The Big Boy and the Bowling Ball
Posted: Wed Apr 24, 2024 11:09 pm
I've shot quite a few bowling pins in my day, but never a bowling ball prior to today. It was fun, interesting and educational.
I've had an old 10-pounder out in the garage for quite a while that my daughter used long ago. I would've preferred to pass it on to some younger kid, but you can't give these things away anymore. The youth programs and the bowling centers have far more of them than they want or need. Therefore, the time had come to satisfy some curiosity.
I took it about 50 yards into the desert and just dropped it on the ground in an open area. Then I put a full tube of .357 rounds into it with the Big Boy rifle.
I thought it might fracture into multiple pieces after a few shots, but that was an erroneous expectation. The plastic cover stock breaks off easily, but the core is seriously sturdy. The stuff looks like foam, but it's as hard and tough as just about any concrete I've ever seen.
Another thing that surprised me a little was the ball never moved backward when it absorbed a bullet. If anything, it would spin like a globe on a stand.
I have several balls with reactive resin cover stocks, but I'm not ready to part with any of them yet (I'm in two leagues). When one of them treats me poorly enough for long enough, it'll get the same treatment and we'll see what happens.
I've had an old 10-pounder out in the garage for quite a while that my daughter used long ago. I would've preferred to pass it on to some younger kid, but you can't give these things away anymore. The youth programs and the bowling centers have far more of them than they want or need. Therefore, the time had come to satisfy some curiosity.
I took it about 50 yards into the desert and just dropped it on the ground in an open area. Then I put a full tube of .357 rounds into it with the Big Boy rifle.
I thought it might fracture into multiple pieces after a few shots, but that was an erroneous expectation. The plastic cover stock breaks off easily, but the core is seriously sturdy. The stuff looks like foam, but it's as hard and tough as just about any concrete I've ever seen.
Another thing that surprised me a little was the ball never moved backward when it absorbed a bullet. If anything, it would spin like a globe on a stand.
I have several balls with reactive resin cover stocks, but I'm not ready to part with any of them yet (I'm in two leagues). When one of them treats me poorly enough for long enough, it'll get the same treatment and we'll see what happens.