Pistol
About This Machine
Chicago Coin's 1949 "Pistol" (model 126) is not a pinball machine but an electro-mechanical shooting gallery game, first released in March 1949. For five cents, players fire a toy pistol at targets on the playfield, simulating a 50-foot shooting gallery, with 15 shots per game.
A standout feature is its bonus mechanic: a player who hits all 15 shots may keep shooting until they miss or reach 30 hits in a row, rewarding sustained accuracy. The maple cabinet housed a backglass that ranked players by score: Rookie (0-4 hits), Average (5-9), Marksman (10-24), and Sharpshooter (25 or more). At launch, Pistol listed for $325 ($225 to distributors), and Chicago Coin confirmed a production run of 1,500 units.
No designer or theme is documented for Pistol, but its shooting-gallery format and ranking system made it a notable entry in Chicago Coin's postwar arcade lineup, and its confirmed production numbers make it a well-documented piece of 1940s coin-op history.
Images (3)
Technical Details
- Model Number:
- 126
- Notable Features:
- 15 shots for 5 cents. Uses a pistol. Maple cabinet. Making all hits on the 15 shots allows player to keep shooting until player misses or makes 30 hits in a row. Game simulates a 50-foot shooting gallery. The backglass ranks the player's score as follows: 0-4 hits = Rookie 5-9 hits = Average 10-24 hits = Marksman 25 or more hits = Sharpshooter