Air Rifles

[Todg]

As Far-Trader requested, here are a few 'air' rifles to add to Traveller.

1. Low tech air rifle. This first appears at TL3, and is a contemporary of the flintlock. While expensive and difficult to manufacture, the air rifle is by far the most deadly weapon on the battlefield. Whereas the common infantry weapon is the single shot, smooth bore musket, and can be fired 3 time per minute by trained troops, accuracy is nonexistant and it requires massed volleys at as little as 50 meters to produce even small numbers of casualties.

The rifle musket does exist, but it is difficult to load, with projectiles that often have to be hammered down the barrel.

By contrast, the air rifle can fire rifled ball projectiles massing some 12g at 250m/s one after another from a 12 shot magazine. The air resevoir contains enough pressure for several dozen shots, and can be replaced with a charged one fairly rapidly.

And unlike their blackpowder contemporaries, the air rifle emits no cloud of smoke and makes comparatively little noise.

Repeating air rifle. TL3. Length 1.2 meters, mass. 4kg, cost (at TL3) Cr750

Armor Matrix
NON JCK MSH CLH RFL ABL CBT
+1 +1 -1 -3 +1 -1 -5

Range Matrix
CLS SHT MED LNG VLG
-4 +1 -2 -5 no

Damage: 2D

Note: This rifle can be fired every round. A normal flintlock musket can be fired every third (6 second) round by a skilled musketeer, or every fourth turn by an average musketeer.

A rifle musket can be fired every 10 (6 second) round.

 

[far-trader]

Much thanks

Hmm, you said a few, what's next I wonder, a full-auto smg model

Just kidding though I think I saw one in some movie, or was it a dream

Anyway, as you said in the other post an air rifle would be an ideal survival rifle. Make it a simple pump affair, with a low power scope, a basic repair kit including a bullet cast kit and I'll buy it.

Actually with what you outlined I can extrapolate close enough (probably) for a game. I have designed with FF&S1 and while ok it does tend to break badly much beyond the mean. I had a look at GGG once but lacking some examples to follow didn't get into it and actually design anything. For CT I tended to just guesstimate based on my hobby interest/knowledge, real life examples, and game balance (the last probably getting the biggest weight).

 

[Todg]

Airgun II: A TL 7 survival arm.

This air rifle is representative of a higher tech weapon meant to require the minimum of logistical support. It is ideal for the survivalist, and will also find favor with 'shoestring' colonist groups because it requires only projectiles, which can be made from any suitable maleable metal.

This rifle has increased velocity and range compared to earlier models. It fires a spitzer type lead bullet and is powered by a resevoir with compressed air at about 24 MPa. The resevoir is rechared either from a high pressure source, or through the use of a hand pump (and requiring several gundreds of strokes to charge the weapon with enough air for a half dozen full powered shots.

The rifle resembles a conventional weapon, and the bullet is loaded into a chamber sealed by a conventional turning bolt. The support kit include a regulated refilling tube that can be attached to a high pressure air source, extra seals, and a 4 cavity projectile mold.

Armor Matrix
NON JCK MSH CLH RFL ABL CBT
+2 +2 0 -3 +2 +1 -5

Range Matrix
CLS SHT MED LNG VLG
-4 +1 -2 -4 no

Damage: 3D-3

 

[Todg]

Another airgun sight with some truly different designs - perfect for Steam Punk or alien weapons.

http://www.barnespneumatic.com/

 

[The Hinterworlds Rambler]

Outstanding! Absolutely Outstanding!!! It is a real treat to see such a large array of different designs! I myself have been giving some alternative thought to early firearm designs for an upcoming adventure on the world of Ki Gaven, a primitive TL3 society of tribal bands... they only recently have devoloped a type of musket manufactured from the environment that they are closely tied to...

Gorria Musket
This weapon is an ornately carved slab of tuchutne wood, very dark brown, almost black in color. A half-inch diameter “barrel” is bored into the wood lengthwise, nearly down the entire length (about 3 feet of the 4 foot long weapon)

The Musket fires a muzzle loaded barbed thorn (also from the Tuchutne Tree) by using a type of cave fungus/puff ball (a small sphere about half inch diameter that sits at the Barrels end) this fungus explodes with incredible force when submerged in water, and weapon has a small rubbery plant bulb on top of it that injects water (or Saliva) into the firing chamber by pressing it with the thumb.

