Although black powder, and for that matter muzzleloading is not envolved, I though you might be interested in the following excerpt from Pictorial History of the Rifle by G.W.P Swenson copyright G.W.P.Swenson 1972. Unfortunatly the publisher of my copy of this book (Drake Publishers Inc. New York, N.Y. choose not to include the sources for the footnotes.
"...The Austrians also attempted to introduce a powerful air rifle; the inventor was a Tyrolese clockmaker, Bartholomew Girandoni. In 1779 two rifles of his invention, a repeating rifle using gunpowder, and another working on compressed air were tested by the Austrian Government. Production of the air rifle began in November of that year, but output until the end of 1784 showed only about 175 rifles. An additional 700 were produced during the period ending 1887. The rifle was extremely difficult to manufacture with the resources of that day, but in spite of all the difficulties it was a very advanced weapon(38).
It weighed only 9 1/4 lbs, and was a 20 shot repeater, with a speed of fire of a shot every second. The balls were fed by gravity down a magazine tube parallel to the barrel, and fed into the breech by a thumb activated, spring loaded, cross bolt.
Velocity was 985 foot per socond, several hundred feet less than conventional rifles of the time, and pressure in the air reservoir which also acted as a butt stock was about 400 lb per square inch.
Contemporary records claim-that the first ten shots were effective to 120 yards; the next 10 to 100 yards. Should further ten shots be fired the range was only 80 yards.
Since 2000 pump strokes were required to charge the reservoir, spare butts were obviously required...
At most 1500 rifles were produced by 1799.
The rifles were withdrawn in 1801 and an Imperial Court Order of 1802 included air guns in the 'list of secret and hidden weapons', and forbid their manufacture...
They were used against the Turks and the French and the celebrated Colonel Thornton was informed in Paris in 1802 by General Mortier that the French executed all Austrian soldures in possession of the rifles."
As they say, "There is Nothing new under the sun".
"...The Austrians also attempted to introduce a powerful air rifle; the inventor was a Tyrolese clockmaker, Bartholomew Girandoni. In 1779 two rifles of his invention, a repeating rifle using gunpowder, and another working on compressed air were tested by the Austrian Government. Production of the air rifle began in November of that year, but output until the end of 1784 showed only about 175 rifles. An additional 700 were produced during the period ending 1887. The rifle was extremely difficult to manufacture with the resources of that day, but in spite of all the difficulties it was a very advanced weapon(38).
It weighed only 9 1/4 lbs, and was a 20 shot repeater, with a speed of fire of a shot every second. The balls were fed by gravity down a magazine tube parallel to the barrel, and fed into the breech by a thumb activated, spring loaded, cross bolt.
Velocity was 985 foot per socond, several hundred feet less than conventional rifles of the time, and pressure in the air reservoir which also acted as a butt stock was about 400 lb per square inch.
Contemporary records claim-that the first ten shots were effective to 120 yards; the next 10 to 100 yards. Should further ten shots be fired the range was only 80 yards.
Since 2000 pump strokes were required to charge the reservoir, spare butts were obviously required...
At most 1500 rifles were produced by 1799.
The rifles were withdrawn in 1801 and an Imperial Court Order of 1802 included air guns in the 'list of secret and hidden weapons', and forbid their manufacture...
They were used against the Turks and the French and the celebrated Colonel Thornton was informed in Paris in 1802 by General Mortier that the French executed all Austrian soldures in possession of the rifles."
As they say, "There is Nothing new under the sun".
