Carnival Shooting Galleries--The Wizard of ARRRGHS!!

[Sir Galahad]

Ever go to the carnival or county fair with your lady and decide to win her a stuffed animal at the shooting gallery? You know the ones. They have these cast aluminum Thompson SMG replicas that fire these like .10 caliber lead BBs with compressed air? And they always shoot hard left or hard right? Or some, half the BBs just dribble out the end of the barre? Wouldn't you just LOVE to once, just once, see a carnival wher you could bring your OWN gun to shoot out that little red star? Boy, you could take a 12 gauge with rifled slugs and BINGO, the star is gone in one shot! Or take your .22 match rifle and just cut the star out clockwise. Wouldn't it be great to show up with a .300 WinMag and the guy just says, "Here, take the teddy bear, just don't fire that thing here! I forgot my hearing protection!" Boy, that would be great! And just think. You could flub up the shots on purpose and say to your lady, "See, darlin'? I told you I needed a new rifle. If I had that new rifle, I could have won you that stuffed unicorn." "Oh, do you think we could get to the gun shop in time to get you that new rifle and then come back and you could win me that unicorn? Pleeeezzzee???" "Wellll....ok, I think we could do that." Plus just think of the side bets! "Awwww, that rifle is a total POS! Why you couldn't hit the ground with that thing!" "Bet ya $50." "Yer on!" The carnival Midway would become the way it should be---alive with the staccato of REAL, not compressed air, gunfire at REAL shooting galleries. The backstop would catch all the lead and it could be made a prize to cast bullet aficianados who win. Think about it! Cotton candy, jumbo pickles, corn dogs, and guns! Something for everyone!

 

[Preacherman]

Knightly friend, you've been at the candyfloss again, haven't you?

 

[MarineTech]

I pretty much gave up on those galleries years ago. It's darn near impossible to fully remove the star, and I refuse to spend $20 trying to win a stuffed animal that cost them 50 cents.

Still, I have always wondered if anybody decided to open up on the guy operating the booth with that BB gun.

 

[444]

Funny you should mention that.
No, I didn't shoot the guy, but when I was a kid I realized the game was almost impossible, so I paid my money and emptied the whole gun into the stuffed animals and then ran like heck..

today, that would probably a threat to national security.




On the other hand, I was at a different shooting gallery and the guy I was with shot the guy in the booth in the rear end when he was fixing a target.

 

[dinosaur]

When I worked the Coney Island detail one of those shooting booths had a stuffed animal my g/f liked. Of course it was just about impossible to shoot out the star. By accident I found the toy distributor that supplied the booths. I bought the panda or whatever it was and told her I won it for her. I probably saved at least fifty bucks!

 

[Edward429451]

I beat that game one time years ago. Took me six tries. The way I won was to shoot a circle around the star so it fell out, barely. Short circular bursts.

I also beat the one where you shoot a crossbow at the same star target, but the arrow has to be totally inside the star with red showing all around it. I watched like 5 or 6 people try it and almost everybody griped that it was rigged for failure. The trigger didn't give me much trouble, it was actually ok but lots of creep and I got it on the third try. Close, closer, bullseye. My wife says she knew I'd get it.

I used a standing elbow on chest position like they do in competition and just kept squeezing squeezing until like 15 minutes later (sic) when it broke. They guy made me sign the target with my phone number as proof for others it was not rigged. Its not rigged, you just gotta have a real steady position lots of patience with the trigger, and a serious dose of luck. She's still got the stuffed animals I think.

 

[spacemanspiff]

anyone watch the dead fox series 'family guy'?

stewie goes to a shooting gallery at a carnival, looks over the gun they have: "oh, ten gauge? i've never handled one of these before. BOOOOOMM!"
"oh yes! yes! this is my rifle, this is my gun! this is for fight, this is for fun!"

 

[45R]

Ever watch the beer commerical were the guy hits the carny upside the head with the softball and takes the beer. Then the lady aims for the guys "sensitive" areas......

Thats what I think of now when carnys come up.

No point in wasting you money when you know those things are rigged to shoot one way or another.

 

[El Tejon]

Never been, never will.

 

[foghornl]

I remember when those carny shoot-em-ups used real rifles loaded with .22Shorts.

