BlueTang sent me a link to a video (see it below) regarding the Lewis & Clark expedition that talks about one particular piece of gear they carried, a repeating air rifle.

A toy you say? Not worth mentioning, you say? How about a .46 caliber, 22 shot repeating rifle with the equivalent stopping power estimated to be between that of a .38 special and a .45ACP….and the rifle was used in military service almost 50 years before the Henry repeater was released! And at a distance of 50 feet, and in the hands of a decent shooter, this rifle is capable of placing ten shots into a group the size of a quarter.

The Girandoni air rifle was an important first. It was the first repeating rifle of any kind to see military service. It was one of the first uses of a tubular magazine. And, although it saw service for only 35 years, it predated and was more advanced in design and mechanical technology than the Henry rifle which arrived fifty years later.

The story is a remarkable one, of the methods used to get more than three dozen explorers across roughly 7,689 miles (give or take a few feet), most of them hostile territory, full of unknown dangers….and adventures.

Watch the video and learn a little bit about this country’s history, a slice of it you’ve probably not heard much about.

Peace,
db

PS- I want one of these for Christmas, btw.

Click here to read more about it

The video: