Random Question...Americans please.

[starrylizard]

At fairs, show grounds, circuses... that sort of thing. You know when they have those games where you have to shoot, like, little tin ducks to win big stuffed toys? usually in American movies the big tough guys play and win the toy for their chick.

What do Americans call those games?

Is it something like a shooting gallery?

Also, why is the game hard? Is it because the guns are not aligned properly or something?


It's for a fic. Thanks guys!

Comments

[the-muppet.livejournal.com]

I don't know the right name (not being American) but shooting gallery sounds right to me. And I'm assuming they're hard because the 'bullets' are really, really light whilst the target they're trying to knock down is considerably heavier. It's all a bit of a con really =)

[starrylizard.livejournal.com]

Oh well that makes sense. The bullets being light I mean. Thanks!

hmm. This is creating issues with my fictional character and her abilities. Damn it. *sigh*

I need to ask Erinrua all about guns again too. At least that will be fun! *wanders off rambling*

[foreverseenstar.livejournal.com]

Just carnival games or games of chance/games of skill. I feel like the watergun games, like shoot the clown's mouth and the balloon fills up and pops, may be the only one not rigged usually. Easiest to rig are Ring Toss or the stacked milk cans. I've never seen an actual like, shooting game other than with just waterguns, though my google brought up a nice cross bow shoot which kinda scares me. Wouldn't want to be at that carnival. That I could see fixed as mentioned in the comment above, just lighter ammo versus heavy target. The same thing works with the milk cans. */ramble*

[starrylizard.livejournal.com]

hmm. This is creating issues with my fictional character and her abilities. Damn it.

Thank you. *wanders off grumbling to herself*

[reedfem.livejournal.com]

Depends on the game, some of them are "themed" and have names to go with. But yeah, generally they are all called some version of "shooting gallery". I've seen duck shoots and rifle shoots and others.

The guns aren't regular BB guns, they are often bent and the sights are always off, the pellets often aren't the right size for the barrel and don't shoot at any great velocity. The type of target can affect results as well.

[starrylizard.livejournal.com]

*nods* Oooh that's more like what I was imagining. Phew!

[erinrua.livejournal.com]

Shooting galleries, yup. (Though they may give the game a cute name, like African Safari or Wild West Shootout, depending on what theme they decide to use.)

And the guns are crap. They're just pellet guns and probably the sights are a little off, and undoubtedly the pellets used are not the best or even properly matched to the gun. Basically, they're crap. ;-) It's a carny thing - none of the games are rigged to be easy, or all the clever people would win them all the time.

Hope this helps!
Cheers ~

Erin

[starrylizard.livejournal.com]

So, if someone could get one of those puppies to fire accurately enough to win every time... could said person fire a proper gun okay? I mean my character is a circus chick who has grown up around these rides. But Sam wants her to fire, say, a shot gun or a hand gun. Would that be really hard, assuming she has no firearms training?

Um, also do you have anything on how far a salt-loaded shotgun would be effective? Like if she shoots from a few meters up above the action, do the rounds kinda explode before they hit the people (like buckshot?? I'm not even sure that's how buckshot works, hence the many question marks) or do they just break on impact. How close would she need to be, basically?

*looks to you* I know nothing. I do love how both you and Reedfem answered though. *gathers knowledgeable types close*

[cassikat.livejournal.com]

Dunno bout the circus chick...but I don't think the rock-salt loaded gun would actually do damage more than sting like heck. Unless the victim was closer than 10 feet away.

No expert here, mind. Just thought I'd give you my two cents and say hiiiiii! =D

[starrylizard.livejournal.com]

She only needs to create a bit of havoc, not actually harm anyone. She's creating a diversion for Sam. :)

Hiiiiii! *glomps*

[erinrua.livejournal.com]

Well ... the thing about pellet guns vs real guns is that real guns go BOOM. That kick in the hand and the noise of the shot - even wearing hearing protection - does funny things to the human nervous system, if someone has zero exposure to firearms. The reflex to flinch or recoil a bit can be kind of strong, and it's not all unusual for strong adrenaline rushes to kick in, while a newcomer is shooting. The sheer *knowledge* of "OMG, this thing can KILL things" hits some pretty primordial instincts.

Also, someone shooting pellet guns may not have learned proper shooting stance. There's no need to really stand square and have correct posture with a pellet gun, since there's no recoil and you're only shooting 10 or 15 feet.

