Airguns

In the wake of the scientific discovery of atmospheric pressure in the 17^th century, gunmakers devised several pneumatic shooting mechanisms. An air pump was used to store compressed air in a reservoir sealed with a pneumatic valve; the air pressure would then serve as propellent for the projectile. The advantages of such airguns included their noiselessness and multi-shot capability. The special mechanism shown here is found in an early 18^th-century airgun likely produced in Poland.