Page 229 - 88-BOOK2

LOT 1224
Scarce and Desirable Panel Game Scene Engraved Girardoni System Repeating Stock Reservoir
Sporting Air Rifle by J.B. Missillieur of Vienna, Austria - NSN, 13 mm , 26 inch octagon bbl., bright finish, relief carved walnut stock. The Girardoni (sometimes spelled “Girandoni”) is easily the most famous early air rifle or windbuchse largely thanks to the fact that for many years it has been associated with Lewis & Clark and their famous Corps of Discovery Expedition. It is widely believed
that they either had a Girardoni or a very similar design by Isaiah Lukens of Philadelphia. The Girardoni was designed by Bartolomeo Girardoni around 1779 and is also significant as one of the first widely used repeating martial arms, with a magazine tube on the right side of the barrel for use with lead balls and a breech block that is able to be pressed sideways against spring pressure for loading/ repeating capability. They were notably used by Austrian sharpshooters from 1787-1815. Because the air tanks took around 30 minutes
of pumping by hand to bring to full pressure, the riflemen had assistants that repressurized the reservoirs initially and later also had more efficient wagon mounted pumps. “Wind guns” had several advantages over conventional
firearms including that they were quieter, smokeless, quicker to reload, and relatively
unaffected by rain. They also required less cleaning since they did not
require corrosive black powder. “J:B :MISSILLIEUR A VIENNE” marked on top of the barrel at the breech, “IN WIEN” marked on the right lock. Johann Baptist Missillieur (1781-1835) is recorded as a master gunmaker working in Vienna by 1821, and by 1834 he was in Prague. This example is chambered in approximately .50 caliber/13 mm and features an octagon barrel with fine-groove rifling, a dovetail mounted bead front sight (absent bead), dovetail mounted two leaf notch rear sight, a leather bound iron stock reservoir, and
a walnut stock. Features high quality engraving consisting of floral
borders surrounding game scenes including on the top of the
action consisting of a hunter sitting in a tree with a dog at attention
and downed game birds at the base of the tree, and game scenes on the left
and right lockplates with floral borders, floral engraving on the hammer with
a head, and engraving on the iron forend cap and a martial motif engraved on
the trigger guard. More information on Girardoni air rifles can be found in the online article at https://www.beemans.net/Austrian%20airguns.htm, as well as pages 598-601 of the book “Blue Book of Airguns, Thirteenth Edition”.
CONDITION: Fine with bright iron surfaces, a few small patches of very light pitting, and
crisp professionally recut engraving and markings. The walnut stock is also fine, with some
visible repairs around some of the edges and some scattered dents and handling marks. The
rewrapped leather is very good with typical age related wear and an absent section towards the front. Mechanically fine. Provenance: The Dr. Robert D. Beeman Collection.
Estimate: 9,500 - 16,000
227