I spent a bunch trying to win a decent prize one time, would be doing OK, then 1 or 2 would "go wild" .... Tough luck, kid....Try again. Finally noticed that the front site rattled around.

Made the carny give me another rifle. They were using a plastic tube speedloader. I shot a couple of rounds, then had the flier. Before the carny could stop me, I dumped the mag out, and 3 rounds had "flats" filed on the sides of the bullets. I grabbed up the bullets, and found one of the County Deputies, complained loudly and longly that they were running a crooked game. Carny came running up, yelling that I stole the ammo. Deputy took one look at the ammo, and said "I want to check every one of your guns & ammo." Don't know what happened, because it was closing night of the show, but when I left with mom & dad, there were 3 Deputies at the booth, and there was a LOT of yelling.

 

[Crimper-D]

Used to give them a try as a kid

Never could shoot out the star or whatever. Thr only time I tried as an adult, I was paying my $ just to get my hands on that little Remington pump gallery gun loaded with .22Shorts
Cute little gun - probably shot into a smoothbore, but FUN!
I haven't the faintest recollection what I was shooting at. - but it was great fun.

 

[Navy joe]

Those games are pretty easy and at least around my parts used to be pretty cheap. First burst is to affirm sights, then the rest you work around the edge. If I don't win is usually some little scrap left hanging. Haven't played in 10 years.

Now, about a money drain. Cannes, France a few years ago and I came upon a carnival. they've got a game where a nylon string suspended from the overhead is tied off to various high dollar consumer electronics, cash, etc. Big prizes, I was working on a top of the line Canon EOS camera. Weapon is a spring cocking .177 repeater. I had these folks worried as I could ding the string everytime, but lemme tell you, unless you see one barely hanging on, forget about it. those things are tough. I dropped about 100 U.S. didn't win anything and had tons of fun.

 

[HankB]

I remember when shooting galleries at amusment parks in the Chicago area (!) used real .22 shorts . . . and when even a large gun shop & range just outside the city in a suburb called Oak Lawn had it's own carnival-type shooting gallery. They used a particular .22 short load by Winchester called the "Kant Splash" . . . it was sintered construction so when it hit something hard it would disintegrate. They were usually packaged 500 to a box in bulk.

 

[MBG]

Last time I saw one of those BB tommy gun booths was about 10 years ago, in DC of all places, at Adam's Morgan Day. (Big international street fair, held every fall.)

I was going for the stuffed thingie that my date wanted, and noticed that every time I got about 2/3's the way around the circle, point of impact would drop by about 4". Turns out, the carnie had his foot on a piece of wood over the air hose.

I called him on it, loud argument ensued, crowd formed, date wandered off angry, and thus ended my chances of fun that afternoon.

But, the carnie's booth was empty for the rest of the day. Sometimes, you walk away with the small victories.

Marty

 

[Hawkman]

I tried it once and beat it. We were walking down the midway and my two girls saw the booth and begged me to try it. I watched the shooter in front of me (wearing - I kid you not - a green beret, od t-shirt, cammies and boots) try to shoot out the center.

I did a very quick sighter burst, then walked a circle around the star. It fell out. Never went back, never tried again, never will!

"Green Beret" and his buddies stood there with their mouths hanging open.

 

[dave5339]

The local home owned county fair where I grew up had a "real" shooting gallery. Had it stocked with 22's shooting shorts.

Since it wasn't a true carnival but a home owned fair they didn't try to rig the games. The operators of the shooting gallery would change the sights of the rifles every now and then though.

They would only let you win 3 prizes a night. At a quarter/try it would take me $1 to win my 3 prizes for the night. First quarter to see where the rilfe was shooting, 3 more to win the prizes.

The county finally removed the game, maybe to many anti's complained, (can't imagine many anti's in Western KS). I often wonder what happened to that old shooting gallery. I'd love to get my hands on it and stuff it in the basement and use it.

Semper Fi

 

[Strings]

never won on the airgun...

... but I DID win on the crossbow. Set-up was the more you pay for your one shot, the bigger the prize you can win. Paid a dollar to sight in, then handed him a five (for their largest). Could never make that shot again, but my date was happy that night (and I was happier later )

 

[Hkmp5sd]

I've also won with the crossbow. You can use "kentucky windage" and walk the bolts into the center of the target. When the operators realize what you are doing, they will try to replace the target after each shot.

