Repeating Air Guns... in the 18th Century?!

For decades, Dr. Robert D. Beeman has been at the forefront of air gun collecting and research. Also the founder of Beeman Air Guns in 1972, he has been called the "Father of the Adult Airgun Market of the United States." Now, selections from his phenomenal collection are available at Rock Island Auction Company.
While Dr. Beeman has long specialized in large bore antique air guns, the highlights here show the extraordinary variety resulting from his dedication. Pistols, rifles, various countries, interesting mechanisms, and variations of the famous Girandoni system (made famous by Lewis & Clark) are just part of what is to be discovered in this fascinating assemblage of repeating air guns.
▬ Contents of this video ▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬
00:48 - Girardoni Repeating Air Rifle by J.B. Missillieur of Vienna - Lot 1224
03:00 - Bate "Flintlock" Brown Bess Barrel Reservoir Repeating Air Gun - Lot 1219
03:54 - "Flintlock" Ball Reservoir Air Gun by Edward Bate of London - Lot 225
04:21 - Engraved Early 19th Century Stock Reservoir Air Rifle by E. Bond - Lot 231
05:00 - 18th Century Repeating Air Pistol by Nicolas Bouillet of Paris - Lot 221
07:03 - Engraved Girardoni System Austrian Repeating Air Pistol - Lot 223
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[@dwyaneengle9621]

There's a chunk of firearms history i knew nothing about until today !!! Thank you for the history lesson 😊 Yes that last pistol is my favorite

[@bldlightpainting]

Magazine-fed repeating airguns in the 18th century that could fire many large caliber projectiles every minute on the battlefield or for hunting. But don't let anti-gunners know, they'll try to ban these old firearms as well.

[@iotaje1]

With the power of a .45 round at most. Even back then they were underpowered.

[@jamesferguson2353]

@@iotaje1 yes compared to firearms but can still drop ya like a sack of potatoes

[@iotaje1]

@@jamesferguson2353 The guy was talking about battlefields, and low power means short range which greatly limits the usefulness of the gun. Especially at a time when cavalry was still wearing armor.

[@Beuwen_The_Dragon]

@@iotaje1they were found to be exceptionally effective in close quarters engagements, when targets were within 1-200 yards. A company of 200 men capable of delivering 22 deadly Aimed shots in a minute were more than able to repulse a contemporary Regiment of 800 men. A .45 calibre lead ball flying at 550-650 feet per second is more than enough to punch through a soldier’s tunic, flesh and bone. Is it underpowered? By comparison to contemporary arms, yes. Does it lack range and velocity? Again, yes. But it is still lethal within 1-200 yards, it is Accurate as it is rifled, it is Silent, Produces no Smoke, no Flash, and it can fire 22 times in under a Minute. If a battlefield officer cannot find a use for such a weapon, he is surely lacking in critical tactical thinking skills.

[@iotaje1]

@@Beuwen_The_Dragon Well you probably know they were adopted by a single army which gave up on them after a few years, so they can't have been that good. For instance only the first shot has the velocities you referred to, subsequent shots are less powerful which the shooter must accommodate for.

[@billshepherd4331]

That last pistol is amazing! And I can kind of see why they were looking at pneumatic subways at about the same timeframe.

[@jerryji]

Incredible, Ingenious, Invaluable

[@bjm6104]

They are all so cool

[@eugenyrodionov3215]

Thank you! I love antique airguns.

[@michaelb.42112]

This is so crazy that in 2023 am I only finding out about the history of one of my favorite obsessions...

[@danielsmith5023]

Fancy paying to get one made these days , exact copy I mean .

[@raisagorbachov]

I'd heard of the Giardoni system. I gather the problem was always the valves as they leaked a lot.

[@Beuwen_The_Dragon]

The Girandoni was an exceptional piece of equipment, but it suffered from quality impurities inherent with the materials and manufacturing process of the time. Parts were crafted by hand, and fitted to each individual rifle. Gaskets were oiled leather, springs were Coiled, a new development in spring technologies, and made of Copper. They were cutting edge technology, but that meant they were also delicate.

[@raisagorbachov]

@@Beuwen_The_Dragon I would like to see the system revisited. I would dare to say that the system would work very well in many close quarter combat and policing roles. Having said that, cartridge guns have the upper hand with mass production and universality.

[@gravedigr12]

I heard napoleon hated air guns so much he had anyone caught using one shot right there on the spot after he captured them.

[@BLVCK6]

Sponsor someone for doing some ballistic test with 950jdj.

[@weilam03]

im wondering how they knew when the gun was full of air? were there gauges or safety blow off valves?

[@skigdividerx4991]

Fascinating pieces!

[@meofnz2320]

I’m interested in converting one of these to fire paint balls. Unfortunately I missed this auction.

[@Beuwen_The_Dragon]

You can very readily build one. The Girandoni system is incredibly simple, and is similar to the system many contemporary air rifles made today. If you’ve any skill with a hand file, a lathe, a tap and die set, or a drill press, you can easily build a Girandoni clone.

[@cozmcwillie7897]

I saw a sniper using an air rifle in an episode of Sherlock Homes (Jeremy Brett). It looked like it was all stainless steel. The air was compressed by winding round, what looked very much like a bicycle crank. I've never seen one like it since. I wonder if it was real ?

[@JoaoSoares-rs6ec]

50 calibre were small calibre back then

[@ChristopherSloane]

While we have modern air rifles these should be replicated and maybe improved if need be. I think people would enjoy these air guns more so than the plastic garbage we see today.

[@iotaje1]

A few people do make reproductions, however they remain very pricey because they are handmade. The two most challenging parts are forging and welding the reservoirs, and making the bronze receiver casting.

[@mikepette4422]

I dont think I'd like a reservoir above the action the hanging below or in the butt seems way better for balance

[@robertcromwell9736]

Why do they have flintlock mechanisms?

[@TyrusPerises]

This was often done to provide users something that felt more familiar. There are some models that conceal their reservoirs for various reasons as well as use flintlock style mechanisms because in many cases air guns were viewed with suspicion and sometimes banned outright.

[@TahmL]

We took the Indians with them in America . Also the Austrians used them in 1790 to 1815 I believe in the army

[@TahmL]

I commented before I watched the video . First 2 minutes he says this lol

[@legendofspeed118]

Amazing history thank you to everyone for bring this history to us the viewers 🍻🫡👊👏