Wingo
Encyclopedia
Wingo was an experimental indoor wing shooting sport invented by Winchester in the early 1970s. The only Wingo facility built was in San Diego
, California
.
The equipment consisted of a bank of machines that created 4 inches (101.6 mm) hollow spheres of ice. The player had a custom-made .20 calibre shotgun that was about the same size and weight as a .22 calibre rifle. The choice of calibre was to prevent players from bringing their own .22 calibre shells from outside. The gun was tethered to the shooting bench to prevent it from being pointed toward spectators and to facilitate the wiring for the internal microphone that detected when the gun was fired. Only about 20 of these guns were made and they are now very rare collector's items.
In the game, four-inch-diameter hollow spheres of ice were fired toward the shooter from one of five ports from a distance of 75 feet. When the player fired the gun a number from 1 to 10 was presented by the scoring machine. The number depended on how quickly the player fired, higher numbers for quicker reactions. If the player hit the sphere, he/she scored the number presented by the scoring machine.
Winchester conducted the trial in San Diego, rather than a Midwest city where shooting sports were more popular, because they wanted to see if it would catch on in a city where there was an abundance of pastimes. The sport was not financially successful and the Wingo facility was closed in less than a year. The facility is now a branch of the San Diego Superior Court.
San Diego, California
San Diego is the eighth-largest city in the United States and second-largest city in California. The city is located on the coast of the Pacific Ocean in Southern California, immediately adjacent to the Mexican border. The birthplace of California, San Diego is known for its mild year-round...
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
.
The equipment consisted of a bank of machines that created 4 inches (101.6 mm) hollow spheres of ice. The player had a custom-made .20 calibre shotgun that was about the same size and weight as a .22 calibre rifle. The choice of calibre was to prevent players from bringing their own .22 calibre shells from outside. The gun was tethered to the shooting bench to prevent it from being pointed toward spectators and to facilitate the wiring for the internal microphone that detected when the gun was fired. Only about 20 of these guns were made and they are now very rare collector's items.
In the game, four-inch-diameter hollow spheres of ice were fired toward the shooter from one of five ports from a distance of 75 feet. When the player fired the gun a number from 1 to 10 was presented by the scoring machine. The number depended on how quickly the player fired, higher numbers for quicker reactions. If the player hit the sphere, he/she scored the number presented by the scoring machine.
Winchester conducted the trial in San Diego, rather than a Midwest city where shooting sports were more popular, because they wanted to see if it would catch on in a city where there was an abundance of pastimes. The sport was not financially successful and the Wingo facility was closed in less than a year. The facility is now a branch of the San Diego Superior Court.