Tailfeathers 2 Posted March 8, 2011 Report Share Posted March 8, 2011 Thinking of air rifles, I think of my Dad's Red Rider from the 1930's he passed on to my brother and I back in the 1960's, and also of the Red Ryders that are still made today and found under Christmas trees. I never knew air rifles were manufactured way back in the late 1700's. Heres a good video by the Firearms Curator at the National Rifle Association's National Firearm Museum here in Virginia, USA. Amazing how one rifle protected these men in the wilderness from being overtaken by the native people, and enabled these men to add so much to our history. Enjoy, Rich Quote Link to post Share on other sites
pipa 299 Posted April 6, 2011 Report Share Posted April 6, 2011 good find mate! i didnt think airguns went back as far as that? let alone one what was pumped up an add an air resivior??? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
pianoman 3,584 Posted April 7, 2011 Report Share Posted April 7, 2011 Hi Rich/Tailfeathers and welcome from England! I have been fascinated by the Lewis and Clark expedition and the Girandoni air rifle. A friend of mine here posted up a vid of it too. The hammer was, I think purely for aesthetics, in keeping with the appearance of conventional flintlock powder and ball muskets of the day. Though of course, it lacked the Frizzen and fusepowder priming pan. It was a beautiful piece of precision gunsmithing and an astonishing weapon for it's day, firing a 46-calibre ball from a tubular side press-magazine of 22. I read somewhere how just one of these rifles held off an attack of over 40 native indians during the trek. It's basically all there as a modern pre-charged air rifle is recognised today, even with a detachable, flask air-bottle doubling as the buttstock. I'd love to know what its muzzle energy and ball velocity read on a chrono! I think it is one of the most beautiful works of gunsmithing art I've ever seen. Thanks for posting it here Simon Quote Link to post Share on other sites
falcongit 242 Posted April 7, 2011 Report Share Posted April 7, 2011 very interesting story,and what a great rifle it looks to...theres alot of work gone into that....you wood never think they went that far back... symon Quote Link to post Share on other sites
air gun ant 1,666 Posted September 4, 2011 Report Share Posted September 4, 2011 Very very very interesting!!!!!!!!! Thanks mate ;-) Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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