The earliest known example of the Girandoni air rifle is currently on display at Stockholm, Sweden’s Livrustkammeran Museum and dates to around 1580. The Air Rifle of Captain Meriwether Lewis: “Something From the Gods” By 1810, the Girandoni had been entirely phased out. At least one, however, crossed the Atlantic and played a major role in a pivotal period of American history. Fed into a loading tube alongside the barrel of the weapon, these rifle balls were loaded into the weapon individually by a simple steel block, which slid back and forth at the base of the breech. The … On the very first page of Lewis’ personal journal kept on the trip, he recounts how he demonstrated the weapon’s capabilities to the wonderment of the crowd. A bout half of the enlisted men in the permanent party of the expedition were chosen by Captain Lewis from among regular Army troops stationed in the general vicinity of St. Louis. One of those “lightning bolt” moments that not only answered one of my nagging questions about how the Expedition managed to keep from being obliterated by the mostly hostile situation that they were forced to do their work, but what great rewards are gained if I had just bothered to have read the Journals sometime in my life. Whenever a new tribe was encountered by the expedition, Lewis and Clark staged a grand entrance calculated to impress (or intimidate) the natives. In comparison, its contemporary gunpowder driven musket was considered accurate to only about 50 yards. At village after village, the small band of 38 explorers was allowed to pass safely without a single casualty through some of the most hostile and warlike peoples on earth. 5 years ago | 66 views. They used their air gun to amaze the natives they met along the way. Possibly you could correct this? It changed the world more than any other single event in history. Lewis and Clark always met a new tribe dressed in their Class A uniforms, swallow-tail coats, with fife and drums playing. WWII Quarterly, the hardcover journal of the Second World War that is not available in bookstores or on newsstands, and can only be obtained and collected through a personal subscription through the mail. These rifles were built at harper’s Ferry. As much as the Indians coveted the guns and goods which the Corps of Discovery carried, none was bold enough to make an outright grab for the goods. To his surprise and gratification, Beeman found himself the proud owner of the famous Lewis and Clark Girandoni. This rifle was first used during the Napoleonic Wars. Specially trained gunsmiths were also a necessity, one for each 100 riflemen, and they required a very specialized supply of spare parts—mainsprings, replacement seals, and extra air flasks. Each rifle was issued with three such air reservoirs. Even with these challenges, the weapon proved exceptionally effective on the battlefields of the Austro-Turkish War (1787-1791), but despite some allegations to the contrary it never saw service against Napoleon. In time, Beeman’s name would become synonymous with air rifles after his boyhood interest led him to found the world-famous Beeman Precision Airgun company. I had not known about the rifle until I read this book. Times when the very landscape appears to shift. With a muzzle velocity of 1,000 feet per second, the windbuchse, literally “wind rifle,” could put a lead ball clean through a one-inch pine board at 100 yards. I for one would like to have one for occasional use and eye candy for the living room wall. The “elk” turned out to be Lewis himself. Produced in .46-caliber, the Girandoni was a quantum leap forward in weapons technology. Similar pieces were supplied by Bartolomeo Girardoni to the Austrian army circa 1780. Follow. 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