AUSTRIAN 19th Century F. HOVER Bellows Crank Handle Tip-Up Barrel AIR GUN Primarily Used for INDOOR TARGET SHOOTING

Description:
AUSTRIAN 19th Century F. HOVER Bellows Crank Handle Tip-Up Barrel AIR GUN  

Primarily Used for INDOOR TARGET SHOOTING

Here we present an Austrian F. Hover Bellows Crank Handle Tip-Up Air Gun, made circa the mid-19th Century in Gmunden, Austria. 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. The name “F:HOYER .IN GMUNDEN” is marked on top of the tip-up octagon barrel chambered in approximately .28 caliber, which is roughly 7mm. This was possibly made to fire 6.5mm 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.

Information on Bellows air guns can be found on pages 213-214 of the “Blue Book of Airguns, Thirteenth Edition”.

The overall condition is fair to good. Dark patina on the iron parts. The front trigger of the double set triggers has been broken off. The bore is shiny bright and smooth. The lever tips up the barrel. The stock shows some old stable splits and is otherwise solid.

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

Barrel is 29-3/8 inches.

Caliber:  6.5mm

Overall condition as seen in photos.

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ancestryguns

$2800

#233751
 

Antique: Yes

Price: $2,800.00
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