Old weapons ID help

09-03-2009, 17:33

Can any of you highspeed 18Bs identify these weapons?
http://s161.photobucket.com/albums/t...ent=rifles.jpg

griper23 · 09-03-2009, 20:15

those are airguns. 18th century pneumatic guns. they even made some of them in .50. _GRIPER23

skylinedrive · 09-04-2009, 01:10

I'm not sure about the others but the upper two are Air rifles indeed!
The uppermost one has a spherical copper reservoir for compressed air, the one beneath has the reservoir in the buttstock. It is quite similar to the Girardoni rifle.

09-04-2009, 16:54

No shit air rifles! The man who owns these rifles emailed the photo to a friend of mine and told him they were air rifles (not sure if all or some are air). He told my friend one was the type Napoleon carried and another is the type Lewis & Clark carried on their journey. When he told my friend one was a .45 cal air gun capable of killing deer or buffalo he raised the BS flag and asked me if I knew, but I wasn't an 18B. I figured this would be the best place to find out. Right on the money with the era, griper23. Thank you, gentlemen. It appears the old man isn't bullshitting after all!

Any idea of country of origin of these things? I'd never heard of such guns before. Pretty cool stuff. Thanks again.

Be safe,
Randy

skylinedrive · 09-04-2009, 23:42

The .45 sure was capable of killing deer. If memory serves me right I read once that the austrian army even fielded the Girardoni air rifle for some time.