Pin Shooting Table Set-ups

[GTOShootr]

I didn't want to crap up the other thread on pin shooting...

Does anyone have pics or plans for well designed pin shooting tables? We were shooting pins at East Warren this weekend and our table setup was just not working out. (FYI - 170pf 125gr 9mm is NOT the load for Pins, knocks them down fast only to leave them laying on the table)

 

[Dan S]

Steve,
Do you mean the table it self? Or, what works to take pins off the table? Second Chance went to an up and down table, 3 pins on the bottom, 1 each on a shelf on the left and right, high. Most places just use a 4x8 table, pins are set 1 foot from the front, 3 feet straight back to fall. A steel plate on the front edge keeps the table from getting chewed up.

 

[GTOShootr]

Yeah, we are interested in a good table setup. Ours was a piece of stiffened plywood with a piece of angle iron on the front edge. That part was ok. The weak point was the saw horses holding everything up. We were talking about doing some posts to hold the tables up. If anyone had any designs that worked, I like to hear about it.

Sometimes people would hit one or two pins and the rest would fall over. Is that normal and part of the luck of the game, or is it a bad setup? I think it was something to do with the setup.

 

[matt]

Winchendon set some leveled pads in the ground (just some cement blocks) so the positioning and leveling of the table was easy. The table tops are 4x8 sheets of ply (1/2?) with 2x4 frame around the edge.

I wouldn't use steel as it will back splatter at pin shooting range if hit.

 

[drgrant]

Winchendon set some leveled pads in the ground (just some cement blocks) so the positioning and leveling of the table was easy. The table tops are 4x8 sheets of ply (1/2?) with 2x4 frame around the edge.

I wouldn't use steel as it will back splatter at pin shooting range if hit.

+1, Matt. Most of the area setups are the same deal.

The typical setup is a frame of 2 x 4s that's topped with plywood... that keeps
the table rigid. Then they just put it on sawhorses and then level the
sawhorses. Leveling the tables by using shims and using a bubble level is
important. Granted, if people chew up the table really bad, it might change
a little, but not enough to affect the match all that much.

FWIW, none of the clubs in central MA that do pins use steel on the front of the
table, eiither. If the people are going to rip the table up, they're going to rip it up. That's
why it's made out of wood. Damage at the front of the table isn't as bad as shots that
go -down through- the table is anyways. There are enough ricochet/splash hazards in the
sport without introducing another one, IMO.

-Mike

 

[Dan S]

Sometimes people would hit one or two pins and the rest would fall over. Is that normal and part of the luck of the game, or is it a bad setup? I think it was something to do with the setup.

It's part of the luck. That will happen much more often when using marginal loads.
For a solid table, I'd suggest 4x4's for the frame and legs. You really don't want the table shaking.

 

[GTOShootr]

I did a google search and found some good pics from some big pin clubs. Some of the tables were 4x4 and some were steel with a wood top. I'm think pt wood for cost.

I don't know why the table had metal on the front. That's something to think about.

 

[Dan S]

The metal on the front prevent the table top from getting chewed up when the shooter jerked the trigger.
Steve, do you have a .45 ACP to use on them. Little bullets don't cut the mustard on pins.

 

[GTOShootr]

The metal on the front prevent the table top from getting chewed up when the shooter jerked the trigger.
Steve, do you have a .45 ACP to use on them. Little bullets don't cut the mustard on pins.

I'm in between .45s right now. I sold my Caspian top end and my 945. I'm keeping my eye out for the right one. It isn't my favorite caliber but obvioulsy, everyone should have at least one.

 

[Dan S]

I'm in between .45s right now. I sold my Caspian top end and my 945. I'm keeping my eye out for the right one. It isn't my favorite caliber but obvioulsy, everyone should have at least one.

If you must use a 9MM on them for the time being, a 147 JHP will do a better job than a 115 FMJ or even JHP. The .45 ACP using 255 grain lead semi wadcutters are deadly on pins. Heavier is better....flat nose on heavy bullets...better still.

 

[GTOShootr]

I've got an STI .40 limited gun too. However, I think my pin shooting schedule is empty until next season. Hopefully we'll have new tables and some matches next year at East Warren.

 

[Dan S]

If you are going to try the .40, load with 200 grain bullets. The .45 ACP is still better.

 

[TY43215]

I've got an STI .40 limited gun too. However, I think my pin shooting schedule is empty until next season. Hopefully we'll have new tables and some matches next year at East Warren.

If you need pins, let me know.

 

[Cuz]

I've got an STI .40 limited gun too. However, I think my pin shooting schedule is empty until next season. Hopefully we'll have new tables and some matches next year at East Warren.

Steve,
I've used my 172 PF loads in my SVI to shoot pins with no problems. The 180 gr Zero or MG JHP bite into them nicely and move them back a good ways even when they get heavy. I'll send you a pic of the tables we use.
-Cuz.

 

[otasan]

Pin Tables

A solid table is a must. Tables that are shakey cause pins to fall over on their own, and then shooters chew that table-top to shreds as they hit a few inches lower than they should to get the deadwood moving. Deadwood pins present a much smaller target, especially butt-first, and many shooters do not have the ability to hit a four-square-inch target at 25 feet. Most will hit low, and rip their bullets into the tabletops.

When I sight my handguns in for a pin match, I set the elevation to sightly above a six-o'clock hold. I try to get my bullets into one ragged hole at 25 feet on my pin targets, dead center. My .45ACP loads are up to it, and my .44 loads are more than up to it.

I am going to start another thread now about proper ammunition for pin shooting.