Under pressure

Last month we looked at the origins of airguns (Sporting Gun, March). In particular, we looked at how the earliest examples — ignoring the humble blowpipe — were either bellows or spring operated. The only type not looked at was the true pneumatic, whether pre-charged or multi-pump.

True pneumatics were the last type to appear, but the time frame between all was very small, less than 100 years. The reason pneumatics were last is a simple one: all materials and technologies existed when spring and bellows airguns appeared; the bellows were modified items commonly used for fires and the springs were modified from existing ones meant for clocks, so all it took was a