So ... I'd say it's *possible* your OC could have a feel for shooting, but the actuality of shooting real guns will be different. At the same token, if she's a carnie who's been working circuses and fairs all her life, she's gonna be a pretty tough chick used to some pretty tough people, and has probably even been exposed to real guns a time or two.

All of which to say, she may be more naturally adept than someone who has never shot ANYthing, yes. Sam will probably just want to warn her of the recoil and noise. A 9mm or .45 pistol won't kick that bad, but for a first-timer, it's noticable, as is the noise.

But also, if it's in the middle of a bad situation where the adrenaline is *already* pumping, your girl may not even NOTICE the recoil or noise until it's over. ;-)

Per salt rounds - I don't think salt could shoot more than a few yards. It's just not heavy enough to go very far, and we do see on the show that the guys do most of their spook-shooting at almost point-blank range.

As for how buckshot pellets and salt work, they don't "break." They simply blast out of the shotgun in a burst of individual bits, (leaving the shotgun shell in the gun) and the further the shot/salt goes, the more it disperses and the more velocity it loses. Which will happen in a matter of feet and yards, for salt.

So, I'd say for salt rounds, it's going to be only 15 or 20 feet, for a solid burst, and from there on out, the salt will spread further and further, over several yards. Guess it just depends how much salt has to perforate a ghostie to make it go poof! ;-)

Does this help? Holler if you need anything else!

[starrylizard.livejournal.com]

Thank you! *smish*

I will come back when/if I need help when/if I figure out all of that. :)

The OFC's just gotta create a distraction for Sam while he rescues people, so I figured he'd prob go with salt, cos then he'd be unlikely to... get accidentally shot. :P There's no actual ghosts about... more demonic thingies. Oh boy! I wanna finish this puppy and start back at writing the one I got the map from you for earlier. The bunnies are being weird lately. :)

[erinrua.livejournal.com]

Oh well hell! If it's just a distraction, then definitely Shooting Gallery Girl can get the job done. All you need is a distracting bang, so she can do that just fine. :-)

Also, muses are fickle. *nods wisely*

TEN MINUTES TO SHOW, EEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!

[icarusancalion.livejournal.com]

Oh, rock salt hurts like hell.

Farmers in my mom's day used to load shotguns full of rock salt and use them on the kids who tipped outhouses over.

One time my mom and sisters tipped over and outhouse, only to find the farmer in it, with his pants around his knees. Oops! My mom and the older sisters ran, but her younger sister was rather plump and got it in the rump as she climbed the fence.

From my mom's description, the rock salt scatters in a spread. Grandma had to get tweezers and pick rock salt out of her sister's butt and the back of her thighs. She was sobbing because it hurt. Talk about salt in the wound.

The exploding happens depending on what it hits. You hit rock or wood, it explodes, because salt is softer. You hit flesh, it gets embedded.

WG makes a guess on the distance of the salt rounds: "20-30 yards? I'm not sure."

[starrylizard.livejournal.com]

Ouch! That would definitely sting. :P

*hits google calculator* 25 yards = 22ish meters, so that's pretty good. Thanks! :)

[icarusancalion.livejournal.com]

Shooting gallery.

The guy behind the counter is usually rather filthy and lazy, and the whole thing pretty beat up. The pellet guns are as light as a feather compared to real guns, and the pellets so light, I'd be surprised if they could put a hole in a paper plate. I've hit the target dead on, only to have the pellet bounce right off.

"Hey...."

The carny said, "You have to knock it over, those are the rule."

My brother's friends used to swear they knew which gun wasn't as "off" as the others. They'd sight down the barrel to see if its crooked (a lot of them were). I've heard of someone fixing the broken sight on the gun (vaguely recall my step dad doing that for my brother once).

The guy behind the counter has no investment in whether you win or lose, so you could potentially bring your own ammo, too. I've heard that suggestion circulate among the kids. Especially if you worked there.

All you need is someone to show you how to shoot, with or without the gallery. Carny types tend to have guns, and spend time "plinking" (shooting bottles and cans and whatnot). They might even take potshots at a neighbor's mailbox.

[starrylizard.livejournal.com]

Thanks, though now I desperately feel the need to use the word "plinking" in a fic. *hands*

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