POTD: Remington Arms Inc Target-Rifle 22 Gallery Gun
Sam.S 08.12.21
Welcome to today’s Photo of the Day! The gallery gun is one of those lesser-known things in firearms history. Lesser-known may not be entirely the right words, but definitely, something glossed over. At one time the average-joe could walk down a city street and see a vendor with their gallery guns and carnival games. These “gallery guns” fired live ammunition and for obvious reasons became phased out as time rolled on. People would hurt themselves or others by mistake, or even, by no mistake at all! Cities looked down on gunfire in their limits. So came the end of the gallery gun as they were meant to be.
“Before the Second World War, carnivals were an American mainstay. It is hard to believe in these days that at one time, shooting galleries that fired live ammunition were the norm. Offered is a very rare UMC cast shooting gallery base. This would have been attached to a long counter for mounting in front of the targets. The original metal UMC top has been restored and a custom cabinet made so as to be free standing. The mounting hardware has been re-engineered to allow the rifle to be removed from display stand, taken into the field and then re-attached for display. This was accomplished by insetting a threaded sleeve into the forearm of the rifle. In essence, you could insert a threaded sleeve into the forearm of any rifle and it, too, would be compatible to this UMC display. The rifle is a pre-war Remington Targetmaster single shot rifle, one of the finer pre-war single shots available at the time. It has sporting rear sight and doetailed bead front sight. Blue with polished bolt and walnut stock with checkered black plastic buttplate.”
Lot 811: Remington Arms Inc Target-Rifle 22 SL LR [Photograph found in Auction Catalog #51, Rock Island Auction Company]. (n.d.). Retrieved August 11, 2021, from https://www.rockislandauction.com/detail/51/811/remington-arms-inc-targetrifle-22-sl-lr
