Chance soft body armor) THEN engage the pins!


CD
 
Combat Diver said:
Billy,

Where not going to do the original by Richard Davis and shoot ourselfs in the chest with a .44 Mag (wearing a Second Chance soft body armor) THEN engage the pins!


CD
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I'd RATHER not. Pin shooting done the Second Chance way is BIG fun! He was a mad man! I hope we can work it out and have a table set up here in October. I have the pins!
 
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BatteryOaksBilly said:
I'd RATHER not. Pin shooting done the Second Chance way is BIG fun! He was a mad man! I hope we can work it out and have a table set up here in October. I have the pins!
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Haha, I wondered how many remember him doing that. If I'm home then, I'll love to come down and shoot the pins. Just spent a wonderful weekend shooting .22s in the backyard with the grandkids.

CD
 
Local,gun store sells them, on me for details. Since I work there I won't advertise in open forum lol
 
Ok a quick update on the bowling Pins.

I found another place that said they have 40 cases of old pins in stock, it is in Person County NC, so if you’re close to that area and want the info Shoot me a PM, if you go there yourself you can get them as low as $12.50 to $17.50 a case of 10, so under $20 a case for sure, I would definitely call to make sure they still have some in stock and to verify the price before making the trip, the manager said that shooting ranges can come in and wipe them out without any notice.

I’m not sure when or if I’ll make it back out that way, I didn’t have any cash on me when I was there so I didn’t have a chance to pick any up myself.


I don’t want to put the info out on the open forum for a couple of reasons, primarily because I don’t want someone to take the info and go wipe them out and then ask 3 times what they paid for them.
 
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