bowling balls

[Guest]

I have read in the past that some of you shoot at bowling balls. I picked up 2 at a garage sale for $5 and want to hang them beside my steel gong on a old swing. Now what is the best way to hook the ball to a chain? How many bullets can a bowling ball take before it falls apart?
Thanks

 

[jb1000br]

Bowling Pins work well too -- my local bowling alley gave me a box full of ones they were going to trash /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif

JB

 

[4ked Horn]

I simply drill a hole or two into the ball and screw in a suitable sized hook. The hooks have a wood screw type thread instead of a machine thread type. I would get hooks made of at least 3/16" diameter with a straight shank at least 3" long. The extra hole is for reinserting the hook incase you shoot the top off the ball and lose the hole you used first.

It takes about 5 rounds from a 300 win mag @ about 400- 500 yards to destroy the ball but will take many more from a .223. If the ball is one color throw some contrasting stripes vertically on it so you can see if it spins. Oh, and hang it from a length of cheap rope or string to protect your chain.


Bowling pins work great as well and a hook screwed in the top AND the bottom will allow you to position them in level, slanted or an upright position to simulate chucks in any position they may be in on a rock pile. They can also be scattered at various ranges for unknown distance shots. Bowling pins stay together better than the balls do and you get more movement from the smaller callibers. (movement may be excessive on pins hit with large calibers) Bowling balls look more impressive when taking newcomers to the lond distance range for the first time and wont come flinging off the hook or wrap themselves around your target frame with the first shot from a 300 at 600 yards.

 

[Guest]

Thanks. I plan on shooting them at 500y or more with a 270 win, 234, and 7RUM. Mostly with the 270 and Wildcat 130g bullets. With a steel gong you can hear the hits, what do you hear/see when hitting a bowling ball? I tryed to get some bowling pins but no luck yet.

 

[sniperVLS]

.308 using american eagle 150 grain FMJ's @ 100 yards. Friend never saw one being shot so I let him have the honors.

first pic is entrance, 2nd exit. Well, it didnt make it out, but the energy blew off a piece where the bullet stopped /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif

 

[4ked Horn]

Cant see the pictures. Edit while you still can.

 

[sniperVLS]

Got them to work, check b4 they get taken down again, lol

 

[4ked Horn]

Sweet

 

[Mysticplayer]

Keep an eye on richochets. This is a hard smooth curved surface and a glancing hit will redirect the bullet. Most likely the bullet will also be intact so can travel a long ways.

Most of use shoot in very secluded areas so no big deal but if you shoot on flat terrain, that glancing bullet can cover a lot of real estate that is no where near your original aiming path.

Sounds like a lot fun. Just be safe...

Jerry

 

[Ian M]

I just witnessed a better use for old ten-pin bowling balls down in Montana. Two pounds of black powder launched one over 900 yards from a home-made cannon. Sixteem pound ball buried itself 1.5 feet into the ground when it finally decided to come down to earth. That sucker just hung there in the clouds, it was a neat thing to see.

 

[4ked Horn]

[ QUOTE ]
Keep an eye on richochets.

[/ QUOTE ]
Agreed.

Also, bowling pins and balls are NOT a suitable target for standard or slower velocity .22 rimfire bullets or bird shot from a shotgun at closer ranges. The projectiles <u>will</u> bounce back.

If in doubt, move them out.

 

[sniperVLS]

[ QUOTE ]
I just witnessed a better use for old ten-pin bowling balls down in Montana. Two pounds of black powder launched one over 900 yards from a home-made cannon. Sixteem pound ball buried itself 1.5 feet into the ground when it finally decided to come down to earth. That sucker just hung there in the clouds, it was a neat thing to see.

[/ QUOTE ]

hahaha Id love to see that Ian /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/laugh.gif

and I agree with Jerry about the safety.

we spent a good 5 hours building a massive backstop out of trees and dirt, 5 ft high, a couple feet thick and its 3 sided, so unless that bullet can come straight back, it will be deflected into one of the side walls. You should see what I did to the playstation 2

all the fun in the world isnt worth a mishap that could have been prevented. Geez, I sound like my dad now /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/tongue.gif