This thread reminds of of Eddie Murphy in Beverly Hills Cop II, when he was at the shooting range that used lasers instead of bullets and he pulls out his handgun and starts shooting.

Always made me want to ask one of the carnival guys if I could BOG (Bring Own Gun).

 

[spectr17]

Ah carnies, some good times there.

A few tips from being escorted out of a few carnies for winning too many stuffed animals.

To win the milk bottle baseball throw one you have to watch the carnie guy. They use a magnet and switch to hold that bottom middle bottle in place. Act like your scratching your arse while the carnie helps another guy and then whirl and throw it. It catches them off guard.

The dart throw at the balloon wall one you need to bring a dart sharpener in and sharpen the dart when the guy isn't looking. Tough but it can be done. If you get caught it's bye bye. Those darts they use are so dull they wouldn't pop anything.

I used to pitch baseball and hussled money at fairs and carnies and at the dunk tanks. One carnie I hit a Coke bottle on the shelf so hard the ball riccocheted back across the isle and hit a guy in the back at another booth. All the kids watching started screaming at the carnie that it was rigged. The bottle never moved. The carnie gave me the large stuffed animal and begged me to get lost.

Tossing the softball into the tall milk can just takes a steady hand and good aim. The sofball will fit but just barely. I won 4 in a row at Circus Circus in Vegas before they seached me and asked me to leave.

The basketbal toss has a non reg hoop so you have to be spot on. I suck at that.

Once I had stuffed prizes for my date or friends I'd always find a small kid to give the stuffed animals to. It really lit their faces up to get a 5 foot prize for free, especially after Dad just dropped half the rent trying.

 

[mephisto]

Austin Powers: There are only two things in this world that scares me and one is nuclear war.
Basil: What's the other?
Austin Powers: Huh?
Basil: What's the other thing that scares you?
Austin Powers: Carnies. Circus folk. Nomads, you know. Smell like cabbage. Small hands

 

[Tamara]

If you want one...

...of those compressed-air-powered "Thompsons", AirForce Airguns has bought out the remaining stock of parts from Feltman and is assembling the last ones into guns.

 

[Sir Galahad]

Spectr, LOL! I'm glad to see someone has beat them at their own game. I've always wanted to invite a couple of those carnies to a friendly little poker game with me and my friends. Braced deck, polished Zippo to deal over, the usual banter between friends: "Did you see JACK the other day?" "Why, yes I did! And saw my brother, too, you know, the one married to that woman that thinks she's a QUEEN." Then after that, I'd say, "Well, maybe cards ain't your game, strangers. How about craps? Why, I just happen to have a set of dice here fresh off the planer, er, package."

 

[Kevlarman]

Reminds of the M*A*S*H episode where Hawkeye is trying to play bridge:

The King and Queen of this country were playing golf with five clubs. Their son Jack remarked how strange it was that they only had two hearts between them. Then, his sister little Deucie and her dog Trey started singing Four Diamonds are a Girls Best Friend. Whereupon the whole family beat her to death and buried her with two Spades.

I didn't realize that even Circus Circus had underhanded Carnies. Don't they just buy those stuffed animals in bulk so that it costs them next to nothing?

 

[sm]

memories

[proud son and eldest son voice]

As a brat I recall using real guns and ammo. I was a poor kid but had saved my lawn mowing money and went to the county fair. Mom got the biggest stuffed animal, the other sibs rec'd a smaller one. "Get out of here kid...".

I didn't tell the crusty old fart I learned rimfire from a NRA sponsored deal, I knew about Win model 52's, I plunked my quarter down and didn't miss until I had stuff for everyone. I was not allowed to play next year...old fart remembered me. Best two bits I ever spent.

 

[BogBabe]

Back in high school, a bunch of us were at the state fair and we decided to play that carny game where you shoot water pistols into the monkey's mouth to blow up a balloon or send a doohickey up a pole or some such.

Every water pistol station at the counter was taken by someone in our group.

When the bell rang and the water turned on, instead of shooting toward the monkeys, we all turned and hosed the carny attendant.

Okay, okay, it was a childish thing to do, but it was devilishly fun!