New open pin gun

[hovbuild]

I am at the stage of having a new open gun either built or bought (in the box) for pin shoots and am seeking other open gun owners their advise.

I shoot about 4 matches a month and my current gun is getting a bit sloppy. It is a S&W 1911 with a C-more and some "extras" done to it. It has been a one hole gun at 30' for some time but the slide has become quite loose and the groups have opened up quite a bit. So this gives me a great excuse for anew gun.

I load and shoot in my stock 1911 and a 625 255 swc aol 1.91 running at between 875-900 and any gun I get must feed these. also 10 rd mags must work also. If I stay with a single stack.

I am divided between a double stack or what I have been shooting. I do like a wider grip than a single stack, I use hoague wrap arounds on my 1911.

I need speed as well as accuracy so I am not quite sure if I want a comp or not but I do shoot steel also.

I know most out of the box open guns are made for steel but I love pin shooting and we have some great shoots to attend in New England. Not like the "old" days from what I am told.

Thanks, Bill

[TRUbor9]

my dad has one for sale! it's an xdm 40s&w I'm not sure what OAL it can handle but the gun is quick and dead accurate... PM me if you'd like pics

ETA- it has a 3lbs trigger by springer and a barsto barrel and springer 3 port comp, it also has a b&b enterprise cmore mount

Edited May 15, 2011 by TRUbor9

[wide45]

i have one for sale! it's an xdm 40s&w I'm not sure what OAL it can handle but the gun is quick and dead accurate... PM me if you'd like pics

ETA- it has a 3lbs trigger by springer and a barsto barrel and springer 3 port comp, it also has a b&b enterprise cmore mount

zero points for reading comprehension.

I load and shoot in my stock 1911 and a 625 255 swc aol 1.91 running at between 875-900 and any gun I get must feed these.

[TRUbor9]

i have one for sale! it's an xdm 40s&w I'm not sure what OAL it can handle but the gun is quick and dead accurate... PM me if you'd like pics

ETA- it has a 3lbs trigger by springer and a barsto barrel and springer 3 port comp, it also has a b&b enterprise cmore mount

zero points for reading comprehension.

I load and shoot in my stock 1911 and a 625 255 swc aol 1.91 running at between 875-900 and any gun I get must feed these.

... -.- 1911 doesn't mean 45

Edited May 16, 2011 by TRUbor9

[ipscjoe]

Have it AccuRailed and keep shooting it...

[ong45]

I remember a single stack my smith built a long time ago, it had a honkin big comp and was chambered in .45 win mag !! When asked he said it was made for pin shooting. If you want a specialized gun you have to go with a .45 caliber of some sort, i have done a little bit of pin shooting and the big caliber is definitely the way to go.

You can go with a high cap and on a ground up build i don't think it will cost that much more outside of the mags.

[mpolans]

Asking for a gun to be a pin gun and a steel gun is like saying you want an 18 wheeler to do long haul trucking, but occasionally want to enter an F1 race with it. Pins and steel are pretty much on opposite ends of the spectrum as one favors big heavy bullets and the other favors small light bullets. I'd suggest getting two different guns. Why not have a gunsmith fix the accuracy problem on your current gun and, if you wish, have someone build you a nice open division 9pm for shooting steel?

Edited May 16, 2011 by mpolans

[hovbuild]

Asking for a gun to be a pin gun and a steel gun is like saying you want an 18 wheeler to do long haul trucking, but occasionally want to enter an F1 race with it. Pins and steel are pretty much on opposite ends of the spectrum as one favors big heavy bullets and the other favors small light bullets. I'd suggest getting two different guns. Why not have a gunsmith fix the accuracy problem on your current gun and, if you wish, have someone build you a nice open division 9pm for shooting steel?

