Hardly your father’s Daisy Red Ryder! (Merged)

Peace through superior firepower - 200 years ago

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-pqFyKh-rUI

Excellent video! I've read 'Undaunted Courage' and always wondered what the 'air rifle' that was frequently referred to, really was. Ambrose presents the display of the rifle to the indians as though it was some form of entertainment, since it was unique to the black powder guns that most of the indians had already seen and were using. If it really could fire 40+ large caliber balls on one charge, that would have been quite intimidating.

Thanks for the continuing education.

Thanks Smitty! That was very interesting. I enjoyed the video.

Very interesting, thanks for posting!

Great strategy and a really cool weapon. Thanks for posting.

Very good vidoe, knew thay had an air rifle with tham but never knew it had so much fire power.

Very interesting! I had never heard of this air gun before...Thanks for the post.:hand10:

That was very cool!

I had not heard of the Giradoni Air Rifle before today.

These days, Lewis' air rifle is at the U.S. Army War College. It was at the NRA National firearms Museum until 2007.

If anyone makes their way to the Pacific Northwest, specifically the Columbia Gorge and Astoria, some interpretive centers have models of the air rifle. The ones I can think of are the Columbia Gorge Discovery Center in The Dalles and Fort Clastop near Astoria, where the Corps of Discovery wintered in 1805-1806 before returning to St Louis.

Wow, that's one of the best videos I ever saw. Very interesting. I had no idea about that air gun.

Thanks for posting!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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Now that was a very interesting video. Thanks for posting that link!

According to the journals of Meriwether Lewis, though, repeated shots from that rifle only served to make an angry Grizzly Bear even more enraged.

It probably did impress the native Americans that they showed it to a great deal, though. So it certainly served an important PR function during the expedition.

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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-pqFy...mbedded#at=471

What great technology in that day! IT is worth a watch.

I have read that Lewis and Clark had an air rifle with them, but had never seen any pictures or informaiton on the "Air Rifle" they had. I think it would great to at least get to shoot a replica one day.

There are a few of those old air rifles floating around, and actually a couple different configurations. The museum at Valley Forge had one on display a couple years ago, I don't know if it was a permanent or temporary display though.