Window Machine Gun
By Tim Chin – www.trickshottim.com
Ranked 3rd by WPA-APD
Much like the shot from the Aug/Sep issue, this shot marries two classics – The Window Shot and The Machine Gun. In the classic Window Shot, the cue ball splits the cluster by pocket B making all three balls in different pockets, caroms through the gap in row Y of blocker balls, and follows forward to make the hanger in pocket C. In this variation, we add a short row of blocker balls X near pocket C for the cue ball to fight through first.
First, the setup of the cluster starts with the B and E balls 2 balls out from cushion 1. I start with the edge of the B ball even with pocket point, but I’ll shift this if I miss the E ball. Ball A is frozen to ball E angled toward the short rail point. Place the cue ball behind the center line. For this version, I line it up with ball A. If I’m trying to make C directly, I move it half a ball gap towards the head cushion.
For row Y of blocker balls, leave out the 6th and 7th ball from the cushion. Since there are more than 15 object balls diagrammed, leave out the 1st and 2nd ball from the cushion too. The first four balls in row X are one ball width from the cushion and the last two are angled out to help funnel the cue ball in.
I aim where balls B and E are touching with straight follow. You’ll need a pretty firm hit, but adjust your speed to make sure you’re coming through the gap. Or be creative and change the position of the gap! The machine gun version is easiest on a 9-ft table. On a 7-ft table, you might need to change the position of the gap regardless or move the row of blocker balls towards the foot cushion to get the same clearance for the cue ball.
