Lewis and Clark Air Rifle

[LouisianaJoe]

I found this interesting.

FT forum: This is just to cool not to spread around

 

[mg357]

thank you for the post LouisianaJoe

 

[Indiana George]

I knew a bit of the rifle's history, but hadn't seen this video.
Excellent! Thanks for posting, Louisiana Joe!

 

[OLDFED]

I think it's a wonderful presentation! I noted at the end he said, "The Cascades and the Potomac River." I think he meant the Columbia River, or is there another Potomac River out West?

 

[reddogge]

I was fortunate to hear a presentation by the two men who built the reproduction he mentioned in the video. I also got to fire it one time at a 6" gong at 50 yards offhand. Hit it! They used compressed air to charge it rather than do the 1,500 pumps on the charging pump.

They estimated the repro would be worth about $70,000 and this was about 6 years ago and the pump and kit to maintain it was worth $15,000.

 

[5Wire]

Link failed???

 

[Indiana George]

Link failed???

5Wire,

I'm showing that Joe's link is still good, but you might give this a try;



YouTube - Girandoni air rifle as used by Lewis and Clark. A National Firearms Museum Treasure Gun.

 

[NCTexan]

That was great. I really enjoyed reading Undaunted Courage and had wondered what the air rifle looked like and how it would shoot.

 

[5Wire]

Thanks, Indiana George, yours worked fine and, go figger, now the original one worked for me.

 

[Bullseye 2620]

22 .46 caliber projectiles in 30 seconds able to penetrate 1" of plywood at 100 yards. . .with no sound, smoke, or muzzle flash? I'll take two, please.


Bullseye

 

[Cyrano]

An interesting presentation, and some new and fascinating theories. However, the Girandoni air rifle was not the one owned by Meriwether Lewis and used on the expedition. His rifle was made by Isaiah Lukens, clockmaker in Philadelphia, who made the clock in Philadelphia's liberty Hall. Several other air rifles by him are also known. The Lewis & Clark rifle had a replacement mainspring and a repair to the ruptured air flask, both made by Private john Shields of the expedition. Untrained, 2000 miles from civilization, with little more than a bellows and a charcoal fire, he forged, tempered and welded the product of the Philadelphia clockmaker. Lewis said the rifle had the same caliber as the expedition's other rifles. Despite popular opinion, these were not the Model 1803 rifle, but the earlier Contract Model of 1792, and were in 45 caliber. It probably had a set trigger. Somehow the air rifle got back to Lukens and was part of his estate when he died in 1847. Item #95 of the inventory of his effects is "1 large air gun made for and used by Messrs Lewis and Clark in their exploring expediitons". It vanishes from history after that. There is no dearth of claimants for the title of Lewis and Clark rifle; Dr Robert D. Beeman extensively researched the question and his article apears in Airgun Revue #6. There are several other articles by other researchers, mostly in "We Proceeded On, the official publication of the Lewis and Clark Trail Heritage Foundation". Dr Beeman reaches the conclusion that the Lewis and Clark airgun is one now in the VMI Museum. His reasoning is persuasive, but my opinion is that there is insufficient provenance to any of the claimiants to give them title to the Lewis and Clark gun.

Incidentally, the only firearm positively identified as coming from the Lewis and Clark expedition is a trade musket given to the indian chief Twisted Hair and buried with his son. It was recovered in 'ruinous' condition in 1960 and is now in the Clearwater Historical Society.

 

[spricks]

Lewis & Clark History Lesson

I never knew this before, and I think most folks will agree that this is worth sharing. It's worth viewing for sure!
spricks