Trying to decide on a bowling pin gun...

[pigiron]

45ACP and 45 Colt are the same caliber.

Look up the word "caliber" in your Funk and Wagnalls.

"Caliber" is the dimension of the barrel bore diameter.

Indeed, but the bullet diameter specifications are:

45 ACP - .451 inches
45 Colt jacketed - .451 inches
45 Colt lead - .452 inches
45 Schofield - .454 inches
454 Casull (jacketed) - .451 inches !???!

FYI the 45-70 bullet is .458 inches in diameter

 

[BATTERY]

Im guessing rules for shooting pins range quite a bit. Where I shoot we place the pins towards the front for major caliber, in the middle for minor and on the back edge for 22. An awful lot shoot 8 round 375 magnums loaded with 38 special. "Minor".

If you are wanting to be really competitive I still think yo should go a few times before you purchase anything. I've watched new shooters struggle with the wrong gun.

I just checked practiscore for the pin matches I go to. In the last 15 matches nobody shot a major caliber revolver. I'm not sure why but there must be a reason. Only revolver/minor. That's 38 special 8 shot guns.

Any current pin shooters on here who have advice on revolvers?

 

[Pete F]

My Tanfoglio Ultra was designed for pin shooting using the .41 Action express cartridges - long since discontinued for most ammunition manufacturers. 4.75" ported barrel, slightly more power than a .40 S&W. A 200 grain flat nose at 900-950 fps will knock the pin off of the table with one good hit. The .45 ACP is much cheaper to shoot though.

Is this pin shooting revolver only? Why not buy a good 1911? Magazines are usually faster to swap that moon clips - unless you are Jerry Miculek.

 

[Lesliet]

It's a small local match, nothing terribly official. I have several good 1911's. I would probably choose my CZ97, again, if winning were the only object, but the idea of doing this well with a revolver has a great deal of appeal to me. I did actually look at something in .41 AE, and pretty much came to the same conclusion; I'd have to buy brass, and hoard it like a jealous dragon. That 625 is looking real good, although I'd really like a 6" barrel. May have to settle for a 5", or even the 4" JM. The JM's have the advantage of being relatively inexpensive, and very available.
I do specifically intend this one for a main role as a pin gun, and secondary as good training for trigger control. Also, I want to become proficient with revolver reloads.

I really appreciate all the input from everyone, it has been helpful in making a decision. Not meaning to shut down the convo, either, this is still pretty interesting to me to hear different opinions and ideas. Thank you all for contributing!

 

[41mag]

Any current pin shooters on here who have advice on revolvers?

make sure your local club allows "8" shots; I've taken my 627 a number of times & been allowed to only load "6" cylinders at a time.

10mm S&W 610 had the distinct advantage of blowing the pins backwards about 2 feet clear off the table, BEFORE they fell over. My problem with it, simply was not being fast enough often enough, on the next pin with my 3 9/16" OEM barrel.

The mighty 625/.45acp is probably the most reliable for good hits;
A nice 8 3/8" 629-1 in 44 special load worked magic the few times I took it;

in .22 pin competition my Old Darling M17 8- 3/8" was magnificent; I'm just a couple steps too slow. Great for stress/practice though.
I prefer Revolvers for pins.

 

[titsonritz]

Go with the 88 magnum, it shoots through bowling pins.

 

[Pete F]

It's a small local match, nothing terribly official. I have several good 1911's. I would probably choose my CZ97, again, if winning were the only object, but the idea of doing this well with a revolver has a great deal of appeal to me. I did actually look at something in .41 AE, and pretty much came to the same conclusion; I'd have to buy brass, and hoard it like a jealous dragon. That 625 is looking real good, although I'd really like a 6" barrel. May have to settle for a 5", or even the 4" JM. The JM's have the advantage of being relatively inexpensive, and very available.
I do specifically intend this one for a main role as a pin gun, and secondary as good training for trigger control. Also, I want to become proficient with revolver reloads.

I really appreciate all the input from everyone, it has been helpful in making a decision. Not meaning to shut down the convo, either, this is still pretty interesting to me to hear different opinions and ideas. Thank you all for contributing!

I have plenty of .41 AE ammo and reloading supplies to keep me in amateur shooting for fun, but not for competition. I have two pistols that can shoot it. One is a convertible since the base is the same as a 9mm and I just recently found/bought a 9mm barrel/guide rod/recoil spring for the Ultra.

My Dad was a Range Master at the Poulsbo Gun Club (WA) and used to pin shoot using his Ultra back when you could still buy ammo at a reasonable price.

I am sure that the range masters would frown on me crawling on the ground looking for spent cases.

A .45 ACP would be an interesting revolver. Faster reloading than a .45 Colt.

 

[Lesliet]

I am sure that the range masters would frown on me crawling on the ground looking for spent cases.

Picking up brass is fine, at ours, you just can't go forward of the firing line until it's cold range. Typically, someone is going around with the "dustpan on a stick" and a broom, and keeping it policed up, in the bay. So, if you want your brass back, you gotta go find it on a table in the back, if it got swept up during the match. Personally, I can't see headstamps without my strong glasses on, which I don't wear while I'm shooting, so it's awkward. Pretty easy to grab your empty moons off the bench, tho.

 

[41mag]

Speaking of moon clips, I've discovered the spendy BMT decice is well worth the cost on the 627 eight shot. The other designs have worked well for the $, and I've worn out my original "moon clip tool" thru heavy use over about a decade. BMT has been faster/easier in both load/unload.

 

[Pizza Bob]

I'd really like a 6" barrel.

I previously recommended the 4" barrel 625 configuration because you could also use that gun for IDPA - not so the longer barrel variants. If you really want a long barrel, but still want the speed and convenience of .45 ACP in moon clips, buy a S&W Model 25-2. They are out there and not too hard to find. Cost a bit more than the 625's, but not a whole lot. The older 625-2's came with a 6.5" heavy barrel, while later on in the 25-2 run they standardized on 6". Also, as you already know, 625's came with 5" barrels in some engineering changes (dash numbers).

Here is a Model 25-2 w/6.5" barrel


And here is a 5" 625-2


Adios,

Pizza Bob

 

[Pizza Bob]

Here's a prime candidate right in the forum's classifieds...

SMITH AND WESSON 625-4. 45 ACP NO LOCK. more pictures

SMITH AND WESSON 625-4 NO LOCK. 45 caliber model of 1989 . 45 ACP .original owner. never been holstered. 5 inch barrel, manual, box and paper work. low round count. 75 moon clips, moon wrench. no trades. shipping $50.00

www.northwestfirearms.com

 

[nammac]

Here's a prime candidate right in the forum's classifieds...

SMITH AND WESSON 625-4. 45 ACP NO LOCK. more pictures

SMITH AND WESSON 625-4 NO LOCK. 45 caliber model of 1989 . 45 ACP .original owner. never been holstered. 5 inch barrel, manual, box and paper work. low round count. 75 moon clips, moon wrench. no trades. shipping $50.00

www.northwestfirearms.com

And galleyjoe is a standup guy to do business with.

 

[Lesliet]

I did see that, just need to save up a bit larger war chest.

 

[Rascal01]

A second vote for a S&W Model 25 in .45 ACP. I have one that has been Magna-ported and hard chromed or Armaloyed. That would be my go to gun for pins. Just be sure your moon clips are up to snuff. A bad one can bind up your gun.

 

[Lesliet]

Planning on buying Galleyjoe's 625.

 

[nammac]

Planning on buying Galleyjoe's 625.

Can't go wrong Galleyjoe is a standup guy...

 

[Lesliet]

I stumbled across this old thread, looking at pin match stuff for Oregon. Kind of cool, and nostalgic! I did end up buying GalleyJoe's 625, and he IS in fact, a stand up guy. I worked over that revolver a bit, and got the trigger to a very nice state, added some Hogue big butt grips, and have run many thousands of rounds through it since. Don't have a current picture with the optic on, but I machined an optic mount and put a Trijicon RMR on it. Glad I went with a 5" instead of a 6. This gun runs very fast, dead reliable, and with a 250 grain LC slug loaded to 200 pf, takes pins completely off the table with even marginal hits. Thank all of you all for the good advice when I was new to this.

 

[DeltaRose]

I stumbled across this old thread, looking at pin match stuff for Oregon. Kind of cool, and nostalgic! I did end up buying GalleyJoe's 625, and he IS in fact, a stand up guy. I worked over that revolver a bit, and got the trigger to a very nice state, added some Hogue big butt grips, and have run many thousands of rounds through it since. Don't have a current picture with the optic on, but I machined an optic mount and put a Trijicon RMR on it. Glad I went with a 5" instead of a 6. This gun runs very fast, dead reliable, and with a 250 grain LC slug loaded to 200 pf, takes pins completely off the table with even marginal hits. Thank all of you all for the good advice when I was new to this.

View attachment 1218926

And you shot this very well at the ARPC match last night

 

[Burt Gummer]

A true weapon with a one-shot chance of shooting down a UFO.

 

[taroman]

Shot a lot of pins with my 625