Vintage Shooting Gallery

[Thorn1979 19]

It's going in here cos I don't know where else to post this

 

I have started volunteering at a local Heritage Fairground. In season I was doing one day a week, running rides and generally making a nuisance of myself. Great fun.

 

Every year they host an auction for vintage vehicles, steam engines, and assorted bits n bobs - I am sure some of you have been! We were pottering around the yard looking at auction lots and we saw this little thing languishing in a corner. We both fell for it a little bit.

 

Well, it wasn't an auction lot, but the next time I was helping, I asked if I could take it home and restore it for them. In the end they got fed up of me pestering, and now we are halfway through bringing it back to life.

 

Snags so far? Well the original motor (which was almost certainly pinched off something else - the whole thing has been cobbled together by a showman many moons ago) was 110v DC and very very slow, with its own gearbox. We have replaced it (after 5 years outside in the rain there was no saving it) but used a 240v lump, and managed to mount the gearbox - but the "new" motor is much faster. So how could we gear it down enough for the targets to slide past at a sensible rate? Well Martin had the genius idea of using mini-moto sprockets and chain.

 

The belt was rotted clean through in at least one place, so we have retained as much as we could, chopped out and replaced the mankiest bits, and sent the targets off to a mate to vapour-blast them. The rollers at either end of the belt were in bits but Martin has pegged them back together, they look amazing.

 

The angle-iron frame has been dismantled today and we are halfway through stripping it down ready to paint... I can't wait to see it all back together!

[Cub Cadet 613]

Very cool piece of history you have there, nice to see it being restored 

[Stormin 4,458]

Be nice to see it finished. Very nice job of repairing the wooden rollers/pulleys. Full marks.

[Wallfish 698]

Now that is an interesting project! Thanks for sharing it and I'm also looking forward to seeing it finished.

[Anglo Traction 1,016]

A real good project. Glad you saved it. reminds me of the Fairground Shooting Galleries of the old Travelling Fairs back in the early 60s. the attractions were pretty old then.

Just need an old .22 or .177" Air Rifle with the Squiffy Sights and bent Barrel and you're set up!.     

[Wallfish 698]

18 hours ago, Anglo Traction said:

Just need an old .22 or .177" Air Rifle with the Squiffy Sights and bent Barrel and you're set up!

Ha, no wonder I couldn't hit anything.

Certainly doesn't appear they were shooting anything too powerful or there would be evidence of it. Besides it wouldn't last too long as soon as one of the kids took aim at those wooden rollers.

This has my wheels turning since my grandson shoots his little .177 BB gun out in back of the house. He's always looking to make different targets but recently started shooting the wildlife and possibly the neighbors cat ( for more of a challenge I believe). Thinking to build something like this, which might keep him out of trouble for a little while. A squirrel once in a while is one thing but he was taking out every bird species too. Caught him taking aim at a Pileated woodpecker which is a pretty big bird and not too many around.