^Lot 3224 RARE GIRANDONI MILITARY REPEATING AIR RIFLE, 1797.

Cal. 46. S# 1153. This is the same model taken by Lewis & Clark on their 1803-1806 expedition. The nearly identical "Lewis rifle" which has no markings is on display at the US Army Heritage & Education Center at Carlisle, PA donated in 2005 after years of research by air gun historian Robert Beeman. Beeman sold S# 1356 identical to this gun also in auction in 2023 for $55,000. Lewis & Clark performed demonstrations in front of Native American tribes, including a "magic" air gun.About 1500 Austrian military Model 1780 Girardoni repeating air rifles were manufactured and were a secret weapon of the time offering 20 round magazine with incredible good power. This was high-tech gun, the air reservoir made of heavy steel in butt had to be filled with hand pump, so having extra filled screwed on reservoirs was important in battle. The accompanying 60 page article by Beeman shows highly detailed information on function and shows photos of 46 caliber smashed when shot against a steel plate. This air gun had great advantage over the flint lock rifles of the day, they could be fired without reloading, could operate in rain, no muzzle flash to give away position, did not produce dense smoke that often obscured a soldier's view. These weapons were terribly expensive to manufacture and were taken of military service in 1801. Rifle is elegantly brass mounted, tapered cylindrical bulbous air reservoir is leather covered and screws into frame acting as buttstock. Tapered octagonal 33" barrel, spring loaded 10" tubular magazine mounted on right side, loaded by steel spring loaded 3" simply pushed through breech on left which accepts ball and returns it to fire, entire magazine could be fired in less than a minute, that's why these were issued to sharpshooters. UNATTACHED ACCESSORIES: several articles, and large file of research; paid invoice, Hermann Historica, Munich, lot358, March 5, 2007. CONDITION: very good overall, appears complete and functional if the over 200-year-old gas seals sill hold. PROVENANCE: Dave Berenson estate collection 2007. (02-27297/JS). NON-GUN. $20,000-40,000.
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