Some more info I found with a quick google:
http://www.statemaster.com/encyclopedia/AirgunsReservoir guns represent the oldest pneumatic technology; they have existed since the
15th century. They presented some compelling advantages over the primitive firearms of the day. These airguns could be fired in wet weather (unlike
flintlocks), and with greater rapidity than the muzzle-loading guns of the period. Moreover, they were nearly silent, had no muzzle flash, and did not produce telltale clouds of smoke.
In this era, France, Austria and other nations had special detachments of snipers who carried air-rifles. (14th century - 15th century - 16th century - other centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 15th century was that century which lasted from 1401 to 1500. ... A flintlock is a firearm that operates in the following manner: The operator loads the gun, usually from the barrel end, with black powder followed by shot or a bullet wrapped in a paper patch, all rammed down with a special rod; A hammer tightly holding a shaped bit of... The French Republic or France (French: République française or France) is a country whose metropolitan territory is located in western Europe, and which is further made up of a collection of overseas islands and territories located in other continents. ... The Republic of Austria (German: Republik Österreich) is a landlocked country in Central Europe. ... For general usage, though, airguns were no real challenge to the dominant position of powder weapons. They were expensive, delicate and not very powerful. The air reservoirs could burst explosively. The valves were not very tight and slowly leaked pressure. Historical accounts mention that the common soldiers were often unable to handle the complex, delicate guns, which was logical in an age where the average peasant recruit had never encountered a machine more complex than a horse-drawn cart, and people who had any experience with mechanical devices (millers or clockmakers) were few and far between. The guns of the period were famously crude, and required very little skill from the average infantryman (skilled snipers or hunters were something else entirely, see Jäger).
Jäger (plural also Jäger, both pronounced as the surname Yeager) is a German word for hunter. In English it is often written with the plural Jägers, or as jaeger (pl. ... The Austrian
1780 model was named "Windbüchse" (literally "wind rifle") in German. The guns were developed by the gunsmith Bartholomeo Girandoni (
1744-
1799), and are occasionally called "Girandoni air guns" in literature. The Windbüchse was about 4 ft (1.2 m) long and weighed 10 pounds (4.5 kg), which was about the same size and mass as a conventional musket of the time. The reservoir was a removable, club-shaped butt; the gun was recharged by replacing the exhausted reservoir with a new one. The Windbüchse carried twenty lead balls of caliber 13 mm (.52 inch) in a tubular magazine, and could empty one magazine in about thirty seconds. The effect can be roughly compared to that of a modern 9 mm or .45 inch pistol. A shot from this gun could penetrate a one-inch wooden board at a 100 paces.
Events January 16 - Sweden, and Russia. ... Events The third French and Indian War, known as King Georges War, breaks out at Port Royal, Nova Scotia Ongoing events War of the Austrian Succession (1740-1748) Births May 19 - Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, Queen-Consort of King George III of Great Britain July 17 -Elbridge Gerry, American... 1799 was a common year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar). ... The celebrated expedition headed by
Lewis and Clark reportedly carried a large-caliber reservoir gun.
The Lewis and Clark expedition (1804-1806) was the first American overland expedition to the Pacific coast and back. ... Some of the largest pneumatic guns in history were mounted on the
USS Vesuvius. This naval vessel was armed with three 15 inch (381 mm) reservoir-powered cannons that fired highly explosive projectiles. Unfortunately for the future of airguns, these suffered from poor range and, unlike conventional cannon, could not rotate relative to the rest of the ship.
