Bowling Pin Shooting

Bowling pin shooting is a shooting sport (primarily for handguns) in which the competitors race against one another to knock standard bowling pins from a table in the shortest elapsed time. Pin shooting is often described as one of the most enjoyable shooting games and one of the easiest means of introducing a new shooter into regular competitive shooting. Pinshooting appeals to both genders. There are many female pinshooters and many distinguished female pinshooters.

Depending on the caliber of handgun used and the table employed, the pins must be knocked backwards up to 3 feet (1 meter) to be knocked clear of the table and onto the ground. The pin shooting tables typically consist of one of the following varieties:

1. 3 pins placed on a waist high table, with 2 additional pins placed on a second tier over the others at each end, forming a crude "U."
2. 5 pins placed on a flat 4 ft. by 8 ft. table, with the pins being placed 3 ft. from the back edge, or 1 ft. rear of the front edge.

Pin shooting is conducted with both revolvers and semi-automatic pistols in calibers ranging from .22 Long Rifle to .480 Ruger, and others. Bowling pin competition is often recognized to be a big-bore event in which large caliber or high-power handguns such as the .357 Mangum, 10mm, .41 Magnum, .44 Magnum, .45 ACP, .45 Colt and other large-bore handguns have the greatest advantage in removing the pins from the table. Frequently, no allowance is made for shooters who shoot lower-power handguns, though some range officers may permit the distance to the back of the table be reduced to 2 ft for "minor" calibers like 9mm Luger and 38 Special so that these "minor" calibers can approximate head-to-head equivalency with "major" calibers. While handloaded ammunition is regularly employed among pinshooters, it is considered a serious breach of etiquette and sportsmanship for a shooter of a "minor" caliber to handload "minor" ammunition to levels approaching "major" calibers, thus taking unfair advantage of a rule intended to allow novice shooters to participate. Shooters who shoot "hot" "minor" ammunition should declare such to the range officer and shoot targets from the regular pin placement.

Some ranges conduct centerfire handgun competition based on class. When classes are employed, three classes often are recognized: revolver, stock, and pin gun. Magazine capacity may limited to 8 rounds in most competitions in which magazine-fed guns compete only against magazine-fed guns. In events where revolvers compete with magazine-fed guns, magazines are restricted to seven shots, out of respect for the customary six-shot revolver cylinder. The "pin gun class" is for highly advanced, often very expensive "race guns" in which almost all manner of enhancement is allowed, including optical sights (generally red dot sights) and compensators.

The pins are placed far enough away from each other that they are unlikely to interact when hit, so a separate shot is needed to down each pin. The broad spacing and different levels make it challenging to move from target to target. Indirect hits will result in pins lying on their sides on the table in a situation known as "deadwood," where multiple shots may be required to clear the pin from the table. "Deadwood" is further complicated in that one deadwood pin may be lying next to another deadwood pin, interfering with a clear path to knocking either deadwood pin from the table.

Generally, .22 Long Rifle competitions shoot the tops of the pins, known as "pin-tops," which are lighter and more easily knocked down by the light, comparatively low energy bullets. Occasionally, a .22 match may be shot by placing pins at the very back of the table so that the comparatively light .22 hit will still knock the pin off the table. Some matches are also shot with a semiautomatic or pump shotgun, firing buckshot. As shotgun rounds quickly disintegrate the pins, such matches are customarily reserved for the end of a match, when a supply of pins unfit for handgun matches may be put to final utility.