Belton Repeating Flintlock

[4V50 Gary]

I learned of this gun while researching for the firs tbook and contacted the Royal Armouries whose staff confessed at the tyme that they knew nothing about the action. Well, they've corrected that deficiency and here's their video on the Belton Repeating rifle that was offered to the American Congress during the American Revolution.


https://youtu.be/E2kIPmuXMWU?si=_LOcY84T_EUwWiny

 

[Schlitz 45]

Thanks for posting this, never knew this was out there.
Seems like after the first shot the exposed touch holes would be spewing fire like a ported barrel & by the last shot you'd have 6 ports open that would be venting the chamber ?
Interesting concept.

 

[4V50 Gary]

Most of the flame from subsequent shots would go down the muzzle but conceivably some could spurt out from the touchholes.

 

[RC20]

Thank you, I had never read anything in regards to a BP repeater like that (I am an extensive reader and its surprising what you can read about era's and not read about something like this)

An aside was reading Lewis and Clark journal and the pneumatic rifle they had on that expedition and how it saved them more than once due to their getting their powder drowned in one river mishap or another.

 

[4V50 Gary]

Girandoni. Do you belong to the NMLRA? I had a two part articce on an airgun inspired by it.

 

[Ricklin]

And another use

The Girandoni was also demonstrated to the natives they encountered along their way. I would think the native's reaction would be similar to me handing you my cell phone in 1955. We had a term for things we could not explain in engineering. PFM Pure F******* Magic.

 

[4V50 Gary]

Airguns were also useful for siege warfare. You don't want to discharge a musket underground in a tunnel where there may be flammable gases or powder. Airguns allowed the user to safely shoot without the dangers of kaboom!

 

[RC20]

Interesting. I had read that they saw some European use but keeping them in charged flasks as an issue.

 

[4V50 Gary]

Getting quality sheet iron from which the flasks were fabricated was problematic for Girandoni. Poor low carbon iron would blow up when they were pumped up.