Thread: British Law?

Originally Posted by HNSB

The Lewis and Clark expedition carried an air rifle that was powerful enough to kill deer.
It had an air reservoir in the buttstock and a detachable barrel. The barrel was removed, and there was a pump that would insert into the buttstock. The other end of the pump was threaded to screw into a tree. The rifleman would rock back and forth against the tree to charge the rifle.

I think I have seen an old drawing of that rifle somewhere, do you know if it was one shot per charge?

It is believed to have been able to fire multiple shots per charge, as evidenced by this journal entry:

Originally Posted by (Smith and Swick, 1997) of a little known travel diary journal of a Thomas Rodney, who was a day visitor to Captain Meriwether Lewis while he was traveling down the Ohio River at Wheeling, Ohio in September of 1803, contains a tiny passage which has caused new thinking about the Lewis airgun. The passage reads

Visited Captain Lewess barge. He shewed us his air gun which fired 22 times at one charge. He shewed us the mode of charging her and then loaded with 12 balls which he intended to fire one at a time; but she by some means lost the whole charge of air at the first fire. He charged her again and then she fired twice. He then found the cause and in some measure prevented the airs escaping, and then she fired seven times; but when in perfect order she fires 22 times in a minute. All the balls are put at once into a short side barrel and are then droped into the chamber of the gun one at a time by moving a spring; and when the triger is pulled just so much air escapes out of the air bag which forms the britch of the gun as serves for one ball. It is a curious peice of workmanship not easily discribed and therefore I omit attempting it.”

from: New Page 1


In the late 90's I worked for a drafting and design firm and was involved with creating digital renderings of parts of the gun which were lost to history. At that time the rifle was believed to have been a single shot, and made by a gunmaker named Isaiah Lukens. Now it is not certain if Lewis carried a Lukens rifle. The journal entry above suggests it may have been something else.

Originally Posted by HNSB

The Lewis and Clark expedition carried an air rifle that was powerful enough to kill deer.
It had an air reservoir in the buttstock and a detachable barrel. The barrel was removed, and there was a pump that would insert into the buttstock. The other end of the pump was threaded to screw into a tree. The rifleman would rock back and forth against the tree to charge the rifle.

Thanks mate, I knew I had heard about air guns from times past. That's the exact story I had read, it included diagrams. Now I just wish I could remember where I read it. More than likely from one of the many Australian Shooter mags I have scattered around the joint.


Mick

I'm pretty sure this one was the one used by Lewis,

Girandoni Air Rifle - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Here's a video. It's long winded and short on info.



Not clear if this is the actual rifle or not.

Yep, ZZZZZ