I used two 1911 for pins and some BE. I am pretty good at matching springs and slide weights to the type of load I use. I am trying to get a 10 wheeler with side boards to do both jobs I guess. I don't shoot steel all the time and a simple switch of springs, heavy guide rods and a slight sight adjustment should keep me happy shooting steel in .45. I have loads for that 255 that are soft shooting and very accurate but also load other bullets as well. In most of the events I shoot at there is about 30+ shooters and pims are not change out unless they won't stand up. Makes for some heavy and bumpy pins. All the shoot offs are to clear. My dot gun record is 3.5 sec for five pins and my open sighted gun is 4.2. I am not sure how fast and light a gun needs to be for steel but I think either one of these heavy hitters would do ok. Maybe I am wrong.

I am going to check up on AccuRailed and if this is a good option have a 9mm major gun built for steel. I am trying to see what options I have.

Thanks responses.

Bill

[pmd]

If you want to look at the option of a used 45acp open top end let me know I have one collecting dust.

[Garrett]

zero points for reading comprehension.

I load and shoot in my stock 1911 and a 625 255 swc aol 1.91 running at between 875-900 and any gun I get must feed these.

... -.- 1911 doesn't mean 45

You mean you've got a 255 gr. bullet for a .40? That sucker has to be longer than the case!

I know the OP asked about a 1911 or 625, but here's what I use for my open pin gun. It has no problem taking heavy pins off the table, shooting a 240 gr. bullet (btw, that's not a bullet weight you can usually find in .40 either.)

(I pulled the scope off and put on a Holosight for pins)

Edited May 22, 2011 by Garrett

[GrumpyOne]

i have one for sale! it's an xdm 40s&w I'm not sure what OAL it can handle but the gun is quick and dead accurate... PM me if you'd like pics

ETA- it has a 3lbs trigger by springer and a barsto barrel and springer 3 port comp, it also has a b&b enterprise cmore mount

zero points for reading comprehension.

I load and shoot in my stock 1911 and a 625 255 swc aol 1.91 running at between 875-900 and any gun I get must feed these.

... -.- 1911 doesn't mean 45

Yeah, you're right...But 625 with a 255SWC does.....

[wide45]

i have one for sale! it's an xdm 40s&w I'm not sure what OAL it can handle but the gun is quick and dead accurate... PM me if you'd like pics

ETA- it has a 3lbs trigger by springer and a barsto barrel and springer 3 port comp, it also has a b&b enterprise cmore mount

zero points for reading comprehension.

I load and shoot in my stock 1911 and a 625 255 swc aol 1.91 running at between 875-900 and any gun I get must feed these.

... -.- 1911 doesn't mean 45

Yeah, you're right...But 625 with a 255SWC does.....

A 625 could be .45 Long Colt. It can't be a .40

Edited May 23, 2011 by wide45

[GrumpyOne]

i have one for sale! it's an xdm 40s&w I'm not sure what OAL it can handle but the gun is quick and dead accurate... PM me if you'd like pics

ETA- it has a 3lbs trigger by springer and a barsto barrel and springer 3 port comp, it also has a b&b enterprise cmore mount

zero points for reading comprehension.

I load and shoot in my stock 1911 and a 625 255 swc aol 1.91 running at between 875-900 and any gun I get must feed these.

... -.- 1911 doesn't mean 45

Yeah, you're right...But 625 with a 255SWC does.....

A 625 could be .45 Long Colt. It can't be a .40

Yes, it could be....but why? A 1911 wouldn't be a LC, so by process of elimination, the only other option is 45 ACP. And, the OAL is wrong for a LC....

[hovbuild]

Guys I didn't mean to make you all detectives! I was just fishing for some insight. I had broken a bushing a while back on the S&W 1911 that I use for pins. It has a c-more on it so I have to shoot it in open. I had an old bushing that fit just ok while I waited for a new one from EGW. I noticed that the slide was getting a tad loose and that my groups were opening up a bit so I was thinking of putting together another gun for outdoor pins. Well I got the new bushing and after a small bit of fitting took it and my rest to the range. At 30' I put 10 rounds in a 1 "hole....set the target out to 50 yards and was quite impressed with my old clunker... two flyers but 8 in 3 inches... BTW nice video I shoot against a guy running that same eagle at an idoor shoot I go to once in a while. He is very good but with the small indoor tables I beat him with my cz 75 9mm using minor loads in the shoot to clear shoot offs. I do go home with my head ringing though! He would be tough on the regulation outdoor ones......

