I really think I want to give this a go , I've watched some videos on youtube of these kinds of events and one fella was saying that 9mm doesn't work well. Is he correct ?
It depends on the setup and type of the pins. Some places use full size ten pins and have them towards the forward end of a sheet of plywood. So in that scenario, which is not the scenario at WP&R, it would be common to hit a pin with a 9mm, knocking it over but not off the table. It needs to be off the table. Then it's a game of trying to get it off the table. Where as a larger bore, traditionally a 45 would be far more capable of knocking it off the table.
From my observation at WP&R, they typically use small candlepins for the first string, not only that but for that first string you only need to knock it over, not off the table. So a 9mm has an advantage in that it has less recoil and definitely has enough power to knock the pin over.
For the second and third strings WP&R typically uses either all full size ten pins or a mix. Regardless the pins are not far from the back end of the table. So definitely not a necessity to have larger than 9mm for these either, although larger bore would more likely result in it going off the table first hit. Still you have less recoil.
You should simply go and try it out. Most people like it. Many people shoot 9mm at these, some actually shoot 22. Just no red dots or compensators.
I am not a member of WP&R and do not run these. My comments are based on my experience as a participant.
Regards,
Tim