Unlike its contemporary, muzzle-loading muskets, which required the rifleman to stand up to reload with powder and ball, the shooter could reload a ball from the magazine by pulling a transverse chamber bar out of the breech which allowed a ball to be supplied to it and which then rebounded back to its original position with the aid of a spring, all while lying down. Some of the weapons were also made using a gravity-fed magazine. 51 caliber ball and had a tubular, spring-fed magazine with a capacity of 20 balls. The rifle was 4 ft (1.2 m) long and weighed 10 lb (4.5 kg), about the same basic size and weight as infantry muskets of the time. The Lewis and Clark Expedition used the rifle in the demonstrations that they performed for nearly every Native American tribe they encountered on the expedition. It was also very different from any other weapon of the time, requiring extensive training to use. In addition, the weapon was very delicate, and a small break in the reservoir could make it inoperable. The reservoirs, made from hammered sheet iron held together with rivets and sealed by brazing, proved very difficult to manufacture using the techniques of the period and were always in short supply. Later, a wagon-mounted pump was provided. While the detachable air reservoir was capable of around 30 shots, it took nearly 1,500 strokes of a hand pump to fill those reservoirs. There was also a version sold to civilians after it was removed from military service. It did have problems and was eventually removed from service for several reasons decades after introduction. The advantages of a high rate of fire, no smoke from propellants, and low muzzle report granted it acceptance. Many references to the Girardoni air rifles mention lethal combat ranges of 125 to 150 yards and some extend that range considerably. The Girardoni air rifle was in service with the Austrian army from 1780 to around 1815. One of the rifle's more famous associations is its use on the Lewis and Clark Expedition to explore and map the Louisiana Purchase of 1803. The weapon was also known as the Windbüchse ("wind rifle" in German). The Girardoni air rifle was an air gun designed by Tyrolian inventor Bartolomeo Girardoni circa 1779. Recreation of an Austrian Girardoni system accoutrements bag, including bullet mold, air pump, spare air flasks, wrenches and ladle
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