interesting Lewis and Clark GDG

[John Lash]

I saw this on another site. An old air rifle that may have made the U. S. what it is today.


http://www.network54.com/Forum/451309/thread/1296928404/This+is+just+to+cool+not+to+sprea...

Then I looked for more about it on the internet, interesting stuff.

[Colonel Blimp]

John,

Thanks for posting the link.

I'd heard the tale before, though I'm unsure if the Girandoni was ever actually made in the US. The design certainly gave rise to rip offs and or developments over yonder, so that might be where the suggestion comes from. I'm a big fan of air rifles (but not the ones like the Girandoni that needed 1,000 strokes of the charging lever!) for small game hunting and garden protection. A stroll up the hedgerows in a Summers evening for a rabbit is one of lifes minor pleasures, and knocking a wood pigeon off the young pea plants adds a tasty morsel to a warm green salad.

The terrain round here is pretty rocky, and I've had a few dispiriting moments with ricochets from the .22 rimfire; the modest power of an air rifle is just as satisfying and considerably safer.

Regards

Eug

[John Lash]

There's a lot of information about the story on the internet. Girandonis were made in Italy. Beeman (the air rifle Beeman) acquired one somewhere and lent it to be used to make 4 copies for museums to display. During the course of copying it they determined that it was the one used by Lewis and Clark. It had gotten lost after the expedition. There's an interesting article here:

http://www.beemans.net/lewis-assault-rifle.htm

I always wondered how they survived the expedition with the Indians. According to the articles it was the awesome firepower of the rifle. They only had one but no one else knew that.

[rbr]

That's a fascinating piece. Thanks for posting it.

Bert

[Keith Stroyan]

I've read about the air rifle before. Interesting, but not nearly as interesting as the way the Mandan prepared the night before a bison hunt, ...