Dead Bowling Ball

Even bowling balls aren't safe around the Greenwald's...

I took a 12 pound bowling ball out to a range and shot it with a .38 Special, a 9mm, and a .25-06. The .38 Special merely scuffed the surface. The 9mm did some damage. The .25-06 took the ball apart.

I never realized that the inside of a bowling ball was concrete without the stones.

Click on the pictures for a larger and/or closer view of each damage point...

The 9mm rounds (full metal jacket) didn't actually penetrate the ball cover, but between the 2 hits, enough energy was transferred to blow off part of the cover and some of the inner mass.
This is a direct hit from the .25-06. While it did not break off any major pieces of the ball, notice the near circular back pressure pattern from the energy transferred from the bullet to the core and reflected back to the ball's covering.
Another .25-06 hit. This one managed to remove a good chunk of the ball's core and cover.
Same hit as the picture above, but a view that allows you to see the entry point, the bullet expansion, and the bullet shedding weight as it passed through the ball's core.




fsgreen@gwis.com