One Of The Earliest Carnival Games
In a world fraught with violence, it seems inconceivable to us today that we would voluntarily arm the general public with loaded guns and turn them loose, but once upon a time, the long range shooting gallery was one of the most popular attractions on the midway. Shooters fired .22 caliber rifles using special graphite bullets which shattered into powder upon impact with the cast iron targets to prevent ricochets. Sometimes chalk prizes or cheap cigars were awarded for best shot; other times, people just shot to see who could best one another.
1903 Post Card of Coney Island Shooting
In the late nineteenth century, James J. McCullough (grandson of George C. Tilyou, Steeplechase founder) manufactured and maintained a number of amusement devices and shooting galleries in Coney Island. One of his employees, William F. Mangels, began designing and creating new features for McCullough’s galleries, and eventually opened his own workshop. Established in 1890, The W.F. Mangels Company Carousel Works became one of the largest manufacturers of mechanical shooting galleries and targets in the world.
Page 23 of W.F. Mangels Company Catalogue #4 Three different listings for Electric Targets (different designs). Describes three different electric bullseye targets: with standard, battery and bell; without standard; with large steel eagle, painted….
Page 20 – Mechanical Shooting Gallery Background
Page 20 of W.F. Mangels Company Catalogue #4 Two different listings for Mechanical Shooting Gallery Background (different designs), Number 25 and 26. Made with steel plates and iron frames. Describes mechanics of different targets and what happens…
However, by the mid 1950’s those guns had largely been replaced with the less effective but relatively safer BB guns. Another type of BB gun, the pneumatic air gun, was patented in 1935 by Charles A. Feltman (the grandson and namesake of the hot dog inventor). He began manufacturing his Shooting Star Tommy Gun for specifically designed paper “Shoot the Star” targets. Still being produced, those galleries remain popular attractions and can be found in amusement parks and carnivals throughout the country. However, the majority of modern shooting skill games are electronic, including the newest virtual reality ride/gaming experience attractions.
Now, the cast iron targets are collector items. Below is The Tucker Collection that includes an unrivaled collection of Figural Iron Shooting Gallery Targets from the early 20th Century. The book ‘Step Right Up’ Classic American Target and Arcade Forms published by Schiffer Publishing in 2014 is a compendium of the Tucker Collection with its many ‘only-known’ or ‘one-of-two-known’ examples headed for the auction block.