Ki Gavense Braves are often seen “priming” the weapon in combat by raising it to their mouths, refilling the bulb. It operationally is as effective as a Black powder musket, in regards to accuracy and rate of fire...

 

[Zutroi]

IIRC, at the time of the Lewis & Clark expedition ari rifles were quite well known. They were also the era's equivalent of mustard gas, no self respecting general would allow snipers armed with silent & smokeless weapons to be employed for fear that the other side would retaliate in kind...

 

[Todg]

Originally posted by Zutroi:
IIRC, at the time of the Lewis & Clark expedition ari rifles were quite well known. They were also the era's equivalent of mustard gas, no self respecting general would allow snipers armed with silent & smokeless weapons to be employed for fear that the other side would retaliate in kind...

Airguns are not silent but they much less noisy than conventional firearms. They obviously produce no smoke.

The first use of the air rifle as a military weapon was by the Austrians. It was originally used as a sniper and skirmisher weapon. Later, the Austrian Army fielded a special corps of some 1300 airgun armed soldier equiped with the Model 1799 Repetier Wind-büsche, systeme Girardoni under the command of Freiherr von Mack.

During the Tyroleon campaign of 1808-1809, French general Lefebre became aware that 'silent' rifles were being used against him, and in something of a panic sent a courier informing Napoleon, who issue orders that airgunners be executed if captured. However the main reason the airgun did not succeed as a military weapon was technical - airguns were too complicated and expensive to manufacture. Captain Halla (of the Austrian Quartermaster Corps) reported:

"The fact that this remarkable weapon nevertheless did not remain in use and was removed as expendable suppy to the firtress of Olmutz in 1815 was due not only to the changed tactical principles, but chiefly to the circumstance that there were no adequately trained riflesmiths to take care of the delicate component parts of the locks and valves, and therefor the percentage of useable air rifles shown in the reports was frighteningly high."

Even so, the Model 1799 wind-büsche remained in service for some 35 years. They were to last see action in the revolutionary years of 1848-1849 during the Czech and Hungarian revolts.

The introduction of the Minié ball and percussion ignition spelled the end of the air rifle as a weapon of war.

BTW, Lewis and Clark carried an air rifle with them, and amazed the indians by shooting game with this relatively silent weapon.

 

[Andrew Boulton]

Fascinating. I never knew any of this.

 

[The Hinterworlds Rambler]

Were the airguns used to save on transport of powder and the like? this is Fascinating...

 

[Todg]

At the time of their introduction, airgun were actually superior to any other small arm. The standard issue of the day was the muzzle loading, smooth bore musket. It was horribly inaccurate - basically useless beyond 50 paces and even at that range requiring large volleys of fire to produce even a few casualties. A trained soldier could (ideally) fire 3 round per minute.

By contrast, the Model 1799 air rifle was accurate beyond 100 yards, was a breech loading rifled gun with a 12 round magazine and could be fired almost as fast as the shooter could cock the hammer. It had little reportsand no smoke. The replaceable butt resevoir held enough pressurized air for as many as 40 shots, and the soldier carries from 2 to 4 extra resevoirs in the field.

Systeme Girardoni Modele 1799 Repetier Wind-Büsche (officer's model). Caliber .499, 12 shot repeating airgun

 

[Todg]

Regarding air powered machineguns, there is certainly no reason why not. The main problem is going to be air supply. Most air rifles of adequate power only have enough air for a dozen shots or so - many even less.

I did some research an did turn up an interesting early machinegun. An American inventor named Perkins developed a steam powered machinegun which was demonstrated to the British military in 1824. Contemporary reports say that it could fire up to 1,000 round per minute and the balls could penetrate 1/4 iron plate at 35 yards.

See British patent 4592, May 15, 1824.