Thanks, Bill

[Mad Scientist]

Are the pins set to the rear of the table or the front?? I used a 9mm minor open gun at our local pin match two weeks ago . indors the pins are to the rear of the table. My record is 1.84 with a 5 run average of 1.92 . I dont know if the 9 would take off the pins from the front of the table . pins set at 28 feet for some reason. I use the same gun at steel challenge matches with the same load.

I am building a 357 pin gun on a 686 I hope the 158 loads will do ok. 2.21 last week inside with 148 wad cutters

Thanks John

[Garrett]

Are the pins set to the rear of the table or the front?? I used a 9mm minor open gun at our local pin match two weeks ago...

And that makes a big difference in how you have your gun set up. I've been to some pin shoots where the pins are always set 1' back from the front of the table. On a 4' table, this means your bullet has to push the pin back 3' before it goes off. That takes a bit of energy to do, especially on used pins that have already soaked up several bullets. For this setup, you need something with a decent amount of mass (momentum). The heavy, medium velocity bullets tend to do well here. Good choices are .45 ACP, .44 Mag/Spl, or 10mm with 200 gr. bullets or heavier. 9mm, .38 Super, or .40 loaded around 170 PF all have a difficult time getting the job done.

I've shot at a couple of other clubs where they set the pins based on what is being shot. 1' from the front of the table for Major, 1' from the rear of the table for minor, and right at the back of the table for rimfire. A local club does it that way, but they also put the pins at the very rear for carbine and full-auto. The first time I tried that with the Uzi, I shot it in 9mm. That one did okay, but the Uzi is just too slow in factory configuration. The next time around I put the .22 conversion on the Uzi. It runs a couple-hundred rounds-per-minute faster. You get the timing right, and you can just sweep across the pins.

[Mad Scientist]

Are the pins set to the rear of the table or the front?? I used a 9mm minor open gun at our local pin match two weeks ago...

And that makes a big difference in how you have your gun set up. I've been to some pin shoots where the pins are always set 1' back from the front of the table. On a 4' table, this means your bullet has to push the pin back 3' before it goes off. That takes a bit of energy to do, especially on used pins that have already soaked up several bullets. For this setup, you need something with a decent amount of mass (momentum). The heavy, medium velocity bullets tend to do well here. Good choices are .45 ACP, .44 Mag/Spl, or 10mm with 200 gr. bullets or heavier. 9mm, .38 Super, or .40 loaded around 170 PF all have a difficult time getting the job done.

I've shot at a couple of other clubs where they set the pins based on what is being shot. 1' from the front of the table for Major, 1' from the rear of the table for minor, and right at the back of the table for rimfire. A local club does it that way, but they also put the pins at the very rear for carbine and full-auto. The first time I tried that with the Uzi, I shot it in 9mm. That one did okay, but the Uzi is just too slow in factory configuration. The next time around I put the .22 conversion on the Uzi. It runs a couple-hundred rounds-per-minute faster. You get the timing right, and you can just sweep across the pins.

I can see that being a real big factor , but the match I shoot is the only game in town so my gun set up is what I need for now. the range has it set up so the participants have fun and they can use about any gun they have. The place they get you is the sheduled matches. you need 3 guns a month to compete RF,center fire,revolver. two divisions open,iron

[818-DVC]

Pin shooting should be shot w a .22lr. Or a hot loaded .44 mag revolver lol.

Honestly a friend has a Dawson 2011 5.5 in .45acp and 5 port comp that I have shot a couple pin matches. I like the handicap of rimfire or a revo much more.