Quote:
Originally Posted by stevej37
I've read the book about it, but always have wondered about the air gun that Lewis and Clark carried.
Did it compare to the air guns today? Was it pumped the same way?
The book didn't explain it much..just that it was very unique for it's time.
|
It required a separate pump, and stored its air supply in a spherical chamber under the forearm, ahead of the trigger guard. It was extremely expensive to manufacture, and rather finicky. I believe it was somewhere around .50 caliber, and closely matched tho power and accuracy of a normal muzzle loader of the period, while being more reliable in bad weather.
The Brits used similar air rifles in the Napoleonic Wars. Napoleon actually decreed that anyone caught with one be summarily executed. With the relatively mild report, and lack of smoke, it was difficult to tell where the shot had come from. He didn't like that at all...