As an aside, Perkins was a rather prolific inventor and is best know for deveoping the process of printing money using engraved steel plates.

http://freepages.history.rootsweb.com/~dav4is/people/PERK11.htm

 

[montanakennedy]

Originally posted by Corejob:
</font><blockquote>quote:</font><hr />Originally posted by Zutroi:
IIRC, at the time of the Lewis & Clark expedition ari rifles were quite well known.

BTW, Lewis and Clark carried an air rifle with them, and amazed the indians by shooting game with this relatively silent weapon. </font>[/QUOTE]Recent scholarship has started to suggest that the air rifle carried by the Corps of Discovery (aka The Lewis & Clark expedition) was a European semi-automatic design. Up until a year or so ago, the rifle was thought to have been a "conventional" single shot manufactured by Lukens of Philadelpia. Unfortunately, the jury is still out...

Regardless, being a possible semi-auto in 1803, there are many possibilities that could be utilized for adventures or spec designs...
Dave
Curator
Cody Firearms Museum

 

[Todg]

Originally posted by montana kennedy:
Recent scholarship has started to suggest that the air rifle carried by the Corps of Discovery (aka The Lewis & Clark expedition) was a European semi-automatic design. Up until a year or so ago, the rifle was thought to have been a "conventional" single shot manufactured by Lukens of

It certainly would have been useful if Lewis or Clark had actually mentioned what type of air rifle they used in their journals. I am aware of the following references to the airgun, from "The Lewis and Clark expidition into into the American Northwest in 1804-5 and 6" edited by Paul Allen and published in 1814:

Volume I, Page 41.
"The airgun, too, was fired and astonished them greatly"

Volume I, Page 51
"In the evening we exhibited different objects of curiosity, and particularly the airgun, which gave them great surprise"

Volume I, pages 409-410:
"They had indeed abundant sources of surprise in all they saw, the appearance of the men, their arms, their clothing, the canoes, the strange looks of the Negro, and the sagacity of our dog, all in turn shared their admiration, which was raised to astonishment by a shot from the airgun; this operation was instantly considered as a great medicine, by which they as wellas the other Indians meant something emanating directly from the Great Spirit, or produced by his invisible and incomprehensible agency"

Volume II, Page 144
"Everything they see excites their attention and inquiries, but having been accustomed to see the whites, nothing appeared to give them more astonishment than the airgun"

AFAIK, these are the only written records from the expedition dealing with the airgun.

 

[Zutroi]

Originally posted by Baron Saarthuran von Gushiddan:
Were the airguns used to save on transport of powder and the like? this is Fascinating...

As a total off-topic comment:
The expedition had a great means of transporting powder and shot. Rather than carry lead to cast bullets and casks of powder, they carried...

Lead powder kegs!

Each keg contained enough powder to fire the musket balls that could be cast from it. When ammo supplies ran low, the powder would be transferred to powder horns and the flask melted down and cast into bullets. This worked out much better than the collapsible frame modular boat...

 

[montanakennedy]

Originally posted by Corejob:
I am aware of the following references to the airgun, from "The Lewis and Clark expidition into into the American Northwest in 1804-5 and 6" edited by Paul Allen and published in 1814:

==============
Snip
==============

AFAIK, these are the only written records from the expedition dealing with the airgun.

There were actually about 15-20 entries - later editions of the journals go into more detail and have a couple more journal books from which to get information. There will be a new book coming out this year specifically regarding the weapons of the Corps of Discovery. The author is James Gerry and the book should be out near the end of the Summer.

Dave

 

[montanakennedy]

Originally posted by Zutroi:
(slightly edited by montanakennedy)As a total off-topic comment:
Rather than carry lead to cast bullets and casks of powder, they carried Lead powder kegs!

Each keg contained enough powder to fire the musket balls that could be cast from it.

Additionally, it was waterproof.

Dave

 

[The Hinterworlds Rambler]

Great stuff, Citizens!

 

[Todg]

Originally posted by montana kennedy:
There were actually about 15-20 entries - later editions of the journals go into more detail and have a couple more journal books from which to get information. There will be a new book coming out this year specifically regarding the weapons of the Corps of Discovery. The author is James Gerry and the book should be out near the end of the Summer.

Thanks. I'll be looking for it.