Air Rifle turned the tide for Lewis & Clark
The NRA National Firearms Museum has a never–ending supply of historically significant guns. A favorite, recently pointed out to NRAblog by Senior Curator Phil Schreier, is the Girandoni air rifle. Designed in late 18th Century for the Austrian Army, the Girandoni repeating rifle held twenty–two .46 caliber balls and was capable of firing up to 40 times without significant loss of muzzle velocity. But where it really shined was during the Lewis and Clark Expedition.
Hear the whole story below and check out photos of the Girandoni at the National Firearms Museum website.