GERMANIC Mid-Nineteenth Century BELLOWS Crank Handle Tip-Up Barrel AIR GUN Primarily Used for INDOOR TARGET SHOOTING

Description:
GERMANIC Mid-Nineteenth Century BELLOWS Crank Handle Tip-Up Barrel AIR GUN

Primarily Used for INDOOR TARGET SHOOTING

Here we present a Germanic Bellows Crank Handle Tip-Up Air Gun, made circa the mid-19th Century. Air guns represent the oldest pneumatic technology. The oldest existing mechanical air gun dates back to about 1580 and is in the Livrustkammaren Museum in Stockholm. This is approximately what most historians recognize as the beginning of the modern air gun. Throughout 17th to 19th century, air guns in .30 to .51 calibers were used to hunt big game, deer and wild boar. These air rifles were charged using a pump to fill an air reservoir and gave velocities from 650 to 1,000 ft/s. They were also used in warfare, the most recognized example being the Girandoni air rifle.

These bellows air guns were generally made in the late 1700s to the mid-1800s and were used primarily for indoor target shooting. Their basic feature is a conical bellows hidden in the hollowed out wooden buttstock. This example is equipped with a tip-up octagon barrel chambered in approximately .25 caliber, which is roughly 6.5mm. This was possibly made to fire 6mm darts with a hair tail. It features a smooth bore that loads from the breech and releases with a lever that protrudes through the bottom of the stock ahead of the trigger guard.

The overall condition is good. Gray patina throughout. The action is untested. The bore is smooth and shiny bright. The barrel release is function and the barrel tips up for loading. The rear sight is absent. The stock is in good condition with a minor split near the barrel hinge and at the thumb rest on the right side. Formerly of the Beeman collection.

Own the original! This is a legitimate antique and not a reproduction.

Barrel is 31-3/4 inches.

Caliber: 6.5mm

Overall condition as seen in photos.

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ancestryguns

$2950

#233767
 

Antique: Yes

Price: $2,950.00
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